overkill or different tool for different jobs?

Hi there.

I have recently gotten the new 18-35 f1.8
to the below mentioned lenses
and the 85 II
and most likely the 70-200 II.
all on my 7d.
would adding the 135 f2 be overkill or just a different tool for a different job?

pro to get the 135:
gorgeous rendition of color,
sharp sharp sharp,
grogeous rendition of out of focus areas
smaller/lighter
faster AF than the 85 II for the times you need it.

con:
no IS
relatively large overlap with the 70-200 excepting f2...of course
"threat" of a sigma 135 f1.8 OS on the "horizon"
yet another lens in the bag - adding weight and taking up space....
135 on a crop is pretty long
I already have the 100L, 85 II....i don't like 50mm on a crop....

anyone with some ideas
because there is no doubt that the lens sample archive that I love the second most is the 135... (first being the 85 II).

forgot to say what I shoot: everything - I am a hobbiest who shoots family, portraits, landscapes, macro
i shoot about 30-60 minutes per week average

I think the real overkill is getting all these lenses without upgrading to a better body, which will bottleneck all of your awesome lenses

135L on a crop sensor behaves like a 200mm F2.8 on a full frame, a focal length covered in your 70-200 lens


if I were you, I would upgrade to a full frame body first, since you have the cash laying around for an extra lens already


that way, all your current lenses will get a huge boost in quality (since the 18-35 is rather new, you can sell it for a decent cost), plus you already have the 28-75 F2.8 Tamron which on full frame behaves similar to the 18-35 on crop


if you do the maths

135L = $1000
85L = $2000 (rough figure based on Australian pricing)

70-200 F2.8 IS II ($2300)

85L on crop is similar to a 135L on a full frame in terms with DOF, with slightly busier bokeh, less sharpness and much slower AF, you essentially paid $1000 more for a worse lens due to a crop sensor, that money can well be spent on upgrading to a full frame body

You're also paying another $1000 on a 135L which on a full frame can be saved by simply using the 70-200 instead

Thats $2000, plus the money you'll get from selling the 7D and 18-35 you can easily purchase a 5D Mark III

That's my recommendation anyway :P

while i agree that the 7d has some inherrent liabilities
-
I am a relatively strong believer in glass before body - and I haven't fallen in love with any of the current bodies that Canon has right now. I am sure that the 5d3 is an excellent body - but I want...something more for my $3500. Maybe I will worry about when we get to the "5d4" "7d2" or the "1dx2" or so.

anyway, thanks for your opinion!

I think Glass over body only applies when you're comparing the same sensor size

Not saying 7D is a bad camera, but the sensor size predetermines the outcomes of your lenses, which will all half in value if not used on a full frame body

I like the idea of glass before body, but that said, if you want to get the sort of stuff you see in the 135L thread then a FF body ought to be on your shopping list.

Will Chao wrote in post #16953328
I think Glass over body only applies when you're comparing the same sensor size

Not saying 7D is a bad camera, but the sensor size predetermines the outcomes of your lenses, which will all half in value if not used on a full frame body

Guessing you're joking here. Going full frame gives him two choices, either the 6D or 5DIII (OK and the 1DX). The 6D isn't a serious upgrade coming from a 7D... It's a serious step back in terms of AF systems. And the 5DIII is definitely a nice camera, but I think if I were to upgrade in a couple of years I would go for a used 1DX.

OT: I wouldn't buy the 135mm L for the reason that you already have the 85mm L... That on crop will give the same FOV as the 135mm... And you can get the background blur already with the f/1.2.

Somedude18 wrote in post #16953340
Guessing you're joking here. Going full frame gives him two choices, either the 6D or 5DIII (OK and the 1DX). The 6D isn't a serious upgrade coming from a 7D... It's a serious step back in terms of AF systems. And the 5DIII is definitely a nice camera, but I think if I were to upgrade in a couple of years I would go for a used 1DX.

OT: I wouldn't buy the 135mm L for the reason that you already have the 85mm L... That on crop will give the same FOV as the 135mm... And you can get the background blur already with the f/1.2.

nope im not joking

my point is if you can spend same amount of money and use better, newer gear, why not?

gonzogolf wrote in post #16953331
I like the idea of glass before body, but that said, if you want to get the sort of stuff you see in the 135L thread then a FF body ought to be on your shopping list.

agreed. and one day I will aim for the FF. I just hope that it "excites" me more than the change from the 7d to the 5d3. I really wasn't that excited about the 6d. (no offense to those out there who love the 6d...I am speaking from my perspective alone..no judgment)

Somedude18 wrote in post #16953340
Guessing you're joking here. Going full frame gives him two choices, either the 6D or 5DIII (OK and the 1DX). The 6D isn't a serious upgrade coming from a 7D... It's a serious step back in terms of AF systems. And the 5DIII is definitely a nice camera, but I think if I were to upgrade in a couple of years I would go for a used 1DX.

OT: I wouldn't buy the 135mm L for the reason that you already have the 85mm L... That on crop will give the same FOV as the 135mm... And you can get the background blur already with the f/1.2.

thanks for opinions. they were all helpful

Will Chao wrote in post #16953381
nope im not joking

my point is if you can spend same amount of money and use better, newer gear, why not?

Hi there.
Thanks for the idea.
I also kicked around the idea of the 5d3 for a while as well.
I have to say that while the ISOs are cleaner than the 7d, as a hobbiest and with only 30-60 minutes per week average of shooting, I thought that coming closer to mastering the basics of the 7d and composition etc
would have been better use of different types of lenses. on top of that, i found that i really like the crop cameras and the 7d (IMHO) is the best one out there from canon still after all these years.

if there will be a big jump in the ISO capabilities of the sensors - I most likely will jump on it - but i prefer to have a few more shots under my belt. I still question whether paying for the 1 stop of the 70-200 II over my 70-200 f4IS is worth it!

anyway, thanks for the good intentioned advice.

ceriltheblade wrote in post #16953396
agreed. and one day I will aim for the FF. I just hope that it "excites" me more than the change from the 7d to the 5d3. I really wasn't that excited about the 6d. (no offense to those out there who love the 6d...I am speaking from my perspective alone..no judgment)

Does that excitement come from using a 6D, or a 5DII for that matter, or from reading reviews and stats?

no it does not. i have not used any FF. I was considering only some things that were important to me: frame per second, gain in ISO (which I got from multiple sites - and not from my own experience) vs price.

I am not sure that for the price, I would gain too much. That and I would have to get a new UWA for use with the FF instead of the 10-22. Now that the new 16-35 f4IS has been announced - the FF became cheaper for me, but I will await for the reviews of the 16-35 f4IS first. I have time. But to tell you the truth - I still go back and forth between the befit of getting the 70-200 II vs getting the 5d3.

It depends what you want out of photography. It seems like you have acquired some great glass, esp the 85ii and 70-200ii. Are you shooting portraits outdoors? If so, I would have to agree that you will get more bang from these lens if you tried them on a FF. I would recommend to get an old 5dii and use it for portraits, wide-open bokeh photos and low light shoots. Keep the 7D and use it for action , macro and reach. If you look hard, you should be able to get a 5dii for $1000 and under. Or that 6D sometime can be found new for $1300 around the late nov -early dec months.

Will Chao wrote in post #16953381
nope im not joking

my point is if you can spend same amount of money and use better, newer gear, why not?

Because the 135mm L is like 900-1000€ new and the Canon 5D Mark III is €2700.
I agree the 5D Mark III will provide him with better IQ, however the cost is almost three times as high as getting that lens. Then I would suggest getting a 6D just for portrait and IQ and keeping the 7D for action, but I personally would never do that.

ceriltheblade wrote in post #16953445
no it does not. i have not used any FF. I was considering only some things that were important to me: frame per second, gain in ISO (which I got from multiple sites - and not from my own experience) vs price.

I am not sure that for the price, I would gain too much. That and I would have to get a new UWA for use with the FF instead of the 10-22. Now that the new 16-35 f4IS has been announced - the FF became cheaper for me, but I will await for the reviews of the 16-35 f4IS first. I have time. But to tell you the truth - I still go back and forth between the befit of getting the 70-200 II vs getting the 5d3.

Then you seriously need to rent/beg/borrow (but dont steal) a FF body. You are doing math based on other peoples opinions and the things you think are important, which may or may not be the case. FPS and ISO are factors, I dont mean to diminish them, but they matter little for the sort of photos you've expressed admiration for. It might be time to consider a 2 body solution. A high FPS for whatever you use it for, and a full frame of whatever vintage for when thats more appropriate. But for god's sake try the stuff.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16953456
Then you seriously need to rent/beg/borrow (but dont steal) a FF body. You are doing math based on other peoples opinions and the things you think are important, which may or may not be the case. FPS and ISO are factors, I dont mean to diminish them, but they matter little for the sort of photos you've expressed admiration for. It might be time to consider a 2 body solution. A high FPS for whatever you use it for, and a full frame of whatever vintage for when thats more appropriate. But for god's sake try the stuff.

Join CPS. Then you can loan anything for free including the 1DX and 135L.