Get the 7D Mark II With the 18-135 STM Lens or Not?

I am finally selling my dependable 7D for the new 7D Mark II after seeing the new 5DS and 5DR reviews. I don't need 50 mp, but I like upgrading every once in a while. The 7D II is sold body only or with the 18-135 STM for $350 more. It's a $550 lens sold separately. I have a few good zoom L's and some good primes. Is it worth it to get STM lenses, in general, and is it worth the $350 to get this lens? I already have the 24 2.8 STM, 40 2.8 STM, and the 18-55 STM that came with the SL1 I bought last year. Just think the extra reach will be fun to have when I go out with 1 camera, 3 small lenses.

Also, for those who upgraded to the 7D II from the 7D, was it worth it?

Thanks, in advance, for answering. I haven't been here for awhile and I'm shooting a wedding in 2 weeks and want to make sure I'm up to it again. Miss everyone!

Giving your existing lens line up, I'd say no unless you want to use it for shooting videos. -alex

Heya,

I don't see a reason to get the 18-135 STM unless you wanted a "travel" lens that went telephoto. But you already have a lot of these focal ranges covered with lenses already. If you wanted to replace your 18-55 STM with the 18-135 STM, sure that makes sense, then I'd off load the 18-55 STM in favor of more focal range as an all purpose lens. You can sell the 18-55 STM for $100 generally. So you end up with the 18-135 STM for $250. So is that 56~135mm extra focal length worth it to you? If so, that's a good swap for a little cash.

Very best,

I faced the same issue when buying my 7D2. And I decided not to include the 18-135 STM. It is a nice lens, but the reviews don't say it is a great lens. I already had the 18-55mm STM and 55-250mm STM, both great lenses, and the latter gives me tons of reach.

The 7D2 is a great body, it was worth it for me. However, test it out thoroughly before shooting anything important with it, because some have experienced focus issues.

Thank you all for the great advice. I do have great L lenses, but the 7D II will most likely have the 70-200 2.8 IS II on it for sports most of the time. I pulled the trigger on the 7D without the lens because I do have the 18-55 and a lot of really good glass, as you reminded me. I will be shooting crew come spring at the river here for my 2 sons who are in high school. I'm going to take my new 7D II with 70-200 for those events. I think the STM lenses are great for video and I may put the 18-55 on the SL1 to track the races while doing stills with the 7D II. It just looks really silly to put the 100-400 on the SL1. And I never use my 5D2 for these events. It's another heavy pro camera to lug around and won't use.

The other question I was going to pose was how many people buy the extended warrantees with their new cameras? I've had insurance on all my equipment, but there is a high deductible. Now that you can get an extended warrantee by using a certain cc or from the website you buy the equipment, it's something people do in case something unexpected happens. I normally don't get the extended warrantees because I'm very careful, but maybe, I should be more daring and really go for the locations that may be tempting fate. How many of you get extended warrantees on your new equipment?

SuzyView wrote in post #17443641
The other question I was going to pose was how many people buy the extended warrantees with their new cameras? I've had insurance on all my equipment, but there is a high deductible. Now that you can get an extended warrantee by using a certain cc or from the website you buy the equipment, it's something people do in case something unexpected happens. I normally don't get the extended warrantees because I'm very careful, but maybe, I should be more daring and really go for the locations that may be tempting fate. How many of you get extended warrantees on your new equipment?

An extended warranty is a kind of insurance. Having insurance does not reduce the chances that you will lose your equipment (obviously), it is just a financial arrangement. Since the price of the insurance includes overhead and profit, it is a poor deal for the buyer. Only buy insurance if you won't reasonably be able to cover the loss yourself, or if you know you are high risk, making the cost worth it.

American Express does a double warranty that several of my friends have used. It's not perfect, but still useful, if you keep all your original receipts. I have not needed to use it for anything yet, but I think it's something to not forget.

I sold my 7D and bought the 7D MKII. I haven't had much of a chance to use it since I got it at the start of the Minnesota winter and am not a fan of cold weather shooting. I got the 7D MKII with the 18-135mm STM lens because I needed the reach for indoor family events. I used that combination at our Christmas celebration and I have no regrets about getting that lens with the camera.

I am going to put the new 7D II to task tomorrow. I hope my grandson doesn't run away too fast.

Well, I looked at more reviews, but then looked at the 55-250 STM and bought one on ebay for $167 free shipping. I didn't agonize over it. Just didn't want to pay the extra. I will do a review when I receive the lens. For now. I like the new camera, just such a large learning curve.

Suzi,, as a general purpose lens the EF-S18-135mm STM is brilliant. I bought one for shooting video but found it actually excels shooting stills.

I'm not a lover of kit lenses (generally) but a fast prime nut. I still like my 18-135mm STM though.

yogestee wrote in post #17453425
Suzi,, as a general purpose lens the EF-S18-135mm STM is brilliant. I bought one for shooting video but found it actually excels shooting stills.

I'm not a lover of kit lenses (generally) but a fast prime nut. I still like my 18-135mm STM though.

I agree with this. It's a very fast focusing lens too.

yogestee wrote in post #17453425
Suzi,, as a general purpose lens the EF-S18-135mm STM is brilliant. I bought one for shooting video but found it actually excels shooting stills.

I'm not a lover of kit lenses (generally) but a fast prime nut. I still like my 18-135mm STM though.

I couldn't have said this any better, the IQ this lens produces is very good. It almost never comes off of my father's T4i when he's using it in spite of owning: Sigma 30 1.4, 40 2.8, 50 1.8 and 18-55is.

Wow, I didn't get any of this from the other threads here. The cost of the 18-135 on ebay is ridiculously low all the time, so I can still pull the trigger on it. It's cheaper than if I bought the 7DII and lens together, so I have options. Right now the 17-40 is on my 7DII just to do an event I had this morning. I'll see how it did. I could only bring one camera, one lens. Not a paid event.

All your good reviews are useful. The new STM lenses do something Canon's really wanted for years, an inexpensive quality product that people are talking about and are recommending that does video as well as stills. Makes Canon much more attractive. L lenses are slightly better quality made, but the new lenses are so much quieter and in some ways, faster.