Shoul I sell 24-70 mkii and replace with some primes + 24-105?

Hello everyone,

I wanted to get get some feedback as to which direction I should take with my 24-70 f2.8 mkII lens. I used to own a 24-105 that came with my 6D, and sold that and upgraded to the 24-70. While I love the 24-70, sometimes I wonder if I should "downgrade" back to the 24-105 and pick up some primes to go along with my collection, like the 85 f1.8.

I mainly take pictures of my kids, and realized that I don't shoot at 2.8 often due to the narrow DOF.

Thoughts? Thanks!

No. If you don't use the 24-70 at f/2.8 because you don't like shallow DoF, why would you want an 85mm f/1.8? I don't see the logic there. The 24-70/2.8 II is an amazing lens, with prime-level image quality. What exactly is the reason you're considering this move? IMO, the 24-70 II is the perfect lens for kids photos, it has a fast aperture, fast AF, and flexible zoom range that can go from group/environmental to reasonably close headshots.

That sounds crazy to me, especially because I have owned all of the lenses you mentioned.

The 24-70mm Mkii is probably the best lens you can own in any camera ecosystem.

depends what you shoot, and how you shoot.

I am comfortable shooting primes all day, but for landscapes, I like having the most range possible, and I shoot a mixture of zoom and primes. For day to day/sports/events, I'll shoot primes.

my preferred kit would be:

A: Primes + 24-70mkii
or
B: Primes + 24-105
or
C: Primes
or
D: 24-70mkii
or
E: 24-105

I worked myself up to loving primes fwiw. I just started shooting one day, then the next, then the next, and pretty soon, all I wanted was to shoot primes. I do have a kit of both primes and zooms that I've developed over time, and that caters to my needs.

Agreed with the other posters. 24-70 mk2 is amazing and what you are stating doesn't make sense especially if you are not shooting wide open. If you want a portrait lens then look into the 85 1.8 or 135 2.0L which is a bargain for what the 135 can do especially with its bokeh and portraits of your kids

I would echo others about the 24-70mm. If you were wanting to test waters with other lenses then sure go ahead. You could always rent them as well for a weekend each to see how they work. If narrow DOF is really a huge concern then get an 18-200 type of lens and see how you feel about the DOF with 5.6 and smaller apertures.

If you can live with f4, buy the 24-105 and rent primes to see how it goes. I cannot shoot without a 24-70 despite having multiple primes in my bag.

Seems like I've seen the 85 1.8 going for 250 bucks lately. I'd say just add it to you current set up.

i'd give up a nad before my 24-70L II, which is the finest medium range zoom on the planet and a mainstay of my kit. you'd have to pay me to use the 24-105L again. so there are my thoughts

Thanks everyone for their feedback. When I first got the the 24-70 I was happy that I had obtained one of my "grail" lenses. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of the extra cash that the 24-70 would net me, though I have no immediate need for the cash.

I've rented the 85 and it's a great lens that I think I'll pick up soon. Thanks again everyone!

Even though I fully agree with everything good said about the 24-70 f/2.8 II above, I see the argument re the better use of cash ($1,800 for a new 24-70 - maybe you'd get $1,500 selling yours as used? vs. $500 for a mint used 24-105).

Other rather obvious reasons maybe you'd prefer the 24-105:

Lighter
More range
IS

Some people have complained that they have to really bump up the ISO and the shutter speed to deal with the weight of the 24-70 lens. Maybe.

Anyway, for the roughly $1,000 you would save, you could get the 24-105 plus used copies of the wonderful 35 f/2 IS and the 85 f/1.8. OK, maybe not all three but it would be close.
Not a bad trade-off but most of us (myself included) would rather have the 24-70 f/2.8 II. It's that good.

ed rader wrote in post #17699655
i'd give up a nad before my 24-70L II, which is the finest medium range zoom on the planet and a mainstay of my kit. you'd have to pay me to use the 24-105L again. so there are my thoughts

Nad......I haven't heard that for a while....still laughing....
Thanks Ed.