New grand daughter, new lens

I have a 9 month old grandaughter and would like to get maybe a couple of used lenses to be used primarily on her. It will be used at family gatherings and at the beach. Here's what I have now, 6D 24-105L, 85 f1.8, 70-300L. I also recently bought a 70-200 f2.8 IS at a good price in the hopes that maybe I would sell the 70-300L. Well the 70-200 doesn't fit as well in my bag as the 70-300 and I find the 70-300 to be sharper, but the bokeh not even close to the 70-200.
I am thinking maybe 2 primes. 35L/35IS, 50L, 135L and maybe 200L. The 35 and 135 might be good for the beach as well as backyard. I am not looking to spend a lot of additional money after selling the 70-200 L or the 70-300L.
Any thoughts?

Suggestions ? yes. Stop using the grandaughter as an excuse and just admit you want to buy some new lenses

Grandchildren are a great excuse to get new lenses. I recommend trying the 35F2IS first. You already have the 85. The 24-105L will work on the beach. Get the lens hood for the 35, as it will help with flare resistance and keep little fingers away. It gives you nice closeup shots of tiny fingers and toes.
Congratulations, and spend the extra money you save on the 35 on your grandchild.

Do I keep the 70-200 or 70-300 and would the 135 be a good compliment to either of those?

It looks like you do like working in the telephoto ranges. The 135L is one of the first EF lenses I bought, and I find it's still a great performer: AF speed is still fast and it is a great all around portrait lens (sharpness and bokeh). I've used it with my friends' little ones. I think it's a no brainer for you: only complaints I've seen from folks is that it might be too long for them, and they side with 85mm (which you already have covered).

Before I had my 70-200 2.8L IS II, I had the non IS 2.8. From what I've read, the non IS is sharper then the 2.8L IS I, and the mkII was a significant improvement. It appears that you prefer the 70-300, and there may be ways to change your approach to get more DOF/bokeh out of it. I'd say keep your 24-105 as a "normal" lens and keep the 70-300 since you like it. The 135L is the first prime to consider. Then, for the wide angle, does it have to be a prime? I'm thinking that if it's mainly going to be beach shots, you might like the 16-35mm f4L. It's a nice sharp and versatile lens, and with IS, I find I can shoot close to 1 second hand held. It and the 135 are also good value L lenses.

id10t wrote in post #18514511
I have a 9 month old grand daughter and would like to get maybe a couple of used lenses to be used primarily on her. It will be used at family gatherings and at the beach. Here's what I have now, 6D 24-105L, 85 f1.8, 70-300L. I also recently bought a 70-200 f2.8 IS at a good price in the hopes that maybe I would sell the 70-300L. Well the 70-200 doesn't fit as well in my bag as the 70-300 and I find the 70-300 to be sharper, but the bokeh not even close to the 70-200.
I am thinking maybe 2 primes. 35L/35IS, 50L, 135L and maybe 200L. The 35 and 135 might be good for the beach as well as backyard. I am not looking to spend a lot of additional money after selling the 70-200 L or the 70-300L.
Any thoughts?

id.
Do you have the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS Version 1 or the Mark II?

The 85 you already have is all you need for almost all outdoor situations and is still good indoors in some situations.

If you don't already have a decent 35mm or 50mm, add one of those.

And a flash, if you don't already have that.

Keep it simple and light so you take it everywhere, rather than load up and lug around stuff and not use most of it. Enjoy the time. It's a lot more fun to be up close than to stand 20 feet away using telephotos and not even being able to talk to them without shouting (beach).

Very best,

Nick5 wrote in post #18516036
id.
Do you have the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS Version 1 or the Mark II?

It's v1

I'd recommend the 35 f2 IS. It's compact, fast, sharp and the IS is handy if you are taking any video of your little one.

I also agree with the post above about having a good flash. For me that is a must for shooting indoor family stuff. And I also second the note about keeping a nice light setup. The less you have to lug around the easier it is to join in the family fun.

I have the 600 and 580 flashes. I have been offered a trade for the 35mm f1.4 plus a little cash for the 70-200 but I still can't to decide what I want. I would probably like the 35 f2IS and the 135L but that will require another $300-400 on my end.

I would not hold on to the 70-200 and 70-300 and get a new 100-400mm mark II
since you have the 24-105mm

I would pick up a 35 first. I have already commented on my 35F2 IS. The smaller aperture as compared with F1.4 can be helpful with fast moving small ones, and the lens works fine wide open. If you can swing the F1.4 II, it is even sharper at F2.
You don't have to buy everything at once. I would add a 35 or 50 first, and then decide what to do next. It doesn't take long to buy a lens. If Canon made a 50 F1.8 or F1.4 with the quality of their 35s, I would be more likely to make that recommendation. I haven't used the F1.2 version, so I won't comment on it. I have the F1.8 STM and the F1.4 Canons, and have used the F1.4 to good effect, but generally at F2. I would still recommend the 35 over 50, especially since you already have an 85.

I ended up trading the 70-200 f2.8 for a 135L and some cash. I think this will make a good beach and backyard lens. I will keep an eye out for a good deal on the 35mm IS.