What Is The Sharpest Canon Lens Under $500.00

I wanted to purchase a new lens for my 20d can you help me. Right now I have the EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II that came with it. It was ok just getting started and learning my camera but now I need something faster and sharper. I was looking at the EF 24mm f/2.8 buying it used my local camera store. What I'm trying to shoot is mostly models outdoors and in the studio. Can you tell me if this is a good choice. The sales person told me that prime lens have better quality and if that is what I'm looking for I should get that and just move closer and farther away from the subject instead of a zoom lens where I could stand still. I want a prime lens if they are better. I also wanted to know if the USM really makes a difference cause I was also looking at the EF 24mm f/1.4L USM. Please let me know what I should get.

Why are you considering a lens so close to what you already have?

If you want wide, I would go much wider (17-40 for example, or 15mm fish). You won't notice a huge difference in length between 24 and 28, although you will notice a dramatic difference in low light (obviously) and auto focusing ability.

My personal choice would be to go longer with a 70-200 f4. I'd say the 70-200 series is as nice as some of the Canon non L primes. The 17-40 is a nice lens as well, and I have no complaints with the tens of thousands of frames shot through mine.

All 3 of those are right around $600, so maybe save up another week or 2?

for sharpest, my vote would be for the 60mm ef-s macro.

Or the 50mm Compact macro,.
then the 85mm f/1.8
then the 50mm f/1.4
I can't recall if the 100mm macro is $450.00 or $550.00..
But there's the 100mm f/2 USM..
And the 135mm f/2.8.. etc...

You can get the 100mm macro for $400 used.

85 1.8 and 50 1.4. Both very sharp lenses for under $300 at that. Sharpest would probably be the 70-200 f4L for under $500 used. Superb lens for its money.

I would have to say the 100 F2. Less than $400.00 new. Smaller and lighter than the 100 2.8 macro, it is good enough to be L glass without the L price. As a matter of fact it is the only non-L lens in my bag.

Michael

Interesting! I always thought that prime lenses are ALWAYS sharper than ANY zoom lense, even the L ones. I have never done a test myself.... but I thought that was the case.

Leo.

But there are sharp primes, and SHARP primes.
the L zooms stand up well to most consumer prime lenses, but will be beaten to death by the L primes.

For shooting models, you would probably benefit from a large aperture lens to add control of your DOF. Also, the largest aperature of a good zoom is stopped down on a large aperature prime. I would try the 50 f/1.4 or the 28 f/1.8, depending on the distance to the model. Wide angles can sometimes distort model's features, I would be careful with anything wider than 28mm...
Both the 28 f/1.8 and 50 f/1.4 have excellent center sharpness, and nice OOF characteristics. Once you get used to the sharpness and large aperatures of the primes, you will have a tough time using zooms - Consider yourself warned.

you can't generalize like that. in the 50-100mm range, for example, there just ARE no L primes - except for the 85mm - and the non-L lenses are all affordable and fast and sharp. the 85mm L is a special case. very special case; but its not 7x better than the non-L, although its 7x more expensive.

That's a great price. Can you send a link?

Yes, there is. You forgot the 50mm f/1.0L. And it's even more special than the 85L.

IMO 24mm will be too wide for portraits (unless maybe 'environmental' portraits) and 100 too long (unless maybe extreme close cropped headshots, or 'fashion like' shots (flat perspective)), so a 50 or 60mm will probabely be a better choice.
Also, be aware there is a *big* difference between zooming in/out or moving closer/ further: The first will change *nothing* about the perspective, but only affect framing and DoF, the second will change perspective, framing and DoF, in short the entire picture...

liza wrote:
Yes, there is. You forgot the 50mm f/1.0L.

ah, this just came up on a thread re rental in nyc, where there is one for rent at a reasonable $30/day. might be fun to try, but then all of the reviews i've read of it say that its not such a wonderful lens.

well, 50mm f/1.0 doesn't count because its no longer in production.