17-40L and 50 1.4 dilemma

I am about to make my next purchase and I am thinking of getting the 17-40L and the 50 1.4. I have looked in the archives at some of the images that these lenses can produce. I am wondering if you guys this is a wise decision, or if I should go another direction. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Two very good lenses. I consider mine a long term investment, having bought my 50/1.4 when I had only an EOS 50 (Elan II) and my 17-40 when I got a 10D years ago. Now I'm rediscovering how great they are on a 5D.

The 50/1.4 is wonderful in low light for high shutter speed action in daylight, while the 17-40/4.0 is very good for landscapes and even for bright indoor snapshots. This zoom is the only one I would accept f/4.0 on. I tend to snarl at the 24-105/4.0 IS and the 70-200/4.0 (even the new IS).

Gr8outdrsmn,
I think (actually for me, I know) it was a great decision. I originally used this on my 10D and now on my 5D. The 17-40L is just great for landscape photos (to my eyes) and the 50mm f/1.4 is the perfect portrait/low light lens. Besides if your not happy with your choice they both have great resale value
Good Luck with your choice

Thanks guys. I felt like I was making the correct decision, but I just wanted to be sure. I will probably place the order this week. Thanks again.

my 50 1.4 is with brown...

i went for that because i don't have enough for the 17-40L but that would be my next buy...

Only thing better is the 16-35L and 50 1.2L which will cost you an extra grand minimum. So yeah your choice is a very good one and optically it can't be much better then anything. Both lenses are wonderful!

cjm wrote in post #2268687
...16-35L and 50 1.2L which will cost you an extra grand minimum...

...EACH

i have both and theyre awesome!

I can vouch for the 50mm 1.4 - an excellent lens, good value for money and pleasingly sharp.

These are two very different lenses for two very different purposes. I would base my choice on what I wanted to use the lens for.

In any case, if you own a 30D I don't consider the 17-40 to be a good choice. I have not used mine since I got the 17-55 f/2.8, so I would not recommend the 17-40 to anyone who has an EF-S camera.

Thanks everyone, I will probably order them in the next day or two. I cannot wait to get them.

Both cracking lenses, I found I didn't use the 50mm on my 350d much, the x1.6 made it an awkward length for my shooting but each to their own, I use it more now I have the 5D. The only gripe I have is that it isn't that sharp wide open which I find frustrating when shooting in low light.

That is exactly what I have right now, the 17-40 and 50 1.4. The zoom is a fine landscape lens, but I don't like it for indoors, it's too slow and needs to be stopped down a little bit to get really good sharpness, which makes it even slower. The 50 1.4 is a fine lens. It is soft wide open, but it's fast enough that I can stop down a little and still get nice natural light indoor shots during the day with window light. I often shoot close up shots of my kids at 2.8 and it is gorgeous. I can't imagine anyone not liking that lens.

That being said, if you are going to buy both new, you're going to be getting close to the price of the 17-55 2.8 IS. I would take a serious look at that before buying the other two. I'm thinking of getting the 17-55 to replace my 17-40 and 50 1.4. That way, I'll have one sharp lens with better range and IS as a bonus. I don't know if I'll actually have the heart to part with my 50 1.4, but I have a feeling that once I get the 17-55, it's probably going to spend 90% of the time on my camera anyway. Sure, it's EFS and I'd like to have a FF camera someday, but that's probably far enough out that I'll sell it when that day comes. It'll be worth the loss to get a couple years of use out of the lens.

Good luck with your decision. Depending on what kind of shooting you do, you may be completely happy with the 17-40 and 50 1.5 pair, but I think there are more flexible options you should consider too.

I have a bunch of samples from both of these lenses on my gallery if you'd like to look.
www.pbase.com/billhueg​erich

I've just bought myself a 17-40 f4 L and next on the cards for me is the 50mm f1.4 I think. Couldn't be happier with the 17-40 myself, build quality is superb, although its a shame the lens is a tad slow.

Good thing about L-glass is that it holds its value. Its always difficult deciding on which lens, but at the end of the day, for me, I thought that I may as well get this lens, then (if) 6 months down the line I'd prefer a faster lens (17-55 f2.8 IS or 16-35 f2.8 L) then I can sell my 17-40 and upgrade. I wouldn't be loosing out on much.

17-40 + 50mm f1.4. I am pretty sure you won't be disappointed!

I have the 20D with EF 17-40 f4 and EF 85 f1.8. It´s a great combo too. I am very happy with these lenses, and I don´t think you will regret buying the EF 17-40, which you can use on a fullframe camera in the future as well.