Some advice please: Trade 35L for 16-35?

I absolutely love my 35L on my old 20D. However I'm upgrading cameras (to a 5d) and I'm afraid this new focal length isn't going to fly. So I was thinking.....So I'm considering trading it for the zoom and then adding either the 50 1.4 or 85 1.8. Maybe I could be talked into a 50L but that would take some really good convincing

I mostly shoot candids, street photog, landscapes, cityscapes, etc. with the 35L. I also have a 3 year old nephew that I shoot a lot. I guess my biggest concern is how good the 16-35 is at f/2.8, where I'll be using it a lot.

Anyone own both these lenses? Seems like a lot of money to invest for the overlap....

This is not a bad idea however I would wait until you have your 5D before you decide that the 35L is no longer ideal for you. Those that have the 5D/35L combo swear by it and say that there is no better combination. Best to see for yourself. I have a 5D and 50/1.4 and love the combo. With that said, the 35L is one of the lenses that I truely lust for.

Lostboy77 wrote in post #3248910
This is not a bad idea however I would wait until you have your 5D before you decide that the 35L is no longer ideal for you. Those that have the 5D/35L combo swear by it and say that there is no better combination. Best to see for yourself. I have a 5D and 50/1.4 and love the combo. With that said, the 35L is one of the lenses that I truely lust for.

Yeah well I'm definitely going to wait for the 5d, it'll be here early next week. I was just thinking to myself, on a 5d maybe the 24-70 would be wide enough.....

cdhender wrote in post #3248976
Yeah well I'm definitely going to wait for the 5d, it'll be here early next week. I was just thinking to myself, on a 5d maybe the 24-70 would be wide enough.....

There have only been a couple of times when I wished for something wider than my 24-70. And it was only when I was messing around with my camera and not taking any serious photos. However if I were taking a lot of landscape shots I would want for something wider, However I would be content with a 17-40 and forgo the 16-35.

Lostboy77 wrote in post #3249340
There have only been a couple of times when I wished for something wider than my 24-70. And it was only when I was messing around with my camera and not taking any serious photos. However if I were taking a lot of landscape shots I would want for something wider, However I would be content with a 17-40 and forgo the 16-35.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking as well. Get the "relatively" cheap 17-40 for sure. Then decide whether to keep the 35L or trade it for a 50 or maybe even an 85.

Thanks a lot the replies, it's appreciated.

cdhender wrote in post #3249359
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking as well. Get the "relatively" cheap 17-40 for sure. Then decide whether to keep the 35L or trade it for a 50 or maybe even an 85.

Thanks a lot the replies, it's appreciated.

better yet, keep the 35L and 135L that you have now and pick up the 85L when you have the chance. At that point you would have very little need for a 50 anything and have one the best set of primes available.

Lostboy77 wrote in post #3249586
better yet, keep the 35L and 135L that you have now and pick up the 85L when you have the chance. At that point you would have very little need for a 50 anything and have one the best set of primes available.

The problem there is that I wouldn't have a landscape/cityscape lens. So it's either buy a 17-40L or sell one of my primes for a 16-35L. Like I said, I just can't justify having both the 16-35 and the 35L. At least, that's what I tell myself....

As for the 85L, trust me, that lens is definitely on my mind but it's a ways away. I can't see myself getting the 85L until next summer (at the earliest) so I'll probably buy the 85 1.8 which I've heard is exceptional. It's already been an expensive year.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep the 35L, try it out for a few weeks on the 5d and then make a decision.

cdhender wrote in post #3249664
I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep the 35L, try it out for a few weeks on the 5d and then make a decision.

That's best, I have always been a fan of the buy quickly but lake a long time selling method of "finding the right solution."

Keep it !!

The zoom will be no match for the bokeh-tastic prime. I have the 35L plus the 17-40L. I don't know about the mkII but the 16-35L mkI, that I tried for a couple of weeks, wasn't as sharp @ 16-17mm as the 17-40 was @ 17mm so I sold it and bought another 17-40L.

As for landscapes, the wide end of the zooms are ideal, but for cityscapes I find there is too much distortion below 22-24mm. The 35L is quite wide on a 5D, it's more than ideal for city shots. I use it for portraits aswell. https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=312651

Gary.