Questioning 17-55 for 70-200 2.8...

Question:
I want to know about the overlap in my setup... I will be purchasing a 30/1.4 Sig and my lineup will be:

XTi
Sig 30/1.4 (Going to purchase in next 2-3 days)
Canon 50/1.8
Canon 17-55/2.8
Canon 75-300

Now, I have thought about having a bit more range but don't want to shovel out much more money for a zoom. Would I be out of my mind to want to swap the 17-55 for a 70-200/2.8? and then later invest in a 85/1.8? It seems like I will have the low end coverage of 30/50/85 so would I necessarily need a 17-55?

I would end up with:

30 1.4
50 1.8
85 1.8 (Future purchase in a couple of months)
70-200 2.8

What would be your opinions on a general setup on this? any other alternatives i could consider?

You'd be giving up quite a bit on the wide end, and giving up one of the best walkabout lenses for a crop body. A $200 55-250 IS would be an upgrade for your 75-300.

Other people might say you are out of your mind, but not me... because I'm basically going to do the same thing. I don't know what you shoot or what your needs are, but I barely use my 17-55 and CONSTANTLY use my 70-200. So, I'm going to sell my 17-55 and replace it with a prime in that range. I think I will enjoy the wide aperture of the prime more than I did the 17-55...

For your shooting, do you find that you would use the telephoto end more than the wide end? I think that's all it boils down to. For me, the answer was yes, so just having a prime in the wider range is enough. But if you use the wide end even a small amount, you could really be missing the 17-55 after selling it.

I use both the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and 70-200mm f/4L IS on a pair of 1.6x cameras.

I cut my teeth on prime lenses. They are great but, I never liked using them (and still don't) unless I am shooting with two or more bodies.

Here is something to think about... Using my zoom lenses, I seldom do any cropping at all. It is just serendipitous if you HAPPEN to be in the exact position to frame with a prime lens AND you cannot always zoom with your feet. In this case, you are forced to use the next widest lens and crop...

Since I have a similar setup, I'll give you my opinion. I have a 30/50/85 prime and they are my most used lenses (75%+ of the time). I also have 3 zooms: 11-16, 17-40, 70-200 and use them the least. If I were to give any of them up, it would easily be the 17-40. The 70-200 is versatile and is my go to lens when I am doing photographing pets & sports. For architecture, landscape, and real estate - my 11-16mm comes out.

It really depends on your interest and what you like to shoot. I can tell you that although I love my primes - it wouldn't work if the 30mm was my widest lens. IMO, 30mm as your widest is too limiting, ESPECIALLY on a 1.6x crop. I think you should save up and buy those lenses first and if they work for you - then you can decide to sell.

crn3371 wrote in post #11334632
A $200 55-250 IS would be an upgrade for your 75-300.

Forgot about that lens. I was mesmerized by the fixed aperture of 2.8.

nyct wrote in post #11334739
For your shooting, do you find that you would use the telephoto end more than the wide end?

Its actually one of those things i never thought about. I forgot about the wide end and was actually assuming that the 30/1.4 would be close enough. I guess ill find out when I own a 30 and see how close to a subject I feel.

RPCrowe wrote in post #11335581
I cut my teeth on prime lenses. They are great but, I never liked using them (and still don't) unless I am shooting with two or more bodies.

I don't like not zooming either but I don't know of any zoom that has a f/1.8 or faster, which always seems to come up needing in night situations. I tend to find myself shooting alot at night more than anything.


Thanks for the replies! Definitely something to think about

Bleufire wrote in post #11337367
Forgot about that lens. I was mesmerized by the fixed aperture of 2.8.

Its actually one of those things i never thought about. I forgot about the wide end and was actually assuming that the 30/1.4 would be close enough. I guess ill find out when I own a 30 and see how close to a subject I feel.

I don't like not zooming either but I don't know of any zoom that has a f/1.8 or faster, which always seems to come up needing in night situations. I tend to find myself shooting alot at night more than anything.


Thanks for the replies! Definitely something to think about

Since you shoot at night so much, getting a flash would be much better