Good lens choices for a 5D mark iii ??

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Lilbear

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I have been looking into buying a 5D mark iii for a while now but now my 2nd lens on my 40d broke I decided I will be just going for it but im still struggling with a good choice of lenses.

I was thinking to go for some prime lenses instead of the 24-70

The 50mm 1.4
The 85mm 1.8
The 70-200 f4

Do u think this is a good choice for everyday photography mostly of my children in the house and outside and some action dog photography??

I was also looking at the tamron 24-70mm 2.8 because its half the price of the canon one and I just don't know if maybe that's a better choice instead of the 50mm and the 85mm.

I don't like using flash and the 5D doesn't come with a flash anyway so I need lenses that are good in doors in low light conditions.

I just cant decided what to go for or whats the best choice especially as I never used any of those lenses before so im not sure how good they are lol :runaway:
 
You will need something wider than 50 for indoors. What about a 35mm? Its my favourite focal length. Great for kids playing IMHO.
 
I agree with Andy. I'd also suggest maybe adding a 35mm lens to the list, maybe replacing the 50mm.
I love my 35mm f/2 IS and even though I have a Canon 24-70 f/2.8 MKII I use the 35mm the most, especially for my son at play etc.
it's also very handy for video.

For what it's worth I found the Tramon 24-70 to be a bit slow to focus, especially in low light. It's a good lens, but I had two copies and neither were as quick and acurate to focus as my USM lenses in low light, and they definitly couldn't keep up with AI Servo like USM could.
Although this of course is just my experience (although I'm not the only one to notice this).
 
The lenses you've listed are a nice range, but you might want (as above) a wider lens as well.

The 70-200F4 is a belter of a lens and you won't be disappointed with it - the only possible issue is the 200mm max reach, but depending on what you shoot, this may / may not be a problem. It wail take a Canon 1.4 TC so you can extend the range if / when required.
 
Good choices. The zoom takes a 2x TC ok too.
 
I had a look at the 35mm and I like it!!

So I thought replacing maybe the 85mm with the 35mm as I am really keen on getting the 50mm. I can always add more prime lenses over time as they are more affordable than some zoom lenses.

Also what about the Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens instead of the 70-200?? Which one is a better lens in producing best quality pictures? Especially of moving/fast moving objects?

I just need to make a decision about the lenses and then I can finally put an order on for everything. Cant wait !!!!!
 
Well i know of a cheap Canon 50mm f/1.4 with hood going in the classifieds ;-)

Im after a 70-300L, and i expect ill have to replace my 70-200 f/4 IS to get it. The 70-200 is a fantastic lens, i have no issues with it other than i miss the reach i used to have with my crop camera (or still do on my 650D).
It seems most people agree the 70-300L is a very good lens, but the jury seems to be out whether its as good optically as the 70-200 f/4 IS (which is slightly better than the non IS version).
Some people say its no where near as sharp as the 70-200 f/4, but having tired 3 copies of the 70-300L id say its very close and cant see what they are talking about.

The 70-200 is nice and compact though, this is what ill find hard to give up.
 
Like Dave above, I've missed the reach a bit since getting my 5DIII - I came from a 550D…. and suddenly all the lenses seem more expensive... and bigger and heavier!

I have a 70-300L which I love. I think it is sharp - but it does go to f/5.6 at the long end, so if I'm shooting sport in low light I reach for the 70-200 f/2.8. I planned on selling my 70-300 but I love the fact it has a bit more reach and is so much lighter and more compact than the 70-200 f/2.8. One thing to note is that you can't put an extender on the 70-300L. I've never tried the 70-200 f/4
 
I do like the 70-200 f2.8 but what puts me off a little bit is that it doesn't have the IS and the one with IS is just too much money for me to spend on one lens.

Would I need a tripod to shoot with the non IS lens? Or is it possible to still get good action pictures just by holding the camera? I never owned a non IS lens so cant compare?
 
Lilbear said:
I do like the 70-200 f2.8 but what puts me off a little bit is that it doesn't have the IS and the one with IS is just too much money for me to spend on one lens.

Would I need a tripod to shoot with the non IS lens? Or is it possible to still get good action pictures just by holding the camera? I never owned a non IS lens so cant compare?
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I think it all depends on the person.
For what its worth when i sold my 70-300 IS i got a 70-200 f/4 non IS. I had owned the IS version in the past. I had it for about 4 hours before returning it and stumping up the money for the IS version again.
I spouse for action shots IS might not be needed, but i found i did need it, specially in the evenings and cloudy days etc.
 
50mm (to me at least) is too close to 85 and I'd go for a 35mm personally.
The 135L is also an outstanding lens. Fast focusing and real sharp too.

Edit: Just noticed the indoors part and the 135 is a bit long for that IMO.
 
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The Canon 24-105mm is a very useful and flexible lens. Sharp from one end of the zoom range to the other, sharp wide open. It's awesome and you should buy one immediately.

Edit: Forgot to mention the superb build quality and the quick and quiet autofocus.
 
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He stated stated no flash though Peter.
As nice a lens as the 24-105 is. I'd be looking at something faster than f4 for indoors.
 
James Thomas 75 said:
He stated stated no flash though Peter.
As nice a lens as the 24-105 is. I'd be looking at something faster than f4 for indoors.
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Pshaw! The 5D3 produces entirely satisfactory pictures at ISO6400!

Seriously, though - managing the paper-thin DoF that you get when using a fast lens wide open at indoor distances with moving targets - well, it's certainly a challenge.

The 85mm at f/1.8 gives you a total DoF at 2M of just 3cm! That's awesome, and I certainly plan on getting one at some point, but good luck getting focus where you want it when the subject is bouncing around, as small people and hounds are wont to do.

You could always stun them (the children and the dog) with a tranq dart first, I suppose :D
 
Just to throw another lens into consideration as I don't think it's been mentioned is the Canon 24mm f/1.4L II. It can be a little wide for some's taste but can provide decent image quality in low lit small rooms. I'd definitely recommend an 85mm, it's currently my favourite focal length to shoot with.
 
all this for me, depends upon your budget.
I've recently bought a 2nd hand 5Dii and really like it but I need lenses that work with my 7D and FF camera so the Ef-S has to go.
Having already owned some EF lenses my choices are fairly clear.
The 50mm 1.4 is lovely on the 5Dii. and the 70-200mm OS Sigma is pin sharp in places. really pleased with that. Not up to the standards of the Canon L maybe but pretty good for the money/performance balance that I have to think about.
For wide I'll go with the tamron. My 17-55 IS canon has to go, so this will replace it I think.
if I had an unlimited budget I'd do things differently but I haven't the cash.
If 5D FF lenses are too expensive or heavy and you just need something to walk about with, the 28-105 USM (old lens now) is not L, but light and only £100 2nd hand.
I loved it back when I had a 350D and for just walking about and for personal snap shots I'm thinking about getting another copy. I wouldn't take it to a wedding but for cost and convenience it's a bargain I think.
Sometimes what you want is the shot, not the ultimate in pixel sharpness at 100% crops.
 
So my choices so far changed to the
35mm f2 is
50mm f1.4

But im struggling to choose between the
70-200 mm f4L
70-300mm f4-5.6L is
135mm f2L
This would mostly be used outdoors to take photos of my dogs and children. And especially my dogs are fast movers so need the lens to begood at shooting moving objects.

I will be going in the shop to have a look at those lenses this weekend and hopefully make the right choice :)
 
Indoors and for kiddies, I think the 35mm and 85mm are good choices, outdoors, I love the 135 f2, unbeatable sharp with a bokeh to kill, a notable photographer whose outdoor child portraits are inspiration Elena Shumilova uses the 135 F2 L for her outdoor work and it shows

her work is here:

http://500px.com/ElenaShumilova
 
I find that with my 5D Mklll, the 24-105L, and 70-300L, pretty much cover my needs. The 24-105L being my 'everyday' lens.

Fixed lenses will always have the edge, but I like the flexibility of the zoom.

For macro, which I only do occasionally, I have a Sigma EX f/2.8 105m.

Dave
 
Lilbear said:
But im struggling to choose between the
70-200 mm f4L
70-300mm f4-5.6L is
135mm f2L
This would mostly be used outdoors to take photos of my dogs and children. And especially my dogs are fast movers so need the lens to begood at shooting moving objects.
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You might want to take a look at Tamron 70-200 f2.8 VC too.
 
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The Tamron 24-70mm VC is pretty much the only lens I use nowadays. I haven't had the 50 1.4 or 85 1.8 out much since buying the a Tamron 6 months ago. It range is good enough, quality good enough, and aperture fast enough for most occasions.
 
oh wow... those pictures elena shumilova shot are fantastic!!!

I think I have to widen my budget a bit more lol to fit in more than im allowed to spend lol
 
Lilbear said:
I think I have to widen my budget a bit more lol to fit in more than im allowed to spend lol
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Welcome to the world of photography :D
 
so I have been to the camera shop and I made up my mind as to which lenses I want :)

I will be going for the
35mm f2
50mm 1.4
85mm 1.8
135mm (which gives me enough zoom for what I really need it for atm)

I will be adding to that collection the 70-300 maybe end of this year or next year... depends on how much money I get gifted for my birthday and Christmas and how well I can convince hubby that I really will need it lol :D
And I will be saving up further to swap the 35 f2 for the 35L lens.

I really appreciate all ur help ... and I hope I made right decision regarding the lenses. Time will only tell.

Also do I need a lens filter? The guy in the shop was wanting to sell me the Hoya revo filters which are fairly expensive. I used the Hoya Pro1 Digital Filters in the past. Are the hoya revo filters really worth it or is the guy int the shop trying to make a good sale?? o_O
 
Well, im not a professional photographer, so I probably don't need it. But its my hobby and I wanted the 5d for a while now so why not :)
 
Basically I want to upgrade and get a 5d mk3 and I would just like to know some advice If anyone owns the camera and whether it's worth it.
 
Only you can say whether it is worth it. Do you need all its features or the quality results it can provide? Can you afford it? It is an expensive beast but its price has barely dropped in the last 18 months which suggests that it is still selling well. For some potential buyers it would be the prestige of owning one of the best cameras on the market. Others would genuinely need and use the wide range of abilities that the 5d3 has. Which camp are you in? Only you can decide.
 
Lilbear said:
Well, im not a professional photographer, so I probably don't need it. But its my hobby and I wanted the 5d for a while now so why not :)
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Exactly. I don't make any money (well, hardly any) from my hobby so in no way is any of this gear actually worth it in monetary terms, but hell yes, it makes me very happy that I have it, and it makes my hobby so much more enjoyable, and for me that is worth what I paid for it......sort of :)
 
I have a 5DII after upgrading from a 550D, which is what I started with. I only use my camera as a hobby and sparingly. However some of the images I have produced of my family/children are amazing, a lasting memory.

I use the 135L as well as the 24-105L. I absolutely love what I get from the 135L, sometimes it's a little long for indoors, it is the best lens I have used and it produces sharp images with an amazing bokeh.

Highly recommended lens.
 
There has been a lot of debate about those shots overt he past month or so.
My thoughts are they are stunning shots that have been slightly ruined by poor photoshop technique. There seems to be a lot of badly softened areas in a lot of them, very un natural looking narrow DOF IMO.
The overal effect is stunning though and way beyond what I could capture.
 
Natasha. said:
Basically I want to upgrade and get a 5d mk3 and I would just like to know some advice If anyone owns the camera and whether it's worth it.
Click to expand...

I upgraded from a 60D. My wants was better ISO and also wanted decent AF for wildlife and BIF, do I need a 5D mk3,prob not, do I regret it, not for one second. It is an awesome piece of kit, now I have no excuse for my images. It's purely operator error :). If you want one and can afford it, I would recommend it. As you can tell I love mine :)
 
Hi everyone...

so I picked up my 5d mark iii on Saturday with a canon 35mm f2, canon 50mm f1.4, canon 85mm f1.8, and the canon 135mm L !!! :woot:

I am absolutely delighted with the camera so far!! So far I got to try out the 50mm and haven't had time to unpack the rest yet (have a 2yr old and a 5 week old here keeping me slightly busy :) ) but it definitely has so much potential and it will put my hobby on a totally different level than what it was before. I am even starting to show interest in photographing subjects other than my children and pets, which opens up my hobby to a new world of adventures I suppose.

Even though the camera is great in low light I am going to order a flash gun tomorrow as I fancy experimenting with bouncing of flash of the ceiling onto the subject and so on. I decided to go for the Canon speedlite 430 EX II, unless someone know of any better ones out there in the same price range?

Also my next purchase sooometiiiime in the future is going to be the 200mm f2.8L II lens I decided ;)

I was concerned I would miss the ability to zoom in or out but so far im not missing it at all and it actually makes me think more about the subject and how to position myself best to be able to snap the best shot.

And I agree with dave, it makes my hobby so much more enjoyable and so much more exciting so well worth the money. But I had to promise hubby that after the flash gun I will not be spending any more money on the camera lol

Here is one of my first test shots straight out the camera I took today with the 50mm :)


012 by Nati81, on Flickr
 
pwhysall said:
The Canon 24-105mm is a very useful and flexible lens. Sharp from one end of the zoom range to the other, sharp wide open. It's awesome and you should buy one immediately.

Edit: Forgot to mention the superb build quality and the quick and quiet autofocus.
Click to expand...

Have to agree with this one, I have a few assorted lenses, use the 24-105 most of all, great lens covers a multitude of things.
 
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