Best budget lens for full frame canon

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felix

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Ian
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A frend of mine has just bought a canon 5d and is looking for a budget all round lens. What do you all think;)
 
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70-200 F4L...
 
Why bother buying a high-end camera if you're only going to put cheap lenses on it? Glass is the most important part of the equation......
 
Just bought a 5d myself. The difference is overall iq with my nifty fifty attached is so far from my old 450d it's untrue. If your mate hasn't got a 50mm f1.8 then get one. Great lens anyway, but on the 5d it is just astonishing. Great value.
 
The23rdman said:
Why not share in the thread?
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Why not indeed - the information may be helpful - not only to the OP, but to anyone else who browses through here in the future.

That's what this place is for - sharing information after all :)

Oh - and just to keep on topic... For my money, with a full frame canon body, I'd say a budget all-round lens would be the 24-105f4L, As flash said ^^^ anything less is wasting the abilities of the camera. There are some nice enough primes, the 50mm f1.4 and the 85mm f1.8 spring to mind, though I'd hesitate to describe either as "all round" in modern usage.
 
Recently bought a used Canon 50mm f/1.8 II for £65, very lightweight but great results with that lens so far, cheap as chips as they say.

Well worth the small investment, go for one you'll not be dissappointed
 
macvisual said:
Recently bought a used Canon 50mm f/1.8 II for £65, very lightweight but great results with that lens so far, cheap as chips as they say.

Well worth the small investment, go for one you'll not be dissappointed
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I agree the "nifty 50" is great value for money, and can be purchased new for not much more than you mention - do a forum search for "Kerso"...

However, I'd definitely question if a 50mm prime would be classed as a all-round lens these days. Back in the mists of time, when Dinosaurs roamed the earth, and cameras contained film, a f1.8 (or often faster) 50mm lens was the standard "kit" fitment. However, you soon found yourself going out for a walk with the 50mm on the camera, a 28mm in one jacket pocket, a 135mm in another, and a 200mm in a pouch from your belt. Fortunately we've moved on, zooms are available that come reasonably close to the IQ of primes, and you don't have to spend half your life faffing with lens-swapping, or miss half the pictures as you had the wrong lens mounted.
 
What does your friend mean by budget? This is pretty subjective/relative. Is this just meant to be a stop gap, or is it a long term solution?
 
I find the 50mm f1.4 to be my most used lens on my 5D, so it can be done. I guess it really depends on what your friend likes to photograph.
 
Does he want zoom or prime?

Primes, IMO give best IQ per £ spent as good zooms are expensive.

My recommendations are canon 50mm f/1.8, Canon 35mm f/2, Sigma 50mm f/1.4 (not sure if that is FF compatible).

As for zooms, Canon 70-300 non L Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 or any L zoom.

We need to narrow down what he's shooting!
 
odd jim said:
Does he want zoom or prime?

Primes, IMO give best IQ per £ spent as good zooms are expensive.

My recommendations are canon 50mm f/1.8, Canon 35mm f/2, Sigma 50mm f/1.4 (not sure if that is FF compatible).

As for zooms, Canon 70-300 non L Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 or any L zoom.

We need to narrow down what he's shooting!
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The siggy 50mm f1.4 is ff compatible, the 30mm f1.4 is not. :)
 
menthel said:
The siggy 50mm f1.4 is ff compatible, the 30mm f1.4 is not. :)
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I know - and it's annoying the hell out of me!

There's a massive gap in the market for a decent quality (but non L) 24-35mm low light prime in the /1.4-1.8 range at around £400. The Sigma 20mm and Canon 28mm don't cut it, and the Sigma is a DC! Grrrrrrr


One decent zoom for FF I'd be happy to recommend though is the Sigma 24-70mm HSM version. It's a fantastic lens for about £400 second hand.
 
If they are on a tight budget then the 28-105 f3.5-4.5 can be had for around £100, it may not be L glass, but it is far from the worse lens around.
 
DemiLion said:
I know - and it's annoying the hell out of me!

There's a massive gap in the market for a decent quality (but non L) 24-35mm low light prime in the /1.4-1.8 range at around £400. The Sigma 20mm and Canon 28mm don't cut it, and the Sigma is a DC! Grrrrrrr

One decent zoom for FF I'd be happy to recommend though is the Sigma 24-70mm HSM version. It's a fantastic lens for about £400 second hand.
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Indeed, but I love the Canon 35mm f/2 (yes I know I've been raving about it since I had the focus fixed!)
 
DemiLion said:
I know - and it's annoying the hell out of me!

There's a massive gap in the market for a decent quality (but non L) 24-35mm low light prime in the /1.4-1.8 range at around £400. The Sigma 20mm and Canon 28mm don't cut it, and the Sigma is a DC! Grrrrrrr


One decent zoom for FF I'd be happy to recommend though is the Sigma 24-70mm HSM version. It's a fantastic lens for about £400 second hand.
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I have trouble with the DoF on my 7d up close, wouldn't fancy my chances of getting it focussed on a FF!
 
I love the idea that a budget lens is an L :naughty:

I think that this forum needs a list of standard replies that can be used for any post on any topic....

Get a 70-200mm f4L
Get a 24-105mm f4L
etc...:naughty:

OP. If your friend wants a cheapo lens to get them going a zoom in the 28-xxx range should be pretty easy to find. There's a 28-105 f4-5.6 for £89 here...

http://www.ffordes.com/category/Len...rtDirection=Ascending&SortExpression=ItemName

and you/they might be able to find a 19-35mm for something like £60-80 if lucky.
 
The 28-105 F4-5.6 is not a nice lens IMHO, the F3.5-4.5 is available for little more and a significantly better lens (Its my budget walk around on my 1v).
 
AFAIC, there isn't a zoom that can hold a candle to any prime. Even the cheapest prime will generally be sharper than the best zoom at f/2.8 (unless it's an f/2.8).
 
50mm F1.8 is everyone's favourite budget lens, it's a cracking wee thing, budget lens and FF really shouldn't be in the same sentence. Always upgrade your glass before the body, a milk bottle on a 350D is still a milk bottle on a 5D MKII :)
 
vectraturbo said:
50mm F1.8 is everyone's favourite budget lens, it's a cracking wee thing, budget lens and FF really shouldn't be in the same sentence. Always upgrade your glass before the body, a milk bottle on a 350D is still a milk bottle on a 5D MKII :)
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Nothing wrong with the 50mm 1.8 on FF.
 
sorry think I could have put it better...the 50mm is a good budget lens on FF. sorted :)
 
vectraturbo said:
sorry think I could have put it better...the 50mm is a good budget lens on FF. sorted :)
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Lol! Sorry misread!
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Why bother buying a high-end camera if you're only going to put cheap lenses on it? Glass is the most important part of the equation......
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I sold the body to a frend and they dont want to pay lots of money for a l lens as thay just want to take snap shots.;)

Ploddles said:
Why is it always "a friend on mine...."?
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I just bought a new 5d2 and sold the 5d to a frend that fanced a better camara than a mobile phone. nothing wrong with that i thought:lol:

StewartR said:
Ha ha. I have a friend who ... thinks he might be ... stout. What advice can the panel give ... him?

To mind his owen if he cant be polite:(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kcYv2L3cx8 (Sorry, audio only.)
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Joe T said:
I assume the PM isnt about selling him a lens?
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I thought pm's were exactly that private;)

What i meant by cheep was not a L lens and not a canon lens.
Not every one wants to or can spend a ***** load of money on thing that arnt that important to them;)

Oh and thank's for all the advice:clap:
 
felix said:
I sold the body to a frend and they dont want to pay lots of money for a l lens as thay just want to take snap shots.;)

What i meant by cheep was not a L lens and not a canon lens.
Not every one wants to or can spend a ***** load of money on thing that arnt that important to them;)

Oh and thank's for all the advice:clap:
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OK. This would have been easier if you'd made all this clear from the beginning though! The Canon 50mm f1.8 is about the best deal your friend is going to find in terms of price/performance. This is more or less the old 35mm standard lens.
 
felix said:
I sold the body to a frend and they dont want to pay lots of money for a l lens as thay just want to take snap shots.;)

I just bought a new 5d2 and sold the 5d to a frend that fanced a better camara than a mobile phone. nothing wrong with that i thought:lol:

I thought pm's were exactly that private;)

What i meant by cheep was not a L lens and not a canon lens.
Not every one wants to or can spend a ***** load of money on thing that arnt that important to them;)

Oh and thank's for all the advice:clap:
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Re PM's: they are private, but there are clear rules about selling through them that are I'm place to protect buyers and sellers.

Perhaps reading the rules of forum use would help. :)
 
felix said:
I sold the body to a frend and they dont want to pay lots of money for a l lens as thay just want to take snap shots.;)



I just bought a new 5d2 and sold the 5d to a frend that fanced a better camara than a mobile phone. nothing wrong with that i thought:lol:




I thought pm's were exactly that private;)

What i meant by cheep was not a L lens and not a canon lens.
Not every one wants to or can spend a ***** load of money on thing that arnt that important to them;)

Oh and thank's for all the advice:clap:
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Ian - Most of the misunderstandings in this thread would have been avoided had you mentioned, within your original posting, that your friends requirements for a "cheap" lens were driven by your reasons stated as above. A simple "He's got a budget of a maximum of £100, and he's not actually a hobbyist 'tog - just want's it to take general snaps" would have sufficed.

The question regarding the PM you recieved was, as stated by others, purely and simply to be sure that no attempt at out of Classifieds trading was taking place, and in response to a number of RTM's we had recieved on the matter.

FWIW, you did get some very good advice, some of which, due to lack of information given by your good self, was not helpful in this case, though accurate nonetheless. It is true that it's a shame to waste the abilities of the full frame 5D by putting a bottle-bottom on the front of it. With a budget figure of £100 tops in mind, I would honestly only really recommend the nifty fifty, or if you're very lucky to drop on one, a 28-105 f3.5-5.5 USM. However, as you know after owning the 5D, full frame Canon's are just destined to be with L glass, and I still reckon that the F4 L's are a bit of a bargain for what you get in terms of IQ.

So there we have it, you asked a question, people gave an answer, everyone's happy ?? Good :)
 
Peachy!

Though I'm bemused by the fact the OP then specified 'non canon' given the excellent and very inexpensive canon primes out there, I would have thought hat as a Canon FF owner he'd know that?

Oh well, all sorted now!
 
BigYin, you are doing sterling mod work!
 
Still finding my way around Dean, it's a big scarey place up in the Mod's attic suite... haven't even found the stash of Jaffa Cakes yet :lol:
 
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