Canon lens for Christmas trip

trickards

trickards

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Tom
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So I'm looking to upgrade my 550D setup with a new zoom to replace the kit 18-55 IS. I am heading to Munich, Germany for Christmas so thought it would be the perfect time to upgrade before I get the chance to get some greats shots.

Two main contenders (as many of you will have guessed by now):
Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS
Canon 15-85 f3.5-5.6 IS

I know there is plenty of material on these lenses - generally boiling down to a similar IQ with a decision of range vs aperture. Other things to consider would be adding a prime and/or a 430EX II flash.

Currently I own the typical:
18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS
50mm f1.8
55-250mm f4-5.6 IS

What would be your recommendation based on the tour of a Christmas time city, bearing in mind the long nights, Christmas lights and other city sights such as cathedrals and and other ornate buildings both inside and out.

Obviously I'm not just buying a lens for this trip - but the use here is reflective of our plans for the next few years, visiting as many European cities as I can find the time for!

In terms of price, it doesn't make a great deal of difference - either way I'm getting told off :lol:

Many thanks.
 
A wide aperture lens, f1.8 or f1.4, something between 20 and 50mm depending upon what you like (and you've got one, so moving swiftly on...) and a f2.8 zoom in the 17-50mm sort of range.

I went for the Tamron 17-50 as it's small and light, but lacks the USM and IS of the Canon.
 
As long as you don't need f2.8 the IS of the 15-85 is pretty amazing and can give you 4 stops of extra light without the shallow DoF a wider aperture would have. This is good for buildings at night or inside poorly lit rooms. We love ours (although you do need to post process/switch on peripheral illumination correction to remove vignetting at the shorter lengths and wider aperture).

It won't freeze any subject movement though.
 
Thanks for the input so far, I see what you mean about shooting still subjects but moving subjects could warrant the f2.8.

If i were to go for the 15-85, could you recommend a decent indoor lens for getting some DOF with individuals/groups? That was another consideration for 17-55, it would give me a lens for this purpose also.
 
Anything f2.8 or better, but the wider the aperture, the narrower the DoF. 35mm F2, 50mm f1.8 (which you already have). Depends how you shoot - the 85mm 1.8 might do you too...
 
The only thing I'm concerned about is often the spaces are too tight for 50mm, perhaps 30 would be reasonable.

Such a difficult choice with examples of such great shots from both lenses.
 
I'd be tempted by the 17-55mm f2.8, or the 15-85mm f3.5 - 5.6 if the smaller apertures will work for you. It seems to be a bit more solidly constructed too, and has good IS. The Tamron 15-50mm f2.8 gets good reports, but I've no personal experience of the brand.

Alternatively, a fast 30mm (or thereabouts) might be a good choice. This will give you roughly the same FOV as a 50mm on full frame and was considered a standard lens in the 35mm film days. Just bear in mind that this isn't a wide angle on a crop body.
 
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