Canon lens owners!

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Set_Nights

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What type of photography do you mainly work on? Landscape/portrait/wildlife etc?

What is your favourite Canon lens that you've owned or used and why?

What is the Canon lens that you've disliked the most and why?
 
Not been using SLR that long but I do a bit of portrait/family/baby stuff (50% of my photos are of my 4 month old daughter), sport and landscape/cityscape.

Best lens: 50mm f/1.8. I know there will be loads better out there and the build quality and focussing is rubbish, but the results are amazing.

Worst lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, just seems incredibly soft after using better lenses. Good range though.

Also got a Sigma 10-20mm, great for building shots (if you're careful you can contain any distortion) and a 70-200mm f/2.8L which is for sports although if I ever get into weddings I'm sure it'd be fantastic for that also.
 
24 - 105L is never off my camera at the moment for portraits. i should give the 50mm the time it deserves and I'll be looking at getting something wider for landscapes one day.
 
Landscapes and Wildlife mainly, no portraits or indoor type stuff and definitely no weddings

17-55mm IS, makes all the other standard type zooms I tried seem very ordinary, wish I had just bought it straight away and saved a good few quid

Just got a 400mm f5.6, bought it a fortnight ago from a very nice chap on here, but only really got it today for my birthday. Mainly want it for birds, hoping for good things, but haven't used it in anger yet.

Never been disappointed with any Canon lens, also got a 10-22mm which is excellent and better in my opinion than the Sigma 10-20 I had before

Biggest surprise to me was the 55-250mm IS bought it cheaply from a friend as a stop gap, still got it and reckon you would have to spend a good deal more to get much of an improvement (would say though its the sort of distance I use most infrequently)

Did have a 100mm f2.8 macro, just couldn't get into that sort of thing though, but it was a superb lens and no doubt the new owner is pleased with it too
 
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for motosport sports i use 70-200mm 2.8 IS L, Everything else i use 24-105L IS
Lovely lens.
Dad uses the 100-400mm cacking lens!!
 
Best lens was an FD 85 1.2 - not strictly mine but belonged to my boss and I borrowed it frequently on my F1 :) - superb lens.

Worst was the 18-55 kit lens that came with the 300D. So loose and badly made.
 
70-200mm f/4L for 3/4 length, head shots and Reportage/Street/Sport stuff

50mm f/1.8 for detail, concert and low light gigs

24-70mm f/2.8L for studio and general model shoots

17-55mm f/2.8 IS ???? not too sure right now, it's a new lens for me so so seeing where it fits in.
 
I'm a bit of an all rounder really, shooting anything from weddings, motorsports (bikes mainly), landscapes and portraiture.

My best lens has to be the 70-200 F2.8 L IS, great for portraits and getting those sneaky wedding shots in low light conditions when nobody else can :thumbs:

My worst is probably the 50 F1.2 :thumbsdown: It's probably just me, but it really struggles to lock focus in dim and dark places. Doesn't matter if I use it on my 10D, 5D or even the 1D MkIII, same issue. Shame really, as it's got such a nice feel and quality to the image :shake:

Oh well :)
 
I mainly shot birds and people...

my favourite lens I've used is the 500 F4 IS - amazing lens, stunning IQ and very quick AF. My other fav is my 70-200 f2.8 IS - a superb lens for candid portrait work I upgraded to it from a non-IS f4 version and have been amazed at the difference, it's a lens that makes me want to use it.

My biggest disapointment was the 100 f2.8 macro, I was expecting to love it but was surprised to find that I prefer the Sigma 105 f2.8 macro.
 
Cool, its interesting to hear so many different points of view :).

People don't like the 18-55 kit lens? Wow, its the one that spends all the time on my camera! Although I don't have many lenses at all yet. Maybe I'm missing out on a whole new world out there :p!

Canonman II said:
My worst is probably the 50 F1.2 :thumbsdown: It's probably just me, but it really struggles to lock focus in dim and dark places. Doesn't matter if I use it on my 10D, 5D or even the 1D MkIII, same issue. Shame really, as it's got such a nice feel and quality to the image :shake:
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Really? Surprised at this one! I'm waiting with high hopes on my 50mm f1.4 to come and I'd have thought the f1.2 would be better.
 
Set_Nights said:
Cool, its interesting to hear so many different points of view :).

Really? Surprised at this one! I'm waiting with high hopes on my 50mm f1.4 to come and I'd have thought the f1.2 would be better.
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The lens is an absolute gem for IQ, it's the way the camera detects focus is the real problem. If I use the lens in a really dim room and a;so use the focus assist function on my flash, bam image nice and sharp every time :D When used outside in the daylight, again super IQ and no hint of missed focus. I guess as the focus systems become more and more sensitive, the problem will just melt away and be a thing o the past :thumbs:
 
Kids football, Ice hockey and various sports 300mm 2.8L

Men football, Rugby Cricket, Athletics 400mm 2.8L + 135mm f2L

Basketball and other indoor sport 85mm 1.8

Boxing, cage fights etc.. 35mm and nifty 50


All primes..and the best lens ever owned would be the 300mm and the nifty50
 
KIPAX said:
Kids football, Ice hockey and various sports 300mm 2.8L

Men football, Rugby Cricket, Athletics 400mm 2.8L + 135mm f2L

Basketball and other indoor sport 85mm 1.8

Boxing, cage fights etc.. 35mm and nifty 50


All primes..and the best lens ever owned would be the 300mm and the nifty50
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Which 50 do you use?
 
OK since you asked ;)


Events are my thing really followed by portrait.

The 24-70 is my mainstay. It gives me the working focal range that I use most. On a 1D 3 or 4, 70mm translates to 91mm which is within the realms of a portrait lens.

Haven't come across a lens I dislike yet.



Cheers


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For gigs/the odd wedding I find the versatility of the 70-200 f2.8L IS really useful.

Have just moved over to the mark 2 version of this lens which is cracking. At the pixel level it is an improvement over the mark 1 but, to be honest, in prints it really does mot provide a major improvement over this already excellent lens, IMHO. The IS on the mark 2 is hugelyy better than the mark 1 though.

Other lenses I love: 85L is just unbeatable for portraits and the 35L for walkabout.

I have or have had lots of Canon gear but think these are, I think, the cream of the crop.

Depends very much on the body, of course.

FWIW, and relevant to the above post, the lens that I'm never really blown away with is the 24-70L. Not sure why, it just never seems to provide images that pop and f2.8 is not always fast enough for what I need.

As also stated above, most canon gear is excellent though and I may be being harsh on the 24-70L. I have used a lot of Sigma gear over the years and find their lenses either brilliant or rubbish whereas Canon equipment tends to be overall brilliant or good.

Also FWIW, I use a 5D1, 1D3 and 60D.

Wishing all a jolly Christmas
 
Set_Nights said:
What type of photography do you mainly work on? Landscape/portrait/wildlife etc?
Mainly Landscape, occasional and photography, and a bit of all-round general stuff. Bulk of this shot on Digital, Canon 7D, but a fair old bit on film with my EOS-3.
What is your favourite Canon lens that you've owned or used and why?
Hard to pin down a single lens - for the Landscape stuff, it'd probably be the 17-40L, works as a nice walkabout zoom on the digital, weathershielded (with a filter on the front at least) and makes a lovely wide angle zoom for the full-frame film camera.

For shooting bands, then it'd be the low-light loveliness of the 85mm 1.2L (mk i version) - it's slowish to focus, heavy, and wide open you struggle to get anything to fit in the plane of focus, but when you need that ability to shoot in a coal-cellar at night, little or nothing will beat it.

For the All-Round stuff, I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised by the EF-S 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM that came as a kit-lens on the 7D - it's not particularly fast, it's not built to the L standard, though it's not the wobble-fest that typical kit-lenses seem to be, but it's a nice working range, focuses pretty quickly, and has pretty damned good all round IQ. If only it was a full-frame lens, it'd be a perfect all-rounder. So, If it's going to be an all-rounder for me - it's got to be full-frame, and i'm going for the EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM - it's the "normal" part of my f4 "holy trinity" - the 17-40,24-105 and 70-200.

What is the Canon lens that you've disliked the most and why?
EF28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 - old kit lens, that came with a EOS-5 film body I bought for spares. Nothing particularly bad about it in terms of image quality, but it sounded like a coffee-grinder when it focused. It's currently on long term loan to a friend, who's perfectly happy with it as it's light, decent IQ and most important, it was free!
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The main lens i use is the 24-70 f/2.8 however its not staying that way - the 50/1.4 and the 135/2 are right behind it
Mainly portraits weddings etc for me.

My least used lens right now is the 17-40 as not been landscape shooting for at least 6 months now. However its my general all round lens on the 50D.
 
On the 1Ds I have the 17-40. Use it for urbex where the wideness is needed and the toughness of the kit comes in useful.

The 30D has the 85mm f/1.8 and with it I can shoot in almost candle lit conditions. it's my street portrait camera for when I want a bit more length. As it is considerably lighter than the 1Ds it is more convenient to carry about.

My OM-10 has a 28mm f/2.8 Zuiko attached and I've been using that for street photos as well. The wider lens gets more of the scene in than the narrower 30D setup. I also plan to use it for urbex as capturing these old buildings on film is really the only way to do them justice...

Forgot we were talking about Canon only.
 
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I shoot big cats, raptors and fast jets and I've got to say I'm using my 100-400L exclusively at the moment. Great IQ and fast focusing. Tried a 300 prime and it didn't suit me with all the walking and with tigers moving a lot. Quite good for lions as they tend to be a bit more lazy.

Paid shots are all interiors so its ultra wide stuff, for that I use either Tampon 10-24 or the Sigma 10-20 I've borrowed for the next 6 months whilst its owner is in Spain. The Tamron is ok as most of the required images are for web but high res brochure stuff the Sigma wins the day, all day. Every now and then the nifty 1.8 comes out for artistic stuff.

I think the next lens purchase is either going to be a 70-200L f4 or the 28-300L. Having a sharp zoom and a good range fits what I want perfectly.
 
My favourite has to be my 135 f/2, the results it produces are just stunning, I've been doing a lot of theatre and live music stuff with it recently and has never let me down.

I suppose technically it's also the worst canon lens I own, as all the other are 3rd party, but if we're including those as well, then in very close second is my sigma 120-300 f/2.8 which I use for all my sports stuff. Awesomely sharp, and puts a smile on my face using it (and a cramp in my arms). :)

Chris
 
The only Canon lens I currently own is the 50mm 1.8 which I'm amazed hasn't broken. I've been using it more than anything else for years. The rest of my lenses are Sigma, as is the new 50mm1.4 I've replaced the Canon 1.8 with. I used the 1.8 for a hell of a lot of shots. In parks, portraits, indoor and general walk around lens. I'll be amazed if anyone ever brings out a better lens at this price point.

The only other lens I will have is the Canon 70-200 F4L, which is currently lost in transit with City-Link somewhere :(
 
Macro using my favorite lens the Canon MP-E65 - cause its unique and produces stunning images,


least favorite lens was the 50mm f1.8 because the build quality is a joke and the noise it makes is very annoying...........
 
another vote for my 24-105mm for general shooting and landscape... like night and day to my old 28-135 I thought was amazing! It's not btw... I also love my 20mm prime and im hoping ill love the 70-300IS L when I can afford it... but going to hire it for a trip to nyc soon as a test!

As for my photography... travel and landscape... but dont nothing significant in the last year!
 
I shoot mainly portraits & still life.

Fav lens: Canon 85mm F1.8, a joy to use, great AF, sharp and a lovely creamy bokeh

Worst lens: Any sigma, never had a good one, all have been soft
 
I shoot wildlife, football & general walkabout stuff.

Wildlife - I currently use a Sigma 300 f2.8 (can be soft but I lvove it when its spot on) as I am waiting for my favorite 500mm f4 IS to comeback. Either of the two do me fine. I dislike my Canon 100-400mm must be the only one as my wife loves it.

Football - I love my 100-400mm as I take it to Spain to use so its easier than the others and the results are fine IMO if its light. Under floodlights not as great but OK. Not proffetional shots just as a hobbie and nerver had issues in the stadiums with it (from the Camp Nue to the smallest)

General stuff - Indoors, landscapes etc I love my Canon 20-35 f2.8 L Its my second wife:D
 
I shoot mostly people. Walkabout candids, I like 70-200 f4 IS. Walkabout landscape/architecture, I stay with 24-105. Indoors, I stay with 50 f1.4.
 
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