Can't part with my 70-200 F4L

scottduffy

scottduffy

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Guy's i am in dire need of a quality standard zoom as i've purchased a lot of strobist gear and would like to start taking a lot more portrait shots. I currently have a 70-200 F4L and i would have to sell this to fund the standard zoom and i just can't bring myself to do this. I have had the 70-200 for a few months and love it. It's a very sharp lens and i love using it outside but it's just too long for indoor full lenght portraits. I know i need to sell it but i can't. What's wrong with me?

Have any of you got any lenses that you either don't use or should sell but just can't due to their quality? I felt like a right tit there when i just put it up for sale and archived the thread within minutes in case someone buys it !!!

I might just save for a few months and buy a quality standard zoom rather than sell this and buy one now. I suppose if the weather stays nice i could just pracise portraits outside with my strobist gear.
 
I can't indoors Alistair. I just don't have the room in my house to do anything other than half length portraits or kids which i can do full length. The 70-200 on a 50D is just too long for full length portraits in my spare room or any of my rooms for that matter.
 
I had the same problem, sold it recently then bought the 2.8 version yesterday as I was missing it too much. Personally I wouldn't get rid of it unless it really is doing NOTHING other than sitting in your bag looking pretty - Get the lenses you need rather than the ones you want and you'll be fine :)

EDIT: or just buy a 5D and then you effectively doubled your lens collection in terms of effective focal length ;)
 
Hi Adam,

I was thinking maybe i should go down the full frame route but i really like the 50D and i'm not sure the 5D will be much of an investment considering it's a few years old. I can't afford a mk2 so i'm back to the old saving up game.
 
knock a wall through - outdoor studio. Simples!
 
I've an 85mm 1.8, I wouldnt part with it, its just too damn nice, despite not using it much I just enjoy the thing, its a chunk of metal and glass but to me its one of the nicest lenses I have, it just feels 'right'.

Think about getting a 2nd hand lens or as suggested a FF 5D, you sell the 50D once you do and you wont regret it. :)

Matt
 
Keep it unless you are getting 2.8 IS mkII. It is the ultimate low weight portrait zoom, sharper than some good primes.

Perhaps consider a short prime.

Have you considered hilite to save some space?
 
Well.. krhm! I bought a 70-200/2.8L IS II and I still can't let my 70-200/4L IS go.. :help: It's just so easy to take with me wherever we go.. (ok ok so I put it in the wife's handbag!)

That said, I am considering swapping it for a 135/2L which while not as versatile would probably be wonderful in a lot of low light situations AND work as a tele with the 1.4x TC in a pinch.

Yes, I'm a zoom-addict. But my wallet (and wife) might not like me becoming a fast prime addict instead :)
 
scottduffy said:
Guy's i am in dire need of a quality standard zoom as i've purchased a lot of strobist gear and would like to start taking a lot more portrait shots. I currently have a 70-200 F4L and i would have to sell this to fund the standard zoom and i just can't bring myself to do this. I have had the 70-200 for a few months and love it. It's a very sharp lens and i love using it outside but it's just too long for indoor full lenght portraits. I know i need to sell it but i can't. What's wrong with me?

Have any of you got any lenses that you either don't use or should sell but just can't due to their quality? I felt like a right tit there when i just put it up for sale and archived the thread within minutes in case someone buys it !!!

I might just save for a few months and buy a quality standard zoom rather than sell this and buy one now. I suppose if the weather stays nice i could just pracise portraits outside with my strobist gear.
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I don't think you really want a standard zoom for portraiture. You aren't going to get anything impressively sharp with the money you'll get selling your 70-200 f4l. You'll need to go to a 24-105, or preferably 24-70 to match it for quality in zoom territory.

Go for primes.
 
As Andrew said, primes are the way forward.

Look at either the 50mm F1.8 or the 35mm F2 - one of those will hopefully suit your indoor portrait needs.
 
I never really thought about primes although i have no idea why. I might get a Canon 50mm f1.4 that would do me indoors and keep the 70-200 F4L for outside. Cheers guys good advice as always.
 
vaizki said:
That said, I am considering swapping it for a 135/2L which while not as versatile would probably be wonderful in a lot of low light situations AND work as a tele with the 1.4x TC in a pinch.
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surely the logical thing if you did that would be to keep the 70-200 f/4 and get rid of the 2.8? otherwise you'll still have the heavy 2.8 and you're doubling what it does with the prime.
 
Ive got the 70-200 F4L too and dont use it much since I bought the 100-400
Would never sell it though !
 
scottduffy said:
I never really thought about primes although i have no idea why. I might get a Canon 50mm f1.4 that would do me indoors and keep the 70-200 F4L for outside. Cheers guys good advice as always.
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Scott, with a 50mm lens on a 50D, to get a full length portrait shot (approx 6 foot) with the camera rotated, you are going to need to be standing about 14-15 foot from your subject and I know you said you were tight for room, so you may need to consider going for a wider lens?

Regards

Roy
 
lostsoulal2 said:
Scott, with a 50mm lens on a 50D, to get a full length portrait shot (approx 6 foot) with the camera rotated, you are going to need to be standing about 14-15 foot from your subject and I know you said you were tight for room, so you may need to consider going for a wider lens?

Regards

Roy
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Yeah, both the 50mm and the 30mm are probably worth investing in. Obviously they don't need to be bought at the same time, though.

OP - I'd suggest if you have/can borrow an 18-55mm kit lens off someone (everyone with a xxxD will have one, more or less, so you should be able to find one) you can test what photos taken at each focal length look like before investing.

EDIT: Or any lens that covers from 30-50mm, obviously. The 18-55mm was only picked as it is so ubiquitous.
 
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trencheel303 said:
surely the logical thing if you did that would be to keep the 70-200 f/4 and get rid of the 2.8? otherwise you'll still have the heavy 2.8 and you're doubling what it does with the prime.
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Get rid of the 2.8? My 70-200/2.8L IS II? I'm going to be BURIED with that one! :lol:

Maybe I wasn't very coherent in explaining.. I usually have the 17-55/2.8 IS on my 7D when we go out just about anywhere. The 70-200/4L IS has been a good lens to slip into the wife's handbag "just in case". The 70-200/2.8L IS II is the best lens I've ever owned and even though my wife agrees, there's NO WAY she's carrying that "just in case" :'(

So, I need a tele that's a grab-and-go light and easy to carry. The 135/2 would be much shorter and even a few grams lighter than the 70-200/4L IS so it would be even easier to grab along. And it's a full two stops faster than the current /4L IS option. That's a LOT faster when doing anything indoors or late. Or actually anything anywhere in Finland during the wintertime. Oh and it's a stealthy black to boot :D

Am I making any sense this time? :bonk:
 
scottduffy said:
Hi Adam,

I was thinking maybe i should go down the full frame route but i really like the 50D and i'm not sure the 5D will be much of an investment considering it's a few years old. I can't afford a mk2 so i'm back to the old saving up game.
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Hi Scott, sorry I meant buy a 5D in addition to the 50D... I wouldn't renounce the 5D mkI right away :) it's still a 12 mp l and the ISO quality will trump the 50D... I think it could be a very very complimentary addition to the 50D in your situation. At least try one first! :D
 
I've dropped mine too many times to be able to sell it, it lives on one of my 30D's now.

Never would sell it though, love it too much.
 
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