Help with Lens arsenal.

Ashburner

Ashburner

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Hi All,

I hope you're well.

I bought a fair bit of kit/bits and bobs when I started to have an interest in Photography. I am wanting to upgrade my equipment, throughout the range.

So what lens can you recommend? I know that is the most vague statement I could have possibly said in this industry, here are a few pointers that may help.

Im currently shooting with a Canon 60D but at present I am not interested in EF-S lens as an upgrade to a 5DII/III is imminent.

I currently have:

Canon 50mm F1.8 (Which is in the for sale section as I have upgraded to the F1.4 version)
Canon 18 - 135mm F3.5/5.6 (Kit lens that came with the camera, which I intend to sell when I can find an affordable/appropriate upgrade.
Canon 10-18mm STM (Again looking to upgrade this when I upgrade to the 5D)

My main shooting environments are Street/Walkabout photography, however I do also love a good Urban Exploration. More recently I would love to get in to Travel photography, so have been looking at what makes a good all round set of professional standard lenses.


I was initially thinking a Canon 17-40mm F4/Canon 50mm F1.4/Canon 70-200 F4 (IS on Non IS) would be a good range of somewhat decent glass.

Can anybody add, or replace a lens they think I could contribute to being a good all round kit/set of lenses.

Budget wise I would nearly always have to consider buying decent second hand lens.

Thank you
 
a 24-105 L is a good walkabout lens
 
I just had a quick look at that lens with the capabilities of IS that could be a useful lens and within budget at £350 approx 2nd Hand. Would this lens be in addition to the lenses mentioned above or as well as?
 
Lens choice is personal, and with a change of body looming from APS-C to full-frame I think it would be slightly foolish to try and guess what lenses you might find most useful in the future. Unless by "iminent" you really mean "maybe sometime in the next two years" - in which case don't worry about EF vs. EF-S. And if getting a new body means getting pretty much all new lenses, remember to look at other manuafcturers at the same time because once you get invested it's harder to rationalise a change - and it would be foolish not to take the opportunity for a wider comparison.

Try not to think about lenses in terms of genre (urbex, street, travel) but look critically at the features you really need for the type of shots you want to take (prime/zoom, wide/normal/tele, is lens speed/stabilisation/weight/etc critical?). Any lens can be a street/urbex/travel lens, but it might not work for the shots you have in mind within these genres.
 
Yeah my definitions of imminent would be within the next 6 months. I'll try to think upon it in that sense. I would feel I need a fast prime which would be the 50mm already purchased. A fairly light zoom lens to cover the lower end of the focal length when walking out and about hence my initial reasoning for thinking a 17-40 would work well? Then for some slight longer range where I would need a telezoom! Weight on the telezoom is not necessarily an issue apposed to money!
 
I found the 24-105L 'boring' in general & very rarely used it aside from land/seascape & Urbex. A lot of people wouldn't be without it though. I also found it not wide enough for Urbex interior shots so I sold mine for a 17-40L :) It is hard to recommend for someone else but on paper 17-40L, 50/1.4 & a 70-200L is a nice simple set up.
 
LeeRatters said:
I found the 24-105L 'boring' in general & very rarely used it aside from land/seascape & Urbex. A lot of people wouldn't be without it though. I also found it not wide enough for Urbex interior shots so I sold mine for a 17-40L :) It is hard to recommend for someone else but on paper 17-40L, 50/1.4 & a 70-200L is a nice simple set up.
Click to expand...

Hi Lee,

These concerns crossed my mind with 24-205mm I would feel I need the extra 17-24mm wideness for interiors. I appreciate its hard to dictate what an example set up is, however I also appreciate the comment and feel that you have confirmed my thoughts that 17-40L, 50/1.4, and 70-200L would be a good base set up for me to expand on as my photography gets more refined.

Thank you again.
 
Personally I think you're mad :D

You're not interested in EF-S lenses as you're going FF but two of your three lenses are APS-C only?

Buying a 17-40mm f4 to use on APS-C makes no sense to me at all. It's an ageing FF wide angle lens and on APS-C it becomes (IMVHO) a rather pedestrian and limiting (zoom range and aperture wise) f4 lens in a world with more exciting f2.8 options.

In your position I'd do one of two things...
1. Buy a used Tamron/Sigma/Canon 17-50mm f2.8 and a 28/30/35mm f1.4/1.8. If you go FF sell the zoom and buy something FF compatible.
2. Buy the FF camera and use a prime and build from there.

Just my 2p :D
 
Im not sure if I'm tired and have read this incorrectly or you've mis-read the above.

I have currently

Canon 60D
18-135mm EF-S
10-18 EF-S
50mm F1.8

I would upgrade to
Canon 6D
17-40mm EF
50mm F1.4
70-200mm F4

All the above kit will be up for sale on TP later on tonight.

Thanks
 
LiamGTi said:
Im not sure if I'm tired and have read this incorrectly or you've mis-read the above.
Click to expand...

If I misunderstood then disregard my post but it looked to me from your OP that you want to buy a new lens before you go FF? and that going FF could be 6 months away? If that's the case in your place I'd either bite the bullet and buy the FF camera and lenses now or buy a used Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 and sell it when I did go FF. My thinking is that I'd rather not persist for maybe 6 months with FF lenses on an APS-C body. The 17-40mm f4 in particular seems senseless on APS-C to me when you could possibly pick up a 17-50mm and sell it on again with little or no loss, I actually made a profit when I sold mine.

If I've misunderstood again and you're looking for a FF kit list then fair enough :D
28, 50 and 85mm primes would do me :D
 
Maybe the new 24-70 f/4 IS. There are some good deals now. Then you can add primes and wider lenses at a later date. The 50mm is a bit poor design, get 85mm f/1.8 instead for similar money. 17-40 is an old obsolete design.
 
Hi woof, I definitely mis read your comment. So apologies for that. I've taken your advise and bought a 6D so that is on it way! However now I have no lenses! So potential options are
17-40
24-70
70-200

I had ordered a 50mm 1.4 prime but the focus ring was gritty almost and the AF never seemed to be able to lock sharp focus? So if this is just simple how they are the 85mm may be on the cards instead of the 50mm but ideally I'd need a 50mm for street and to capture enough background within the shot. Thanks
 
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