Understanding Canon Lens Markings?

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gingerweasel

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Does anyone have a good link that explains canons lens types?

I understand the Nikon ones but I'm a bit lost with canon, especially as to whether or not they are FF or Crop.
 
Thanks Chaz, I'm assuming the IS is the same as VR?
 
IS - Image Stabilisation
DO- Diffractive Optics (green band)
L - Pro Series (red band)
TS-E Tilt/Shift lens
MP-E Macro only
 
IS means Image Stabilised, oh and "L" as in 300 f2.8L IS for eg. stands for luxury
 
Okay I'm back with more questions, lol

Pete, that link was great - tons of info on the lens range.

I see that there are a lot of EF lenses already on the market and I now know that these can be used on the 1.6 crop range. What are the downsides to doing this?



..
 
Okay I'm back with more questions, lol

Pete, that link was great - tons of info on the lens range.

I see that there is a lot of EF lenses already on the market and I now know that these can be used on the 1.6 crop range. What are the downsides to doing this?

Cost and weight!
 
If I did go down the canon route I'd be looking to buy L glass, so I have a feeling cost is going to be something I'll have to live with :-)

I assume that the crop sensor cameras basically take the image from themiddle of the lens ... does that cause any technical issues?
 
If I did go down the canon route I'd be looking to buy L glass, so I have a feeling cost is going to be something I'll have to live with :-)

I assume that the crop sensor cameras basically take the image from themiddle of the lens ... does that cause any technical issues?

No, that is where the image quality is at its best. You may want an ultrawide angle though and that really means that you will have to get something like the Tokina 11-16mm, Sigma 10-20mm or Canon 10-22mm.
 
oh and "L" as in 300 f2.8L IS for eg. stands for luxury


Really..?

I dunno, we all have a bit of a laugh at L lenses on the yellow side of the fence but I can't believe L does actually stand for Luxury.

that can't be true, I mean a bar of soap or a car maybe, but a lens..

An L lens has leather upholstery and an extra creamy lubricant with just a hint of cherry blossom fragrance for that luxurious feel..:)
 
The L does actually stand for Luxury Joxby...

Didn't believe it myself until it I saw it printed in the Canon EOS Magazine. :thumbs:
 
If I did go down the canon route I'd be looking to buy L glass, so I have a feeling cost is going to be something I'll have to live with :-)

I assume that the crop sensor cameras basically take the image from themiddle of the lens ... does that cause any technical issues?

No it the best part
 
No, that is where the image quality is at its best.

Silly question time ...

Does that affect the view from the viewfinder in any way? Or is what I see in the viewfinder translated to the taken image?

I assume it's fine as the viewfinder is based on the sensor not the lens??

Which then leaves me with the potential decision between the 7D or 5D MKII
 
Silly question time ...

Does that affect the view from the viewfinder in any way? Or is what I see in the viewfinder translated to the taken image?

I assume it's fine as the viewfinder is based on the sensor not the lens??

Which then leaves me with the potential decision between the 7D or 5D MKII

Okay, if you want high ISO image quality, are going to be making massively large prints, want to use extreme wide angle lenses (greater than 16mm FF AOV equiv) and do not require the additional perceived length, AF and drive speed that the 7D will give you then the 5D is your choice.

If you can afford it as a one off and you want the best of all worlds then the 1ds MkIII would be worth a shout (which is FF) or you could even do as I did, I sold my 5D MkII and 7D and bought a 1D MkIII (which is a 1.3x crop) which I love, if I had the money, I would have got a 1D MkIV. Megapixels are not the B all and end all!
 
Thanks Ed, up until now I didn't really understand all the technical buzz words around canon lenses so I didn't pay them much attention. Looking now there seems to be so much choice it's unreal...

I'm a total newbie so I haven't settled into any particular areas of photography just yet, I like landscapes, general street, fine art, and wildlife. On top of that I wouldn't mind shooting some studio stuff, portraits of the kids, product shots etc...

As you can see I want to try my hand at a few things which cross over the crop and FF boundaries.

I'm predicting a total budget of around £4500 which has to include everything... At which point I'll be banned from spending anymore on photography kit until my 600th birthday :'(
 
With £4500 I would be looking at a new 7D (£1250 or so) or a low mileage 5D MkII or 1D MkIII (both around £1500) a spare battery for the 5D MkII or 7D (£50).

Lenses I would go for a 70-200L f4 IS (weighs 750 grams, the f2.8 IS weighs 1.5kgs) about £1000, 24-70L f2.8 (£1000), 17-40L (£500) plus some extra for CF cards, bag, tripod, flash etc.

But to throw something else into the mix, these are all new prices so you might be able to save a few quid by finding some S/H bits.

Nikon D700 £1750
Niikkor 24-70 f2.8 £1200
Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 £1800
 
I think I'm almost decided:

5D MKII
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM SLR Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM SLR Lens

and a macro at some point.

I figure the 24mm @ f2.8 on a ff body is good for indoor shots, landscapes and the midrange. Whilst the 70-200mm takes care of my superzoom needs and portrait?
 
I think I'm almost decided:

5D MKII
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM SLR Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM SLR Lens

and a macro at some point.

I figure the 24mm @ f2.8 on a ff body is good for indoor shots, landscapes and the midrange. Whilst the 70-200mm takes care of my superzoom needs and portrait?

Both are super duper lens on the 5d mark II, really good choices. I love my 70-200 more on that camera than 1.6 cropped sensor..
 
I figure the extra resolution would also help me with wildlife. Whilst the field of view on FF isn't perfect for wildlife the ability to crop from the 21MP will offset that?
 
I figure the extra resolution would also help me with wildlife. Whilst the field of view on FF isn't perfect for wildlife the ability to crop from the 21MP will offset that?

Yep, you'll be able to crop from the extra resolution that the 5D Mk II has, to an extent. However, it is a relatively slow camera (taking a burst of pictures on a moving bird in flight for example).

For taking animal/bird portraits, the level of detail the 5D mk II will get will be breathtaking, but to get extra effective reach, have you considered getting a 1.4x extender? This basically magnifies the field of view, giving a greater effective focal length..
 
Yep, the trade off would be a 1 stop loss, so the lens would effectively be a 98-280mm f4 lens

I've never used an extender with the 70-200 f2.8L IS, so can't advise whether it'll take the extender well, without seriously degrading IQ..maybe someone will answer that point...
 
Cool, that could work too.

Those two lenses seem to cover most of what I'd ever need - just add a macro down the line. Add to this a converter for extra reach and I'm done ;-)

Couple of CF cards, a light kit etc...

Might have to upgrade my tripod too, it's the Giottos MTL9251B with MH5011 Head. It's sturdy but not sure how it would hold up to these beasts being sat ontop of it :lol:
 
Before you rush into full frame, have you compared, say, a 7D with a 5DII? I did recently and made some 15x10in prints for direct comparison. They were virtually identical and I was the only member of my family that could tell them apart, and I got it wrong once or twice! Unless you print very big most of the time, you will not see any benefit from full frame. If you don't believe me, try it. There is a difference of course, but it is extremely subtle.

Against that, full frame is bigger, heavier (it's the the lenses) and a lot more money. Crop format works out better all round, especially with some of the high grade EF-S lenses (10-22, 17-55 2.8) that really make the most of the smaller format at shorter focal lengths (there's very little benefit to making longer EF-S lenses, which is why Canon doesn't bother, or Nikon for that matter).

In addition, the 7D is a far better wildlife and action camera than a 5DII. Better AF, faster frame rate and of course much more effective reach. 70-200 lens on full frame is frankly hopeless for wildlife - you'll be needing some £5k primes. Even on a 7D you need something like the 100-400L to have a serious go. Extenders won't get you anywhere.

I'm not trying to talk you out of full frame, just trying to make you aware of the differences which might not be where you expect them to be. I would like a full frame kit myself, but only in addition to my crop cameras; if I had to choose just one, for a range of subjects similar to yours, it's crop comes out top and it's not just about money.
 
IMHO, if you want a camera for landscapes and wildlife then out of the two, I'd go for something like a 7D.

If you want a camera which specialises in landscapes and one which specialises in wildlife, then I'd buy a 5d mark II and a 7D...

I have seen lovely portrait shots of birds on a 5d mark II, but only with a 500mm f4 lens and these birds were stationery. I wouldn't recommend the 5d mark II to track fast moving subjects.

At the end of the day (in the right hands), the 5d mark II on a tripod with sharp lens, will produce stunning landscape images, but you'd have to get closer to the (wilidlife) subject to get anything which will half fill the frame, so you could crop into the resolution.

I've also looked up about whether the 70-200 f2.8L IS takes an extender well and general consensus is that it doesn't..

Hope this helps in addition to all other replies on this thread
 
Out of interest how does the 7D fare with ISO?

Whilst FF isn't essential to me I was thinking that the low ISO performance would come in handy.
 
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