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 12/28/2005 09:11:05 PM · #1
Let's say I am about to purchase a new camera, and I will get two lenses to go along with it...what are the best focal lengths to buy assuming I will never purchase another lens? Basically I would like to know what are the two lenses that most people cannot live without?

Edit:
More Specifics = general enthusiast photography, price no issue.

The camera I am looking at is a Canon 20d, but I did not want a model specific discussion.

I just don't want to buy my first two lenses and realize I should have spent all of the money on different ones. I will buy others in the future, but it could be a while.

Right now I am torn between whether a 50mm and a 70-300mm is more practical than a 28-~120mm and a 70-300mm.

Hope this gives some insight.

Message edited by author 2005-12-29 11:57:14.
 12/28/2005 09:16:07 PM · #2
Got alot of $$?

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L (IS) USM

Buts thats a real open-ended question, to much so for a valuable response..

I.E. what body do you intend on getting, what do you plan on shooting..
One person maybe respond with 2 wide angle lenses, another may suggest 2 longer primes.

I know that w/3 lenses I have a pretty nice coverage from 18-55, 50, & 70-200, plus a 1.4x converter.

Message edited by author 2005-12-28 21:26:12.
 12/28/2005 09:23:13 PM · #3
Here is a link to the list of the most used or owned lenses on DPC. Might be telling to some degree.
 12/28/2005 09:32:11 PM · #4
Like every other thread like this, we are going to have to find out what you like to shoot. The question is phrased as somewhat open on price, so we'll assume for a minute that your budget likes Red Bull a lot and has wings.

There are many opinions on which shooting style tends to hinge.

Like buzzrock said, 18-55, 50mm and a telephoto 70-200 with a 1.4x TC.

There are three lenses there and the 18-55 is good enough for a LOT of people. It's hardly a top level lens though.

Two lenses tends to be a pretty narrow list when you are talking top flight kit. Few people who are pro's or even really well kitted amateurs have only two lenses.

We don't even know which body you are going for.

Please give us some more specifics.

12/28/2005 10:17:17 PM · #5
Edited original post

Message edited by author 2005-12-29 11:57:56.
 12/28/2005 10:18:56 PM · #6
Price no issue -

Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Canon 70-200L 2.8 IS

That covers 28-200mm and you won't need more than that unless you need ultra zoom, then you can get a tc
 12/28/2005 10:23:03 PM · #7
Originally posted by mavrik:
Price no issue -

Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Canon 70-200L 2.8 IS

That covers 28-200mm and you won't need more than that unless you need ultra zoom, then you can get a tc


Ditto.
 12/28/2005 10:29:46 PM · #8
If I were in your shoes right now, I'd get a 50mm f/1.8 and nothing else to start with. Get used shooting with this and what "mm" really means. shoot at different aperture, at different range. You'll end up saying something like: "hell I could use more telephoto really often!" or "damn, I can never get all my images in the frame I need wider lense" or even "Do people really use aperture like f/5.6!" Then you'll know what you need. The advantage is it's really a cheap way to experiment and learn in order to make a better purchase later. The problem is when you'll get used to the kind of sharpness you get with a 50mm f/1.8 you may find hard to satisfy yourself with sub 1k$ lenses.
 12/28/2005 10:54:33 PM · #9
Does anyone know anything about this lens? Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Lens for Canon EOS
 12/29/2005 10:13:16 AM · #10
Well, I'll give you this. I wouldn't count the 50mm 1.8 as one of the two. It's cheap enough not to count in a budget, but still be essential in your kit.

If your goal is only to see what lens is the best in the range you need, I'm going to say what others have said and echo the Tamron 28-75 as well as the 70-200 F2.8 IS.

Feel free to choose the 24-70 2.8L if you really feel you have money to burn, but Robert/Bear_music doesn't mess around when he says that the Tamron 28-75 is the only non-canon lens he has. He's not alone either.

Why is this set more practical than the other lenses that you have mentioned (the Tamron 28-300 and the 70-300)? A few reasons.

Tamron 28-300
This lens has 2 faults that WILL make you 'regret' your choice and want to move up from there. First, it is a wide range lens (10X zoom). This means that at both extremes, there will be noticeable softness and loss of quality, especially noticeable as you surpass 75-80% of full telephoto (maybe even as early as 200mm focal length - yick). Secondarily, it has a variable aperture (f/3.5-6.3). This means that a part of the lens moves as you zoom in and out and when you change your zoom, the subject goes out of focus. This is not the end of the world, but you will see why I mention this later. You can still take good pictures with it, but it's not a top-level lens)

70-300 (any brand)
These lenses are better in the zoom range (4.3X zoom), but still do tend to suffer just a little up at the top end of the zoom. Even the new Canon 70-300 IS lens has a noticeable dropoff in sharpness at the long telephoto end (you can see this in the different tabs when you look at the lens at www.bhphotovideo.com. This is a much nicer lens overall than the 28-300 or the 18-200 or whatever, but still suffers from the fiddling with Zoom and focus with the variable aperture type lens.

The flipside shows up in Narrow zoom range, constant aperture lenses.

Why are the two lenses that were recommended a better choice?

Both lenses feature good quality build and razor sharp optics that are not only restricted to the middle of the lens range. I didn't look at the sharpness figures for the Tamron, but you can view the details for the 70-200L lenses on B&H website as above and as a 2.9X zoom lens, and built to L standards, it maintains nearly perfect sharpness right to the very edge of it's abilities. This is true for the 70-200 F4, F2.8 and F2.8 IS

Further, both of the mentioned lenses also feature a max aperture of 2.8. The Canon 20D has (reportedly) a special function (as do all Canon cameras above this level as well) for increased focus performance on lenses with a max aperture of 2.8 or wider. F2.8 is also really great for letting in a lot of light and being able to get faster shutter speeds. This lessens the need for features such as IS and decreases hand-shake issues. More light also helps the autofocus system work faster and more accurately.

Also, because the lenses have a constant aperture (meaning the widest aperture available when shooting fully wide is the same as the widest aperture available when shooting fully zoomed in, denoted by the F2.8 as opposed to the F3.5-6.3 where 6.3 is the widest aperture possible at full telephoto), you no longer have that little bit inside that moves when you zoom in and out, meaning that if you focus on something, you can zoom in and out and you DON'T need to refocus!

As a beginner myself, this is worth it's weight in GOLD. It means less to think about and simpler, faster operation by me - a self-confessed inept. For advanced and experienced users, this means one less thing to think about and less time to get ready to take a shot and possibly make the next shot.

These are the basic reasons why the lenses have been suggested to you as being unregrettable.

If you live in the US, you might also want to look into getting these lenses added to your home-owner's insurance to protect their value from damage or theft.

I know that some of the things mentioned in this post were mentioned before, but I felt it appropriate to go into a bit more detail.

I will finally add that I like Nicklevy's take on things too. I would recommend getting to know things before taking the plunge. There would be little lost in shooting for a month with just the 50mm 1.8. You will learn a whole lot.

Message edited by author 2005-12-29 10:15:36.
 12/29/2005 10:57:12 AM · #11
I have to say as having a future interest in lens purchases I've been following many of the "what lens should I..." threads. This last post by Keiran (eschelar) could go into the 'Tutorials' section of DPChallenge under equipment considerations, etc...

Thanks for taking the time and effort to make this post. Much appreciated.
 12/29/2005 11:24:17 AM · #12
Originally posted by MayaMoody:
Let's say I am about to purchase a new camera, and I will get two lenses to go along with it...what are the best focal lengths to buy assuming I will never purchase another lens? Basically I would like to know what are the two lenses that most people cannot live without?


First decide your budget, your need, and than your platform.

For example: If I had any two choices in lenses I'd likely go with a 600mm IS stabilized lense and 24-70mm f/2.8 (if I had to limit myself to a mere "two" lenses).

But before you make any choices, you must decide upon your budget. For instance the commonly recommended Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS will run you $1,500-$2,000. The 24-70mm Canon f/2.8L will likely run you $1,000-$1,500. You're now at a $2,500-$3,500 budget without even buying a camera body. At best you can mount those on a $599 Canon Digital Rebel. But that'd almost be a waste at this point. If you're going to dump that into glass at least pay the $200 more for a Rebel XT. But now we're adding another $1,000 to the set-up. And from what it sounds, by your comments "never buy another lense" makes me believe you are NOT a big budget spender.

Need (portrait, nature, close-up, telephoto, what? I agree with most everyone here that you're best off with f/2.8 mid-range (wide-to-tele) zoom in the approx. 24-70 range and accompanied by a 70-200mm f/2.8. But these are pricey. So perhaps a compromise...

This makes me wonder if you should consider an entirely different platform. Perhaps the Olympus E-500 (2 lense kit package).

INCLUDES:
Olympus E-500
Zuiko Digital 14-45mm (f/3.5-5.6)
Zuiko Digital 40-150mm (f/3.5-5.6)

This gets you a decent DSLR and two lenses. They're not quite as bright as the above mentioned lenses f/3.5-5.6 vs f/2.8. The mm ranges are a little different (because Olympus uses the 4/3 system) but close to equivalent coverage as the above. The Olympus also has the wonderful feature of the ultrasonic dust removal system. What I'd give to have that feature on my 20D. (In fact, I don't think I will buy a new Canon body until they do have that feature.)

All of this can be had for around $799-$899. So if you're looking for a sub-$1,000 this might be the way to go.

So on the high end I would recommend a Canon 20D with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 & Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lenses for a total of approx. $3,500. On the lower end I would recommend the Olympus E-500 (2 lense kit)

- Saj

For example, if you have a budget of approx. $1,000 I would recommend
 12/29/2005 11:34:45 AM · #13
If price is not a consideration for you than you might consider the following three lenses (they're not the most perfect lenses but for flexibility these three will cover almost any need fairly well):

Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF HSM Autofocus Lens
Price : $ 5,799.00
(that's a zoom with some nice tele-range)

Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens
Price : $ 969.00
(talk about zoom coverage take a portrait or capture a bird out on the beach. A bit heavy but extremely flexible)

Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4 AT-X 124AF Pro DX Autofocus
Price : $ 459.95
(for when you need the extra wide)
12/29/2005 12:44:17 PM · #14
took a look at your portfolio...... you may want to consider some of these Canon offerings.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro

Other Canon Lenses (price is no object):

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM
Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
Canon EF 24 or 28-70mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM (either is or without)
 12/29/2005 12:51:56 PM · #15
oh oh, buy these two... 2 lenses heheee
 12/29/2005 12:52:30 PM · #16
2 lenses are not enough...
If you can only have two...tamron SP24-135 and sigma 70-300 APO Super 2

generally:

wide angle (10-22, 12-24 range) Tokina 12-24 f4 Pro is the best one
walkaround Tamron 24-135 SP - killer lens! Outstanding value, outstanding glass.
longish 70-200 2.8 (sigma or canon) or 70-200 F4 canon
get a 1.4x telextender for the longish lens.

If you do macro, then teh canon 100 2.8
If you do lots of indoor/low light then the sigma 18-50 2.8 EX DC

Except for the sigam 18-50 and tokina 12-24 they all work on FF sensors. If you want to stay FF sensor, then consider canon 17-40 and Sigma 12-24.

If you have a tight budget, Sigma 70-300 SPO Super 2 macro is $220 and a very good value, but most any 70-200 2.8/F4 will beat it (at 4+ times the cost).

To avoid disappointment, avoid:
canon 70-300 III (softer over 200)
canon 28-135 IS - not wide enough and just average. get the tamron 24-135

Message edited by author 2005-12-29 12:53:22.
 12/29/2005 01:02:49 PM · #17
Originally posted by mystopia:
Does anyone know anything about this lens? Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Lens for Canon EOS


Low end film era all in one 10:1 zoom lens. The digital equivalent is the 18-200 class of lens. Either is a great way to turn your $1000 dSLR into a $500 point and shoot ;)

Get teh Tamron SP 24-135 for the same cost as an 18-200 and have a real lens.
 12/29/2005 11:13:49 PM · #18
Just wanted to say thanks-a-bunch to All, for the information I got here. I was soooo pumped, that I ordered my camera today and the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 lens to start with. As, the Tamron was brought up quite a bit. Now, I just have to start adding to the collection....
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