Which lenses... (Canon Mount) - DPChallenge Forums

01/17/2010 04:50:22 PM · #1

Hello! I am very close to selling my Rebel XTi and a few other extras for enough cash to upgrade to a Canon 50D. My current lenses are:
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II (Rebel XTi Kit Lens)
Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II (Old Film Canon Kit Lens)
Canon EF 100-200mm f/4.5 A (Old Film Telephoto)
I would be selling the second two lenses along with the Rebel, plus some other things for just about enough to upgrade, and I\'d be holding on to the kit lens only because I don\'t have enough money to run out and purchase some good glass right away. (I need the wide angle of the kit lens.) My question is, will there be any improvement in my photos with my cheap glass on a 50D compared to the Rebel while I am in this limbo period before I can buy better glass? And secondly, what kind of lenses should I be looking at to get the most out of my 50D? Money is a factor, so I\'m debating between either a 15-85mm EF-S, 50mm f/1.4, 17-55mm f/2.8, or maybe a lower end L-grade lens. I\'m not opposed to other brand lenses, but I\'m not sure which ones to trust, so insight in that area would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

01/17/2010 05:01:28 PM · #2

I think there may be some improvement in detail, but in other ways, the resolution of the 50d can show off the limitations of the lens. On a per-pixel basis, I am not seeing as much sharpness from my lenses, however, I am shooting at almost twice the resolution, so at a normal viewing size, they do look better. What I am seeing that is the biggest improvement is a significant decrease in noise. The images are much cleaner looking from the 50D than they were from the Rebel or 20D. Not that there was anything wrong with the others at all, but I do see a difference in that area of image quality.

I've been shooting with the newer IS version of the kit lens on my 50D, but I still have the original one from my Rebel XT. I may shoot some comparison shots between the two lenses.

Oh, and welcome to DPC!

Message edited by author 2010-01-17 17:03:02.

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

01/17/2010 05:02:15 PM · #3

Why upgrade the camera body? Are your finding that the Rebel is limiting you in some way? Is there some feature on the 50D that you absolutely need? If not, save your money and upgrade your lenses.

Tez

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

01/17/2010 05:06:14 PM · #4

buy a 40d and save some more money to put towards more glass. You won't see a difference in picture quality (except less noise and a tad more detail with the 40d), but you will miss about 1-2 inches of printing... then again, I have an 18x12 from the 40d and it's awesome.

Anyways... I digress. You can't really go wrong with the Canon 17-40 L, for the money it's absolutely superb- it would be something like a 24-55mm or similar on a crop camera.

the 50mm 1.4 is a great lens for the money. Light, small, sharp and the USM is a big big improvement over the 50mm 1.8s focusing. On a crop this is something like an 80mm equivalent, which is pretty cool!

01/17/2010 05:06:17 PM · #5

Originally posted by cpanaioti:

Why upgrade the camera body? Are your finding that the Rebel is limiting you in some way? Is there some feature on the 50D that you absolutely need? If not, save your money and upgrade your lenses.

Good point. It's worth mentioning that the reason I upgraded was due to the previous cameras breaking. I did something stupid and broke the lens contacts on my rebel XT, and the shutter on the 20D went crazy. Canon offered me a sweet deal on a refurbed 50D as an option instead of repairing the 20, otherwise I would probably be looking for a used 40D later this year. the 40D is probably the most bang for the buck on the used market right now.

Message edited by author 2010-01-17 17:07:55.

01/17/2010 07:47:09 PM · #6

Yo_Spiff: Thank you very much. I agree that anything above ISO 400 on the Rebel was pretty bad... I look forward to the improvement in noise handling. Also, just to have the extended range is great. I'll take a noisy, sharp picture over a picture too blurry to save. And thank you for the welcome! :)

cpanaioti: I agree completely, and I wish I could. A friend of mine is looking to purchase a DSLR, and I am going to sell it to him, so it's my only option. I wish I had two bodies and could upgrade my glass.

Tez: I am a bit nervous about buying a used camera online, without being able to check it out in person. Plus, the cheapest I found a 40D new was $811. I have found a 50D for $829. That's a hell of an $18 upgrade. :) If the price difference was better, I am pretty sure I would. Thanks for the thought though!

01/17/2010 07:52:58 PM · #7

Originally posted by StefPrez:

I am a bit nervous about buying a used camera online, without being able to check it out in person.

If you get active enough with DPC to decide you want to upgrade to a paid membership, one of the things you will get is access to the buy/sell forum. I have bought equipment from other members here before, and they have always done me fairly. It takes away some of the unknown factor. Yes, you are always taking some risk with used gear. It's not unlike buying a used car.

Message edited by author 2010-01-17 19:54:27.

Tez

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

01/18/2010 02:43:00 AM · #8

I see 40d bodies practically every day for about $550-600 over at Fred Miranda. The buy/sell forum there is the best you'll find and is a very active forum so you won't have to wait very long. It has a feedback system too, much like Ebay, but usually a lot more comprehensive and without the "OMG A+++++++A+A+A+A++A+++++ AMAMAZING" stuff that ebay just loves.

I bought about $8,000 worth of stuff from there with no problems and all within 2 weeks of posting my ad.

Basically, it's worth a look and I will recommend that forum over the DPC one because it's frankly busier and as such, you'll find better deals.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

01/18/2010 05:21:03 PM · #9

I am still trying to figure out what lens I should be saving for. I favor the wide angle end of things. I was considering the 17-40mm f/4 L from Canon, but I know it's not that wide on a crop frame. Still wider than my kit lens, loads sharper, and the non-rotating front element is very nice. Anything else I should be looking at? I was thinking about the 10-22mm EF-S, but that might be too wide angle specific for me. I don't know when I will be allowed to post my portfolio link as to be able to see what kind of photography I do. Anyways, lens recommendations? Please? :) Thanks!

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

01/18/2010 05:54:24 PM · #10

If you have a flickr account or something like it just post the link to it here.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

01/18/2010 06:44:12 PM · #11

I don't think you can go wrong with either of your present choices. The 17-40 is a wonderful lens, most especially on a crop body; the only areas where the 17-40 shows softness is at the far corners of a full frame, and you won't see that on an APS-C body.
Bear in mind that the 10-22 is like a 16-35 on FF. Yep, that's wide at the wide end, but at the long end it is only moderately wide. I think that you'd be well served by the lens. The 17-40 on the other hand is more like a 28-64mm, so not really all that wide, even at the wide end.

Tez

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

01/18/2010 06:55:29 PM · #12

i always come back to this, but I went around the world with a 17-40L and an 85mm 1.8 on a 40d and thought they were perfect.

I sold my tamron 17-50 and got the 17-40 because of the metal body, the weather sealing, and the fact that when you put a filter on it it's effectively sealed top to bottom, and it's sharp as hell, focuses super quick, retains it's value and is generally my favorite lens (still).

It's awesome. And if you upgrade to a FF body, it'll be even wider and you can still use it, whereas with the 10-22, you won't be able to and the 10-22 doesnt hold its value as well as an L.

01/18/2010 11:45:14 PM · #13

stefanoprezioso.smugmug.com is my site. I'm a senior in high school, henceforth still learning, and constructive criticism is always welcome. :)

Tez: Very true statement about the L lens holding its value. Also, I do like the fact that if I ever upgrade to a FF body, I will already have a wonderful wide angle lens. With my kit lens (18mm wide end), many of my pictures are taken at 18mm, only a few were 24mm. I know I won't be gaining much range on the wide end, but the 17-40 is exceptionally sharper than my kit lens.

Let's say I purchased the 17-40mm L, and I wanted another lens to fill out my range a bit more (up to about short telephoto at most). What should I look in to for that focal length? 85mm f/1.8? 50mm f/1.4? How's the glass on these? Much better than my kit lens?

Thanks for all the advice and help so far. :)

01/18/2010 11:51:28 PM · #14

I've been thinking about the new Canon EF-S 15-85. It's getting some pretty good reviews and goes both a bit wider and longer than the kit lens. It's an EF-S, but I don't anticipate going full frame.