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Upgrading kit lens - Canon 17-55 f2.8 vs 17-40 f4L ?

  • 15-11-2011 10:34am
    #1
    rain on
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I'm planning on upgrading from my Canon kit lens in the next few weeks and I have the selection narrowed down to two:

    EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 (pros: image stabilisation, bigger aperture)

    EF 17-40 f/4.0L (pros: L lens, nearly €200 cheaper on simplyelectronics)

    Does anyone have any thoughts on one vs the other? I'm leaning towards the 17-55 as I do a lot of low light photography and could really use the bigger aperture, but I don't want to rule out the L lens if there are obvious pros about it that I'm missing.

    Cheers


Comments

  • #2
    hbr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 760 ✭✭✭hbr


    rain on wrote: »
    ...I don't want to rule out the L lens if there are obvious pros about it that I'm missing.

    Cheers

    The 17-55mm offers a larger aperture and IS. The 17-40mm has
    'L' build quality and better weather resistance.

    Both are highly regarded, so I don't think there is a wrong choice.
    Choose the one that best fits your needs. The 17-55mm will be
    the better of the two in low light.

    The 17-55mm is an EF-S lens, so it will only work on a crop
    sensor camera. I assume that you are using a crop sensor (APS-C)
    Canon camera at the moment. Is there any possibility that you will
    want to change to a full-frame camera like the 5D II in the future?

    Another lens you could consider is the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
    non-stabilised version. This lens doesn't have the IS of the Canon 17-55mm
    or the build quality of the Canon 17-40mm, but it can match the image
    quality of the Canon lenses at most focal lengths.


  • #3
    rain on
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭rain on


    Thanks. Yeah I do have a crop sensor camera at the moment (Canon 60D), and I couldn't see myself changing it for a good few years, if ever. The low light performance is what's really attracting me to the 17-55, it's just the L quality is hard to ignore :)


  • #4
    Ballyman
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,822 ✭✭✭Ballyman


    They are different lenses for different things.

    The 17-40 is a wide angle lens designed for 1D/5D cameras and the 1.6 crop equivalent would be the 10-22mm while the 17-55mm is the 1.6 crop equivalent of the 24-70mm.

    If you need to use it in low light then it's 17-55mm that you need. You will notice little to no difference in the quality of the pics between the two except in low light when obviously the 17-55 will perform better due to the IS and extra stop.


  • #5
    Borderfox
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,263 ✭✭✭✭Borderfox


    17-55 is a superb lens and has excellent IQ for a non L lens. The 17-40L will work as well apart from the f2.8 aperture. As Ballyman and hbr says there are some non Canon solutions that will do nearly as well but for half the price.


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