canon 24-70 L lens

pearljamfan

hey all!

something ive been wondering for a while now, i know the 24-70 is one of those lenses that everyone seems to have/want.... is it because its such a good quality piece of glass or is it the range??
i have a 60d so would it be better if i was to get the 15-85 instead??
or is it that the 24-70 is just sharper/clearer/whatever...

i only have one lens at the mo , 50mm 1.4 , which i love, and want to buy another lens before the year is up, im thinking of something i can use for weddings, but i like the compression you can get with a longer lens, so i dont know what to do really, ill be buying second hand and want the fastest lens i can get.

gloobag

It is a really good quality lens and built like a tank, but I sold mine as I felt limited by f2.8 being my widest aperture and I found that 70mm can still distort certain faces in an unattractive way in a close up portrait.

I now shoot an all prime setup. I have the L versions of the 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 135mm. I shoot people/portraits, and out of those, my two most used lenses are the 35mm and the 85mm. They're used on almost every shoot. Next in line is the 50mm.

My advise would be to invest in cheap/second hand versions of a 35mm and an 85mm lens. You already have the 50mm, and seeing as you said you'll be shooting weddings (ie people), you'd be covered for all the most useful focal lengths and gain some stops in terms of aperture.

Shooting with a few different fixed focal lengths will also improve your compositional skills (at least, it did for me).

FoxT

gloobag doesnt say this but I suspect that (s)he is using a full frame camera?

Using a 60D, which is a crop-frame, will have an impact on your lens choice.

A 24-70mm lens on a 60D will have approximately the same field of view as a
40mm-110mm lens on a full frame. You will definitely need (In my amateur opinion)
a wider lens than this for group shots, and for some indoor shots as well,
where space is tight & you are forced to be close to your subjects.


If you want to go longer, then an 85mm f/1.8*, 100mm f/2 or the 100mm f/2.8 macro* are options.
If you can live with f/4, then the 70-200mm f/4 is a good bargain new at about eu500.

I use a 70-200mm f/2.8* myself & am very pleased with it - but you do pay a cost & weight penalty here.

(* = Lens I have used myself)

I cant offer much advice on the wider side - I use Sigma 10-20mm & 17-70mm zoms, which are OK, would love to try the Canon-17-55mm-f-2.8 though, but have a few kids to get thru college first...

pearljamfan

thanks guys, yes thats the thing with the 60d, crop factor.
i wasnt sure which would be more useful. i hear the 15-85 is as good as the L lenses so was thinking going for that one, and id love to get a 100mm macro but never used a macro before and im wondering how versatile it would be.

Kenny_D

On a crop sensor the 15-85 and the 17-55 are as good as you'll get compared to the 24-70 on the full frame. I have a 15-85 on a 550D and its a fantastic lens, the equivalent focal range on a FF sensor is 24-136mm. The wide end is great for group shots/landscape and there's plenty of zoom for nice portraits. Highly recommend it and its nice to have a general zoom for a walkabout lens.

I also just picked up a 5d mk ii and a 24-70 last week and can see why people rave about the 24-70. Its a fantastic lens in its own right but more suited to FF cameras.

I use the 24-105 on a 7D (1.6 crop) and I find 24 on the widest end is fine for most stuff, to be honest. When I'm in pubs/clubs/etc. it can sometimes be a bit of a squeeze (I always carry a 10-20 just incase) but more often than not it's fine.

If it's wedding usage, chances are you'll have plenty of space, anyway (and getting people in tighter together so you can fit them all in the frame wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, anyway).

The Snipe

I use the 24-105 as like KKV but on a 1.3x and I find it brilliant, a lot lighter which is great when used with a 1D.

pullandbang

24-70 f2.8 on a full frame is awesomely sharp. MissusP&B has one and she loves it. It's bloody heavy and built like the proverbial brick house. It's an expensive piece of kit but well worth the money if you need some fast glass.

pearljamfan

i just spent all day with a girl doing photos for her blog, used the 50mm the whole time , ( have a 18-55 kit lens but sh*te ) everything looked great with it, i just had to work really really hard making enough space to shoot! we were in her living room kitchen and i definitely couldve done with the 15-85, i think ill save for that one. and am i right in saying if i had a macro that would focus too even though i was close to her, :rolleyes: an 85 mm might be nice with the crop body.

im so excited today about the pics
thanks again for the help, its a bit like talking myself round inside my head, lol.

Kenny_D

A macro will focus on her alright but you might be quite limited as to what fills the frame. I use a Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro (another lens I'd recommend checking out) which doubles as a very nice portrait lens. If you're space is limited though you may only be able to fit her head/face in the shot on a crop sensor