So... What Should I Get?

[Kiwikat]

I'm going to have an opportunity to get a lens after tax returns next year. It will probably be my only chance to get something for my camera the whole year, so I want to make it good. The question is, what do I get? Here are my thoughts/options, in no particular order. I currently have a 18-55 IS and 55-250 IS. They are both considered beginner lenses and have abysmal build quality.

1.) Tokina 12-24 f/4 UWA ~500

2.) Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS ~850-900 (used, like new)

3.) Canon 100mm f/2.8 L IS Macro ~1000

4.) Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM ~700

5.) Canon 50D body ~900 (+ option 1 after selling current XSi body)

6.) Canon 50D body + 28-135 IS USM ~1100 (+ option 1 after selling current stuff if I can afford it)

Option 2 and 4 would involve me selling my 18-55 kit lens. Both 5 and 6 would involve me selling my XSi, and for 6, my 18-55 as well. After using my friend's 50D, I'd love one myself. If I did 5 or 6 I would probably end up getting the Tokina 12-24 from the money I got from my old camera and lens. Option 6 sounds really nice, but I don't know if I can pull together 1100 dollars or so for it. I want to at least acquire one new piece of glass out of the whole deal. The kit lenses I'm using are painfully slow and feel like plastic toys, but they do put out nice image quality for the price. :kilroy:

I know it seems confusing lol, its even more confusing in my head. :isadizzy:

Thanks for any guidance anyone can offer!

[Cratermaker]

I will assume after looking at your list that you aren't interested in longer telephoto right now.

I agree that the 50D is nice, but for me anyway, I really don't think it would do much for me. I'd wait until there was more difference in bang for the buck. I just don't feel like chasing the next great camera body year after year. But I have a lot of other hobbies to fund too... :icon_lol:

Anyway, I had an old 24-85mm and 55-200mm. I always missed being able to get wider angle shots. The crop effect made it worse of course. I bought a wide angle lens for my first upgrade because it allowed me to do some things just not physically possible with my old lenses. It was an EOS-S, which of course limits its use to certain bodies, but damn it's an awesome lens for the money.

I think 1 and 3 are your best choices since they allow you to do things you just can't do right now.

Your number 2 option will be my next lens, but only because I already have a 10-22 and 55-200 4.0 L now.

[wuzelor]

Hello,
can i ask for what you need the lens?? :jump::jump: (http://www.qgvut.info/)

[grumpos]

No contest. Option one wins for me. If you are happy with the images your existing lenses give you, why replace them? I have a 12-24mm lens than has become my standard lens. it gets used for about 75% of my shots. I couldn't live without it ;)

[JorisVandenBerghe]

If you'd like some more range, you can get a 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM. Not sure if you need it, here in Europe you need for spotting of anything smaller than an airliner at least a 400mm in my opinion (or a camera with a whole lot of megapixels ;-)). In the US you generally seem to need less mms to get an appropriate framing. If macro is important to you, get the macro. If I could give you a hint; invest rather in lenses than in a body. A lens keeps it's value for a far longer time than a body does. The 50D isn't a bad body but not a really great one either. I'd rather save and get a 7D, if you have a bit of patience you'll pay a lot less...

If I were you, I'd take the 100mm f/2.8 L IS Macro. The 15-85 is nice too of course and good quality.

To compare lenses, check www.slrgear.com and www.photozone.de (yes, it' a German website, but it's in English!).

[Kiwikat]

I will assume after looking at your list that you aren't interested in longer telephoto right now.

I'd love a 100-400, but the price is out of my range right now, even for a used one. It is pretty much the lens I want more than any other, but $$$$$$$$$$. I'd rather not try one of the sigma telephotos either.

It looks like 1 is the popular option right now. I suppose 5 would be possible too if I get the money.

I'd really like a 50D because its much more comfortable to use, has a burst rate almost twice that of my XSi, has lens microadjust, and can handle much higher ISO's than my XSi. The AF system is also a bit better. What I don't like about it is the huge filesize that a 15 megapixel photo would make. However it does have a sRAW of 7.1 mp that would be useful for most situations...

A 7D would be a dream but for that price I would definitely pick up a 100-400 instead. I used the one they had on display at Best Buy and I absolutely loved it. The sales rep didn't have any idea what I was talking about when I was mentioning features I liked. :icon_lol: :mixedsmi:

[Kiwikat]

UGH, all morning the 100-400 has been taunting me. I'm gonna keep saving and we'll see... :rolleyes:

I guess if I'm going to spend the money I may as well get the thing I want the most.

[Cratermaker]

UGH, all morning the 100-400 has been taunting me. I'm gonna keep saving and we'll see... :rolleyes:

I guess if I'm going to spend the money I may as well get the thing I want the most.
Hey! That wasn't on your list... :icon_lol:

[JorisVandenBerghe]

If I could give you two advices: if you buy it in the end, get an protection filter for it and get a all-risk, worldwide insurance for it. I pay € 55 for my € 1469 lens, so it's not that expensive. If something happens (if you'd let it fall and it's broke, for instance), you'll be relieved to have taken an insurance (not sure that last part of my sentence is correct English ?).

Something else you should be aware of is that it sucks air, in Dutch is it's know as the stofzuiger, literally the dust sucker, correct translation is a vacuum cleaner. It dates back from 1998, so it's not that recent and (just check slrgear.com) not as tack-sharp wide-open as compared to some others, eg my 70-400 (which was designed in 2008). Much depends on the lens itself, some seem to be sharper than others. I have a friend who bought it somewhere last year and this year at Sanicole Airshow the AF was kaput.

[Kiwikat]

If I could give you two advices: if you buy it in the end, get an protection filter for it and get a all-risk, worldwide insurance for it. I pay € 55 for my € 1469 lens, so it's not that expensive. If something happens (if you'd let it fall and it's broke, for instance), you'll be relieved to have taken an insurance (not sure that last part of my sentence is correct English ?).

Something else you should be aware of is that it sucks air, in Dutch is it's know as the stofzuiger, literally the dust sucker, correct translation is a vacuum cleaner. It dates back from 1998, so it's not that recent and (just check slrgear.com) not as tack-sharp wide-open as compared to some others, eg my 70-400 (which was designed in 2008). Much depends on the lens itself, some seem to be sharper than others. I have a friend who bought it somewhere last year and this year at Sanicole Airshow the AF was kaput.

I'd definitely get a nice high-grade UV filter, probably a B+W. Down the road I'd also get a polarizing filter. I would also make sure that the lens is covered under our insurance.

As far as its nickname, they do call it the dust pump. However, most people on the canon forums say that theirs doesn't pump any dust at all. Despite it being a lens from 1998, it has proven to be one of the best lenses in Canon's arsenal. I swear half of the canon shooters at Airventure this year were using the 100-400.


Hey! That wasn't on your list...

My guess is that by the time I end up buying a lens, there will be 10 other things that weren't on my list. :173go1:

The worst part of accumulating that much money is that it opens up other combinations. The 100mm L macro + 12-24 Tokina UWA combo was going through my head at work tonight. Plus I really like the sound of having a 50D...

[JorisVandenBerghe]

I'm not surprised to hear the 100-400mm being so numerous around airshows. Here in Western Europe it's a rather common sight at airshows too, although many people (like on Duxford) come up with even bigger and heavier lenses.

Below is one of the smaller lenses...:kilroy:

http://img02.imagefra.me/img/img02/1/12/13/jorisvdb/f_irt9srrgon4m_f1c3f46.jpg
Picking something new for your camera is always a difficult choice.

[Ickie]

I have an olympus and a box full of lens, lol, one day I stacked them so it was about 2 feet long and heavy, being so big the slightest movement made blurry pictures. Even on a tripod the wind blowing made blurry pictures, you have to be strong to use them monster lenses. lol.
I like my 15-45 MM for them wide angles and the 45-150 for up close and personal, (the 45-150 being digital and the way the camera is setup= 90-300)
good luck with what ever you buy

note with an adapter you can use old anlog lenses.

[JorisVandenBerghe]

Correct, that's because of the sensor size and the crop factor. Olympus' crop factor is 2, compared to Canon's 1.6 and Sony/Nikon's 1.5 (APS-C sensor format).

[jmig]

Joris, you seem to know quite a bit about cameras. That is admirable, especially for a young man of you age. You have taught me a thing or two already.

Now, if I can just nor forget before tomorrow morning. :icon_lol:

[JorisVandenBerghe]

I'm glad I could share a bit of my knowledge, John :salute:. Internet helps a lot for such things. I'm pretty sure Panther, Ferry_VO, Kiwikat, NickC, IanP,... and all the other photographers know a lot more than I do. I only started taking pictures in July last year :kilroy:...

[Kiwikat]

So it is down to the wire now. Two options:

1.) Canon 100-400mm L IS (+500D close-up lens later on)

2.) Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS (+1.4x Teleconverter later on) + Tokina 12-24mm

Funnily enough, neither one of these were on my original list, and they are both more expensive. :icon_lol:

Please halp me! My only lens now is my 18-55 kit lens, which I pretty much hate. Which shall I spend my money on?

[Cratermaker]

Option 2. It gives you much wider angle capability and similar-ish telephoto capability, plus... I think you may tire of lugging that 100-400 around. I'm not a weakling, but I was glad I didn't get anything heavier than my 70-200. I could hold it up all day without use of a monopod or other means of support. Not sure I could say the same about the 100-400.

If, however, you find yourself zoom, zoom, zooming all the time. You might want option 1 I suppose. Yeah, I helped a lot, didn't I? :icon_lol:

[JorisVandenBerghe]

I'd go with option #1. If you're willing to go to an airshow, you'll see you simply need more zoom than what a 70-200mm with a 1.4x teleconverter on it. The improvement won't be that big over your 55-250 IS in my opinion, although you'll probably get very sharp images...the 70-200 f/4 is said to be (nearly ?) as sharp as it's f/2.8 sibling.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that a teleconverter would mean loosing one f-stop. So you're going from a f/4 at 200mm to 280mm at f/5.6 with that teleconverter, right ? And you're still at only 280mm. You can get the same aperture at 400mm with the 'dust pump'. It's a pretty heavy one indeed, only a couple of hundred grams lighter than it's Sony equivalent. You'll need some muscles if you want to use it at an airshow...but so far I've seen pretty good results, although some examples are sharper than others.

For some pretty good examples, check this page: http://gustlock.nl/2009.php - a Dutch friend of mine. The site and captions under his pictures are in English, so no need to worry :). You can see the pictures of the 'Luchtmachtdagen' (annual Royal Netherlands Air Force airshow in the Netherlands), Flying Legends, MAKS in Moscow,...

Oh, don't forget option #3: the 70-300 IS USM ;). Pretty cheap and sharp, good regarding CA and distortion but not a real improvement over your previous 55-250IS...only 50mm extra. If you'd put the TC on that one, you'll have 420mm which is a whole lot more.

Not sure my whole explanation helps...I'm probably making it harder rather than easier for you :kilroy:.

[Panther_99FS]

ef-s 18-200....

[Kiwikat]

I'd go with option #1. If you're willing to go to an airshow, you'll see you simply need more zoom than what a 70-200mm with a 1.4x teleconverter on it. The improvement won't be that big over your 55-250 IS in my opinion, although you'll probably get very sharp images...the 70-200 f/4 is said to be (nearly ?) as sharp as it's f/2.8 sibling.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that a teleconverter would mean loosing one f-stop. So you're going from a f/4 at 200mm to 280mm at f/5.6 with that teleconverter, right ? And you're still at only 280mm. You can get the same aperture at 400mm with the 'dust pump'. It's a pretty heavy one indeed, only a couple of hundred grams lighter than it's Sony equivalent. You'll need some muscles if you want to use it at an airshow...but so far I've seen pretty good results, although some examples are sharper than others.

For some pretty good examples, check this page: http://gustlock.nl/2009.php - a Dutch friend of mine. The site and captions under his pictures are in English, so no need to worry :). You can see the pictures of the 'Luchtmachtdagen' (annual Royal Netherlands Air Force airshow in the Netherlands), Flying Legends, MAKS in Moscow,...

Oh, don't forget option #3: the 70-300 IS USM ;). Pretty cheap and sharp, good regarding CA and distortion but not a real improvement over your previous 55-250IS...only 50mm extra. If you'd put the TC on that one, you'll have 420mm which is a whole lot more.

Not sure my whole explanation helps...I'm probably making it harder rather than easier for you :kilroy:.

I really only attend one or two airshows a year, so I'm not considering airshows as a reason for buying a lens. Besides, the 55-250 was long enough for me 95% of the time at Airventure last year, so the 70-200 with extender would be fine.

I'm not considering the 70-300 because it doesnt have ring USM, and its really not that sharp, especially from 250-300. The 70-200 4 IS is crazy crazy sharp, as sharp or sharper than many L primes. It's even sharper with the 1.4 TC than the 100-400. The color rendition is also far better than either the 70-300 and 100-400.

Having 400mm available would be cool though because I like shooting wildlife, especially birds. But at this point, thats really the only thing going for it right now.

Also, I'd like a better performing lens than a superzoom, so the 18-200 is out of the picture. It makes too many compromises to achieve that range, plus EF-S lenses aren't compatible with the Canon teleconverter.

Thanks for the input guys!

I still haven't made up my mind... :sleep:

[Cloud9Gal]

Kiwikat~

Since you are down to 2 options, write each one on a piece of paper, fold the paper, put both in a jar/glass/cup and shake, then pick one out....that should be the lens to buy.

It works, trust me! I made many important decisions in my life using that methodology...LOL! And I still do at times...

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-bounce019.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

[Kiwikat]

Kiwikat~

Since you are down to 2 options, write each one on a piece of paper, fold the paper, put both in a jar/glass/cup and shake, then pick one out....that should be the lens to buy.

It works, trust me! I made many important decisions in my life using that methodology...LOL! And I still do at times...

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-bounce019.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

Just did... #2 it is!

Woohoo Tuesday I'll be ordering my 70-200 f/4 IS, widely regarded as canon's best image quality zoom.

[Cloud9Gal]

Just did... #2 it is!

Woohoo Tuesday I'll be ordering my 70-200 f/4 IS, widely regarded as canon's best image quality zoom.

http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/stock/smiley-sign0060.gif (http://www.smileyvault.com/)

AWESOME Kiwikat!

You just put a big smile on my face! Way to go! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-happy112.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

Let us know when you get it!!

[Kiwikat]

http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/stock/smiley-sign0060.gif (http://www.smileyvault.com/)

AWESOME Kiwikat!

You just put a big smile on my face! Way to go! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-happy112.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

Let us know when you get it!!

Trust me, there will be pics. :jump:

Thanks for helping me choose, BTW. :icon_lol:

I got money to take to the bank tomorrow, and then on tuesday after paychecks clear, I'll be ordering it, a B+W filter, and a Lowepro Flipside 300 backpack from B&H. Next day shipping too... UPS ain't gettin their grubby hands on it longer than they have to!

Then by the time I get my tax return, I'll be getting the Tokina 12-24 or Canon 10-22 depending on the Tokina's availability and the status of my wallet.

I am now pretty sure I am making the right choice because I'm no longer nervous, but excited. :monkies:

Now to change my avatar to what I am actually getting...

[Chacha]

Trust me, there will be pics. :jump:

Thanks for helping me choose, BTW. :icon_lol:

I got money to take to the bank tomorrow, and then on tuesday after paychecks clear, I'll be ordering it, a B+W filter, and a Lowepro Flipside 300 backpack from B&H. Next day shipping too... UPS ain't gettin their grubby hands on it longer than they have to!

Then by the time I get my tax return, I'll be getting the Tokina 12-24 or Canon 10-22 depending on the Tokina's availability and the status of my wallet.

I am now pretty sure I am making the right choice because I'm no longer nervous, but excited. :monkies:

Now to change my avatar to what I am actually getting...


Alright... :ernae:

I am getting excited on what your AVATAR will look like.... :running:

Good to know you are getting good QUALITY stuff for you... :applause:

[Kiwikat]

And... I did it. The lens I ordered is now my avatar! (decided against the 70-200 and 100-400)

I'll definitely get some shots posted on wednesday after she arrives. :ernae:

[Chacha]

And... I did it. The lens I ordered is now my avatar! (decided against the 70-200 and 100-400)

I'll definitely get some shots posted on wednesday after she arrives. :ernae:




:ernae:

That is a huge lens...

You can capture a great picture of Venus using that lens and maybe a few stars!

Congratulations!

[kilo delta]

And... I did it. The lens I ordered is now my avatar! (decided against the 70-200 and 100-400)

I'll definitely get some shots posted on wednesday after she arrives. :ernae:


Congrats on the new purchase,Kiwikat....looking forward to seeing some pics from you. :ernae:

[Cratermaker]

And... I did it. The lens I ordered is now my avatar! (decided against the 70-200 and 100-400)

I'll definitely get some shots posted on wednesday after she arrives. :ernae:
Your decision path made me dizzy... :isadizzy:

I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

[Kiwikat]

Your decision path made me dizzy... :isadizzy:

I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

It made me absolutely insane. :icon_lol:

It is hard to spend money on L lenses. They are all so good (and expensive).

[Snuffy]

Congrats on the new glass! :applause: