Your Top 3 Lens?

[hotsecretary]

I'm on my hunt for others opinions.


I'm making the plunge soon to buy some real glass... and wondering what everyone else finds Top 3 in their bag.


For my style, I'm looking at a good range of 3 to cover most of it.


And been thinking one day I'll have the following.


16-35 2.8


24-70 2.8


70-200 2.8



So what is your Top 3?

[Keith B]

umm...


16-35 2.8 II


24-70 2.8


70-200 2.8 IS


I have become very fond of my 50 1.4 as of late and am starting to jones for the TS-E 90 too.

[Ehcalum]

17-40 F4


70-200 2.8 non IS (I *hate* IS)


300 F4 non IS

[Jon Ruyle]

If, by top 3 you mean most used, mine are:


70-200 f/2.8 IS


135mm f/2


24-105 f/4 IS





On the other hand, if I could keep only 3 it would be


70-200 f/2.8 IS


24-105 f/4 IS


65mm mp-e


(I would pine for the 100mm macro).

[Maleko]

Top 3 at present (going by use) in my bag...


24-105 4.0


50 1.8


100 2.8

[Jon Ruyle]

(I *hate* IS)


Hate is a strong word. And you can always turn it off. How come you hate it?

[Joel Bookhammer]

On a full-frame personally the 24-70 is wide enough for my taste. But with a sub full frame you deffinitly need something wider.


So my selection is


24-70 2.8


70-200 2.8 IS


400 2.8 (even thoughI dont own it I would love to)


My own personal opinion I mainly shoot portraits and wildlife so I am baseing my decision on that


Thanks


Joel


My own 1 1/2 cents [:)]

[lculpin]

umm...


16-35 2.8 II


24-70 2.8


70-200 2.8 IS


I have become very fond of my 50 1.4 as of late and am starting to jones for the TS-E 90 too.
<div style="clear: both;"]</div>





x2 all around

[Daniel Browning]

24mm f/1.4 II


50mm f/1.4


70-200 f/4 IS

[jusap]

16-35 2.8


24-70 2.8


70-200 2.8
<div style="clear: both;"]</div>





that my friend is the trinity lenses :) perfect for events photographers.


That's my dream line-up too coupled with a prime or two.

[naturegrapher]

My personal favs....


Canon 50 1.8


Canon 24-70 2.8


and Canon 70-200 2.8 IS....


I use the 50 1.8 a lot on my 5dMKII and that's the reason its high on my list.....

[Dallasphotog]

In the order that I love them...


EF70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM


EF24-70mm f/2.8 L USM


EF400 f/2.8L IS USM

[Jon Ruyle]

In the order that I love them...


EF70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM


EF24-70mm f/2.8 L USM


EF400 f/2.8L IS USM








400 behind the 24-70, eh?


I think I love the 400 f/2.8 more than any of them, and I don't even have one :)

[Ehcalum]

Jon,


Fewreasons. First is, it doesn't really help in the photography I do 90% of time time: action and sports, primarly outside, or inside with a flash. Second reason, kills battery life. Third reason, its not as big as a lifesaver as the catalogs say, shake is overemphanized in the ads. Ive shot Minolta/Sony, Canon and Nikon IS and haven't noticed a difference betwene them. Lastly, I one of those lucky SOBs who can hand hold a camera well into hail mary speeds and still take a sharp shot. If I'm without a tripod or mono pod, I have a couple of tricks and can usually find some kind of support.

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

Hate is a strong word, the type of photography I do is usually too fast or with a lot light so IS is NOT needed. I don't need it, doesn't mean that I hate it. I really thinkg IS is a great innovation in modern photography.


Anyways my favorite 3


70-200 f/2.8 L IS


400 f/5.6L


500 f/4 L IS





Edit: added "NOT"

[Chuck Lee]

Nate,


Do ever take a photo of anything closer than 30ft? LOL!


Right now.......my fav three even though the 28-75 f2.8L is on my camera most of the time.


1) 70-200 f2.8L


2) 17-35 f2.8L


3) EF 100 f2.8 Macro


Chuck

[Mark Elberson]

1) Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS
2) Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS
3) Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 or Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS (I'd hate to be without either of them!)

[peety3]

If I have two bodies for the shoot:


16-35/2.8


70-200/2.8IS


85/1.2


If I have one body for the shoot:


16-35/2.8


24-105/4 (I'd love to replace it with a 24-70/2.8)


70-200/2.8IS

[T Bigger]

EF-S 10-22


EF 24-105 IS


EF 70-200 f4 IS

[chrisc]

The only three that I have for my 50D




Sigma 10-20 f3.5 EX USM





EF 24-105 f4 L IS





EF 70-200 f4 L IS

[Colin]

what I bring would depend on what I'm doing, of course, but if I could only have 3 lenses, of what I have, they would be...


24-105 f4 IS


70-200 f2.8 IS


180mm f3.5 (macro)


If I could then sneak in another couple, I'd grab my 16-35 f2.8 and 400 f5.6.


If I could then sneak in a couple more, i'd grab my 85 f1.2 and 35 f1.4. The 135 f2 would jump in the same sneak package if it comes back with working autofocus.


Next in line for the underground sneakfest would be the 24-70 (it'd be there instead of the24-105 if that lens weren't already thelegitimate placeholder) and the 100-400 f4.5-5.6 IS.


I don't know where extension tubes and teleconverters work into all of this. Extension tubes aren't technically lenses, so can they get a free pass? Can teleconverters pass as crutches?


The 28-135 would be welcome to take the back seat in the underground sneakbag, if it could find it's way home....

[Chuck Lee]

Colin,


Your a lens junky!! [:D]


Sounds like your ultimate camera bag would weigh in at what 200-300 lbs?

[Colin]

I am, and I'm not alone,


though I was thinking in terms of what I could evacuate from a burning building kind of scenario.


While I often find myself thinking, "I wish i brought ____" I try to keep the lens count in a bag 4 or below. At this very moment, it's 35 f1.4, 135 f2, 24-105 f4 IS, and 70-200 f2.8 IS.


That worked well, overall on my most recent trip, though I found myself missing the 100-400 f4.5-5.6 IS and the 180mm f3.5 Macro at the zoo. I also missed having my "Sean Setters Approved" Vivitar flashes.


OTOH, getting on and off the plane was relatively painless [:P]

[ThomasJ]

My favorite lens so far is the 24-105 f4 IS L. It's a fantastic walkabout lens for everyday needs. I also use it for wide angle shots.


70-200 f 2.8 IS for the longer reach. I'm waiting with my purchase though until August - maybe there is indeed a new version coming.


85 f 1.2 II L... My ideal portrait lens. I love it.

[Oren]

"Sean Setters Approved" LOL [:D]

[Oren]

"Sean Setters Approved" LOL [:D]

[dj 7th]

If i have to keep only 3 lenses from my collection, I would most likely pick


16-35 II f/2.8


24-105 f/4 IS


70-200 f/2.8 IS


These lenses are mostly used with the 5D Mark II. However, I found myself using EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 on my 50D more lately. Maybe because of the IS and the f stop.

[c_u_m_a_m]

Why not crop top 3 ?


Mine:


17-55mm 2.8


55-250mm 4-5.6


60mm


[:#]

[mattsartin]

I'm cheating a bit, as i only actually own two of these


Canon 50mm f/1.8 best $110 ever spent


Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 i lucked out and got a very good copy of this lens unlike the few that Brian reviewed


Canon 300mm f/2.8 don't own this (yet) but i've used it extensively, sharpest, fastest lens i've ever used. straight up amazing piece of glass

[EdN]

The ones I'm using the most right now, not necessarily the favorites, are:


24-105 mm F4 L IS


100 mm F2.8 macro


300 mm F4 L IS with the 1.4X extender

[Fast Glass]

Minolta 600mm f/6.3, Minolta 100mm f/4 macro, Minolta 50mm f/1.7 all converted to EF Mount. Have 13 lens all together and too many acc to list!

[George Slusher]

My "top 3" would depend upon what I'm doing. A week ago, I shot about 1200 photos at a 4-H Fair horse show. Most were indoors in an arena that's not well-lit. (White balance is a problem, as well, as the big fluorescent lights vary in color.) I carried a 30D and 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, 17-55mm f/2.8 IS, and at least two fast primes--35mm f/2, 50mm f/1.8 (l'd like the f/1.4, but haven't bought one, yet), 85mm f/1.8 (the f/1.2 would be useless, as it is apparently slow to focus), 100mm f/2. AFTER the Fair, I got a Sigma 30mm f/1.4, but haven't tried it out in that situation. The f/2.8 lenses are fast enough for more-or-less static shots--horses lined up, for example, or doing showmanship (handled from the ground), but action requires the faster lenses. My primary camera, though, was a Canon Optura 50 camcorder. (Camcorders often are better in low-light situations than DSLRs because they use multiple pixels on the sensor for each pixel in the image.) The riders do a "pattern" of several elements, like haunch turns, circles, lead changes at canter/lope, etc. For educational purposes/feedback to the riders, a video is much more useful than stills, but the kids do like a still of them jumping. To be able to do both, I mounted the 30D &amp; 85mm f/1.8 on a Feisol tripod, locked it onto a jump with a good framing/angle, set the drive to "high" and triggered off several shots with a remote release as the horse approached and jumped the fence, all while I was shooting video at the same time. The results weren't perfect--I could have used a 135mm f/2 or 200mm f/2, as the jump was all the way across the arena--but they were acceptable with cropping.


If I'm doing nature photography, my usual gear is a 100-400mm L IS and 17-85mm IS plus Canon 1.4x extender. I may carry a Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro and/or Sigma 10-20mm, the latter especially if I'm interested in shooting "up close and personal." Instead of the Macro lens, I sometimes carry a Canon 77mm 500D close-up lens + 67mm-77mm step-up ring.


For outdoor horse shows, it's usually the 17-85mm IS and 70-200mm f/4L IS. Yes, I have both the f/2.8L IS and f/4L IS. I bought the f/4L IS long before I got the f/2.8L IS. It's a lot lighter and easier to use than the f/2.8L IS behemoth. If the show includes wide-open spaces, I will use the 100-400mm. I've sometimes used the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS instead of the 17-85mm IS. It is better quality, but I have to switch lenses more often.

[dmckinny]

A very easy question for me to answer, I only have three lenses!


18-55 non-IS Kit


50 1.8


70-200 f4 non-IS





David

[jeffersonposter]

70-200 f/4 IS


200 f/2.8


300 f/4 IS


JeffersonPoster

[icanon]

Probably my favorite lens is the 24-70 f/2.8 it's a great all around lens.


My other favorite is the 70-200 IS f.2.8


Just bought last weekend a new 17-40 f/4.0 but can't say anything yet as I haven't had a chance to use it.


But I have a feeling it will be in second place.


I have others but the first two I mentioned I use a lot.

[SupraSonic]

1.EF 135mm F2 L


2.EF 17-40mm F4 L


3.EF 50mm USM

[waving_odd]

1. TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II


2. EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM


3. EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM





I own #2 and #3 but I haven't had #1 yet. Instead, I have EF 17-40mm f/4L USM.


But I am extremely impressed with the nearly-zero CA and sharpness of TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II so that I am going to get it as soon as B&amp;H has it (once they had it a couple of times the past week, the stock was gone in SECONDS!!!)


PS: I am not impressed with that TS-E 24mm f/3.5L (Mk 1) at all due to the serious CA, etc...

[mpphoto12]

in my opinion...


1. 70-200 2.8 is


2.300 2.8 Is


3. 27-70 2.8

[GAButler]

I only have two


85 1.2L II


70-200 2.8L IS


My next will be:


24 1.4L II

[Colin500]

Interesting question, I can't answer because I got my first (D)SLR a week ago, and only have two lenses, but I'll look at the answers to see what combinations other people use...


I'd just wish for every answer to state whether it's for a full-frame, or a 1.6 / 1.3, in order to see e.g. whether the people with nothing below 24mm are all on full-frame, or just don't need a wide angle.

[Feanor]

70-200 f/2.8L IS
24-70 f/2.8L IS
500 f/4L IS


Unfortunately I don't own the last one - and may never. I may have to compromise and get the 400 f/5.6 or 100-400.

[Jon Ruyle]

I don't think you own the second one, either. If you do, could you tell me where you got it? [:)]

[richm]

Until yesterday, I had a 40d - am waiting for the 7d to get shipped ;-(





I own (and absolutely love):


24-105 f4


70-200 f2.8 IS


I want, soon (and have used a few times):


10-22 EF-S


I will want, once they replace the push-pull, the 100-400 (or replacement).