Deciding on a lens

Hey all,


Most of you have been very helpful for the occasional post when I was trying to decide on buying a new lens. So, I come bearing yet another question. ;P


I have been looking for a lens to replace the kit lens, 18-55, for my T1i. I originally had intentions to purchasing the 17-40 f/4, as I can get a fairly decent discount on a new one at my work. However, I've seen a few postings throughout the interwebs stating that purchasing the lens for a crop sensor is a waste. I shoot primarily landscapes/outdoors, and for the discounted price I could easily grab something like the 50/1.8 for anything low-light. It seems every negative post regarding the 17-40 recommended the 17-55/2.8. I know many of you here love this lens, however the price tag to it is certainly quite the jump up compared to what I'd pay for the 17-40.


So, I am curious as to what you may think to using a 17-40 on a crop sensor such as the T1i. Thanks for any help you guys can lend out guys. ^_^

I sold my 17-40 in favor of the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non VC (vibration control) and haven

zacotton,


First, full disclosure, I have had the 17-55 since January 2008 and it is my favorite lens on my 50D. I have taken thousands of great pictures with it . To me it is worth the price difference. The main advantage for me is the f/2.8 aperture. The IS is also very nice to have for me as well, but it is secondary to the aperture.


If you do not need to let in twice the light or the IS, the 17-40 is a great lens. The other thing you would be giving up is a little more reach. This should be easy for you to decide if it is something you need or not. Look at your images and check how many you took between 40-55mm with your 18-55. If it is a significant number, then you need to go with the 17-55 for the upgrade. If most of your images are from 18-40mm and you do not want the extra 15mm reach in the future, you will be happy with the 17-40. Although you may gain a little light with the constant f/4, but you will lose IS, if that is important to you.


I hope this helps,


Chris

You might consider the 15-85mm which is more affordable than the 17-55 but perfect for outdoor/ landscapes.

The 17-40mm is not great on a 1.6 camera, it's actually worse than a 18-55mm. Take a look at Bryan ISO 112233 crops www.the-digital-picture.com/.../ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx


It's a give or take but overall the 18-55mm is sharper with more or less CA depending on the focal length and aperture.


Pro's for the 17-40mm;


Faster constant aperture except at the wide end.


Far superior build quality.


Faster AF.


Cons for the 17-40mm;


Softer overall than the 18-55mm.


Lacks IS.


The Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 is sharper at all focal lengths except in the extreme corners at 17mm. Here is the link at 35mm www.the-digital-picture.com/.../ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx


The 17-50mm f/2.8 VC is a mixed bag, some focall lengths are sharper with others are not. Here is the link at 35mm www.the-digital-picture.com/.../ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx


The 17-55mm f/2.8 IS is sharper andhas less CA at all focal lengths and similar apertures. Here is a link at 35mm


www.the-digital-picture.com/.../ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx


Hope this helps,


John.

if trying to do landscapes on a cropped sensor, go with a 10-22 Canon EFS or a 10-20 3rd party lens. When you go full frame, you

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Originally Posted by JP-Eugene

You might consider the 15-85mm which is more affordable than the 17-55 but perfect for outdoor/ landscapes.
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+1.....I use the EFS 15-85 as my general purpose lens and love it. But as you can see, others here highly recommend the EFS 17-55. It gets down to a balance of focal length range plus cost savings vs the benefits of f/2.8 aperture. From what I can tell, both are excellent lenses.

I suggest Tamron 17-50 f2.8 as well because of the aperture and sharpness ... since I'm from Croatia lens are more expensive here than in US. Price for Canon 17-55 is double than Tamron.


Anyway, had one, dropped it, broke it, bought another one (used).


Second choice would be 15-85 because of the length (you get more wide angle ad more zoom) and you have IS (you can compensate lack of aperture and stability on 85 mm)


17-40 is designed as ULTRA wide angle for full frame body, and Canon EF-S 17-55 is just wide angle for crop sensor body. Ultra wide for your camera is Canon 10-22, Tokina 11-16 and so on..

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Originally Posted by erno james

if trying to do landscapes on a cropped sensor, go with a 10-22 Canon EFS or a 10-20 3rd party lens. When you go full frame, you'll have a backup that can do both.
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Yes, you can use a 1.6 crop ultra wide on a full frame with the focal lengthzoomed in. But the image quality is not very good in the corners. Better off getting a 17-40mm, 12-24mm or something if you even want that focal length later on. A general purpose lens is much more usefull for most people and generallyshould be the first lens you should consider.


John.

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Originally Posted by erno james

if trying to do landscapes on a cropped sensor, go with a 10-22 Canon EFS or a 10-20 3rd party lens. When you go full frame, you'll have a backup that can do both.

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Just to clarify, you'll "have a backup that can do both" refers to the body+lens combo, i.e. it would require you to keep the crop body. An EF-S lens will not mount on a FF camera.

You guys are phenomenal, thank you for all the help! :)


I think I

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

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Originally Posted by erno james

if trying to do landscapes on a cropped sensor, go with a 10-22 Canon EFS or a 10-20 3rd party lens. When you go full frame, you'll have a backup that can do both.
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Just to clarify, you'll "have a backup that can do both" refers to the body+lens combo, i.e. it would require you to keep the crop body. An EF-S lens will not mount on a FF camera.
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Your right, you can't use the 10-22mm on a full frame. But you can mod the mount and make it work.You can use other third party lenses on full frame without modification. Usually they only do this because they already have a mini ultra wide and use it on there full frame anyway,but a full frame ultra wide will give you better results.


John.

i

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Originally Posted by kkl7040

but on the other hand i usually stop my 50/1.8 down to at least 2.2-2.8 because its too soft any wider.

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Are you sure it's not focussing issues? The 50mm f/1.8 should still yielddecent results wide open. Could you post an example?


I'd go 17-55mm and add the 28mm f/1.8 later on if you need it. If you don't use it that often you could get a MF lens and convert it EF mount. But not every body likes to MF.


John.

Hey John,


Thanks for questioning the sharpness of my 50mm. So i first went through my photos looking for pics taken at 1.8. What I started to notice was that any time I was at 1.8 my ISO was high as well. Basically, Most pics taken at 1.8 were very dimly lit and therefor still needed a lot of ISO along with it. Conversely, most of my favorite pics in the 2.2--&gt;2.8 range were in a brighter environment, consequently with a lower ISO. So I got my daughter in my office (relatively dark) and snapped some pics at 1.8 &amp; 2.8, setting my ISO @ 800 on my T2i, the pics were so-so. I then put my flash on and set my ISO to 100. I was blown away at how sharp it was at 1.8 !


Long story short, the lens

Thats great. Also you should apply a some noise reduction, a good noise reduction softwarewill actually enhance dietail if used properly. Also have a go at DxO if you haven't aready, it has fantastic noise reduction. It's about two stops better than DPP. With better clolors and dynamic range at high ISO's.


Here is the link to the trial www.dxo.com/.../trial_version


I use DxO and love it!


John.

I

It will no doupt work fine on your t2i, fast auto focus and faster aperture than the kit lens and much better build. But as I have already pointed out in this post it

I

Are sure you want to wait that long? The 1Ds IV might not be released this year and the 5D III is not going to be released before the 1Ds IV, you could be waiting two years before 5D III comes out. If you want a full frame why not buy a used 5D II and sell it when the 5D III comes out. You wouln

Yep... I actually did this once before as well. I waited forever for the 5D Mark II, while using my 20D... By the time if came out, I no longer had the money. It will still be a while before I can afford one anyhow, but a full frame is the intended body.


Presently, I