24-70mm f2.8 L vs. 16-15mm f/2.8 L

[Sam]

If you could only have one, which would you choose, and why?

[Jarhead5811]

You mean the 16-35mm f/2.8 L, Right?

[Sam]

Yeah sorry, a little typo there...16-35 mm F/2.8 L

[Colin]

I'd say 24-70 unless you like wide almost all of the time, or you've already got a lens on the 24-70 side of things.


I like my 16-35, but I use it rarely since getting a full frame camera. Wide landscapes are fun. When I was using a 1.6 crop, I used it' to get kids bouncing on the trampoline.

[michaelt84]

It really depends on what you'll be shooting and what camera body you'll be using. Unless you are using a full frame camera like the 5D or 1DS, you have a field of view crop factor of 1.6, which means the 16-35mm will effectively be a 26-56 mm and the 28-70mm will effectively be a 45-112mm.


Unless you shoot mostly landscapes and larger groups of people, I'd get the 24-70mm. It will allow you to get closer to the action and will be great for portraits and candid photos. This is just a guess, but I bet if you polled 100 professional photographers, 95+ would say get the 28-70mm as your first lens.