Renewing all my gear, assorting lenses to my 7D !

[w0lverine]

@DrCrouble : Thank you for your answer.


What do you mean by refurbished ? Used lens ?

DrCrouble [/b]]If you're certain about the camera and wide lens, I say go ahead and buy it, use them for a few weeks to get used to them.
Then go hire all your other options on the long end for a few days, take them out and test against each other.

That's actually a very good idea. It will be the best way to know what lens suits my needs.

DrCrouble [/b]]If you're really dedicated to macro more than sports and wildlife, go
one of the cheaper zoom teles (70-200f4LIS, 70-200f2.8L, 70-300L) and
get either the canon 100macroL or sigma 150mm macro (new version a month
old, not the older one)..

I really love wildlife (or people) with a great DOF and cannot afford a big prime (like 400 or 600).

I used to own the 70-200 f/4 L IS and sold it to
get the 70-300L IS. While I miss the constant f/4 sometimes, the 70-300
is, IMHO, a better lens because it is much mor versatile and just as
good optically -- even at 300mm. it's heavier, yes, but that doesn't
bother me because it is also 50% longer in reach. My 70-300 probably
spends more time on my camera than any other lens.

Versatility is
important to me too !


----


I found a site renting the 70-200 IS II for 100€/week. Do you think I could rent it with my 400D or would it hurt my perception of the 70-200 ?
I can't afford the 7D before christmas but I want to rent the 70-200 !

[Steve U]

Dollars or Euros are critical to most of us, if you are waiting till december for the 7D, I would just keep saving and get the camera and whatever wide zoom you choose to grab and then rent the 70-200 and the 70-300. Compare images, compare costs and grab whatever you can afford that takes the shots you are happiest with. If you rent the 70-200, rent 70-300 at the same time and take plenty of pictures that way you can compare apples with apples.


A 7D and a 17-55 or a 7d and a 15-85 is a big investment for most of us, so grab whatever combo the wallet allows and then rent both of your longer zooms and decide which one you are happiest with. You will be happy with both. In the long run it gets down to your budget and what you are prepared to spend.

[neuroanatomist]

@DrCrouble : Thank you for your answer.


What do you mean by refurbished ? Used lens ?

In the US, Canon USA sells refurbished lenses direct to consumers on their website. These are lenses returned for one reason or another, and brought up to spec by Canon service. Any manufacturing line produces some lemons, but refurbs are all good. However, I'm not sure about the statement that they come with the full warranty - the Canon USA website indicates that they come with a 90 day warranty.


In the US, Canon also distributes some refurbished gear to Adorama - and when Adorama sells refurbs, they offer a 1 year warranty (but it's an Adorama warranty, meaning you have to send it to them, not Canon, even is you happen to live next door to a Canon service center. In the EU, Canon apparently distributes their refurbs via eBay.

[HDNitehawk]

Any manufacturing line produces some lemons, but refurbs are all good.

You would think they would be. I know that Canon checks all the refurbs out when they send them out.


But the one thing they don't check out are the excessive compulsive people they sell to. Which makes me wonder, how will Canon ishonor itsreturn policy? I have seen dozens of threads that could been filed under "Did I get a good copy of XXXX lens?". Most of the time it is just buyers fear, and weeks later they love the lens. Occasionally the lens doesn't perform as they think it should and they want to send it back. This is one reason I like B&H, returningis very easy. I can't sayB&H a "no questions asked policy" but one of the reasons you can use to send it back on their questionnaire is "I just changed my mind", so that's good. I wonder if the "I just changed my mind" option would fly with Canon.

[neuroanatomist]

But the one thing they don't check out are the excessive compulsive people they sell to.

Like who? What are you accusing me of? Just because I test out new lenses on a QA-77-3 ISO 12233-based test chart does not mean I'm compulsive. [8-|] [:P]

[HDNitehawk]

Like who? What are you accusing me of? Just because I test out new lenses on a QA-77-3 ISO 12233-based test chart does not mean I'm compulsive.

OUCH....I was actually looking in the mirror when I wrote that, I didn't even think you might be that way. [:P]


Which one of those do I need though? The $358 one or the $1027 one. I need help....maybe not the kind of help I can find here.

[neuroanatomist]

Which one of those do I need though? The $358 one or the $1027 one. I need help....maybe not the kind of help I can find here.

Help, indeed. [:P]


I have the -3 ($600) version. Bryan seems to use the -4 version of this same chart for his ISO 12233 crops, and the smaller ones for the long focal length lenses (at 500mm, you need to be ~30' from the -3 chart to fill the frame). The -3 chart can just barely fill the frame of the 16-35mm at 16mm and minimum focal distance (a bit less than the spec of 11"). Any wider and the -4 chart would be required. They come from Applied Image as a rolled-up printout, I had mine flat-mounted at an art framing place.