low light lens

[keller]

Hey everyone,


I made the "mistake" of buying my wife the 5D mark ii for Christmas. Now she wants more.


We've been discussing low light lenses, and which one to get. Of course she wants the 24mm 1.4 .....


Does sigma or tamron have any good low light lenses that will work with the 5d mark ii ?


thanks


Keller

[piiooo]

If you are looking at buying a 24mm fast lens, it is going to be either theCanon 1.4Lwhich comes in Mk I(discontinued)and MkII, or Sigma24 1.8. You can find reviews of either lens on the web, the Canons are nicely covered by Brian.


As far as other focal lenghts go, I would recommend the Canon 50mm 1.4 or 80mm 1.8, each of which costs a small fraction of what you would pay for the 24L Mk II.


Anyway, I have a funny hunchthat there will be more "mistakes" made in the future [:P]

[Keith B]

As far as other focal lenghts go, I would recommend the Canon 50mm 1.4 or 80mm 1.8, each of which costs a small fraction of what you would pay for the 24L Mk II.

I think this is great advise. The 50 1.4 is a great starting point and very useful FOV. Plus it will give her a good bench mark to see how much wider she may want to go without dropping a tonof cash. 24mm is very wide and easy to get sloppy with. I am particularly fond of the 35 1.4 and it is pretty easy to get sloppy with that.


What lens(es) has she been shooting with to this point?

[keller]

thanks for the replies...


I should have said earlier she already has the 50mm 1.4, but "thinks" she needs an even wider lens. She doesn't want a zoom, only prime.


I tell ya, photography is an expensive hobby.


keller

[Keith B]

She should borrow/rent a zoom like the 16-35, 24-70 or the 24-105, go out shoot a bunch shots and then look at the EXIF and see what mm she seemed to shoot at most and then buy the corresponding prime lens.

[neuroanatomist]

We've been discussing low light lenses, and which one to get. Of course she wants the 24mm 1.4 ...


I should have said earlier she already has the 50mm 1.4

Does she want 'low light' or 'wider'? The 24mm f/1.4 has the same light-gathering capability as the 50mm f/1.4 - they're both f/1.4. The only 'faster' Canon lenses (letting in more light) are the EF 50mm f/1.2L, the EF 85mm f/1.2L which are 1/2 stop faster, and the discontinued EF 50mm f/1.0L, which is a full stop faster (and even though it's only available used it's significantly more expensive than the 5D2).


So, if she really needs a lens that lets in more light than f/1.4, choices are extremely limited....might I suggest instead a nice, easier-on-the-wallet 580EX II? []


FYI, when seeking recommendations it's often helpful to list the gear you (or your wife, in this case) already have, either in the thread or in your bio. It avoids people suggesting something you already have, which happened above, and may have happened again with my suggestion of an external flash, or with Keith's suggestion of the 24-105mm which may have been bundled with the 5D2, etc.

[piiooo]

In the 24mm fast lens category:

• The Canon EF 24mm 1.4L MkII is as good as a lens can get, hands down.
• The MkI of this lens isalmost as good, and,it can be sometimes found used
• The Canon EF 24mm 2.8 is often criticised for softness and slow AF,it is not an USM lens
• TheSigma 24mm 1.8 is sometimes disliked for poor corner sharpness and vignetting onfull frame bodies. No HSM here, either.
• Neither Tamron nor Tokina make a fast 24mm lens.

I know that becauserecently I too was interested in buying a 24mm prime and decidedto wait and collect some $ (I should say $$$$) for the L MkII