Camera Labs

Hi all

1st time here so be gentle.

After using my trusty old D30 for the past several years, I have now decided to take the plunge and upgrade and after looking all over the net and expecially Camera Labs, I bought a 40D which is due tomorrow. Couldn't run to a 5D or 1D etc.

I already have a Canon 28-135 3.5-5.5 IS USM lens which I bought years ago and now I'm looking for a more wide-angle lens such as a 10-22 or a 17-85 and also a longer lens like a 70-200. All to be used for sports ( I own a motocross track and want to get sharp saturated images) and general photography.

Now the questions start

Which lens to go for.... L glass .... or not.
Canon ..... or not....
10>, 17>, oh man....
well, you get the picture ( excuse pun)

Any advice will be gratefully received from all the experts on here. I'm certainly no expert on DSLR lenses - video is my thing.

Kind regards from sunny Cornwall - UK. Home of surf, pasties, pixies and... er.... other stuff.

Great site by the way Gordon, really enjoying looking through the posts and reviews here.

Phil

Phil,
Congratulations on your purchase, you won't be dissapointed I'm not..
Glass if you can afford it I would say go for "L" glass I have the 70-200mm L f4 IS USM and it is brilliant and today have ordered the 24-105 L f4 IS USM (got a good deal on a brand new unboxed one for £564 from T4 Cameras) the 17-85 is good for every day carrying around and the 10-22 is very good for landscapes and is absolutely brilliant for indoors as for sport photography I think you would not be able to get close enough with the 10-22.

P.S. Welcome to Camera Labs

_________________
Roy
EOS 350D, 40D + BG-E2N, EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 430 EX Speedlite




My Fotopic

Roy, thanks for the quick response, and the welcome

I take your points about L glass and the various lenses.

Looking around the net, the 28-135 that I have now seems not to be rated too highly, should I get rid of this lens or keep it and build some lenses around it?

As for the 10-22 and sports - I don't really fancy being collected by a motocross bike at 40mph, think you're right there too ! I like to keep at least 3 feet away from 'em head-on

Cant' wait till I get my paws on this beastie now.

Phil

Hi Phil,

A warm welcome to the CameraLabs forums.

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM is one of the best lenses in its class so if f/4 is fast enough for you you can't do better, especially as there is a £100 (edited) cashback on it from Canon at the moment (EDIT: thanks, Roy, for pointing out that my original figure of £70 was wrong). If you haven't spotted them Gordon has reviewed the EF-S 10-22mm here (£55 cashback) and the EF-S 17-85mm here (£20 cashback) and here as part of a group test. Together with your £50 cashback on the 40D maybe you won't have to cancel Christmas after all!


Great lens choice, Roy, but then you knew I'd say that as I have one myself. Don't forget the £35 Canon cashback promotion.

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Thanks for the input Bob, much appreciated.

Any thoughts on the 28-135 ? and what should I do with it - keep or change?

Regards
Phil

As the 28-135 USM IS is deemed a "solid performer" (quote from this review) I'd keep it: it has a nice telephoto reach incl. IS.
If you like/need to go for wide-angle, consider the Canon 10-22mm and don't fret about the "gap" between 22 and 28mm! Otherwise there are enough 12-24mm third-party lenses out there to close the gap...

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

I agree with Thomas. If you are happy enough with its performance for now then delay upgrading it and use the extra cash for a better quality addition to your glass collection.

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Thanks for the info guys, I'll hang on to the lens and go for additional glass at either end of the scale... pref L glass.

Beautiful shots on your flckr site there Tom. Methinks I have a lot to learn.... now then... aperture.. focal length... depth of field.. iso... fstop... bus stop...


Phil

Good luck, Phil!
And have fun!

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Just a little correction Bob...on the 70-200mm f4 L IS USM it is £100 cashback and no I haven't forgotten about the £35 back on the 24-105.

Wise choise Phil to keep the 28-135 it's a great start and will get you going untill the finer glass comes along. I'll bet we all know now what Santa will be bringing to your house this Christmas.

_________________
Roy
EOS 350D, 40D + BG-E2N, EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 430 EX Speedlite




My Fotopic

Thanks Roy, I stand corrected. Sorry Phil.

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Hi Phil, the Canon 10-22mm is a really nice lens if you want a quality wide angle... and as Roy says, the 70-200mm's from Canon, be they f4 or f2.8, with or without IS are all good!

Thanks for the advice Gordon

Well, it arrived at 8.30 this morning !

Just having a play now, including my 550EX flash, and all seems great. Will try to have a bigger furgle with it tomorrow. May take a trip into town tomorrow and see Mr. Jessop's range of glass....... just looking you understand

Phil

Hi Phil, don't forget it you're buying through Jessops, please consider doing so by first clicking through to them via our page of affiliate shops here:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Affil ... ping.shtml

Same prices, but we get a little in return which helps pay for the site...

Cheers!

Gordon

You have several good choices on the long end to consider. I'm not sure what distances you'll be working with at your motocross track, but the 135 f/2L is simply superb. Of all the lenses I've bought and sold I have the most regrets about getting rid of the 135 f/2L. On the 40D it would give you an equivalent of 216mm. It's incredibly sharp, at least in the top 3 or 4 of all canon lenses ever made. It's also available for a decent price too. If you are working with a greater distance the 200 f/2.8L would be another good choice.

My prime choice would be the 135 f/2L

On the zoom side of things the new 70-200 f4L IS and the trusty 70-200 f2.8L IS would be a good choices. IS isn't helpful for stopping action, but you may find that you'll get a lot of use tracking motorcycles from using the panning mode (Stabilization Mode 2) on the IS lenses for panning. Finally there's the new 70-300 IS, it's cheap and performs well. It has the newest IS technology and is easy to carry around all day. Just be careful if you are buying a used one and check to see that it doesn't have the problem shooting in portrait orientation. Look up the Canon Service Bulletin for more info on this.

My zoom choice would be the 70-200 f2.8L IS

Happy shopping.

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Leica M9, Nikon D300s, Leica X1, Canon S95, Zero Image 6x9