Camera Labs

Hi guys,

I'm off to Prague in a couple of weeks and am looking to test a new lens with the idea of perhaps buying one upon my return in order to begin upgrading my current lens collection.

At present I use a Canon 60D.
My current lenses are:

50mm 1.8 mk2
18-135mm 3.5-5.6 (kit lens)
55-200mm 3.5-5.6 (kit lens)

What would you recommed as a good 'walk around' lens to capture the sights? I'm thinking of something faster than my 18-135 as there will be night and interior shots taken.

I was thinking:
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
or
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks

_________________
My 500px
My Photography Blog

the 24-105 will add little to what you have already, as far as walk around lens goes.
The 24-70 may be good if you want that focal length, personally on a cropped body, it seems more suited as a portrait lens then a walk around lens.

One possibility is the 17-55 is usm, or the cheaper tamron 17-50, for the low light work and general zoom. The 15-85 is not going to give you many more options, but it is an upgrade path.

But mainly I would be thinking of primes for low light in particular, something along the lines of the Sigma 30 1.4 or the canon 35 L 1.4 or the Canon 35 F2.

_________________
Canon Powershot S95, Canon 6D,7D, 24-70 2.8 Tamron VC, Canon 15-85, Canon 85 1.8, Sigma 30 1.4, 50mm 1.8, Canon 100 2.8L Macro, Canon 70-300L +Kenko 1.4 Pro 300DGX, Canon 430EX II and RS 4 Classic

Both the lenses you've listed are very much designed for full frame. I think you'd miss the 18mm end on a walk around lens. I have the 18-135 kit lens and use both ends of it a lot. I'm struggling to find a better walk around lens, the only option seems to be the 15-85 USM

If you want to try something different then I'd second the 30mm fast prime. For the Decemberfest challenge it was more or less the only lens I used for the whole month. It certainly offers something different photographically with its shallow depth of field and low light capabilities

_________________
Canon EOS 550D (with Magic Lantern)
18mm - 135mm Kit Lens, 50mm f1.8, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM
430EX II Flash with Phottix Strato Wireless Tigger Set
Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 with 496 Ball Head. Gorilla Pod SLR
Canon Powershot A720IS with CHDK and intervalometer script. Pentax Optio W90

My Blog - http://www.ianganderton.wordpress.com

"Night and interior" + "walk around" = 35mm 1.4L!

The main alternative answer to this equation, to me, is a fast 50mm, and as you already have a 50mm 1.8, you are already familiar with that focal length. My 50mm 1.8 is pre-Mark II, and so excellent, I have never seriously considered a 1.4, though I did purchase a 50mm 1.2L. This one is probably going to be a favorite on my newly-acquired pre-owned 5D. On a cropped-sensor camera, a 50mm can be a bit long indoors, depending upon how tight the dimensions of the rooms.

My 35L rarely leaves one of my 7D cameras, while the 100L is virtually welded to my second 7D. The only zoom I use much is my most excellent 10-22mm EF-S, which performs amazingly well in low light, but not as well as something that can open a bit wider.

I have no personal experience with the L zooms starting at 24mm, except to know that the 24-70mm 2.8L is large and quite heavy.

_________________
Canon 7D/5D/40D/1D2N; Nikon F6, FM3A, & Coolpix A; Canon 40mm Pancake, 135L, 50L, 35L, pre-II 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.8L Macro, 10-22mm EF-S, 28-135 EF, 400mm 5.6L; Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AI-S, 50mm 1.4G, 50mm 1.8D, 16mm 2.8D Fisheye, 180mm 2.8D, 100-300mm 5.6 AI-S; Tokina 17mm & 100mm 2.8 Macro

Something to note is that sub f2 lenses have a very very very tight depth of field.On my 550D this has caused a problem with front focusing with the Sigma 30mm f1.4

On cameras like the 7D you can adjust the focus point to compensate for this, on lower spec cameras you cant.

There is a solution though

Basically the cameras and the lenses have a tolerance to pass quality control, this means you get good ones and bad ones. All you need to ensure is that the lens your buying works with your camera. Next time I'm buying a fast lens I will take a focus test card with me to run the test in the store on a couple of different lenses to make sure I get the best one. I know this might sound a faff but the other options are

a) dont use fast lenses with my 550D :'(

b) buy a 7D or other camera with micro focus adjust (not an option at the moment!!)

c) put up with non accurate focus on fast lenses unless I'm lucky

I'm waiting for my Sigma lens to be ready after recalibrating. Once this is done I'll write up my experiences and what I've learnt into something more comprehensive

_________________
Canon EOS 550D (with Magic Lantern)
18mm - 135mm Kit Lens, 50mm f1.8, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM
430EX II Flash with Phottix Strato Wireless Tigger Set
Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 with 496 Ball Head. Gorilla Pod SLR
Canon Powershot A720IS with CHDK and intervalometer script. Pentax Optio W90

My Blog - http://www.ianganderton.wordpress.com

Ian, I generally buy lenses at two independent local dealers that allow buyers to test lenses before buying. One has a couple of Siemens circles mounted to facilitate lens testing.

_________________
Canon 7D/5D/40D/1D2N; Nikon F6, FM3A, & Coolpix A; Canon 40mm Pancake, 135L, 50L, 35L, pre-II 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.8L Macro, 10-22mm EF-S, 28-135 EF, 400mm 5.6L; Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AI-S, 50mm 1.4G, 50mm 1.8D, 16mm 2.8D Fisheye, 180mm 2.8D, 100-300mm 5.6 AI-S; Tokina 17mm & 100mm 2.8 Macro

RexGig- I don't have the luxury of specialist retailers here in the sandpit!

_________________
Canon EOS 550D (with Magic Lantern)
18mm - 135mm Kit Lens, 50mm f1.8, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM
430EX II Flash with Phottix Strato Wireless Tigger Set
Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 with 496 Ball Head. Gorilla Pod SLR
Canon Powershot A720IS with CHDK and intervalometer script. Pentax Optio W90

My Blog - http://www.ianganderton.wordpress.com

Many thanks for your input guys.

I will look in to your advice and make a choice in the coming week.

_________________
My 500px
My Photography Blog

just had a look at the photos in your link, you should be giving us advice.

love your work and would like to know more about how you post processed your images, some great results.

_________________
Canon Powershot S95, Canon 6D,7D, 24-70 2.8 Tamron VC, Canon 15-85, Canon 85 1.8, Sigma 30 1.4, 50mm 1.8, Canon 100 2.8L Macro, Canon 70-300L +Kenko 1.4 Pro 300DGX, Canon 430EX II and RS 4 Classic

Are you sure you need another lens? Arnt you happy with those photos you have taken with the 18-135mm. Your photos have sold me that lens. all i need now is a little bit more money.

_________________
Cameras: Canon Ixus 100is. 60D 17-85mm
Computer: 2008 Apple Macbook Aluminum (dreaming of a new retina macbook pro!!)
Phones: iPhone 1g And HTC Wildfire Apple iPad 3 wifi
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gareththomasjones/

Thanks for the comments about my photography guys. Always nice to get positive feedback.

Maxjj - All my pics are tweaked/edited in Lightroom 3.

To be fair, I'm happy with my 18-135mm. I just wish it was an F2 or 2.8 even.

There's something about using a kit lens full time which just tells me I'm missing out on the higher end lenses and resulting photo quality.

I'm currently considering the Canon 70-200mm F4 IS, so would like to compliment this with an upgrade in the 18-70mm region, hence my original query.

_________________
My 500px
My Photography Blog

Olly, I just followed the link, to look at your images, and agree, you should be advising us about photography!

I had a brief experience with an 18-135mm, while trying a pre-owned 7D at a local dealer. For a kit zoom, it certainly impressed me! I found myself wishing I could have afforded to buy the lens, too, along with the 7D. This is not to say it would be nearly as good as my 10-22mm EF-S, but that zoom range would be very useful on a cropped-frame body.

Reading this topic again, I cannot find anything to prompt me to change my recommendation of trying a 35mm 1.4L, one of the lenses most beloved by owners of both full-frame and cropped-frame Canons. If ownership is not yet attainable, hire one!

_________________
Canon 7D/5D/40D/1D2N; Nikon F6, FM3A, & Coolpix A; Canon 40mm Pancake, 135L, 50L, 35L, pre-II 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.8L Macro, 10-22mm EF-S, 28-135 EF, 400mm 5.6L; Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AI-S, 50mm 1.4G, 50mm 1.8D, 16mm 2.8D Fisheye, 180mm 2.8D, 100-300mm 5.6 AI-S; Tokina 17mm & 100mm 2.8 Macro