Camera Labs

I'm an original 5D user, and have an EF 50mm F1.4 USM and an EF 17-40mm F4L USM in my kit currently. I used to shoot with a Sony and had a little Minolta 28mm F2.8 prime that I absolutely loved. The 17-40 is a fantastic daytime and long exposure lens, but I find the f4 limiting as I always seem to end up shooting in lots of low-light situations. Alternatively, the crop on the 50mm is too tight to be used as my only low-light lens.

I want to spend less then a $1000, so I've been looking at the EF 28mm F1.8 USM, the EF 20MM 2.8 USM, the EF 35mm F2 or the really moderately priced EF 28mm F2.8...

I haven't found much information about people shooting with these lenses on Camera Labs, so I'm just wondering if there's any Canon wide prime users hiding out there that could help me out with some info and opinions! Thanks in advance.

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Canon EOS 5D - EF 50mm F1.4 USM
http://www.momentstop.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greg-shinogo
greg@shinogo.com

Well, I have the 28mm f1.8 and 35mm f2.0 (and 50mm f1.4 you mentioned) but I use them on a crop frame (T4i/650D), and the reason I went with both of those lenses over the slower f2.8 lenses you're considering is because, on a crop frame, I also have a 17-55mm f2.8 so I don't know how much my situation helps you.

Although, maybe you could take a similar approach--i.e. is one stop (faster than your zoom) enough of a difference for you? If so, then the 20mm would seem to be the best choice (since it's the widest non-fisheye under $1k). If not, then the 28mm f1.8 would seem to win out (since it's the widest lens that's at least f2.0 that's also under $1k).

Feel free to ask if there's anything else I may be able to help with - Mark

P.S. I don't suppose there's any chance you could find a used 24mm f1.4? I couldn't when I was looking, but if I could've, that's what I would've bought.

From memory, the Canon lower cost wide angle primes were never rated very highly, but I don't have direct experience of them. However the new 24 and 28mm f/2.8 versions with IS seem to be decent if more expensive, I think they could come in budget.

I do have the 35mm f/2 although I haven't really used it much on full frame. Is 35mm wide enough for you? Sigma recently released a 35mm f/1.4 too, which I suspect will be somewhat over your budget but you wont be missing out on aperture. Reviews on that also seem quite positive.

You might consider looking up how much the old 24-70 f/2.8L costs on the used market as a possible option, although again that had its share of flaws too so you should look at up carefully.

And finally, as a wild option, how about the Samyang 14mm f/2.8? Very wide angle and fast. Tests say it is a decent resolution performer. It's biggest weakness to me is it does have rather strong distortion.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I've recently been in a similar boat. I'm in the US, not Canada, but it seems the Canon 35mm f1.4L lens can be found for around $1100 (if you're willing to stretch your budget a bit), and the Sigma 35mm f1.4 can be found for around $900. From the reviews I've read so far, the Sigma is exceptionally sharp, but some comments have said that the bokeh doesn't look as pleasing as the Canon. I've also, as popo suggested, been looking at (version 1) used copies of the Canon 24-70 f2.8L lens, but even used this is comfortably over the $1000 budget.

I see your subject line says you're looking for prime lenses, but if you are willing to look at zooms instead, you might also consider the Canon 16-35 f2.8L II lens. I've seen used copies for under your budget, but even new copies would fall into your budget if you sell your Canon 17-40 f4L (which, I think, would become a redundant lens).

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Body: Canon Rebel XS, Canon EOS 7D
Lenses: Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.0 OS HSM DC Macro, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II, Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM, Canon EF 85mm f1.8 II USM

Then there's the 40mm pancake. Probably not quite wide enough for you, then there's the electronic STM that likes to quit every now and then. But for $150, not bad.

I love my Shorty Forty! Not really wide, of course, but a very natural field of view, for my eyes, on a 5D.

I wish I had kept my 28mm 2.8! I acquired it and a 24mm as pre-owned lenses, from the same seller, and traded the 28mm without trying it much, and only on cropped frame. I was then disappointed, over time, with the 24mm, and quite pleased with my EF-S 10-22mm, so I traded the 24mm. I fear I let a extra-sharp example of the 28mm slip through my fingers. (Of course, the 10-22mm EF-S cannot be used on a 5D.)

The only really wide lenses I have at this moment, that I can use on my 5D, are Nikon-fit, coupled with a Novoflex EOSNIK adapter; manual focus is necessary, of course. The Vivitar-branded Tokina-made 17mm f/3.5 can be fun to use, though it is certainly not up to an L lens in performance, but at less than $150 US, a decent value. My Nikkor 16mm Fisheye 2.8D is, well, a Fisheye, a specialized lens. Notably, it does not quite focus to infinity when used on an adapter, which is not unknown when using Nikkors with CRC ( close-range correction ) with an adapter. I own some wonderful Nikon cameras, so that is why I try Nikon-fit lenses on my Canons. I am not recommending (for or against) acquiring Nikon-fit glass to use solely on Canons.

I would like to try an EF 20mm 2.8 on the 5D. It has not received many favorable reviews, but if the oft-cynical Ken Rockwell is correct, that is because it is indeed horrible on cropped-frame cameras, especially when shooting a flat subject that is parallel to the sensor, while being much better on full-
frame cameras, shooting a three-dimensional, real-world scene. This lens is about as wide as it gets, before one has to start spending significant money. I dream of the $2000+ EF 14mm L!

An alternative, about which I would like to learn more, is the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8, which supposedly works at 16mm on a full-frame camera, with little or no vignetting. This lens is made for cropped-frame DSLRs, but unlike Canon-made EF-S lenses, will not be struck by the mirrors of full-frame Canons, if at least one internet review is correct. (I really do need to find that review again, and make sure he was referring to the Canon-fit version, and not the Nikon-fit version, with an adaptor.)

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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

There is no such thing as having too many wide lens...
I have the Canon 16-35 2.8L, the Tamrom 24-70 2.8 VC, and a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 and use all three.
All are great lens.

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DSLRs: Canon 5D Mk III, Canon 60D
Lenses: Canon 16-35 F/2.8L, Canon 70-200 F/4L, Canon 300 F/4L IS, Tamron 90 2.8 Macro, Tamron 24-70 DI VC, Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG
Flash: Canon 600 EX(2), Canon ST-E3-RT, Alien Bees B800