Looking to get 5DMk2... what do I do about lenses?

[WillRogers]

Hi all...

I have decided to get a 5DMk2 for landscapes, architecture, portraits and family pictures...
at the moment I have a 50mm f/1.8 and a 70-200 F/4 L IS... (My 17-55 f/2.8 IS will have to go!)

my question is whether to spend more money on a 24-70 f/2.8 and keep the 70-200 f/4...
or do I save some money and get the 24-105 F/4 IS which I can then use to upgrade to the new 70-200 F/2.8 Mk2 IS

I am thinking that the 24-105 will cover most things, and then the extra money can be spent on some decent accessories / extra lenses etc.

does anyone have any suggestions?

oh, and as for budget... I have enough to get the 24-70 kit at £2500, and will have a tax rebate + xmas bonus soon...

Will

[Chris Korman]

Why are you unsatisfied with the lenses you currently own?

What focal lengths do you currently use? (You can review exif data for images in your image catalog to establish this) I am assuming you are on a crop body so multiply all focal lengths by 1.6.

[beykirch]

Hi Will,

on the 5D I have liked the 24-105L a lot, but not on the 5DII. For my needs of big prints, the corners are not sharp enough. The 24-70L is much better in this respect, but there are rumors in the market, that Canon might upgrade to a 24-70L II early next year. A lens I really like for landscapes on the 5DII is the Zeiss ZE T* 2.0/35. It does not have AF, but the resolution is impressive.

Best regards

Bernd

[WillRogers]

Why are you unsatisfied with the lenses you currently own?

What focal lengths do you currently use? (You can review exif data for images in your image catalog to establish this) I am assuming you are on a crop body so multiply all focal lengths by 1.6.

I already know about the 1.6x crop factor of my current lenses...
my 17-55 is equivalent to 28-88mm so a 24-105mm would be a good match...

the 17-55 is an EF-S lens, hence why I am replacing it... and of course I have now hit the 24-70 vs 24-105 debate...
as for the rest of my lenses...
my 70-200 f/4 is never used to it's max focal length on my crop camera, so I will be fine with a 70-200 on F/Frame, however it feels too light when hand-holding, and also I find the viewfinder a bit dim
obviously the 5DMk2 viewfinder is brighter than the 400D's viewfinder. Anyway, this isn't too much of an issue, as I can probably wait a year or two before upgrading to the f/2.8

at the moment, I am leaning towards getting a 24-105 as a walk-around lens, as it is smaller, cheaper and lighter, and then getting a new lens, specifically for landscapes...


Bernd:
I will look into the Carl Zeiss lenses again...
I had been thinking of getting either a CZ Prime or a 17-40/16-35 zoom...
I was wondering if you found 35mm a useful f/length for landscapes?
I guess it is about how you use a tool, instead of what tool it is?

[Chris Korman]

Will,

The reason I said for you to review your exif was to establish what specific focal length you are predominately using so that if you seek out an alternative you do not get something that has lots of focal lengths you don't use or conversely, not enough focal lengths.

It sounds like you are settling on getting a wide angle zoom, reviews of the 17-40 and 16-35 and Zeiss 35 are available at photozone:

http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/overview#canon_ff

If you are into perspective control and achieving more depth of field with you landscapes, consider canon's 17 mm, 24 mm and 45 mm Tilt shifts (i.e. TS-E), also reviewed at photozone.

[David Stephens]

For external archetecture the 24-105mm f/4L IS is great. The IS really is handy in low light situation. Make sure to turn on your autocorrection modes in Lightroom or whatever RAW converter that you use. If you'll be shooting interiors or really like wide landscapes, then the 16-35mm is a stupendous lens. On this FF camera, at 16mm you're very wide, but that can be very important if you get inside.

Rather than the MF Zeiss, if you want a superior prime, look at the 17mm and 24mm Canon TS-Es, which offer AF, superior IQ and tilt-shift ability. The Zeiss is a nice lens, but the viewfinder of this camera isn't really condusive to MF, unless you go Live View and go 10X, which you can do on scenics, etc. MF sucks on a walk around lens.

[WillRogers]

Will,

The reason I said for you to review your exif was to establish what specific focal length you are predominately using

It sounds like you are settling on getting a wide angle zoom, reviews of the 17-40 and 16-35 and Zeiss 35 are available at photozone:
http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/overview#canon_ff
If you are into perspective control and achieving more depth of field with you landscapes, consider canon's 17 mm, 24 mm and 45 mm Tilt shifts (i.e. TS-E), also reviewed at photozone.

Thanks for the suggestion Chris,
I mainly use anything from 28mm equivalent to 180mm equivalent... I do tend to get stuck at 28mm equivalent a lot, so a wider focal length would be useful.
as for the Zeiss 35, It looks good, but I think it will be an additional purchase, not a main one...
the TS-E lenses are amazing, and I would love one, and the 24mm looks to be the one I would want...
I think I will get one later on though...

I am thinking of the 24-105 Kit, and then getting the 24 TS-E Mk2

For external archetecture the 24-105mm f/4L IS is great. The IS really is handy in low light situation. Make sure to turn on your autocorrection modes in Lightroom or whatever RAW converter that you use. If you'll be shooting interiors or really like wide landscapes, then the 16-35mm is a stupendous lens. On this FF camera, at 16mm you're very wide, but that can be very important if you get inside.
Rather than the MF Zeiss, if you want a superior prime, look at the 17mm and 24mm Canon TS-Es, which offer AF, superior IQ and tilt-shift ability. The Zeiss is a nice lens, but the viewfinder of this camera isn't really condusive to MF, unless you go Live View and go 10X

I think the 24-105 would be more useful, due to the bigger range of focal lengths, and the IS...
the TS-E's look good, and as above, I am thinking of adding a TS-E 24mm Mk2 later on
The live-view and MF is one of the reasons I am upgrading to a 5D Mk2, as it will be really useful in some situations...

Thanks to you all for the help...
in the words of the BB Code addict... /thread