What lens would you recommend for a person…

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
Here is the scenario:

I am going to get her a used/refurb Canon Mark II, body only. So, she needs a lens.

Now, she is heading to Africa soon, so I told her to rent lenses for that by calling Lensrental.com and just telling them what she is doing and they will hook her up.

But, before she goes, I thought she might as well get a cheap kit lens.

Then, based on her experience with it, make a more informed decision about a better lens. Then she can decide between a zoom like a Canon 24-70f/2.8 or primes.


Yes?
or No, get the Canon 24-70 now?
or No, get a Tameron zoom?
or something different?
 

fralexandr

Platinum Member
Apr 26, 2007
2,255
202
106
www.flickr.com
Not too much help for your question persay, but my thoughts:

lenses depreciate really slowly. 24-70 is a nice range on FF, and zoom lenses add flexibility that primes lack.
you should definitely get her a lens now, so that she can have some time to get used to the camera.
if she learned on an old film camera, she might be more comfortable with a prime (a lot of film users started with 50mm primes right?)
you could always start her out with canon's 50mm 1.8.

i don't know too much about Canon in particular, but Tamron zooms are nicely priced, though usually lack usm/hsm (high speed/silent motor). Does she need fast autofocusing?

Is she going to be renting a bigma or one of the 70-200s for africa? :D? having either a 24-70/generic zoom + 70-200, or a semi-ultrawide (i.e.: 16-35 canon f2.8) + bigma = win :D. Is 200mm enough on FF for safaris? On the hikes i've been on I liked my 70-300mm on my APS-C camera.

-----
also, maybe a better camera strap like a blackrapid/luma/etc (there are other variants)
http://www.blackrapid.com/products/womens

if she's going to be wearing a good backpack, she could just get a capture camera clip and attach it to one of the shoulder straps.
https://peakdesignltd.com/
there's a kickstarter for the V2 but there's probably not enough time to wait for it to finish.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/97103764/capture-camera-clip-v2
wearing a backpack + camera strap gets somewhat annoying sometimes :(
 
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iGas

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2009
6,240
1
0
IMHO APS-C with the Tamron or Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8, and at the moment Nikon seems to have a slight lead over Canon body. And, rent the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 Sport lens for Safari (Sigma 1.4X extender could be valuable if she need the extra reach).

<-- 5D MkII owner and has traveled to Cambodia and Vietnam with the heavy weight 5D MkII & 5 lenses (3 lenses are L series), and S95. The S95 saw just as much action as the 5D MkII because it was much lighter and easy to carry.
 
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slashbinslashbash

Golden Member
Feb 29, 2004
1,945
8
81
IMO for travel photography, the f/4 zooms are better since the extra stop is not usually going to make much of a difference. Supplement with a fast prime or two. 50mm f/1.4 is great and compact. Smaller + lighter = better for travel.
 

gevorg

Diamond Member
Nov 3, 2004
5,070
1
0
with just one lens for travel on Canon 5D, I would go with 24-105/4.0 IS
 

radhak

Senior member
Aug 10, 2011
843
14
81
Here is the scenario:

I am going to get her a used/refurb Canon Mark II, body only. So, she needs a lens.

Now, she is heading to Africa soon, so I told her to rent lenses for that by calling Lensrental.com and just telling them what she is doing and they will hook her up.

But, before she goes, I thought she might as well get a cheap kit lens.

Then, based on her experience with it, make a more informed decision about a better lens. Then she can decide between a zoom like a Canon 24-70f/2.8 or primes.


Yes?
or No, get the Canon 24-70 now?
or No, get a Tameron zoom?
or something different?

Why would you get her a great camera and no lens - making that purchase useless till she rents the lens? She should definitely have a couple of lenses to own and use.

Cost of renting lenses can add up - so should be used only for those lenses that she can't afford to buy, and for short durations. The 70-200mm F2.8 seems ideal for that, as otherwise she'd pay a lot to own it.

At the same time, a general walk around lens with a small range could be the 18-55 or a 18-105, useful for all day-time stuff. And a 50mm prime should be cheap enough to not need a second thought. (Dunno if Canon has a 35mm prime?)
 

Midwayman

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2000
5,723
325
126
Is she going to be renting a bigma or one of the 70-200s for africa? :D? having either a 24-70/generic zoom + 70-200, or a semi-ultrawide (i.e.: 16-35 canon f2.8) + bigma = win :D. Is 200mm enough on FF for safaris? On the hikes i've been on I liked my 70-300mm on my APS-C camera.(

If you're primarily shooting wildlife, I'd get the longest lens you're willing to carry. 300mm on an aps-c is a nice starting point.
I'd rent
http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/lenses/supertelephoto/sigma-50-500mm-f4.5-6.3-hsm-os-for-canon
or
http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/lenses/supertelephoto/canon-100-400mm-f4.5-5.6l-is

Unless you're planning a lot of shooting at dawn and dusk (and those are prime times, so it might be worth ponying up for
http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/can...oto/canon-200-400mm-f4l-is-with-1.4x-extender

I can't imagine going with only a 200mm FF. I feel like I'd be doing a ton of cropping.
 

slashbinslashbash

Golden Member
Feb 29, 2004
1,945
8
81
If you're primarily shooting wildlife, I'd get the longest lens you're willing to carry. 300mm on an aps-c is a nice starting point.

...

I can't imagine going with only a 200mm FF. I feel like I'd be doing a ton of cropping.

True. If the purpose of the Africa trip is a lot of photo safaris, definitely get something 300mm or longer. The 100-400 is a good lens for that kind of thing. Also consider a 1.4x or 2x extender on a 70-200.

I would also take an APS-C body for the extra effective length. The 7D has a much faster framerate and better AF than the 5DII. Both of these would be extremely useful in a photo safari situation.
 

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
Question is really about the walk about lens. There just are not really inexpensive options.
 

slashbinslashbash

Golden Member
Feb 29, 2004
1,945
8
81
Question is really about the walk about lens. There just are not really inexpensive options.

On FF, the 28-135 is quite viable as a walkaround, and can be had for $300 or less in great shape (sometimes brand new). This lens (stupidly) comes in kits with the X0D line, so there are many to be had in the secondary market. The 24-105 f/4L is also a good choice (my chosen walkaround) and again, as a walkaround/tourist lens would be preferable in most situations to the 24-70 f/2.8L, due to size and weight issues. I would rather carry the 24-105 on the 5DII and have the lightweight/compact 50/1.4 in an extra pocket or bag somewhere for indoor situations. Same with the 28-135, actually.... I think that for most tourist situations I would rather have the extra length and lighter weight than the speed. That's not even factoring in the cost, but I'm pretty sure you couldn't pick up a Tamron/Sigma/whatever 24-70 as cheap as a 28-135.
 

Gintaras

Golden Member
Dec 28, 2000
1,892
1
71
Then, based on her experience with it, make a more informed decision about a better lens. Then she can decide between a zoom like a Canon 24-70f/2.8 or primes.


Yes?
or No, get the Canon 24-70 now?
or No, get a Tameron zoom?
or something different?

What her experience is? Is she familiar with many lenses others are suggesting?

What her experience with camera is? Auto mode, shutter priority? aperture priority? manual?

What OF does she want to take photos? Animals that far away? Landscapes? etc?

Is she new to photography(I guess so, otherwise no such questions would be made)

Lenses, Cameras...YOU have to get familiar with, to learn how to take photos with different lenses...

For some it takes weeks/months, for some - year or two, for some - never....

Instant photography - on iPhone...and there are telephoto lenses for iPhone too...on newegg...
 

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
Solution:
Going to rent
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
&
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM

Then decide.