Originally posted by: yllus
FAQ: A starter guide to buying lenses for your Canon digital SLR camera
There?s an unfortunate reality that many people who take that big step into prosumer camera gear face early on: There is no such thing as a high-quality, do-everything lens. That is, a lens that will take wide-angle shots and, with a twist of the barrel, reach in and touch someone with a deep zoom. While my trusty and somewhat aged Canon PowerShot A70 had a very usable 35mm - 105mm range (3x zoom), a prosumer would typically be looking to double that to something along the lines of 10mm - 200mm. But a quality 20x zoom lens does not exist.
So, we find ourselves considering multiple lenses; at least two, maybe three. Before spouting off lenses and their specs, take a moment to consider the type of photography you?re inclined to be doing.
Landscape & Architecture Photography
If you?re a urban landscape photographer, your natural inclination is to take pictures of the impressive buildings that loom above you, or of the width of a city street as people cross by, or of graffiti splayed out across a delapitated building. You?ll want a ultra wide-angle lens, seeing as the constriction of city streets will likely leave you not much room to maneuver away from your subject and still get a clear shot.
Good: The
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM is a beautiful piece of work that gives its user crisp shots with great autofocus speed. At 10mm, you?ve got a very wide field of vision that you can use to stand across the street from a skyscraper looming over you and still make the best of the shot.
Being a first-party Canon lens, build quality and optics are top-notch - but then again, so is the price. The 10-22mm will run you about
$680 USD (brand new). Sample photos can be viewed on the POTN Canon Digital Photography Forums
right here.
Almost as good, but cheaper: The
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM will run you about
$499 USD (brand new), which is a considerable savings over the Canon 10-22mm, and comes up with some very impressive visuals of its own (see the
POTN thread on the Sigma 10-20mm).
Sigma?s Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) technology matches up comparably with Canon?s USM autofocusing technology, and their 10 year warranty on lenses in Canada is unmatched. It makes getting the Canon 10-22mm, even if you?ve got the cash, a tough call.
Sports & Events Photography
If your primary goal is to attend sporting events or concerts and want the ability to zoom right in to isolate one or two subjects, you?re in need of a telephoto lens. You?re also going to need a ?fast? lens which has the ability to freeze fast-moving action. The ability to do this will cost you, and there?s no way around that.
Good: As is almost always the case, a first party Canon lens stands out as the best option. Here you?ve got the
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, which on a Canon 300D, 350D, 400D, 20D and 30D will actually reflect a focal range of 112-320mm. This is another high-quality ?L? lens from Canon with a constant f/2.8 aperture through the entire zoom range and image stabilization (denoted by ?IS? in the lens name) added on top. That?ll run you a hefty
$1700 USD, but that?s the accepted price of a quality telephoto lens.
Almost as good, but cheaper: Can you do without the image stabilization? (IS is always a good idea at long zoom ranges, but sometimes keeping within budget is of more importance.) Pick up the exact same
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM for
$1140 USD. However, you?ve got a second route to go as well. Sigma again steps in with a quality budget option with the
Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM for
$750 USD.
The dark horse: Well-known as a ?starter? L lens, the
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM offers the same beautiful optics of its more expensive siblings at half-cost, but with a noted limitation in aperture (thus limiting your lens?s ?speed?). However, at a mere
$580 USD this lens has proven to be an extremely popular purchase option.
Walkabout Lenses
So far we?ve looked at the ultra-wide (10mm - 20mm) and zoom (70mm - 200mm) lens ranges. How about that crucial in-between area for stuff that?s not too closeby and not too far away?
Good: Once again, we go first-party with the
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens. On a 1.6x field of view crop body like the Canon EOS 350D, Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XT, Digital Rebel XTi) or Canon EOS 30D, that works out to a 27.2 - 64mm focal range; just what we?re looking for. Located squarely in the medium price range for quality lenses (especially considering its ?L? status), the 17-40mm will run you about
$680 USD.
Almost as good, but cheaper: The
Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC actually takes an advantage on the score of maintaining a large aperture of f2.8 over its entire range of focal lengths, but takes a step back in its lack of high speed autofocusing mechanisms (especially when compared to Canon?s USM technology) and in that nearly unmeasurable ?sharpness? attribute. However, at
$360 USD, how can you complain?
The dark horse: This is a lens that belongs in every single Canon SLR owner?s backpack - bar none. At a mere
$80 USD, the
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, a.k.a. the ?Plastic Fantastic?, offers an incredibly large aperture, stunningly sharp visuals and a fanastically low physical weight at the cost of a fixed focal length, plastic construction and a sometimes frustrating stepper-style autofocus motor. But for the price and versatility, you simply cannot go wrong.
Notes
In order of appearance, sample photos for each of the lenses mentioned in this post:
1.
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5 - 4.5 USM samples
2.
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM samples
3.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM samples
4.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM samples
5.
Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM samples
6.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM samples
7.
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM samples
8.
Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC samples
9.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II samples
Links
1.
My blog: Building a stable of lenses for your Canon SLR camera.
2.
Canon Digital Photography Forums (All real-user samples pulled from this website, great resource!)
3.
B & H Photo Video (Great online imaging store)
4.
Sigma4Less (One-stop shop for Sigma SLR lenses)