EOS Rebel T2i lenses

[Andrew Tarpinian]

Thank Martin for the detailed run down, I have a feeling the kit lens will be my only zoom and I will stick to primes, much more interesting and fun, and a lot of good recommendations here. Waiting for the damn thing to charge right now,


On Jul 15, 2010, at 6:40 AM, Martin Naef wrote:

> On 11.07.2010 03:22, Andrew Tarpinian wrote:
>> I'm buying a body soon and am shopping for lenses, anyone have any
>> thoughts on the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM vs. the EF 50mm f/1.8 II? Is the
>> 1.4 worth it?
> 
> A bit late to the party (I'm writing this in off-line mode while on 
> vacation), but here's my take on it:
> 
> I have the 50mm F1.8. It is a very good lens for the money. The lens is 
> SHARP, and still pretty good even fully open. Bokeh is mediocre if you 
> stop down (it's still circular when fully open, but the blades show up 
> when you stop down). Many people report AF issues on the Rebel bodies 
> though, so that could be a killer. If you see this as your primary lens, 
> I'd take a step up and go for the 1.4.
> 
> As your only lens, and especially for video on a crop camera, you might 
> find 50mm a bit long, though. I don't do video with the SLR (still on 
> the 40D), but here's my kit and some thoughts about it:
> 
> 24mm F2.8: This has been my main lens for the last 5 days in Slovenia - 
> I would say it accounted for about 90% of all images. It's my most 
> recent purchase, and I can see this becoming an absolute favorite. I 
> always found 28mm a bit long for travel and city photography, but 24 is 
> just fine. For most portraits, 24mm is definitely too wide.
> 
> 35mm F2: Great walkaround lens outside cities. Works very well for 
> family shots. There's a good reason why 50mm became the standard back in 
> full-frame film days, this is the equivalent on crop. Bokeh is a bit 
> nervous, but for the price of the lens I'm not complaining.
> 
> 50mm F1.8: My first prime lens. For some reason I don't use it a lot 
> now, mostly because the 35mm fills the "standard walkaround" spot better 
> whereas for portraits I always head to the
> 
> 100mm F2: This is a killer lens. Sharp. Nice bokeh. Fast AF. It's my 
> go-to lens for portraits. When selecting, it's a tie between this and 
> the 85mm F1.8, I went for the slightly longer focal length, but you 
> might find 85mm fits more situations if this is the only lens you have 
> (or maybe in combination with 35mm).
> 
> I still own my zooms (12-24mm, 28-135 and 70-300), but they don't see 
> much use. Before I had the 24mm 2.8, I used the 12-24 a lot more often. 
> Now I find that I can fit the camera and three primes in my small camera 
> bag easily and that covers most of my walk-around photography. I just 
> prefer the quality and low-light capability of the primes without the 
> need to carry around expensive and heavy L-class zooms. I do miss the 
> occasional shot because I've got the wrong lens on the camera, but I'm 
> rewarded with very consistent high quality on the others. If I was the 
> official event photographers, I wouldn't take that risk though and go 
> for something like a 24-70 F2.8 and a 70-200mm.
> 
> You might also note that all my lenses are "middle class". I'd love the 
> L primes and zooms, but I just can't justify the cost and I also feel 
> better knowing that if I drop one, the damage isn't overly expensive. I 
> do notice a distinct difference between the zooms and the primes, so the 
> hassle of switching lenses is definitely worth it. However, it's also 
> worth knowing that I lost a lot more shots over the last years due to 
> "user error" such as focusing on the wrong spot, shake, not checking 
> exposure after under difficult lighting conditions than I lost on bad 
> lens quality. I do find that I pay more attention with primes in the 
> first place because I need to do more "Nike Zoom" anyway, so that 
> probably contributes as much as the improved glass.
> 
> As a minor detail: I found that primes keep their value extremely well. 
> I bought mine used and I could sell them again at the same price. My 
> zooms, on the other hand, are worth a lot less (this is not true for the 
> L zooms that keep their value just as well).
> 
> Have fun with your new camera!
> 
> Martin
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