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- Dayna Cain

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Canon L Lenses


From everything that I have read, the Canon "L" lenses are supposed to be top of the line. I would like to hear from some of you that have any of these lenses and what your opinions are. They are expensive and before I buy I'd like to make sure I'm not making an expensive mistake. I am considering the EF 24-105 f/4 L IS USM for all purpose use.


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February 02, 2011

 

Kevin Moss
  Dayna,

A very good question. Yes, the Canon L lenses are the top quality you can buy and the EF 24-105 f/4 L will not disappoint.

A lot depends on your camera. If you're using a full frame DSLR, then good glass like the L series is essential. For APS-C sized sensors, I still recommend the L series lenses for serious shooters.

Best of luck!


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February 02, 2011

 
- Ken Smith

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  Dayna, I have a couple of L lenses...the 24-105mm is my all purpose one. At first, I got the 24-70mm F2.8, but traded it in for the 24-105mm...you'll love it!!


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February 02, 2011

 
- Linda D. Lester

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  Ken you should have never gotten rid of that awesome 24-70!!! :) I like them all hard to go wrong! The 24-105 is a good one to start with for sure.


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February 02, 2011

 
- Ken Smith

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  Hey Linda, if I had more $$s I'd get them both. But I could only get one at the time, so I opted for the extra 35mm focal length for a little more zoom. But don't forget me on my birthday...with a 24-70mm lens! :-)


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February 03, 2011

 
- Dayna Cain

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  I'm with you Ken. I can only afford one so I thought I'd go for a little more zoom and Linda, if you really wanted to, you could get me and Ken BOTH 24-70mm's for our birthday's! LOL! Thanks for your input and by the way, your galleries are AMAZING! I know you can't go wrong with good glass but good photography takes some serious skill which you all obviously have. I have alot to learn but I sure am having fun!


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February 03, 2011

 

Lynn R. Powers
  Dayna

Unfortunately you did not tell us what camera you are using. Another thing is if it is the best lens for the purpose intended. If you are using a full frame camera then there is no way you can do better than the 24-105 f4L as an all purpose lens. And if you are into shooting weddings the 24-70 f2.8L is almost considered a must have. However even though the Ls are better built and capable of using the lens the entire range of the zoom wide open they may not be the best lenses to use to get the job done with a 1.6x cropped camera.

IF you are using a 1.6x crop camera and the 24-105 f4L then you will lose out on a lot of wide angle photos for both inside and outside use. In this case the 17-85 or even better, but at a cost, the 15-85 EF-S lenses are prefered for a walkaround lens. The field of view on these lenses at 17mm is equal to 28mm and 24mm respectively.
With a 24mm setting on the 24-105 when used on a 1.6 crop gives a FOV of 38mm.
When going wide angle 10mm makes a lot of difference.

Now if I ever get the $$$ to get another FF camera I would use only L lenses EXCEPT for the 85 1.2L, the 100mm f2.8L macro IS and the T-SE lenses which are not available as an L. In these cases I am perfectly satisfied with the EF versions and pay a lot less. This is not to say that it would be your choice.


Lynn


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February 04, 2011

 
- Carlton Ward

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  Hello Dayna,
I have bought & sold a few lenses trying to save $$ with 3rd party lenses & cheap Canon glass and eventually always ended up buying my "real" choice of an L lens everytime.
I currently have the 17-40mm f/4L, the 24-70mm f/2.8L, the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lenses.
I bought the Canon 70-200mm f/4L (non-IS version) and the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lenses when I 1st bought my 20D back in 2005 but quickly sold them to get the lenses I really wanted in my current list. I also had the 135mm f/2L lens and sold it but wished I hadn't as it is a very sharp lens. I may yet buy that one again someday. I will say that the Canon 70-200mm f/4L (non-IS) is the best lens you can buy for $600 - IMO...
I have used these lenses with the 20D, 40D, 1DS and my newer 5D Mk II and with the 5D mk II - any defect in the lens is magnified but on the flip side it allows superior glass to reach its potential :) My 70-200mm f/2.8 was a nice lens on my 20D but on my 5D Mk II - it is fantastic and makes me drool with pleasure :) I have been very unsatisfied with my 17-40mm on my 5D and am thinking of selling it to get the 16-35mm f/2.8 lens.
I also recommend the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 over the Canon 50mm f/1.4 as I have had both and there is no comparison - the Sigma blows away the plastic Canon lens in build quality, focusing ability, color, sharpness & bokeh.
my .02
Carlton


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February 06, 2011

 
- Dayna Cain

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  Thank you all for your input on this. I had to make a decision between a better camera or a better lens. I'm choosing the lens. I use a Canon Xti and the kit lens is just a "snapshot" kind of lens so I thought I would try one of the "L" series lenses. Maybe later on I can can upgrade my camera too but for now I'm going keep my Xti and try it with the 24-105 f/4 L. I know I'll loose some of the wide angle but for the most part I'll be using it for portraits. Thanks again for all of your help!


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February 07, 2011

 
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