Is this a good range of lense

sledwaffle

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I am planning on getting the following lenses. I just want to know if I am making the right choice. Thanks
Sigma 10-20mm
Canon 24-105 f/4L IS USM
Canon 70-200 f/4L IS
Canon 100 f/2.8 macro
These lenses are going to sit on a 40d
 
If you want useful advice, you need to tell us what you plan to shoot, and where. Without knowing your photography style/preferences, any recommendations would be pointless.

RHB
 
I am planning on getting the following lenses. I just want to know if
I am making the right choice. Thanks
Sigma 10-20mm
Canon 24-105 f/4L IS USM
Canon 70-200 f/4L IS
Canon 100 f/2.8 macro
These lenses are going to sit on a 40d
I plan on shooting family activitys, some occasional portriats, and alot of nature.
 
If I had the money to start with that selection, I would substitute and get the 17-55 IS. If you really think you might go FF, then the 17-40L. I chose the 60 2.8 macro. I think it is a better choice for portraits. In addition it is smaller and lighter with a macro working distance that is not much shorter. The 60 is an EF-S lens. I doubt I will ever go FF.
 
I already have a 17-40mm f/4 L I was going to sell to help pay for the 24-105. I guess I dont have to hit the hole mm spectrum. I just want a good setup that will last a couple of years. I call my father the L king that is all he buys. I dont have that much money in my buget.
 
Great choices for lens. Your selection makes sense if you really need or want an UWA: 10-20mm. If not, I think Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS makes more sense.

Many people buy UWA thinking they really want one. However, I notice most sell their UWA due to lack of used after only 1 year. I myself find 10mm (16mm) is so wide, that I need to find a foregrond subject (rock, tree, shrub) to keep my background photo interesting (building, skyline, etc.). In the end, the UWA is a fun lens, but not critical enough for me to spend $600 on it.
I am planning on getting the following lenses. I just want to know if
I am making the right choice. Thanks
Sigma 10-20mm
Canon 24-105 f/4L IS USM
Canon 70-200 f/4L IS
Canon 100 f/2.8 macro
These lenses are going to sit on a 40d
 
I am planning on getting the following lenses. I just want to know if
I am making the right choice. Thanks
Sigma 10-20mm
Canon 24-105 f/4L IS USM
Canon 70-200 f/4L IS
Canon 100 f/2.8 macro
These lenses are going to sit on a 40d
For wildlife, you'll need at least 300mm. The 100-400mm IS zoom and 300mm and 400mm primes are all good choices.

For portraits on a cropped body, I'd go with a prime, since you'll want a shallow DOF. The 50 f/1.4 and 85 f/1.8 are both excellent choices, as they have an equivalent focal length of approx 85mm and 135mm, respectively, on a cropped body, which are the classic portraiture focal lengths.

For general-purpose outdoor use and some indoor use (in good lighting), the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS can't be beat. I think you'll find the 24-105 f/4 to be far too slow indoors without a flash and not suitable for portraits. Also, it's a great walkaround lens on a FF body, but on a cropped body, the 24mm is not wide enough. You'll want to start your general-purpose zoom at 17mm or 18mm. Either that, or you'll be swapping the 10-22 and 24-105 a lot. Also, the f/2.8 on the 17-55 is very useful. It can even be used for portraits at the 55mm end.

For general-purpose indoor use, there is no zoom which is fast enough without a flash. You'll want f/2 or faster primes. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4, Canon 50mm f/1.4, Canon 85mm f/1.8, and Canon 100mm f/2 are all high quality lenses at relatively affordable pricing. You may also want to consider the newly-released Sigma 50mm f/1.4 over the Canon 50mm f/1.4. For many (including myself), the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 plus the Canon 85mm f/1.8 seems to cover most framing situations for indoor and otherwise low-light photography on a cropped body.

With that said, you may also consider the 70-200 f/2.8 IS for portrait and wildlife. However, adding a 1.4x TC will reduce your IQ slightly and won't stand up to the 100-400mm, 300mm, or 400mm for sharpness. But, it is a highly regarded lens in its own right and can safely be extended with the 1.4x TC without sacrificing too much IQ. The 2x TC is not recommended, as it degrades IQ too much.

If you want a good quality UAW, I'd swap in either the Canon EF-S 10-22 or the Tokina 11-16 for the Sigma 10-20. The Canon 10-22 is an excellent lens in nearly all aspects, though the Tokina beats it on sharpness. The Tokina is as sharp as the EF-S 17-55.

Finally, you may want to consider the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. On a cropped body, it has an effective focal length of approx. 50mm, which is the "standard" focal length (neither wide nor telephoto). It's also very sharp and attractively priced. In other words, it has a high IQ/price ratio.

As a disclaimer, I have:

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (my main indoor lens)
Canon 50mm f/1.8 (I hardly ever use this now)
Canon 85mm f/1.8 (my main portrait lens)
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS (may main outdoor lens)
Canon 70-200 f/4 IS

...and am very happy with this setup for walk-around photography, general family shots, portraits, and landscape (with 17mm from the EF-S). However, I can't get anywhere near close enough to the wildlife with the 200mm, so if/when I do wildlife shooting, I'll likely get a lens capable of at least 400mm from the lens itself.
 
You need a faster lens for indoors. I use the 17-55/2.8IS the most. Its only OK for indoors.
--

What camera do I have? I rather you look at my photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinz
 
Those are all the same lenses I've got (except I've got the Canon 10 - 22 rather than the Sigma one). They are all great lenses and you won't be disappointed. The 24 - 105 is a great walk-around lens and is on my camera most of the time. I've taken many hand-held night scenic shots with it at 800 and 1600 ISO and am amazed at how well the photos were exposed and their clarity, assisted no doubt by the great image stabilization in this lens. My next purchase is going to be a flash for night time people-shots with this lens. In one review of the 24 - 105, the reviewer says that "If I had only one lens, this would be the one."
See:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/reviews/canon-ef-24-105mm-f-4-l-is-usm-lens-review.aspx

For a longer telephoto zoom lens, it was a toss-up between getting the Canon 100 - 400 or the 70 - 200 f4 IS. The 100 - 400 is a large lens and I wasn't sure I really needed the reach. In the end, and based on overwhelmingly positive reports, I recently bought the Canon 70 - 200 f4 IS lens with a 1.4x extender to give an effective focal length range of 98 - 280. This complements the maximum range of the 24 - 105 and avoids significant overlap between those lenses.

Hope this helps.

--
Cheers,
Ken
 
I used the 24-105 for 2 years on my 20d, and while I love the lens, it just wasn't wide enough. I found mysellf constantly switching to Canon's 10-22 or missing shots altogether. When the 17-55 F/2.8 IS was released, I had to find out for myself what the big deal was; and guess what, it was a big deal. I think you can do very nicely with just 3 lenses, the 17-55, 70-200, and the 100 macro (or the 60 macro, which is a great lens also).
--
Christobel
http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/gallery.asp?memberID=123422
http://www.pbase.com/christobel
 

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