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If you could only have one lens for your 5D MK2?

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Jesse_H

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I'm still a rather amateur photographer so bear with me. Sorry if I get terms wrong or use something out of place though feel free to correct me otherwise I won’t learn.

I just upgraded from a rebel XTi to the 5Dmk2. I have been using a Tamron 18-270 lens. The main reason I upgraded was for the FF sensor wider FoV when taking landscape pictures.

My gut reaction was to just go out and buy a Tamron 28-300 because it seemed like it would fill the role my 18-270 did how ever after reading around I'm not sure that’s the best idea.

I travel a lot and most of the time I'm moving and don’t have a whole lot of time if any to frame a picture how I would like it I need a general purpose lens that will work in as many scenarios while still taking very sharp pictures. I was looking specially at the CANON 24-70mm F/2.8 which has reviewed like a good general purpose lens the only problem I have with it is it does not have image stabilization and that has been very handy on my 18-270 for night and low light pictures.

So what do you guys think? In my shoes if you could only have one lens is the CANON 24-70mm F/2.8 the one you would pick or would you pick something else?

Jesse
 
we could never choose for you but could sugest collecting the data ie go find out what are the percentages of shots taken within:

24-70 ,
70-200 and
200- beyond.

by doing this you will get an understanding of where you yourself stand.

I have three lens I would never scale back to one may ramp up to four soon...
 
I'm using the 24-105 f/4 with the 5D2 and I'm loving it.

It has image stabilization and goes up to 105mm. 24-105 is a nice range for a walk-around lens.

Image quality is excellent and it is sharp even at f/4.

Plus it is f/4 throughout the entire range.

The 24-70 f/2.8 is an excellent lens but as you've said, it doesn't have IS and it is heavy. But it is f/2.8 and is better than the 24-105 in stopping action.

Here are some reviews about the 24-105:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-24-105mm-f-4-L-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/145/cat/11
 
My options at looking at lens are kind of limited. I work in third world contries and the only time I leave is when I do go on vacation so trusting reviews has sadly become a way of life for me.
 
Though I also have the 24~70/L the 24~105 is my general purpose lens...for the 5D (don't have the 5DII).

My light travel kit is the 24~105, 35L and 85/1.8. The 35L is on the camera the majority of the time for travel shots.
--
Joe Sesto
1DIII-5D-G11
 
Keep in mind that the 5D Mk II needs a good lens if you want to get the maximum resolution from the camera. A lens like the 18-270 probably isn't sufficient because it's hard (impossible) to make a really good zoom with a wide range. On the other hand, if you are willing to compromise on image resolution and you really like the convinience of a wide-range zoom, then use the wide range zoom.

To answer your specific question, I would want the 70-200 f/2.8 if it were the only lens I could own because I work mostly in the studio, need a focal length of 100 to 135 mm, want the convinience of a zoom, and like the speed of the lens for low light conditions. I have that lens as well as the 70-200 f/4 IS and actually use the f/4 almost all of the time because it is light weight and works well for me as a studio lens, but if I could own only one of the two, it would be the f/2.8.

In your case, I suspect that the 24-70 mm f/2.8 might be your best choice if you can only own one lens. It's a real workhorse and very sharp. I'm not familiar with the 24-105 and it might work for you if you need the slightly longer focal length, but I think the 24-70 f/2.8 is the better choice of the two, especially for a full frame camera with the resolution of the 5D Mk II. Regarding image stabilization, it's seldom necessary if you have fast glass. That's especially true with a camera like the 5D Mk II which allows you to use very high ISOs. There are some disadvantages to IS including the fact that it drains the camera's battery faster, it actually causes blurring in a very small percentage of the images if it's making a correction at the time the shutter is tripped, and it's of no help if you are trying to freeze action with a high shutter speed. In some cases IS is great and some people swear by it, but I think it's importance is over rated especially with a camera like the 5D Mk II outfitted with a fast lens.
--
http://www.fantasy-photo.com
 
the ideal lens for the 5DMKII is a fast wide angle prime. If you need to zoom in, just crop it, that's why you have 21Mp. I wish canon made a cheap version of the 24m like a plasticky one not unlike the 50m 1.8. I love the small and light weight but great sharpness of that lens. It is just not wide enough.
 
Thats fine. However, you need to work out yourself what is the focal range that "you" use the most as you can see it has started everyone has begun tossing ideas up and some are outragious ....600mm that was not even in your original post.

If you can determine that the vast majority of your shots are within the first 100mm of the lens you are using you have scaled back your options to just a few lens, instead of the whole Canon lens lineup.

24-70 or 24-105 are probably where you need to focus your attention.

If you go with the F4 IS 24-105 it is stabalised and that is a big bonus. However, it is F4.

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/188-canon-ef-24-105mm-f4-usm-l-is-lab-test-report--review

If you go with the F2.8 24-70 if you dial up F2.8 you will activate the higher quality focus sensors in the camera

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/184-canon-ef-24-70mm-f28-usm-l-test-report--review

Please note i have given you the cropped results here as the 24-70 has not updated to include full frame yet
 
lighter than the 24 to 70 plus IS & i found it generally more useful than the 24 to 70, that is unless you need a long lens for sport etc

Trevor
 
I wouldn't buy 5D2 if I only have one lens, that is why ps cameras are around :)
 
35L, 50L or 85L, on a budget 35 f/2, 85 f/1.8 and/or Sigma 50 f/1.4....

50L is the most magic lense I have, 85L is the best....

If You absolutely want a zoom then 70 is too short on FF, for me anyway, You can´t really use it for portraits....

And the cheap kit mentioned above will be far more all-round, even with ISO 3200 around....

Bjarke
--

God´s People is not the Jew´s , the Christian´s or the Muslim´s, God´s People is the
Quiet, Kind and Sweet of all kind, you know it´s true....

A Quiet Word by the Right Person can change People and thereby the World, hard talk
doesn´t change anything....

-Please pass it on whenever and wherever You can....
 
The 24-105mm lens certainly has its issues. But it's reasonably sharp, wide enough for most, and while the 105mm might not be long enough for many situations, it's an acceptable compromise for a single-lens system for very general shooting.

The thing about super-zooms (e.g. 28-200) is that they tend to be very soft at the long end. At least the 24-105 is reasonably sharp at 105mm, and the 21MP of the 5D2 leaves lots of room to crop. So cropping a 21MP image shot at 105mm can yield the following:
  • 150mm and 10MP
  • 170mm and 8MP (pretty much like using the 24-105 on a 20D)
  • 210mm and 5MP
I've taken shots at 105mm with my 24-105 cropped down to 5MP with decent, usable results (I've also done the same with my 70-200mm). While 5MP isn't anything special, it is enough to make decent 8x10 inch prints (and even fair 11x14"). Just remember to use a shutter speed fast enough for the final crop.
 
Point n shoot?? Gimme a break - he already has the 5DMKII.

Mine's another vote for the 24-105 - great all purpose lens for starters and then you can add to you gear as you see fit.

Zoooming
Breitling said:
I wouldn't buy 5D2 if I only have one lens, that is why ps cameras are around :)
Click to expand...
 
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