DPReview.com is closing April 10th - Find out more

Should I sell 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 and buy 18-135 IS STM?

Started Jun 23, 2014 | Discussions thread
Gus W
Gus W New Member • Posts: 4
Re: Should I sell 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 and buy 18-135 IS STM?

teijo wrote:

Hi,

I have been reading this great forum for a long time, but finally I decided to register - this is the first post

And the question is about these Canon lenses. Here's some background information: now I'm using 550D with 15-85 USM and 50mm f/1.8 lenses, but I'm considering to buy 70D and keep the 550D as a secondary/backup SLR. I've been generally happy with 15-85, but sometimes I've been missing a little bit longer lens.

Main reasons for the body upgrade are better video/focus capabilities and the fully-articulated screen, as I'm planning to film also some video material with SLR.

And that brings us to the lens situation. Maybe 70D video recording would benefit from the STM focus of the 18-135 and also there would be more reach at the telephoto end. It seems that current 15-85 and new 18-135 are same kind of "all round" lenses, so I'm thinking that 15-85 would still be worth something if I sold it. But would this be stupid from IQ point of view? Of course I would like to keep image quality at the same level that I get with 15-85, but would there be big difference?

What is your advice in this situation? To keep using 15-85 with 70D, change the lens to 18-135, or keep both lenses (which would hurt the budget...) Of course other ideas are also welcome!

Thanks for advice!

-Teijo

Hi Teijo,

How long of a lens are you looking for?  If image quality is what you are looking for, did you consider a longer prime lens? Or you could even look into the 70-300mm as an option.

I currently have the 24-105L F/4.0 that is also an option if you can pick it up used.  It has great video capabilities, great stability, and at a used price it can definitely suit your needs.

-Gus

Keyboard shortcuts:
FForum PPrevious NNext WNext unread UUpvote SSubscribe RReply QQuote BBookmark MMy threads
Color scheme? Blue / Yellow