Considering a 17-40L....questions!

TreInJapan wrote:

Hello!
Recently picked up a 6D, and i'm loving it. I love the 24-105 and I'm really impressed by the low-light performance of the 6D. I still have my t3i which I love, and one of my favorite lenses is the Tokina 11-16 F/2.8, which is made for APS-C, so it's really only useful on FF at 16mm. I could keep it and very rarely use it on the t3i, or I could sell it and add a bit more to upgrade to a 17-40 for the 6D, but I have a couple of questions.

-My hopes for my next lens:

• Wide enough to shoot interiors well. I do occasional interior photography and want something sharp and reliable. The Tokina was great for this.

This will have a similar wide range as your 11-16 on the 6D, but go much longer of course.

• Sharp enough for portraits at 40mm. (Had another thread recently where I got a bum Sigma 50/1.4 that I was hoping might fit this bill, but instead just got a full refund.)

Not the best choice, but it could work in a pinch.

• Solid wide-angle performance for video and glidecam work.

Yes, it works great this way. I've shot LOTS of video using a steady-cam. I can't tell any difference between this and my 16-35 used this way.

• Occasional low-to-mid-light group shots at parties and events.

On a 6D? F4 is not an issue.

-Questions

1. Is it decent for portrait work?

Nope - but if you're shooting lots of people, sure.

1. Any experience with video work? I know wide angle lenses are generally pretty solid, but perhaps I can hear first-hand from someone who has worked with this lens.

I use this lens, the 16-35 and Rokinon 14/2.8 for all of my steady-cam type work. The 17-40 has been my workhorse lens for a year.

1. Does the 6D's low-light performance compensate for the 3 stops in aperture over the Tokina? On my t3i, if I was shooting anything over 1000 ISO, the shots were pretty noisy. But with the 24-105 I can pretty much shoot into a dark corridor and shots still come out okay at 12,000 ISO. So I would assume it would be fine...

I think this already got answered - 3 stops isn't what you've got - what you've got is basically the same thing. f2.8 is about the same as f4 on the 6D. The 6D is the first camera I've had where I'll leave it on auto ISO in most conditions. I couldn't really go over 800 with my 60D, and didn't even like that. 12400 is a bit much on the 6D (which is crazy high!), but passable - I've done it frequently if I have to stick with a shutter speed but try to avoid it. 800-1600 looks like 200-400 on the 60D.

1. If you don't recommend this lens for the above-stated goals, do you have another lens or pair of lenses that you would recommend for a similar price? Another option would be to just keep the Tokina and always use it at 16mm, then get a nifty fifty or pancake 40 or something. Though the last nifty fifty I had didn't focus right all the time, so that worries me a bit. Also, I need fast-focus!

Just to summarize, I have both the 17-40 and new 16-35. While the 16-35 is obviously a superior lens, it can be a question mark for a lot of people. I've still not been able to part with my 17-40 - it's an excellent little lens. But, I probably should as the 16-35 is a perfect replacement.

My main purpose for UWA's is interior/architecture/real estate photography. But of course, they're invaluable for landscapes as well. As has already been answered, not a particularly good choice for portraits, even at 40, unless you've got a bunch of people!

I have shot lots of video using the lens. Yes, it's nice to have stabilization, but depending on how you're doing it - it really doesn't make much difference. I've used it almost exclusively handheld, and using a steady-cam. Honestly, I haven't been able to see much difference between it and the stabilized lenses going this way. Off the steady-cam, yeah, you can see it. But typically, I'm steady-cam, some cage (not much), or on a tripod with a longer lens.

I've posted lots of comparison shots between the 16-35 and 17-40, but it really sounds like ultimate corner resolution is not that important to you - so save the money!

Any first-hand experience or input would be great! Thanks!