CANON PHOTOS - What's in your camera bag???

[Village Idiot]

The 50 is cheap. It's a great lens for the price but is not necessarily a great lens. The bokeh sucks; it's not round and creamy lik most f/2.8L lenses with curved aperture blades. The two things it really has going for it is f/1.8 and $80.

I bought a 24-70 f/2.8 when I bought my 5DII. At the time, it was right after they came out, so the only way to find them were as kits with the 24-105. I sold that within 24 hours of receiving it. F/4 is bordering on too slow, even with usable 6400 ISO shots. IS helps a little, but when you're attempting to freeze action, a fast shutter speed or a flash is needed. IS will stop camera shake, but if you're using a slower shutter speed, you'll still get motion blur.

With the 5DII, I prefer f/2.8 zooms. They're expensive, but I can comfortably use them in low light situations rather than having to switch off prime lenses. Zooms won't be as sharp (and IQ often isn't too big of a difference between L zooms and primes), but if you're shooting a reception and need a shot that a 20mm focal length would just work for and have a 200mm prime lens on, you're going to probably miss the shot unless it's a static object.

And if you're wanting to do portraiture and people photography, learn about lighting. Knowing how to light, be it with natural and unnatural sources will be your number one best tool for that type of photography.

 

[Derrel]

The 70-200 f/2.8 L lenses are a good bet for weddings portraits and individuals on full frame Canon--the range from 70 to 200mm covers most lengths you'd need. On a 5D-II with its AF module and AF points, I think you'd find the 24-105 f/4 is simply too slow (f/4 only) to focus reliably and easily in lower light indoors.

You could try picking up an 85mm 1.8 EF lens--that lens focuses great in any light,and is very good optically,and is affordable,compact,and easy to shoot. The 85 will do great work on full-frame,at a wide range of distances. I think it is an essential prime lens. Stay away from the 50mm 1.8 EF-II; Village Idiot's comments about it are correct.

There really is not "one lens" that is best for portraits, weddings, and newborns--it takes a handful of lenses to do the best possible work.