Question on standard zoom for APS-C DSLR

saharac · Oct 27, 2014

Hi,
I own a Canon T3i and am doing some research to pick out a standard zoom. I want it for a general walk-around lens.

How many of you have a 24-105 or 24-70 range lens for their APS-C bodies and what do you think about this focal range?
The lenses i'm considering are:
Canon 24-105 f/4 L
Canon 24-70 f/4 L
Sigma 24-105 f/4
Tamron 24-70 f/2.8

Or do you prefer a more APS-C specific lens like the: Canon 17-55 f.2.8, Sigma 17-50 f/2.8, etc. for this purpose.

Thanks for your replies!

Lumens · Oct 27, 2014

If you plan to go Full Frame in the near future the choices above are good. But if you plan to stay APS-C then I'd recommend either the Canon 17-55 f.2.8 or the EF-S 15-85. I own the 15-85 and in my opinion it is the best walk-around possible for an APS-C camera. I live it on my 7D, however I have heard wonderful things about the 17-55 and it offers f2.8, which would be nice to have if you happen to go inside ot hit a rather overcast day.

The 24-XXX is a bit wide yet for an APS-C as it actually starts at 40mm on a crop frame, so unless you plan to go to full frame in the near future I say look at one of the APS-C designed lenses.

saharac · Oct 27, 2014

Don't have any immediate plans to go Full Frame.
I am planning to get the Canon EF-S 10-18 IS STM for the wide-angle needs. So, since I cover the wide-angle, I was thinking of getting a little more range. And I can pick up the 24-105 L lens for cheaper than the APS-C alternatives.

grandpawrichard · Oct 28, 2014

The 24-105 is a Fantastic lens! I own 2 of them. One for my Canon 7D and one for my wife's 7D. It's a sharp and clear lens, it is light enough for a walk around lens and it focuses FAST!

Here is a photo I took Sunday evening at a family get together ISO 2,000, F/4 and 1/60th. of a second with No Flash. The lens was the 24-105 L:

If you have the chance to buy a 24-105 L go for it! You will not be sorry!

Dick

lambertpix · Oct 28, 2014

I use the 15-85 on my 7D, and I love the focal length range. For low-light shooting, however, it's not an especially fast lens. I rented the Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 for an event once, and I do believe I might be able to live with the limited range in return for the fast constant aperture. It's a pretty sweet lens -- especially if you have something else to cover your wide-angle needs.

Any chance you could rent one or two of these alternative to try them for yourself? That was actually one of my motivations for renting that Tamron.

gossamer88 · Oct 28, 2014

Why not consider the 18-135? Great walk-around for a crop.

SpikeyJohnson · Oct 29, 2014

I have the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8G on my D7100 and it rocks. The quality is superb and I'm sure that the Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L should be the same. The option for full frame is also open for me as well if you ever get the notion in the future. Your lenses will last much longer then your camera body which means eventually you might want to move up and you'll have the lenses for the job!

pdq5oh · Oct 29, 2014

I rented a Sigma 17-70 2.8/4 lens the other day. I was pretty impressed with it. Good zoom range for crop sensor (27-112) & plenty fast enough. Focus was accurate, silent and fast. IQ was very good. It also has OS. The lens is compact and light weight; for walking around. A word of caution about this lens. Be sure to look at the C version. It's vastly improved over the previous 17-70 lens. There's a chrome C on the barrel of the new version. The biggest thing with 24mm lenses is they're not very wide. I find myself at the wide end of my wide zooms often enough to want 17mm at minimum. As mentioned above, the Canon 18-135 STM is a really good lens for walking around.

saharac · Oct 31, 2014

I am leaning towards the Canon 24-105 f/4L. I like the range and the constant aperture.

Would have gone with the Sigma 17-70 if it has been a constant f/2.8.

I was initially thinking of pairing it with the 10-18 IS STM, but I might wait for Tamron to announce their pricing for the 15-30 F/2.8 VC. That would be the perfect combo if the price is under $1000.

ruifo · Oct 31, 2014

I would go with the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VC.

It will behace as equivalent to a "38-112mm f/4.5" in your Canon APC-S body, and if/when you upgrade to fullframe, you will still be able to use it, nowas a real 24-70mm f/2.8.

A full frame f/4 lens will behave as a f/6.4 equivalent to your APS-C body.