Cropped sensor and lense compatibility

[leixialong]

Hi Guys.

A question I have trouble nailing down from the net.

I have an older body (Canon 400D) inherited from my late father and have been using this to learn about photography and advance my skills in the field from decent p&s shots I used to take with my p&s to more professional looking and personally satisfying shots using the 400D, which I believe it is capable of with more experience and knowledge despite it being an older DSLR.

In the last six months my skills and equipment (lenses, battery grip tripods etc) have improved by shooting everyday, watching tutorials online, reading, and putting it all into practice and of course posting in this forum recently has helped me.

For the while I feel I will stay with the 400D, reasons are that financially I cant splurge on lets say a 5D MKII and also I believe I still have things to learn before making that leap. I can however afford a second hand (used) L series lense if I choose. Living here in Japan is very advantageous as second hand lenses are very very available and at good prices with a big range of lenses available.

So I hope I have explained enough to let you know where im at.

My question is: What would be the best L series lens for my cropped sensor 400D? I know this depends on many things such as what I want to shoot and in what conditions. I like to shoot in bar situations so low light and also some medium telephoto work, but I also like to wander around Tokyo and shoot in the daytime which I guess is neither here nor there as most lenses perform under good daytime lighting. I am a beginner and I am coming to you guys for advice as im unsure and not confident as to where to place my hard earned yen on my own despite research

I am looking at: EF 17-40mm F/4L USM or the EF 24-105mm F/4L IS USM

Your thoughts please guys.

 

[tyler_h]

For in a bar you will need a fairly wide lens, so out of those two I would lean towards the 17-40 (27.2-64mm equiv.). You may want something faster for low light though as f/4 isn't that fast.

The 24-105 would probably be too long for a fair few indoor situation, even though the IS would help in some low light situations.


For a medium telephoto you could look at the 85 f/1.8. It might not have the L label but it is up there as a superb lens. Being a 135mm equivalent, its a nice focal length for portraits.

 

[jaomul]

I have crop sensor also and had a 28-135 lens but always wanted more at the wide end. The kit lens gives me 18-55 and I have never needed wider for indoor shots so I would say the 17-40L should be great for your initial needs. Also check out the photos online possible with your 400d, its still a great camera, you may never want to upgrade if you get the right lens

 

[leixialong]

Cheers for the advice, just checked your flickr, nice. I am leaning towards the 17-40mm but it might still be tight for the bar work. Tyler, what if not an L lens would be good for bar? Maybe something like a EF-S 15-85mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM. By the way I know its a rookie question but hey im a beginner in the beginner section Even non L lenses are subject to the 1.6 factor right?

 

[Robin Usagani]

24-70L

 

[tyler_h]

Yeah, all lenses are listed with their 35mm equivalent focal lengths.

The two considerations for indoor for a wide lens for limited room, and a fast lens to account for limited light. On crop you would be best looking at the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 - the main problem being that if you wanted to upgrade to FF this lens would not be compatible. It also has a fairly steep price for an EF-S lens.

This is where you run into the problem of if and when you would be upgrading to FF and how much you want to have to deal with selling off crop only lenses when you upgrade.

 

[usayit]

Think fast wide prime....

Faster and less compromising than a zoom
Smaller
faster aperture
Wide focal length gives you ample DOF to work.

Carry a good lightweight zoom for general walk around and a fast prime for low light.

 

[Robin Usagani]

As long as you buy it used, it would be a smart choice. If you upgrade to full frame camera, you can sell the lens the following year for same price.

 

[tyler_h]

Think fast wide prime....

There aren't a lot of great offerings that are very wide at reasonable prices. Now if Canon would release a EF-S 12mm f/2.8 (or faster)... lol

As long as you buy it used, it would be a smart choice. If you upgrade to full frame camera, you can sell the lens the following year for same price.

This; once you start buying higher quality lenses they tend to hold there value well, especially compared to the kit lenses/nifty fifties which flood the market and have next to no value cause they are so cheap new.

 

[leixialong]

Think fast wide prime....

Faster and less compromising than a zoom
Smaller
faster aperture
Wide focal length gives you ample DOF to work.

Carry a good lightweight zoom for general walk around and a fast prime for low light.

I have a 50mm prime but obviously with cropped sensor it doesn't fit the bill, do Canon primes go down to anything less than 14mm? Because obviously after the sensor factor kicks in even the 14mm is 22mm....I guess having my cake and eating it with a cropped sensor is not possible hahaha. Thanks for the info.

 

[usayit]

OH yes.. I forgot (1.3 versus 1.6 crop) I made ample use of my 24mm f/1.4L but that was on the 1d Mark II which is less extreme in terms of crop.

I noticed Sigma has a few wide angle fast primes... some research is probably in order.

 

[leixialong]

Ahhh this thread is depressing me with my ambitions for photography and real life financial realitys hahaha.

 

[leixialong]

OH yes.. I forgot (1.3 versus 1.6 crop) I made ample use of my 24mm f/1.4L but that was on the 1d Mark II which is less extreme in terms of crop.

I noticed Sigma has a few wide angle fast primes... some research is probably in order.

Yes, some research is in order for myself, google brace yourself im coming in dry!!

 

[tyler_h]

Do Canon primes go down to anything less than 14mm? Because obviously after the sensor factor kicks in even the 14mm is 22mm....I guess having my cake and eating it with a cropped sensor is not possible hahaha. Thanks for the info.

Nah, thats just wishful thinking on my part (but I think Canon have filed a patent for a 11mm f/2 but that is meaningless - they file hundreds each year). If you were to go a 14mm prime other manufactures such as Samyung should be considered. Lack of autofocus is fairly meaningless with the DoF that focal length provides.

Ahhh this thread is depressing me with my ambitions for photography and real life financial realitys hahaha.

Don't we all know that one... my ideal setup would set me back ~AU$17000... not quite possible as a student living on ~AU$12000pa haha

 

[leixialong]

Just found this in Sigmas range

8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM - SIGMA CORPORATION

The price second hand wouldn't bust me either, but maybe not fast enough in low light but coupled with good subtle flash work.........What do you all think? It would be good for my bar work but not really good for my walkabout stuff.....guess I have to make a decision.