Lens advice for semi-pro (weddings, live bands/promo) on Canon 30D

[Sessna]

Hi everyone. After a couple years with my Canon 300D I'm planning on getting a 30D. I've been shooting live bands, some music promo, some portraits. All in the name of getting better and gaining experience. A friend wants me to shoot her wedding in a year so I want to put my practice in overdrive until then and upgrade my gear. After buying the 30D I want to get some new lenses too. Currently I pretty much always use my Canon 50mm 1.4 USM. The only other lens I have right now is the 18-55mm EF-S POS. Haha. I'd really like to get the 16-25mm 2.8 L and the 24-70mm L. I wanted to consult this group for advice on these lenses. They are obviously pretty high priced and it would probably take a while for me to get them. Are there any Tamrons or Sigmas that are comparable? I know a lot of people recommend the Tamrons... but when I browse pics taken with them on PBase I'm not impressed... but it could be the photographers and bad photoshop skills that ruin them. Anyways... I'd love input on my query here as well as other lenses you guys and girls recommend. Is the 24-70mm with the multiplier (112mm) long enough? A sigma 50-500mm is also on my wishlist, but probably third in line. ;-)


Thanks!

 

[Skully]

Sessna are you aware of the 1.6x factor when using EF lens on the 30D due to the 30D smaller sensor so your 16mm-25mm would be more like a 35mm-70mm or close to something like that. For your L glass question the lens are awesome however $$$. I own and use a 20D as a pro wedding photographer and I have a EF-S 17mm-85mm IS/USM lens which is between 500-600 dollars the lens is excellent both in optical quality and build plus it has USM/Image Stabilization and since the lens in designed exclusively for the 20D,30D and Rebel XT there is no factor involved, it is a true wide to medium tele zoom. The only slight downfall is hat the lens is not fast being 4.0-5.6. However with the IS and being able to change your ISO on the fly it not a problem. Im bringing this up do to some churches are tight and when you get the whole gang up there you definetly need a wide angle. If you go the third party lens route please use caution the new Canon bodies only like Canon flashes and lens. I've read many reports of non compatability issues the camera freezes and error messages appear when using third party stuff. "You don't need this during a wedding." Canon accessories/lens cost more but in the long run it pays off.

 

[markc]

Sessna are you aware of the 1.6x factor when using EF lens on the 30D due to the 30D smaller sensor so your 16mm-25mm would be more like a 35mm-70mm or close to something like that.

26mm-40mm, so a bit wider than that.

I have a EF-S 17mm-85mm IS/USM lens which is between 500-600 dollars the lens is excellent both in optical quality and build plus it has USM/Image Stabilization and since the lens in designed exclusively for the 20D,30D and Rebel XT there is no factor involved, it is a true wide to medium tele zoom.

You are still dealing with the 1.6 factor, so it would be like a 27mm-136mm on a film camera. The only thing that really makes it digital is that the S lenses extend a little into the body, so they won't fit a full-frame camera because the mirror is larger than the ones in the 1.6 cameras.

 

[thebeginning]

the lenses you mentioned are terrific lenses, but alot of times it is important to list out exactly why you would want that specific lens (and/or justifications). is there a reason to get the 16-35mm over the 17-40L aside from the extra stop? is the build quality and autofocus difference (and slight image quality difference, but sometimes that is very little) from the canon's to a nice tamron or sigma worth the extra money? there are many questions like this you could ask yourself. IMO you should rely on lens tests and in-depth customer reviews, not on sample images. Pbase doesnt have very good samples. i've seen crappy photos taken with almost everything they show there, including terrific lenses like the 35mm 1.4L, 85mm 1.2L, and the 135 f2L.

for weddings you'll want fast lenses, as most weddings are indoors. This is one 'justification' of the 16-35 2.8L. if you know you'll stick with a cropped sensor, then consider canon's EF-s 17-55 2.8 IS or tamron's 17-55 2.8. both are excellent. it might be a good idea to try a wide zoom like one of these with your 50mm 1.4 instead of a 24-70 (or something similar). the longer end of the 24-70 could be covered with a long zoom and the wider end is more than covered with a wide zoom. only if alot of your shots are in the medium focal length range (from 28-70mm) should you get the 24-70. that is my opinion, i'm sure others will differ. for a long zoom you can't beat the 70-200 2.8L IS. it's very good in all respects. for big events when you can't get close to the action, something in the 300-500mm range is more important. just keep in mind that primes are almost always the best way to go, but don't give you the most flexibility. I would recommend a 300mm f4L IS and 1.4x over a bigma anyday if flexibility weren't an issue.