Need suggestions on 3 prime lenses

[CoRNDoG R6]

Ive been eye balling 3 prime lenses but what im not sure of is if i were to get all 3 of them or even 2, if my choices would be redundant or not recommended. Here are the ones ive been looking at:

Canon EF 35mm f/2 $299
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM $349
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM $379

My ultimate goal is to eventually use these at family and friends senior pics/weddings/anniversarys/etc. events. Of course, when i get good at it! I just dont want to spend on something and regret later wishing i would of gotten something else.

I have a Canon T1i camera, so i shoot with a cropped sensor. Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

If you think im an "idiot and dont know what im doing", save your breath, my wife lets me know that already!

 

[KmH]

There is a thriving used lens market and should you decide one of the three no longer suits you, you can always sell.

 

[CoRNDoG R6]

Then I should search for these used? Any places you could recommend?

 

[Josh66]

I haven't used that 35mm, but I have the other two. I don't think you will regret buying them.


PS -

KmH was saying that if you changed your mind, they would be easy to sell, not necessarily that you should buy them used.

Of course, you could probably save a little buying them used - I just like new stuff, lol.

 

[CoRNDoG R6]

^^^Could you possibly post some sample shots with your lenses. I wanna get a sense of what pics will look like. Perferable no PP work done on them.

 

[Josh66]

Perferable no PP work done on them.

Don't have any, lol. I shoot RAW, so everything has at least a little PP.
(I generally don't do much though.)

Here are a few, but I certainly wouldn't base whether or not you get the lenses on these pictures...

50mm
IMG_7848 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
.44 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


85mm
Self Portrait on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Tamera and Sarah on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
IMG_8062 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Honestly, they are both great lenses.

edit
And my current avatar is taken with the 50mm and has the 85mm in it, lol.

edit... ^^^ Not my current avatar anymore.

 

[CoRNDoG R6]

Very nice pics! Thanks for the samples!

Ok, since they are all fixed focal lenses, they really wouldn't be overlapping each other if I decided to get all 3 right? I'm really set on the 50mm for sure, but I might be flipping a coin on the 35mm or 85mm. I might have to search for more samples of the 85mm and some of the 35mm and compare what I want to achieve.

So let me see if I understand this. The 35mm will get me a wide shot at a distant space. And the 85mm will get me a tight shot also at a distant space, right?

 

[bahandi]

35 will get you wider, while 85 will be tighter.

If you're set on the 50, I would say to use that focal length as your "standard". Then, figure out what you want more; wider or longer.

Personally, I would choose the 35 for the wider angle. Having to back up because you can't get everyone in the frame is a little annoying, not to mention hazardous to people behind you, haha.

 

[CoRNDoG R6]

Looking at flickr samples of the 35mm, i notice its mostly used for landscape photography.

 

[Tyger]

Just get the 50mm first. Shoot for awhile and you will get your answer. If you find yourself backing up to take a picture, the 35 will be your next lens. If you find yourself moving forward, your next lens will be a 85mm.

 

[CoRNDoG R6]

^^^Good stuff! Im actually looking on ebay right now for fairly used 50mm lenses. They are going for about $160, but bidding is still going on.

 

[Derrel]

I would consider another strategy: buy the Tamron 17mm to 50mm f/2.8 zoom lens, and thereby cover the entire 17 to 50mm range in ONE lightweight, compact,quality zoom lens. This lens seems to have a slightly better record of reliability than the 18-50mm Sigma,and this will give you all of your social photography focal lengths in one lens; great for birthday parties, weddings, graduations, anywhere you are indoors and must shoot at normal,indoor distances with a 1.6x Canon. Then, go right from that to the 85/1.8, which is a dynamite lens--small,light,fast-focusing,and not intimidating to people. When you point the Canon 85/1.8 at a nervous person, it doesn't have what I refer to as "the bazooka effect" where people run for cover! It is also wide-aperture, so it will focus in lower lighting than most lenses--good for stage shows, people at podiums 30-40 feet away, not tool bad for sideline football, just one heck of a doggone good lens for any Canon shooter, at a really fair price.

As far as prime lenses on 1.6x go....35 is not "that wide"...I prefer a 24mm lens as an indoor prime lens for closer range shooting....35x1.6=56mm, and that is, quite frankly, too narrow a field of view in "real-world" situations...it just does not work out quite right.

On the other hand, a 35mm effective focal length lens on 35mm film or "full-frame" covers or subtends about 1 foot for every foot back from the subject indoors....so on a group of people that is eight feet wide, you can shoot that while being only about 8 feet back on FILM. With 24mm x 1.6 FOV, you have about a 38mm lens,give or take, so you need to be about 10 feet away to encompass a 10 foot wide group or a scene that is ten feet wide. BUUUUUUT, you actually have a zoom lens, a 17-50mm f/2.8 for this, which makes a prime 24 or prime 28 or prime 35mm...redundant.

So, that's why I'm saying look at one of the 16-50, 17-50,or 18-50mm f/2.8 lenses from Tokina,Tamron,or Sigma: it kills a lot of birds, with one stone.

 

[Dao]

I have the Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 lens and that is what I use mainly with my 40D.

This photo was taken with the Tamron. (Sorry, it is processed)

And I usually carry the Tamron lens with one prime. It could be 100mm or 85mm. I have the 50mm F/1.8 MK1, but that stay at home most of the time.

Here is a shot that I took with the EF 85mm F/1.8

I do own few prime lenses such as 14mm, 50mm, 85mm and 100mm. And I use 85mm and 100mm (because it is my macro lens) the most. If I want to go wider, I will take my 14mm. For daily walk around or indoor birthday party and stuff, it will be my Tamron 17-50mm. (with flash of course)

And the Tamron 17-50mm is a pretty sharp lens. The only draw back is it is not a fast AF lens with compares with the Canon USM lens. Although it is not fast, but it is not slow neither!

 

[Big Mike]

The 35mm F2, isn't a highly regarded lens. Not many people using that one.
The 50mm F1.4 and the 85mm F1.8 are both great lenses, especially for the price. Maybe two of the best 'bang for your buck' lenses in the Canon line up.

Looking at flickr samples of the 35mm, i notice its mostly used for landscape photography.

Yes, but does it say what type of camera is used? 35mm (focal length) is sort of wide on a 35mm film camera but it's not very wide on a camera like yours (crop factor).

I agree with what Derrel has recommended. Something like the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 would be a great lens for the type of shooting you mentioned. It's relatively inexpensive and has pretty good performance. I own it and use it often.

 

[wheresnifty]

i would probably go with the 85mm f/1.8 and add a 50mm f/1.8 as well. the 50mm is only $100 and you will have 2 good ranges in primes... if you like the 50mm, then you can move up the the 1.4 later.

try searching keh.com for used gear.