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Which lenses to keep


wellinghall

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I have ended up with too many lenses for my EOS 100D (SL1, for you folks on the left-hand side of the pond), and I would like to reduce my collection in order to free up space / money / decision-making time ...

 

I have got:

  • 10-18mm IS
  • 24mm f/2.8
  • 40mm f/2.8
  • 50mm f/1.8
  • 85mm f/1.8
  • 300mm f/4
  • 100-400mm IS L II.

I have already decided to get rid of the 300mm f/4; I just need to get around to it. And I am definitely keeping the 10-18mm and the 100-400mm. But of the 24mm, 40mm, 50mm, 85mm ... I really don't know.

 

Any ideas?

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I'd suggest 40mm and 85mm. The 24mm is a good general use lens and the 50mm is a nice portrait tele. The 40mm is nice but slower and rather close to the 50mm. The 85mm is a little long for most portrait use and you have the 50 and 100-400mm which can serve instead.
Robin Smith
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But of the 24mm, 40mm, 50mm, 85mm ... I really don't know.

 

Seems to me that you should decide based on what YOU find most useful. It's not clear that others who don't know what you shoot, and how you shoot it, can help much. I agree that the most helpful thing might be looking at the FL of the images you have. To put this in perspective, I have been doing photography for decades, have both an APS-C and FF body, and have only one of the lenses you list. That doesn't mean that your lenses are a poor choice for you; it just means that my experience would be a bad guide for answering your question.

 

My only suggestion is that if you want a 'normal' lens, the 40mm is pretty close to that on an APS-C camera such as yours.

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In the old days - before zooms became ubiquitous - the recommendation used to be to double your focal lengths. In your case that'd mean keeping your 10-18, approximately doubling that to the 24, then your 50, and finally the 100-400. But that ignores a whole lot of other important factors, such as which lenses you like most. And I'd have to agree with Sandy about finding out which lenses you've used most often.

 

With a tiny body like your 100D surely size and weight are also important. That might rule out the 85 - but then it's a lovely lens! As a personal comment, I've often sold a lens I wasn't using only to regret it later! With such a great range of lenses, why not keep them and simply choose the one(s) most appropriate for whatever you're about to do?

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Your 50 is clearly faster than the 40, but a lot of those 50's are not all that durable, and not perhaps as optically good. The 40 is a good lens, and small. You wouldn't get anything for the 50; put it in a dry box, or make a gift of it.

I'd keep the 85 for a bit of speed and out of focus stuff. I don't know it, but if "it's a lovely lens" you would be losing a viable option.

What would you get for the 300?

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I'd suggest 40mm and 85mm. The 24mm is a good general use lens and the 50mm is a nice portrait tele. The 40mm is nice but slower and rather close to the 50mm. The 85mm is a little long for most portrait use and you have the 50 and 100-400mm which can serve instead.

 

The 40mm is one of the sharpest lenses and perfect for travel and takes up no room in a bag. I love my 85mm f/1.4 They will have to pry those lenses from my cold dead hands.lol

Cheers, Mark
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I have ended up with too many lenses for my EOS 100D (SL1, for you folks on the left-hand side of the pond), and I would like to reduce my collection in order to free up space / money / decision-making time ...

 

I have got:

  • 10-18mm IS
  • 24mm f/2.8
  • 40mm f/2.8
  • 50mm f/1.8
  • 85mm f/1.8
  • 300mm f/4
  • 100-400mm IS L II.

I have already decided to get rid of the 300mm f/4; I just need to get around to it. And I am definitely keeping the 10-18mm and the 100-400mm. But of the 24mm, 40mm, 50mm, 85mm ... I really don't know.

 

Any ideas?

I imagine you have mastered each of these tools and understand full well what you will be giving up if you let one of these lenses go. We'll obviously not or you would not be asking us. These are some fine lenses. And how can we make that decision for you. Each lens is a tool and has a use. What tool do you not Want? I suggest you spend more time using these lenses until you really understand what they are good for and how they either fit in or not fit in with what you like to do. Then you can decide what you no longer want to be able to do.

 

There are some good photographers here but we each may tell you different answers based on our preferences. I might suggest the 300mm f/4 because you have the 100-400 my ii. But maybe some else says the sharpness off the 300 prime is the cats meow. Personally, I replace a lense with a better one, I replace a lens if it does not give the results and IQ I want.

 

Which lens disappoints you.?

Cheers, Mark
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With a specially light camera like the 100D/SL1 you need to work out which of your lenses are going to hang off the camera and which are the centre of weight themselves, It's a brilliant little camera; my wife has one. You must have bought it for its weight or size? Maybe you need to divide function into light kit / full kit? I don't like carrying weight without purpose any more.

Otherwise, Mark has the right idea.

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I'm inclined to agree in principle with dcstep, except for an APS-C format, I'd go with the EF-S 15-85mm instead of the 24-105.

 

Keep the 50mm, it will be of more use to you than anything($) you'd get for it. It has less than ideal bokeh, but I'd disconfirm James's comments. It may look and be cheap, but it's more rugged than many Canon lenses. It is a true bargain.

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Keep the two zooms plus the 50mm and 85mm, lose the 24mm. 40mm and 300mm. Get the excellent Sigma 17-50mm 2.8 which will probably become your most used lens. I could shoot 90% of professional work, landscape, weddings portraits, editorial, with just the 17-50mm and the 85mm. Good luck!
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I travel(ed) with 12-24, 50, 135mm on two 1.5x crop Pentax, sometimes taking a kit zoom 18-50 or 55mm along. I have a 24mm f1,8 Sigma monster but it is bulkier than the wide zoom, so it is a stay at home or low light event lens.

I like 50mm on crop, even on 1.33x.

While your 40mm f2.8 looks like the lens to ditch at 1st glimpse, it might be the go to lens for ultra lazy days since it is AFAIK a pancake? Which 24mm did you get? Pancake or the bigger FF lens?

I am honestly reluctant to recommend ditching anything of the primes you are planning to keep.

The 85mm seems handy for headshots.

50mm is my personal favorite,

Looking at the size of fast or decent zooms, I can't argue against owning pancakes

Keep your 4 shorter primes and pack 2 of them as you see fit for each outing. if it is always the same for which reason ever maybe sell the others. - I guess I couldn't

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I second JDMvW's recommendation of the 15-85mm for a crop body. It's a wonderful lens. When I was shooting the 7D, I actually replaced a 24-105L f/4 with that lens and couldn't have been happier. It was very sharp and well built (except for a bit of zoom creep). The only thing I missed with it was the weather-sealing of the 24-105, but I loved the 24-136mm (35mm equivalence) that it gave.
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Like you, I had a stable of primes and a few zooms. Upon my realization that I used all of the zooms and just a few of the primes, I sold most of the primes, keeping only those that I used.

 

You should definitely sell the 300/4 L, since you have the phenomenal 100-400 L II. As for the other lenses, I'm with those posters who have said that you should determine which focal lengths (and lenses) you use the most, and keep the lenses that have those focal lengths.

 

Regardless of what you do, however, you should keep the 40/2.8. It'll fetch you next to nothing if you sell is, and is such a sweet little lens.

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