28/1.8 on a 10D

I'm thinking of getting the 28/1.8 for my 10D mainly for my daughter's

gymnastics (low light no flash) Depending on the event/location, I plan to

keep either the 28/1.8, 50/1.4, or 85/1.8 on 2 bodies and shoot hopefully

without choking myself too much. Has anyone else tried this or got good

results with something else? I really need the faster lens since the 10Ds are

so grainy at ISOs 800 and above. Should I go for the 28/1.8 with the extended

canon rebate? Or should I wait, save money for a year or so and go for the 24-

70/2.8 and a better body that can handle the higher ISOs as 2.8?

 

p.s. I do side jobs just to support this lens lust habit and was hoping to

justify the 28/1.8 purchase by using it for group shots, birthday parties,

weddings as 2nd shooter, etc.

Janis,

 

I use(d) the EF 28/1.8 USM for a while as a fast 'normal' lens on my 300D. It focusses fast and quited and still reliable in low light. Colors are nice. Wide open, the center is still usable sharp, but borders are soft. (So you want to stop down for groupshots).

 

Lately I swapped it quite often for a Sigma 30/1.4 HSM. Besides being a f/1.4 rather than f/1.8 this lens very similar to the EF 28/1.8...good colors, sharp center soft borders wide open, good silent AF (the EF28 is a bit faster with AF). But I had a hard time to find a Sigma 30 that focusses ok on my 300D. Another thing is, the Sigma is only for crop bodies like 10D/20D/30D/300D/350D/400D but not for film bodies or fullframe digital (not even for crop 1.3 bodies).

 

Grainy at and above 800iso ... yes ... but it can be cured to an extend with neatimage/noiseninja.

 

Rainer

Hi Rainer,

 

Thanks for the fast response!

 

If the Sigma 30/1.4 HSM is for crop bodies only, do you get "true" 30? or is it 48 with the 1.6 crop factor? Because on my 10D, a 28/1.8 would give me about a 45, right?

 

If I do get the 28/1.8 lens, for an upcoming group shot, I will probably have my 17-40 on one 10D with the 550ex and the 28/1.8 on the other 10D with the 580ex. I'm probably going at f/11 for both bodies.

 

Thanks,

Janis

The lens is 30mm. 30 is 30 is 30. For the FOV, the crop factor still applies.

I use the 28/1.8 on a 20D. It is very sharp in the center but not so good in the corners and edge although this is not too important for a low light lens. CA is also higher than L series lenses but is easy to correct in photoshop

http://www.zen20934.zen.co.uk/photography/LensTests/EF_28mm_f1.8_USM/index.htm

http://www.zen20934.zen.co.uk/photography/LensTests/EF_28mm_f1.8_USM/EF%2028%20f1_8%20ACR%20APS_C%20CA%20Correct.zip

 

AF if fast, positive and acurate even in very low light (1/40 f1.8 ISO 3200), it has good colours and I have found it to have good flare resistance compared to other Canon lenses like known good performers such as the 17-40 f4L.

 

I understand it is even better on full frame as the sharpness recovers past the APS-C frame boundry, so it is a good lens if you will move to full frame or still shoot film.

Just one thing to add to the EF28/1.8 ... get the hood for it as well (Canon EW 63 if I remember correct). (Shouldn't we always get a hood for a lens?).

 

Albeit the EF28 isn't overly prone to flare, it is loosing contrast in contralight situations.

 

Rainer

F/2.8 really isn't fast enough in poorly lit gyms. You need f/2 or faster lenses for action stopping shutter speeds, and probably 1600 ISO at f/2. Get some good noise reduction software to clean up the images - Noiseware, Noise Ninja or Neat Image.

28mm lens doesn't seem to me as appropriate focal length, no matter what f-stop.<br>You can inspire yourselves here: <a href="http://www.wlcastleman.com/gymnastics/index.htm">http://www.wlcastleman.com/gymnastics/index.htm</a href>

Thanks Everyone for the input!

 

(Sorry for the delayed response. I spent an extended weekend on the Big Island of Hawaii where I didn't have internet or cell phone signal. It was great!)

 

I didn't make any purchase yet. I inquired with the castleman website to see if he was willing to share some of his knowledge or to vote on his favorite gymnastics shooting lens.

 

I'll be haunting these forums more and practicing at the gym while the girls practice. I'll also be following all the past posts of noise reduction debates. Noise Ninja and Noiseware are looking good to me right now...

 

Anyway, I just wanted to say Thanks!