Lens Recommendation for Canon 7D (And Other Accessories?)

<h1 >I have had the Canon 7D for a little over a year now and I love it so much. However, I just have two lenses for it, and I'm thinking of adding more.</h1>

I have:<br />Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM<br />and <br />Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM<br /><br />The 2nd lens is a zoom lens obviously, and the first one came with the camera. I'm not sure what you would qualify it as, but I just consider it a standard lens.<br /><br />One of the len's I think i am lacking is a good a wide angle lens. (?) What should I get that is a really good but not insanely expensive wide angle lens? Also, whats the difference between one wide angle lens and the next, i.e., a fisheye vs. a wide angle vs. ultra wide angle?<br /><br />In addition to the wide angle, is there another lens that is a 'must have' or you think every photographer with the 7D should have.

Now on to accessories.

I'm not sure if there is a need for an external flash for my 7D, but do you see a need for one, or any other type of accessory?

I realize this all depends on WHAT im going to shoot, but I shoot a lot of things, so I just want to be prepared.

Thanks SO MUCH

Brendan

 

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<p>this all depends on WHAT im going to shoot</p>

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<p>You should go out and just shoot. Analyze your results. Decide what could have improved. Then, come back and ask again with a photo or two explaining what you didn't like about the photo(s). Otherwise, you could be spending money on stuff you may not even want.</p>

<p>I have done a little of that already and have spotted the possiblity to add more of a wide angle touch to the collection. I picked up on that quick. And when I questioned wide angle lenses, I just thought of the possivbilty of other lenses out there that I might really like. </p>

<p>But the bigger matter at hand I suppose is wide angles lenses. Can you shed any more light on that?(no pun intended :P ) </p>

<p>A zoom lens is a lens that has variable focal length. The opposite of a zoom lens is a fixed focal length lens, these days also often called a prime lens. Both of your lenses, 28-135mm and 70-300mm, are zoom lenses. A fixed focal length lens would be for example a 50mm.</p>

<p>A tele lens is a lens that makes objects appear closer in the image than they would look to the naked eye - as if you were looking through a telescope. The opposite of a tele lens is a wide angle lens, and right in the middle is a standard lens. A standard lens on film and a full frame DSLR is 50mm. On APS-C that's about 30mm. So your 28-135mm zoom lens reaches from about standard range into the light tele range. Your 70-300mm is a longer tele lens.</p>

<p>You are right in that you are missing a wide angle lens. On film and FF DSR wide angle goes from 35mm to about 24mm. Below that is ultra wide angle territory. A nice lens for the 7D that let's you explore both would be a Canon EFs 10-22. Other manufacturers make similar lenses for a little less money, but I personally find the 10-22 worth it.</p>

<p>A fish eye lens is special in that it always has a angle of view of 180 degrees, which is much wider than any fish eye. The difference in angle of view between a 16mm fisheye and a 16mm ultra wide is huge! Fish eye lenses are also different in how they record a 3D object in a 2D image. With other lenses the projection is rectilinear, with a fisheye it's, well, fisheye! There are very few fisheye zoom lenses, but Canon just brought one to the market (8-15/4 L). The fish eye effect can yield amazing results if used in the right place, but people tire of it easily. Due to the expense and the special purpose, it is probably best to rent such a lens when it's required for a project.</p>

<p>I went from a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM to a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM. I also have a Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye. My cameras are the Canon EOS 5D and Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II. The zooms work for me. In your case, look at the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM as a start. But, if you want a wide angle prime, may I suggest the more expensive Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM. Neither of which I own. Just a thought.</p>

<p>We use the Canon EFS 10-22mm on a 50D and a Rebel xti. If you read some of postings here it gets strong reviews. I really like that wide angle - it allows for some creative opportunities, great DOF and good for hand-holding in a lot of conditions. There are similar 3rd-party lenses discussed in a number of threads - haven't used them personally but they would give the same kind of opportunities.</p>

<p>I too am of the opinion that a UWA is the best bet for you if you want to continue to utilize the 28-135. Replacing it with a 17-50/17-55/2.8 would allow you to get decently wide angle coverage, (eff. 29+mm FOV), and a bump in IQ.<br>

However, either the EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5, or the Tamron 10-24/3.5-4.5 (if you are on a budget) will give you very similar IQ, and allow you to explore the wiiiide side of life! </p>

<p>So If Im hearing right, fisheyes, as I had previously thought, are kinda a rarely used lens with small practical uses for such an expense... Therefore, it seems that the list comes down to </p>

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<img src="http://a.img-dpreview.com/products_data/products/canon_15-85_3p5-5p6_is/generated/canon_15-85_3p5-5p6_is-60x60.png?1191" border="0" alt=" Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM " width="60" height="60" />

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<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/lenses/canon_15-85_3p5-5p6_is">Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM</a>

 

Zoom lens | Canon EF-S

 

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<td ><img src="http://a.img-dpreview.com/products_data/products/canon_10-22_3p5-4p5/generated/canon_10-22_3p5-4p5-60x60.png?1191" border="0" alt=" Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 " width="60" height="60" /></td>

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<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/lenses/canon_10-22_3p5-4p5">Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5</a>

 

Wideangle zoom lens | Canon EF-S

 

 

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<td ><img src="http://a.img-dpreview.com/products_data/products/canon_14_2p8_ii/generated/canon_14_2p8_ii-60x60.png?1191" border="0" alt=" Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM " width="60" height="60" /></td>

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<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/lenses/canon_14_2p8_ii">Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM</a>

 

Wideangle prime lens | Canon EF

 

 

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<td ><img src="http://a.img-dpreview.com/products_data/products/canon_17-55_2p8_is/generated/canon_17-55_2p8_is-60x60.png?1191" border="0" alt=" Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM " width="60" height="60" /></td>

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<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/lenses/canon_17-55_2p8_is">Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM</a>

 

Zoom lens | Canon EF-S

 

 

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<p>Any more thoughts? I think I got the handle of the lens's thing, but like what would be the advantage of using a prime lens cause to me it seems like a big negative cause you cant zoom? </p>

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<p>what would be the advantage of using a prime lens</p>

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<p>F/2.8 aperture. Excellent optics. Weather sealed for your weather sealed DSLR. But, twice the mass.</p>

<p>What would be a good example of a prime picture and a non prime picture with similar apertures and what not. Like a side by side? </p>

<p>I think the 10-22 would complement your current lenses better than the others, since it's a zoom and doesn't overlap your current range.</p>

<p>The thing most people seem to need to get used to with a wide angle lens is that the vertical is also wider...so you really need to plan your shots or you end up with a very small subject and a huge, boring foreground or a lot of sky.</p>

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<p>side by side?</p>

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<p>http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-14mm-f-2.8-L-II-USM-Lens-Review.aspx</p>

<p>While in the link, scroll down to see the diferences between 10 and 14mm for a focal length difference. Sharpness can be reviewed with the ISO 12233 crops. The prime would be the clear winner in this regard.</p>

In order to get what you, I believe you are looking for is the 10-22 canon lens, it was thE only lens I could use with the smaller sensor

,without buying a fixed lens,and the glass in that lens is excellent , it's a bit costly but I think worth it.

<p>Another vote for the EF-S 10-22</p>

<p>Cheers, Bob</p>

<p>Get the 15-85 if you want to replace your 28-135. It is a perfect zoom range for the 7D which should be plenty wide for most things you shoot. <br />However, if you are happy with the 28-135 and want to keep it, then get the 10-22. It is a very nice wide angle lens that goes considerably wider than the 15-85. The 28-135 was really designed for a film or full frame sensor and is therefore not optimum focal range for a crop sensor.</p>

<p>Hard to advise on lenses without a clear idea of what you shoot. The things you look for in a lens are the focal length, the maximum aperture (lowest F number) and the image quality. In general the more you pay the better the lens. The 7D makes a lens show the same angle of view as a lens 1.6 times the focal length on a full frame body. Thus your 28-135 zoom has the angle of view of a 45mm to 216mm lens on a full frame body. Thus a shorter lens is a good idea.<br>

You ask about the differences between primes and zooms - Primes offer a better image quality, usually bigger maximum aperture and a cheaper price (for the same performance) compared to a zoom. The other benefit of a prime is that it actually makes you zoom with you feet - this is a skill that is underrated. You can obviously move and frame with a zoom but most people tend to remain static and let the lens do the work. A prime often forces you do to move which usually leads to better images.<br>

Your camera is an APS-C body so it will accept both Full frame (EF) and APS-C (EFS) lenses. There is nothing wrong with buying an EFS lens (they tend to be cheaper and not as well built) but you cannot fit them on a full frame camera if you ever move up to a 5DII or 1Ds series body.<br>

The zooms listed are all good lenses (15-85, 17-55 F2.8, 10-22) and EFS mount. There are also EF equivalents (16-35 F2.8 II, 17-40 F4, 24-70 F2.8) which are designed for full frame and APS-C bodies - these lenses are better built and more expensive. If you are looking for a prime then then Canon makes a 20 F2.8, 24 F2.8 and a 28 in F1.8 and F2.8 all of which are quite cheap.<br>

My personal suggestion would be to get a lens like the 17-55 F2.8. I have never used this lens but it has a very good reputation. The advantage of this lens is that it is much faster than the other EFS zooms listed or the lenses you have. This will allow the use of lower ISO in poor light and also provide shallow DOF effects that isolate the subject. In addition it has good resale value and is supposed to be one of the better constructed EFS lenses. I would also suggest that you buy the 50 F1.8 prime - this is a cheap lens (abut $100) but is much sharper than the lenses you have. It will introduce you to primes for very low cost. It makes a great portrait lens on APS-C and allows you to see truly shallow DOF. I suggest that you test both the 15-85 and the 17-55 F2.8 and see which works best for you shooting - in either case buy a lens hood as well. Price you lens at Adorama or B&H and go into a good local store usually they will get close on price to these NY stores but will allow you to test and see the lenses. If the prices are too high then these two stores are both very good and their prices are usually the benchmark (prices noticeably below this tend to be scams). This link may help you decide:</p>

<p>http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-15-85mm-f-3.5-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx</p>

<p>The 17-55 2.8 is on my 7D 90% of the time. It is a terrific walk around lens. I have a 50 prime that sits in the closet because the 17-55 at 50 is so good. The only reason not to have this lens if you have a 7D is if you might go full-frame in the future. The EFS mount will not work on Canon FF cameras. This is also true of the 10-20, which is also excellent, but not nearly as versatile as the 17-55 in my opinion.</p>