Add 35/2 to 24-70/2.8?

[ajweiss]

I've always wanted a "normal" prime. I use a 20D.

 

I have the 50/1.8, and it gets very little use because of its length. I use it for portraits, but even that is

diminished since I got a 24-70/2.8 (Sigma) and a 135/2.8.

 

I don't have a burning need for a normal prime, but I do have an occasional need for a faster lens than the

24-70 for general use in low light. To me, this translates into the need for a normal prime.

 

I've also always wanted that normal prime.

 

My question is this: is one stop enough to justify buying the new lens? I really wonder if I'll be able to

handhold in lower light than with the zoom because I'll lose the extra stability the zoom's mass imparts.

I'll also use the decreased DOF, but I'm not sure how much of a difference that will be either.

 

Should I consider the Sigma 30/1.4? It costs almost twice as much, and it is only compatible with

cropped-sensor cameras. I can't afford the Canon 35/1.4. I'm not planning on going full frame any time

soon, but I do like the idea of having a 35mm prime if I ever do. Also, 56mm just feels more like the what

I want to me than 48mm (of course this is without doing any tests -- I just tend to skew a little longer

than wider in my lens choices). USM/HSM would be nice.

 

My reasons for thinking about it now are:

 

1. Summer is here and with it comes things I want to shoot at night.

2. I have a photo job coming up that will net me about $300-$350, and a 28-135IS I'm not using that I

could sell.

 

What does everyone think?

 

Thanks,

 

Adam

[hyunyu]

Funnily enough, I just got back inside after spending some time chasing my 15-month old son and shooting pictures of him with the EF 35/2 on my 30D.

 

I like the lens, but the 35mm/56mm (@ 1.6x) focal length didn't quite turn out to be what I envisioned it would be. It's not an especially people-friendly lens, in that it's hard to squeeze more than one or two people in the frame with this lens on a 1.6x body in a conversational setting (for example, sitting around the living room or across a table). The AF tends to hunt a bit in low light, and since it lacks USM, it's slower and noisier (but not THAT noisy) than its USM brethrens. The build quaility is way above the 50mm f/1.8, of course (but maybe that's not saying much!) It's not a macro mode, but of all the lenses I own for the 30D, it lets me focus the closest to the subject (about 10 inches).

 

Optical quality is great--sharp and clear.

 

For just over $200, I think it's a great lens.

[anthony_hicks]

<i>I've always wanted a "normal" prime.</i>

<br>

<p> Adam - you and me both!

<p> Canon - PLEASE make a decent 31mm f2 USM - thank you!

[John Crowe]

How about the Canon EF 28/1.8?

[anthony_hicks]

John, I would really like to believe that the 28/1.8 is the answer, but personally I'm just not keen to invest in a lens that has been described as having "hefty" CA and "substantially worse borders" (photozone) - especially when it was tested on a 1.6x crop body! IMHO Canon could and should do better. Plus I would prefer a 50mm equivalent lens, not a 45mm :o)

[yakim_peled1]

<p> Not long ago I did <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00G9NR&tag=">a quick and dirty corner sharpness comparison test</a>. The results in a nutshell are: Little difference at f/1.8, no difference at f/2.8. If you remember that the corners are usually out of focus at such wide apertures (unless you deliberately place your subject there), the difference becomes even more negligible. </p>

<p> I had quite a few primes and L lenses so I know what is optical quality and love it a lot. That said, the <b>only</b> reason I am selling my 28/1.8 USM is that it is way too light on my 1D. As I see it, the 28/1.8 USM's Achilles heel is not corner sharpness but flare resistance, which is not up to the standards of the 24/2.8 and 35/2. </p>

<p> Adam, please see what I previously wrote about these lenses <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00G6ao&tag=">here</a> and <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00G9o7&tag=">here</a>. </p>

 

<p> Happy shooting, <br>

Yakim. </p>