New Lens for XTI...help

[rj russell]

I am currently shooting mainly with the kit 17-55 lens and ocassionaly the EF

75-300 f4-5.6.

 

I mostly shoot nature/landscapes, but soon I will be getting into child

photography! So I am left with the question of bang for the buck, do I go with

some third party zoom to replace the kit or do I go with the pure quality and

feesability of the Canon 50/f4? All recomendations welcome.

[William Michael]

I assume you meant the 50mmF1.4.

 

RE PRIMES: Well child portraits with a 50mm on an APS-C would be nice.

 

But perhaps a 35mm lens would be better if you were chasing them. A 35mm lens on an XTi will give you more latitude in regards to DoF and to FoV, which you could crop later if necessary.

 

As far as `bang for the buck` goes: I`d reckon the EF35F2 and the EfF50mmF1.8MkII would be a good pair of primes to cover kids in most situations.

 

I quite like prime lenses and I use the 50mmF1.4 extensively on a 20D and it is great for (big) kids, especially outside and indoor low light portraiture; it has FTMF the F1.8 does not.

 

I mentioned the F1.8 in regards to `bang for the buck` comment.

 

I`ll leave it to others for comments on third party zooms.

 

WW

[rj russell]

Thankyou for your reply William.

 

I am leaning toward the primes. If you were to chose between the EF35F2 and the EF50F1.4 which would you chose and what would the pros and cons be?

 

RR

[rainer_t]

-- "but soon I will be getting into child photography!"

 

Somehow, this sounds like you're expecting a baby .... if that's the case, I would start with the 50mm ... babies aren't that fast and the 50mm is the nicer portrait lens. The 35mm on the other side is more universal on a crop body ... more like the good old "normal-lens".

 

If you're willing to spend the money for a 50/1.4, you could as well get the 35/2 + 50/1.8 pair as pointed out by William. It's the 'better bang for the buck' solution.

 

I personally use the Sigma 30/1.4 + the EF 50/1.4 + the EF 85/1.8 for those situation where I cannot use a zoom, or where I want more control over DOF. (If I would be forced to part from one of them, I would let the 50 go and keep the 30 and the 85).

 

Between a 35mm and a 50mm, the choice should be based on your needs. If you want portraits the 50mm is more suitable.

[yakim_peled1]

I was never a big fan of the 50/1.4. Yes it is better in some aspects from the 50/1.8 (bokeh, BQ, FTM) it was not at all different in others (AF speed, sharpness wide open). Thus I suggest you try the 50/1.8 first and only afterwards think about other options like 28/1.8 or 35/2 or 30/1.4 or 50/1.4 or 85/1.8.

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[markonestudios]

As an owner of the 50 f/1.8 as well as the XTi, I would not hesitate to recommend this as the best bang-for-the-buck lens in the entire Canon line-up. I don't think you'd go wrong at all with this lens. If, as has been mentioned, you have the budget for the 50 f/1.4, why not go for the 2 lens solution of 50 1.8 and 35 f2 instead?

<p>>>I am currently shooting mainly with the kit 17-55 lens<<

<br>I assume you mean the <b>18-55</b> KIT LENS. On that note, much ado has been made about the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS as an excellent all-round lens. It will give you the range of both primes and has a fairly wide aperture to maintain those higher shutter speeds...

[m_barbu1]

You might find that 35mm is more versatile than 50mm, on the XTi. It's more expensive, but I think you'll find it more usable in more situations.

[tdigi]

I prefer more flattering longer lenses so I would take the 50 ( with the 1.6 crop = 80 ) its

really nice portrait focal length. However this is a more personal taste that you should decide

for yourself.

 

What I would do is take your current 17 - 55 and shoot some photos at 30mm and some at

50mm and see what is better suited for you.

[michael_c11]

I also have the Sigma 30mm F1.4 and love it on my XTi. The perspective is close to 50mm when you factor in the crop, which is perfect for general-purpose photography. It's my "go to" lens for just about everything. I've also used the Canon 50mm F1.8 and it's nice for portraits, but doesn't seem as fast or as sharp as my Sigma.

 

If you decide to focus on primes, I'd recommend you get your hands on each of these lenses and try them side-by-side. I found the Sigma 30 to be my "do everything" lens (at least on the XTi) and the Canon 50 to have a more specific purpose (e.g., portraits) given its tighter cropping of the subject.

 

Good luck!

[tpurvis]

As an owner of the 50 1.4 and 60 2.8 macro and a soon to be grandpa, I would go with the 60 2.8. On the XTI, you get 96, a great portrait length. Very sharp lens at 2.8. It is a little slow to auto focus but works well with the Canon ext flash. The 50 1.4 does not send distance information to the flash. The 60 is also a great lens for all around use. I have attached an example. Remember, you also get a lifesize macro on a camera that will print 20 x 30.<div></div>

[rj russell]

Thank you all for the feedback! I am still hung up between the 35/f2 & the 50/f1.4. From sample pics, the 50 looks far superior to anything else, but I feel that at 50 or 60mm I may be feeling the need to back up alot?!?!?! At 35, I would have a little more versatility but perhaps being a slower and lower quality lens? I have 3 months until the baby comes and chosing a lens may be more difficult then the name!

[eric_lawson1]

My 50 1.4 works great for me for the grandkids (babies)