What are your favourite EF lenses, and why?

[peter_j2]

<p><strong>Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM</strong>. It gets me quickly into the action and I can photograph at f/2.8 with confidence.</p>

[steve_robertson2]

<p>TS-E 90mm - sharp, lightweight, great deal of control over depth of field, for studio work I find I use this more often than other lens.<br>

24-70L - Sharp lens, decent focal range for my work and can hold up to FF, good build quality, heavy..<br>

50mm 1.4 - Sharp, fast, relatively cheap, lightweight.</p>

 

[tomwatt]

<p>In preferential order:<br>

<strong>EF 24-70mm f2.8 L</strong> - more than half my images are made using this lens.<br>

<strong>EF 100mm f2.8 Macro</strong> - although in hindsight, I wish I'd gotten the 180mmL instead<br>

<strong>EF 135mm f2.0 L</strong> - a nice size for walking around and shooting<br>

<strong>EF 17-40 mm f4 L</strong> - on a 5D makes for nice "get the whole landscape in frame" situations.</p>

[manuel barrera houston,]

<p>My 24-70 L like an ugly old mare that does the work you wanted it to do without complaining.</p>

[manuel barrera houston,]

<p>My 24-70 L like an ugly old mare that does the work you wanted it to do without complaining.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>24-105/4IS -- "just right" for most situations. Comfortable and not too large/heavy.<br />70-200/4IS -- very nice balance and IQ. Internal focus and zoom make it great for hostile environments (dust, moisture).<br />100/2 -- fantastic portrait lens<br /><a href="http://www.graphic-fusion.com/zenitar16.htm">MC Zenitar 16/2.8 fisheye</a> -- sharp, small, light, surprisingly versatile, and just plain fun.</p>

[dillan k]

<p>My favourites are:<br>

<br /><strong>EF 50mm f/1.8 II</strong>. It's sharp, cheap, small and light. It goes with me when ever the camera goes. I've taken most of my best shots with it. It's the one lens that I won't be without, until I replace it with something better in the same focal length.<br>

<strong>EF 300mm f/4L IS USM</strong>. I bought this lens about a month ago, and I'm thrilled with it. I am a bit surprised at how much I'm using it. It's opened up a whole new world for me.</p>

[markonestudios]

24-105L for sheer versatility and IQ on my FF. Next up, my 50 f/1.8 for portraits. Small, inconspicuous but oh so sweet :) One day I may aspire to the 50 1.4 but that day is not today :D Last but by no means least, I love the wide angle drama of my 17-40L. On my wishlist: 135L

[chris_clarke3]

<p>I seem to change favourites. The 24L II is my current star. It's just great wide open and a very useful FL for me personally.<br>

I do also rather like my 50L. The look and bokeh are just very special. The 24L does get more use though.</p>

[pierrearnaud]

<p>24/1.4, 35/1.4, 135/2.0<br>

I like wide apertures for the short dof and brighter viewfinder ; primes because they are generally smaller, less conspicuous than zooms. Of course, all this is very subjective and depends on the type of photography one practices. </p>

[michael_attewell]

<p>I second the EF 300mm F/4 L IS USM. Its really a great lens. Its super sharp. I'm always impressed by the images I take with it.</p>

[jim_krupnik]

<p>My take on "favorite lenses" would be defined as lenses that I use so often that they are usually mounted on a camera body, and ready to go at all times. I also suppose that they would comprise the group of lenses that I would replace first if I suffered a kit disaster, and would not think of substituting with a different lens, even if I won the lottery.</p>

<p>The problem is that I own several lenses that do not fit into that category, yet I really, really like them, and they are also long standing favorites. My list is also skewed by the fact that I simply prefer to shoot with APS-C sensor bodies more often than I choose a FF body. I like FF, but for most paid and pleasure uses, I like recent APS-C bodies even more. So, don't divine anything negative about popular lenses that are not included in my list here, as that is not the purpose of posting the list. Some of my most loved lenses are very fast primes, and macro primes, but when I tally the actual shutter time they see, they really don't come close to the four lenses that made the list.</p>

<p>A few decades ago, the list would have have been almost exclusively prime FD lenses. My medium format lens kit is all prime lenses to this day, and that works fine, as it's a different animal than 35 mm compact photography. Times have changed, and so have 35 mm style camera lenses. I was surprised by my own answer to the question....</p>

<p>Here are the four most often used EF lenses in my kit by far. Each is always mounted on a camera for work and play, and even though I would likely select other lenses for specific needs on a trip, or a job, at least three of these lenses would always be packed as well. They just deliver great results for me, and I wouldn't be without any of them for very long. Amazingly, none of them are primes......</p>

<p>1. Canon EF-S 10-22 f/3.5-4.5. APS-C cameras shine at the long end of the typical focal range, but fall way short at the ultra wide to wide angle end. This lens is just incredible. It is L quality or better in performance, and fills the crop sensor gap perfectly. There are alternative lenses on the market, and many people are happy with them, but this lens sets the performance standard for me. At these focal lengths, a fast aperture is not important for DOF issues, and IS isn't a mandatory life saver, so I will gladly trade lens speed for optical performance, and let modern camera sensor technology pick up the 1/2 stop in light sensitivity. There is no equivalent FF L zoom to take it's place on a crop camera. This lens simply rocks, and I would not be without it. It is a work of optical art.</p>

<p>2. Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS. This is simply the best zoom lens in it's focal range that money can buy for an APS-C camera. In this focal range, IS and f/2.8 are very important tools with an APS-C camera, and this lens delivers in spades. I don't believe that there is any value priced lens on the market that can compete with this lens, and I know from direct personal experience that no Canon L lens of similar range offers a better choice for an APS-C body (I own the L alternatives, and will never use them on a crop camera unless this lens is trashed). This lens is by far the single most often used lens in my kit, and has been shared between five camera bodies over six years or so in commercial and personal service. It is nearly bullet proof, and is probably my favorite all around lens of all time.</p>

<p>3. Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS. Valid arguments can be made for choosing the f/4 version, or a non-IS version, but for me, f/2.8, and IS are seriously valuable assets, and are even more valuable on a crop camera. My lens is seven years old or so, and it is worth more used today than I paid for it new. It has also put up with years of brutal treatment, and only the factory hood shows the strain. It's frequency of use placed it on my list, and I absolutely love this lens. Despite the announcement of the MkII version, this lens is a Canon performance legend, and even if it's not quite an heirloom, it will likely continue to perform it's duties at a premium level long after I'm dead.</p>

<p>4. Canon 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 DO IS. It's not fast, but it is as smooth as silk, ultra compact when collapsed, has a fast AF motor, great optical performance and outstanding IS. I bought it for my FF cameras, but it found it's way into regular use across platforms. It made the list over several sweet primes, and it is by far my go-to long stealth zoom. The green ring looks pretty nice too, but that wasn't a list factor.....</p>

<p>Here are three of my favorites,</p>

<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3329/4638627135_0e6fa8f261.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></p>

<p>And the 70-300 next to my number one favorite lens of all time.....</p>

<p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2367/2515541934_d350cdbee2.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></p>

<p> </p>

[nhut-nguyen]

<p>Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM, excellent lens for bird photography, light enough to hanhhold and when paired with my 7D it's equivalent to 800mm.</p>

[steve_mason5]

<p>My 16-35 L for the awesome colour and contrast.<br>

My 100-400L for versatility for wildlife.<br>

My 50 1.8 for sharpness (I really must use this more)<br>

My 100 2.8 macro for well, macro, it really does macro well!<br>

I'd say my 28-138 IS, for "if you can only carry one lens" but it always seems too long at the short end, and too short at the long end. :)</p>

[nick roberts]

<p>15mm Fisheye - although by no means my most used lens, it's featured in a high proportion of the better ones, as it's a lens that makes you think very hard.<br>

24-105 - as many have said, a terrific walkabout lens for full frame.<br>

28mm f1.8 - compact, fairly fast and fairly wide, it's great for so many things.<br>

70-300 IS USM - cheap, smallish and light, and pretty respectable quality, it's great company for the 24-105.<br>

200mm f2.8 - wonderful lens that again isn't too hard to carry.</p>

<p>On the EF-S front, the 15-85 is growing on me, it mates well with the 7D.</p>

[ilya_e]

<p>For the past few months my most favorite walkabout lens was Zeiss 50mm f/2 Makro Planar ZE. It's tack sharp with excellent contrast and color rendition plus offers macro when I need it. Before Zeiss I've been mostly using Canon 24-70mm f/2.8. My 2nd most used lens is a Canon 85mm f/1.2 II. 3rd most used is Voigtlander 125mm Macro APO Lanthar f/2.5 SL. I think this lens is simply unbeatable in its class plus offers true 1:1 macro (which my 50mm Zeiss does not). I also have 70-200mm f/4 and I love its IQ but I haven't been using it much since acquiring Voigtlander. </p>

[simon_t1]

<p>24-70 f2.8L and 85mm f1.8. Why? simply because they are sharp.</p>

[lee_derrickson]

<p>As the question did say "lenses" here goes. My favorite had been the EF-S 17-85, but it developed a focusing issue recently. Favorites are:<br>

EF 28 2.8<br>

EF 50 1.8<br>

EF 300 f4 IS<br>

EF 400 f5.6.<br>

But really, I like 'em all. Recently been using the EF-S 18-55 IS 3.5-5.6 in lieu of the 17-85. Looks like the next purchase will be the EF-S15-85.</p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>Like many I have moved from primes to zooms over the last few years so here are my favourites<br>

100 f2.8 L IS Macro - Sharp and great for portraits (despite being designed for Macro)<br>

70-200 F4 L IS - much lighter than my F2.8 lens and just as sharp<br>

16-35 F2.8 II - while not as sharp as primes it is great lens and saves carrying a bag of wide angle primes<br>

24-70 f2.8 - a good lens despite is weight</p>

[steven_crist]

<p>My 35L, 85L and 135L. Though not as versatile as my L zooms, they give great results under most any lighting conditions. I also like the 50mm focal length increase between each lens.</p>

[adamczyk]

<p>70-200 f4 non-is. Its just a perfect with my 40D in size and weight, not to mention sharp!</p>

[nico_lilien]

<p>Probably the 70-200 f4 non-is as I've even modified the bag to accomodate the 40d+lens.<br /> It is robust, versatile and the weight is doable for a day of handholding...</p>

[mark_pierlot]

<p>Thanks, everyone, for your responses. There were a few surprises amongst the favourites, and it was good fun to hear which lenses other photographers like using.</p>