Canon EF 24-105mm f4L/EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens

[k_meade]

<p>I'm going from a 35mm film SLR to DSLR (Canon EOS 6D), and I am unsure if I should buy just the camera body for $2,000 or the camera body with the EF24-105mm f4L IS USM Kit lens for $2,700. I currently have 2 lenses: EF 50mm f/1.4 prime and EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom (both Canon lenses). I also know for sure that I am going to purchase a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L lens.<br>

<br />My question is should I buy the 6D with the 24-105mm lens or do you think that my 28-135mm is "good enough" and the 24-105mm would be a waste?. The 24-105mm seems to cost around $1,100 by itself, so I'd be getting it for basically $700 (a $400 discount) with the camera. I've never been happy with the pictures from the 28-135mm lens on my film camera, but to be honest, I'm not sure if it's just my lack of ability or the lens. Sharpness/quality is important going forward because I plan on getting to the point where I can sell my images. I would be using it for photographs of people and probably a walk around lens (or any nature picture that my wide angle can quite catch).<br>

I know one answer might be to get the 6D and use it with the 28-135mm to see if I can get my images to improve and buy the 24-105mm later; however, since I have a limited amount of money, I think I'd rather save the $400 now if I need the better lens since it's a package deal with the 6D. Thanks.</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>I bought a 24-105 with the 5D, to replace the 28-135. I like the extra few mm's on the wide end. the built quality is much better and optically it's better as well, less distortion and chromatic abberation. Since I have the 24-105 the 28-135 finds very little use. I'd go for the 24-105 but YMMV.</p>

<p>Also have a look at the new 24-70 f/4 that will probably be the kit lens for the 6D. It's gonna be expensive so I'd wait for reviews/tests first to see how it performs compared to the present standard lenses.</p>

[David_Cavan]

<p>We own both the 28-135, and the 24-105. The 24-105 is a better-constructed lens, with a "warm" quality that often shows up if we're shooting with both lenses simultaneously. If I had the choice and could stretch the budget I'd go with the 24-105. </p>

[k_meade]

<p>Thank you, Jos and David, for your quick responses. I'm glad to get feedback from people who have owned both. I went ahead and ordered my Canon EOS 6D with the 24-105mm lens a few minutes ago and feel good about this decision. Even though it's going to tighten my budget for the other things I need to go digital (which is quite an investment), I'd rather start with a good lens especially since getting the bundle saves me $400-$500 on that lens. Now I need to research what computer programs I need for processing RAW files before the camera arrives. Thanks again.</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>5DIII comes with Canon DPP, although Lightroom 4 is my favourite. If you don't want to spend money on software have a look at freeware: RAWtherapee, UFraw, others. These are based on DCraw. GIMP is an open source alternative for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements is a less expensive alternative for Photoshop CSx. Sometimes Lightroom and Elements are offered bundled with an attractive price. These are just a few examples for RAW processing software.</p>

[k_meade]

<p>I have had Photoshop CS4 for several years, but I thought I read somewhere that the RAW files from the newer cameras may not work in it (I may have misunderstood the post). I could probably afford the $120 for Lightroom 4, but I can't afford or justify upgrading to Photoshop CS6, which I think is the most recent version at around $540.<br>

<br />Stupid question: Does Lightroom do something different that Photoshop CSx cannot do? What I mean is that do people normally have both or just one or the other. I've been shooting film my entire life and never worked with digital, and I have only used my Photoshop CS4 to repair old family pictures that I've scanned.</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>LR does RAW conversions and also the management of your pictures and image processing. LR does 98% of my processing, for the remainder I use CS4. Can't and won't afford the expenses for an upgrade to CS6.<br>

CS4 won't handle 6D RAW files, this can be circumvented by using Adobe's (free) DNG converter and processing the DNGs. Another option is working through LR or DPP and sending files as TIFF to CS4. So don't throw away your version of CS4.<br>

LR and CSx (or Elements) are different programs. Perhaps it's better to google "Lightroom vs Photoshop" to get an idea about the differences.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>You'll never get the 24-105mm any cheaper than in a bundle. Both lenses are good, but the 24-105mm is better.</p>