Which lens for Canon 7D

[pickie]

My head is about to explode im getting a canon 7D in the next few weeks im looking for a zoom lense that also does wide but i want a fairly good top end too, i know theres the 18-200 but after reading reviews they all say it got record breaking barrel distortion at 18mm and not so good at 200 and not very sharp anywhere inbetween, then i looked at the 28-135 is usm but again reviews say it not overly good, i understand reviews can be a bit over the top with the most miniscure things but i want to get the right lense to begin with, id like to stay with canon lenses as i feel there better than the 3rd party companys also i want USM for fast silent focusing and dont want to spend any more then 400 quid on it

any advice apreciated

Mike

[{{909}}]

do you want the moon on a stick while you are at it?

seriously, if you want good glass, you have to pay for it. The wider the range of the lens, the lower the image quality gets, although for many people the quality of a mid range 'budget' lens is enough.
If you never see yourself printing above A4, then just about anything will do as any problems with sharpness wont become visible at smaller print sizes.

Personally I would go for a 2 lens set up, a wide to mid zoom like 24-70 and a 70-300, but you will need to spend maybe 300 on each to get good quality glass. This to me is what I would class as the best value for your money.

If you want a 1 lens system, it makes very little sense to buy a DSLR.

[cosmicma]

i think 400 quid isn't enough for a high end lens although it will buy you a decent mid ranged one
if second hand isn't a problem you could do more but the only canon L glass i can think of for 400 quid ( second hand ) is the 70 - 200 F4 L non IS which is a very good lens but might not be the focal length your looking for
next on the list would be either the 24 - 70 ( as already stated ) or the 24 - 105 F4 L IS but your looking at around 650 quid second hand for those ( more or less )

the 50 - 250 canon lens is a good budget lens that won't break the bank but it depends what your looking for if quality is the most important then i think you need to add to the budget a little

[pickie]

Ok cheers for the info

[Little John]

I have a sigma 18-200 and its pants, ok maybe not that bad but I bought it after I bought the canon 24-70 and 70-200 2.8IS which are pretty good lenses not much change from £2600. I bought it thinking that it will be great for the times I want to travel light and not lug the other kit arround with me. It is in the sock drawer and never gets used unless my dad wants to borrow a camera and I carry the camera bag with all the bits.

Your buying quite a highend camera so dont go putting a crap lens on it, if you want I will send you my 18-200, 500D with genuine canon grip and 2 sets of batteries and a couple of decent memory cards if you want to send me your 7D?

[pickie]

cheers for the info little john and nice try but i think ill keep the 7D

[BertRoot]

Trying to trade outside BST. Shame on you LJ.

[greaseweasel]

That really is a tough call.

To get a wide angle to tele lens will be full of compromises. I went for decent L telephoto lenses, and for the short range went for a Sigma 18-125.

The sigma is only £250 but has brilliant IQ for the price. A little barrel distortion at 18mm, but certainly nothing to worry about.

If you really want Canon and have the budget, go for a 24-105 and a 70 - 300. Both these are L lenses and together will set you back close to 2 big ones though.

Unfortunately with DSLR's it really is a case of you get what you pay for.

[bomberman]

I have a 15-85 which I find most useful and use the most.

[Little John]

Ohh yeah if you want wide then look at the canon 10-22mm I love the one I have. if you dont want to spend so much then reports on one of the sigma 10-20mm are very good the other is just good I can never remember which is the better lens of the pair.

Have you been put off yet? welcome to the bottemless money pit that is a camera bag. Have you bought a bag yet? your going to need one to look after your 7D and buy one that is bigger than you think you need as you always need more space. I used ebay to buy my last bag you can pick up some decent bargains from people who bought a bag to find it too small, I got a crumpler pretty bella full photo backpack £100+ worth of bag for about £35 delivered.

A good lens will always be a good lens and depreciation is quite light especially compared to the depreciation of camera bodys. I would let you come and play with some nice lenses if you were closer but your not so no point 10-22, 24-70, 70-200, 300 1.4x and a 2x all canon and f/2.8 (except the 10-22)

[BertRoot]

If you want a phenomenal wide angle and can find it at a reasonable price try the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8. Sharp as fuck and f/2.8.

[greaseweasel]

I'm puzzled as to why a 7D is the choice. Is it a present etc?
If your coughing up your own money for it but only have 400 notes left for a lens, I'd say get a cheaper body and better glass.

Something like a 550 or 600 is still a great body, but at the end of the day a 7D with cheap glass is like a Ferrari with the engine from a metro in it. Nice to use, but disappointing performance for the cost.

[pickie]

cheers for all the info still no wiser to what lense though , yes ill be buying the 7D myself cos i want the 7 FPS and 18 Mp sensor and will more than likely do everything i want to as its a semi pro body, its going to be a toy for me so prob wont get used very often hence why im not interesed in 2 grand lenses just yet 1.5 grand is the max in willing at this moment to spend on it, you never know at a later date i might go for a L lense

[greaseweasel]

Fair play if thats the body you want, but the high fps (over 8 - I have one myself ) wont be much use without a decent fast lens. With budget lenses on that body, you'll be frustrated it can't deliver what you expect. Its all about matching the budget of body and lens together.

I've used mine for motorsport and wildlife (birds in flight etc), and the super fast shutter speed, whilst great to have, is not the be all and end all.

Not knocking your choice, but when I got into photography, the one thing I always heard was "glass first, body second", and I now know this to be true.

Just a thought before you take the final plunge fella.

[{{909}}]

you could look at another brand for FPS and megapixels...the Sony A77 is 12fps and 24megapixels...

[Little John]

You will realize very quickly that 8fps isn't that great when you have thousands of photos to go through at the end of the day. You will quickly learn to time your shots to reduce the number you have to look at and delete or keep. I shoot sports and other moving objects mainly and rarely to I use continuous shutter.

[pickie]

Right well i got the 7D with the 15-85 IS USM should be with me mon for tues looking forwards to using it and getting out more to use it

[Cooleo]

7D for a toy?! I would of got a 550D and a decent lens or two! The only advantages the 7D has over the 550D, is better autofocus, better body, better FPS and slightly better shutter speed. I wouldn't pay the extra 600 quid extra for a toy, especially if you don't really have a professional use for it.

[pickie]

Money to burn, and i like the best ( i know it isnt the best in the canon range but its what my budget could strech to at this moment) looking at the 70-300 DO as my next lens sometime around april, got the 7D today and all the buttons are rather daughnting :/ but im sure ill slowly work my way around itjust waiting for battery to charge, god dam hurry up battery

[BertRoot]

Fuck their opinions mate. Everyone else always thinks they know better cos they have had a camera for six months. Personally I would have gone for one decent lens and maybe a 60D but you got what you wanted and your collection of glass can grow with you as you discover what you want to do.

One thing though lens doesn't have a e on the end.