Purchasing Canon 30D......Question: Lenses?

[sanfrancisco]

Hello. I will be purchasing the Canon 30D (body only) in the next few days, and was wandering what lenses are appropriate for shooting, architecture, street, landscapes, etc. I am new to digital photography, and have done my research, but seems that lenses are a little harder to pick out. Any suggestions? Do I really need the 17-80mm that is optional with the camera?

Thanks for your help.

[bob_r]

I'm not aware of a Canon 17-80mm lens. They do have a 17-55mm lens that is their normal kit lens and there is a 17-85mm lens. Neither of those get great reviews.

I have an EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS lens that would probably be perfect for what you have in mind. It takes very sharp pictures. The only problem with it being that it is an EF-S lens and if you think you may have a full frame camera in your future, you may want to reconsider. Here's a link that will give you reviews and test results for a lot of lenses:
http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html

The shots in this post were all shot with the 17-55mm if you'd like to see some results. They are all night shots, so you really can't see how sharp the pictures are with it:
http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/foru ... php?t=1005

Hope this helps and I think you'll really like the 30D. I'm very fond of mine.

Bob R

[sanfrancisco]

Thanks for the info Bob_R. Sorry about the mistake. I meant to say 17-85mm. I will definitly check this out.

[BPK]

also take alook at the tamron 17-50 f2.8. its a lot cheaper but not far off on optical quality.

[pratman64]

I recently purchased a Canon 30D myself, my first DSLR, with a 17-85mm lens. So far, I am very happy with my decision. I admit, it's not as sharp as a 17-55mm L lens would be, but I am willing to sacrifice a little sharpness for a quite a bit of additional zoom. And the 17-85mm lens is pretty sharp in itself. It will cover a lot of ground when you're trying to shoot streets and landscapes. And, it will save you some money in the process.

I shoot portraits as well, and if that is something you want to get in, then consider Canon 200mm f/2.8L lens. It is very sharp, everywhere. The colors are vibrant, and the background bokeh is awesome. All this at around $650..!!

I hope this helps.

[bob_r]

I think the 200mm "L" lens is one of Canon's best bargains, but I don't think it would be the correct lens for portraits, especially on a 30D with an APS-C sensor.

If you're looking for a bargan lens for portraits, Canon's 50mm f/1.8 would be the best bargain. If your budget allows, the 50mm f/1.4 gives you a better lens. If you like a little more distance for portraits, Canon's 85mm f/1.8 is a fantastic lens and one of my favorites. It's a little too long for indoors, but works great outdoors.

Also, if you can stretch the lens a little farther, the 17-55mm is a terrific portrait lens. I use it a lot for indoor shots. It's not as fast as the primes, but is probably more versatile, especially when shooting with a flash.

Here's a shot of an unidentified person with the 50mm f/1.4


and one of my granddaughter with her ribbons from a horse show


and here's a few with the 85mm f/1.8:

one of my other granddaughters:


and one of her brother:


This one was taken with the 17-55mm outdoors - no flash


Hope this info is useful,

Bob R