"skymuffins" wrote in message
...
Hello, I'm new to this group. What would be THE ultimate lens selection a
Canon?
I lean a bit to the nature/wildlife side of photography, but would like to
build an all around selection of decent glass.
For this exercise, your camera bag can only hold 7 lenses, must have a mix
primes and zooms, and don't just pick all "L" glass. You have $5000 to
build your lens selection.
Enjoy.
- Harrison
Well, the 5 grand pretty much eliminates a bag full of "L" lenses, doesn't
it? But one must have "L" is the 70-200 f2.8L IS, probably with a 2x
converter. That takes care of about 2 grand. Then I'd probably throw in
the 28-135 f3.5-5.6 USM IS, just to keep the cost down over the 24-70 L. (I
love my 28-135, BTW) Now you have all the focal lengths from 28-400
covered, and you have a fast moderate telezoom. Just for hoots, throw a
50mm f1.8 in the bag, cheap at $75 but good optically. Cheap feeling
plastic, though. A 100 f2.8 Macro, I sometimes wish I'd gotten that lens
rather than the 100 f2 that I have, only $80 more. Don't get me wrong, I
really like the f2, but the macro would sometimes be nice...
I'd probably finish it off by adding a 17-40 f4L, but since we're so far
under budget, maybe I'd spring for the 16-35 f2.8L. Maybe a 15mm fisheye
for less than $600. (As an aside, I bought the Sigma version of this lens,
and the 17-35 f2.8-4 EX HSM both for under $500, but at the time the Canon
17-40 wasn't around, if it was, I probably would have bought that lens
instead.)
Your hypothetical $5000 budget precludes and exotica like the 400mm f2.8L,
500 f4L, etc. And you did say Canon lenses, so Tamron, Tokina and Sigma
long teles are out, too.
I'm not to convinced that the non "L" wide angle single focal length lenses
are any better than the "L" wide zooms, and your price limits preclude any
of the wide, fast "L" lenses like the 24mm f1.4L. All of the "L" wides run
over $1000, and the 16-35 gives acceptable speed, though not equal by any
means to the wide "L"s, and a good range...
--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com