Newby with Canon 7D Looking for Lens Advise

[Airbear232]

Hi, My DW gave me a Canon 7d for my birthday last year. I absolutely love the camera and am still learning the intricacies of using it. I have the kit 15-85 lens that came with it. We use the camera mainly for family and vacation pics. I'm interested in being able to take landscape/architectural pics and possibly some at sporting events. My question is what would be choice for a new lens.

 

My 7d is not full frame and the of the offerings for EF-S the 18-200, 10-22 and 60mm seem to be good value. Which of these would be best choice for a second lens? Is it better to stay with an EF-S lens or is it better to go with a comparable (though more pricey) EF lens.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.

[donaldsc]

Hi, My DW gave me a Canon 7d for my birthday last year. I absolutely love the camera and am still learning the intricacies of using it. I have the kit 15-85 lens that came with it. We use the camera mainly for family and vacation pics. I'm interested in being able to take landscape/architectural pics and possibly some at sporting events. My question is what would be choice for a new lens.

 

My 7d is not full frame and the of the offerings for EF-S the 18-200, 10-22 and 60mm seem to be good value. Which of these would be best choice for a second lens? Is it better to stay with an EF-S lens or is it better to go with a comparable (though more pricey) EF lens.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.

 

In the end, you will end up with both the 10-22 and the 18-200 so you may as well get them sooner rather than later.

 

If you find yourself trying to get more stuff in the pictures and hitting walls, you need a wider than the 15-85 you now have and this is where the 10-22 comes in. Sigma makes an 8 - 16 that you might also want to look at - difference between your 18 and 8 is really significant and you will even see a difference between an 8 and a 10.

 

The 18-200 makes a great carry lens if you want to take your camera only a single lens. The range is great.

 

My suggestion would be to find a camera store that has both of them and fool around with them including taking your own card and bringing home some pictures.

 

DON

[Paulhc]

Hi, My DW gave me a Canon 7d for my birthday last year. I absolutely love the camera and am still learning the intricacies of using it. I have the kit 15-85 lens that came with it. We use the camera mainly for family and vacation pics. I'm interested in being able to take landscape/architectural pics and possibly some at sporting events. My question is what would be choice for a new lens.

 

My 7d is not full frame and the of the offerings for EF-S the 18-200, 10-22 and 60mm seem to be good value. Which of these would be best choice for a second lens? Is it better to stay with an EF-S lens or is it better to go with a comparable (though more pricey) EF lens.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.

 

Hi,

 

I can highly recommend the canon EFS 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. It is pricey but at f/2.8 it is fast and it has Image stabilization. The 10-22mm is also a great lens but slower and lacks stabilization. I own both and would get the 17-55 first. The 10-22 is great for interior architectural shots since it so wide. For sports to goto lens is the cannon EF 70-200 f/2.8 L but it is very pricey.

 

The two reasons to stick with EF lens versus EFS lens are 1) if you plan on upgrading to a full frame camera in the future the EF lens will work on it and 2) Canon's L series of lenses (their "upscale" line) only come in EF mounts. I personally see no reason to avoid a EFS lens if that lens fits your needs.

[pilotdane]

First, I've never understood buying a very expensive camera and using cheap lenses. I tend to go in the other direction with good glass and less concern about the camera body.

 

I second Paulhc's recommendation of the 17-55 f2.8. It's a sharp, fast lens. The 70-200 f2.8 is also an incredible lens but larger & heavier than I would consider for a general walk around lens. The 24-105 f4 L might be a good choice for you. It has a good useful zoom range and is reasonably sized. Unfortunately all of the mentioned lenses have a comma in the price.

 

Personally I'm not a huge fan of trying to go super wide angle with a crop sensor. You can do it but it seems like you are fighting it. It's an area where a full frame shines.

[tmitchell82]

Hi, My DW gave me a Canon 7d for my birthday last year. I absolutely love the camera and am still learning the intricacies of using it. I have the kit 15-85 lens that came with it. We use the camera mainly for family and vacation pics. I'm interested in being able to take landscape/architectural pics and possibly some at sporting events. My question is what would be choice for a new lens.

 

My 7d is not full frame and the of the offerings for EF-S the 18-200, 10-22 and 60mm seem to be good value. Which of these would be best choice for a second lens? Is it better to stay with an EF-S lens or is it better to go with a comparable (though more pricey) EF lens.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.

 

I have the Canon 10-22 that I use on my 60D. Got it last year before we went on our cruise out of NYC and loved it for taking pictures of landscapes and various buildings and such in NYC It is specifically for a crop sensor camera though, so if you are ever going to consider going to a full frame camera something to think about.

 

Tim

[Ravi09]

First you have to ask yourself, is the 15-85mm limiting you to what you want to achieve. How many times you want to take a photo but your lens is not enough to cover the scene. Taking landscape photos is not just limited to 10-15mm focal range. The 7D is a great camera and like you said, you are still learning the intricacies of using it. Spend more time to familiarize the 7D and I'm sure the 15-85mm will give you great photos. As for the 2nd lens, the 70-200mm f4 IS would be my choice.

[chipmaster]

Landscape/architecture: 10-22mm range

Sports: 70-200 2.8, you can never be too fast or too long :D

 

On the wide side, Canon, Sigma, Tamron and Tokina all make alternatives.

 

On the long side: Canon F4 or the 3 versions of their 2.8 70-200. Tamron makes a good 2.8 IQ wise but poor for focus speed. Sigma 70-200 2.8 good for focus speed less for IQ.

 

Either way you go expect to spend some more money on the order of 1.5 to 4K.

 

A superzoom is a good lense to expand your range for just a few $. I'd start with the superzoom and rent the sports lense on a need base. Depending on how you shoot you could find you want/use and get a superwide or find you can live with 18 for a longtime.

 

 

Hi, My DW gave me a Canon 7d for my birthday last year. I absolutely love the camera and am still learning the intricacies of using it. I have the kit 15-85 lens that came with it. We use the camera mainly for family and vacation pics. I'm interested in being able to take landscape/architectural pics and possibly some at sporting events. My question is what would be choice for a new lens.

 

My 7d is not full frame and the of the offerings for EF-S the 18-200, 10-22 and 60mm seem to be good value. Which of these would be best choice for a second lens? Is it better to stay with an EF-S lens or is it better to go with a comparable (though more pricey) EF lens.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

Tamron 18-270 super zoom ftw. Not the best glass out there but what capability for an all around lens.

http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-18-270mm-3-5-6-3-Aspherical-Cameras/dp/B004FN1W28

[Airbear232]

Hi,

 

Thanks everyone for some great feedback, I’ve been taking a deeper dive into things and while I really like my 7D and don’t anticipate upgrading it anytime soon, the feedback on EF lens as a longer term investment makes some sense to me.

 

Given this, in terms of the EF-S 18-200 would it be better to go for the EF 70-200 f/4L USM?

 

I might be able to splurge for a little better than either of these two, but I think the EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM might be a little bit of a budget buster (even with the great rebates from Canon right now).

 

I’ve read that the EF 70-200 f/4L IS USM is relatively new and a superior product to the older EF 70-200 f/2.8L USM, would you agree?

 

I like to get your feedback on the EF 70-200 f/4L IS USM vs the EF 70-300 4-5.6L IS USM? They’re both relatively new and comparably priced.

 

I really like the idea of taking a card and or my camera to a store and trying different lens, this might be the best way to finalize a choice based upon feedback I get.

 

Thanks,

Aaron

[Bescotti]

I've had the 7D since it was first released and absolutely love it. I've combined it with the Canon 15-85mm and the Canon 70-200 f/4 IS. I also have other lenses which fit such as the Canon 70-300 IS, macro, superwide, etc but the 15-85 and 70-200 f4 IS are the ones I travel with and the ones I take when I'm going out for the day and don't want to look like a packhorse.

 

The 70-200mm f/4 IS is my favourite lens - superb quality and build and also very light. I took it on a land tour to Africa last year and because of its design it didn't get dust inside it. I use it primarily for wildlife and sports photography and I also have the Canon 1.4iii extender so I really don't use my 70-300 IS lens that much any more.

 

I belong to a camera club and most 7D users have the 70-200 f4 IS as it's such a great combination.

 

Also, if I decide to go to full frame down the track the 70-200 can still be used.

[Airbear232]

I've had the 7D since it was first released and absolutely love it. I've combined it with the Canon 15-85mm and the Canon 70-200 f/4 IS. I also have other lenses which fit such as the Canon 70-300 IS, macro, superwide, etc but the 15-85 and 70-200 f4 IS are the ones I travel with and the ones I take when I'm going out for the day and don't want to look like a packhorse.

 

The 70-200mm f/4 IS is my favourite lens - superb quality and build and also very light. I took it on a land tour to Africa last year and because of its design it didn't get dust inside it. I use it primarily for wildlife and sports photography and I also have the Canon 1.4iii extender so I really don't use my 70-300 IS lens that much any more.

 

I belong to a camera club and most 7D users have the 70-200 f4 IS as it's such a great combination.

 

Also, if I decide to go to full frame down the track the 70-200 can still be used.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'm down to either the 70-200mm f/4L IS or the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM. Tough choice!

[Ravi09]

If I have my choice, I'll go with the 70-200mm f4 IS. I have the non-IS one and with 1.4x teleconverter is an excellent travel lens to cover the zoom range for my 7D.