Which lense to fill in the gap?

[gtirman]

This is my kitty of lenses and i wish to upgrade the mid-range item.[17-85 ]

Tokina 11-16, Canon kit 17-85, Canon 70-200 L 2.8

Lense useage is 80% landscape, 10% people and 10% fauna and flora.
I have been given open slather [within reason :} to purchase a good lense.
Two other notes worth mentioning......i just luurve my 70-200 as i do heaps of travelling.

Any pointers greatly appreciated as i have only one bight of the cherry!!

cheers John

[SieSmith]

What about the EFS 15-85 f3.5-5.6 IS USM? It's a bit sharper and wider than your existing lens, with good reviews:-

http://www.lenstip.com/220.4-Lens_re...esolution.html

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showp...ct/1293/cat/11

I'm really happy with mine, although i haven't had many others to compare against i'm afraid.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Sie

[gtirman]

Thanks Sie...i'll do some homework on that lense.

Also just to add....i was thinking more on the L quality type lenses altho not necessarily Canon.
My rich Auntie will buy this lense for me whatever lense i so choose. I just dont want to get the most expensive but rather the best for say under a 1000 USD.


Any more tips Folks ?

[amk1977]

Personally I wouldn't bother replacing your current standard zoom lens with one that is the same slow f/ stop. Your Tokina is an excellent super wide angle lens and so I wouldn't be concerned with a standard zoom purely because it can go as wide as 15mm.

If it were me, I'd look at Canon's f/2.8 offerings, with the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM coming to mind. Both are very sharp lenses and a big step up in optical quality from the kit lenses in clarity and chromatic aberration.

Either lens would fit nicely in between the Tokina and the 70-200mm and make for an excellent travelling kit.

You also might want to consider Canon's 50mm f/1.8 MKII. Very cheap lens with amazing image quality for the money and a bit more to play with in terms of low light. Throw in a some auto extension tubes and you have a cheap yet very effective macro lens.

[gtirman]

That is exactly the info i was chasing AMK and i thank you for it. The 24-70 sounds perfect for filling in the gap and i just love those fast lenses.
Another one i will throw in is the Tamron xr DI 2 17-50 2.8.....it looks the goods too :}

"Throw in a some auto extension tubes and you have a cheap yet very effective macro lens. "
Can you expand on this statement please....you have my attention now LOL

[amk1977]

Hi GTI,

The auto extension tubes are just that, tubes that of various lengths ranging for example from 12mm, to 36mm. They are attached to the lens, prior to mounting on the camera body. As they increase the distance away from the sensor, they increase the magnfication and transversely, dramatically decrease the depth of field.

They can be a very good way of taking macro photographs, without spending hundreds on a dedicated macro lens. The Canon 50mm that I mentioned is also an excellent close portrait lens too.

[gtirman]

Thanks so much for that great info....i've now started shopping for those lens'
All the best for 2011 :}