STANDARD LENS FOR CANON SLR WITH QPS SENSOR

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Peter Salas on April 8, 2010 at 11:49am

Hmm...I wouldn't necessarily call it "standard", but I would say that since you have a 1.5 crop factor, you would need a 35mm to get a 50mm equivalent. I've actually been looking into this and here are some things I found:

• Canon 35mm f/2.0 - Pros: Cheap and pretty crisp - Cons: No USM and relatively slow
• Canon 35mm f/1.4 L - Pros: It's an L and is crisp and fast - Cons: It's an L and it's Expensive!
• Sigma 30mm f/1.4 - Pros: Relatively cheap, fast, and pretty crisp - Cons: No USM and not Canon (if you care). Some questions about quality control.

I'm actually leaning towards the 30mm f/1.4 for the following reasons:

• Budget =)
• I have an APC sensor and thus 1.6 crop factor
• Flexibility to stop-down to an f/2.0 to gain IQ and still be a FAST lens

Hope this helps!
- Peter

Permalink Reply by MArio Vargas on April 8, 2010 at 5:37pm

Of course Peter
Im a medical doctor and pure amateur
I havenn`t issues with sigms lenses
The 30 m 1.4 is a good option
Thanks a lot
Mario

Permalink Reply by Carlton Ward on April 8, 2010 at 5:28pm

Since my Canon 50mm f/1.4 lost its ability to focus (auto or manual) as the focus ring spins and does nothing - I have decided to replace it with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 which has been getting rave reviews...

http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/overview

Carlton

Permalink Reply by Jim McConnell on April 26, 2010 at 9:29am

The standard crop factor for the Canon aps-c size sensor is 1.6,not 1.5. The crop factor for Nicon, Sony, and most of the other Sony-made sensors is 1.5. Those sensors made by Sony are a bit larger. On this camera a 35mm lens would become 56mm, and 50mm would become 80. Keep in mind when you buy any lens, you are giving up the wide-angle. Also remember, an EF type lens will fit on just about any Canon DSLR, ( ap-s or full-frame), the ef-s type lens will go only on the small (ap-s) cameras. So don`t buy an ef-s lens expecting to upgrade later to a full size camera, (like the Canon 5D II). I have the Digital Rebel XSi, (450D) which, in picture quality, I would compare to all but the most expensive cameras. The better the glass you have screwed onto the front of your camera, the better the picture you will get. My walking-around lens is a Tamron 17-55mm f/2.8 lens, for macro work, I use a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens, and for long range shots I use a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens. Now, after all this talking, I will get to your question, there is NO standard lens for a DSLR camera! A short-range zoom, (18-55mm), will probably be more useful most of the time. And a fast lens, f/2.8 or better, will give you the light advantage. I have enjoyed reading the stuff in this group, keep it up. Jim McConnell.

Permalink Reply by Richard Crowe on June 18, 2010 at 7:59am

Jim McConnel is quite right... The quality of glass is what determines the quality of the imagery far more than the camera backing it up (except, perhaps in the case of full frame DSLR bodies). The "short-range zoom" is, IMO the best lens for a 1.6x or 1.5x crop camera.

I strongly suggest that a 1.6x user base his/her lens system on the very best mid-range zoom lenses that incorporate a constant f/2.8 aperture. There are basically two lenses which I recommend: the very expensive Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and the less expensive, but quite good, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC. Either of these lenses is extremely versatile and can be used quite well in low light levels - especially if you augment the lighting with carefully and creatively used flash. The IS/VC assistance also helps make these lenses viable low light glass.

Additionally, a zoom lens will give you the freedom to crop within the camera. The blanket statment that you can "zoom with your feet" when using a prime lens is bunko. Try "foot zoooming" across Hong Kong Harbor for example. I do little, if any cropping in Photoshop because my zooms allow me the freedom to crop in the camera.

Here are two shots done with the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS augmented with a flash bounced into a Joe Demb diffuser/reflector. Both of these shots look like available light but, because of flash fill, are better than available light. They were shot with a Canon 30D which doesn't have the worlds best high ISO performance.

Hong Kong butcher - Available light augmented with a 270EX flash bounced into a Flip-It Junior (now called a Photojournalist Flip-it) - the ceiling was not conducive to bouncing - the Flip-It reflector saved the day...
[url=http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Travel/China-Focus-Tour-2010-Hong/11941703_568SH#859065145_rTous-A-LB][img]http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Travel/China-Focus-Tour-2010-Hong/Food-M...[/img][/url]

Yangshuo night market - Available light augmented with 550EX flash bounced into a Demb Flash Diffuser Pro. This was an open air market with no ceiling off which to bounce - the adjustable Flash Diffuser Pro reflector and the front baffle gave natural looking fill light.
[url=http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Other/Yangshuo-a/12005191_Wd7Vf#858911199_3wdQp-A-LB][img]http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Other/Yangshuo-a/046-Tee-shirt-artists/8...[/img][/url]

Hong Kong Harbor at night - Hand held because I did not expect to be on the Kowloon side of the Harbor that night and did not have a tripod with me. However, because of the crowds, a tripod would have been impossible to use unless I got there an hour or two early to set up in the front row and that would still have been difficult because of the press of the crowd. Luckily at 6'2" tall, I was able to shoot over the heads of the mainly Chinese crowd. Exposure 1/20 second @ f/2.8 using ISO 800. BTW: there was no avaiable place to brace the camera.
[url=http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Travel/China-Focus-Tour-2010-Hong/11941703_568SH#859682538_zS5qP-A-LB][img]http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Travel/China-Focus-Tour-2010-Hong/021-Ha...[/img][/url]