Got this from dpreview. Guy's name Dan
"I'm kicking myself right now for wasting so much money figuring out what lenses I really wanted. I have a barely used 20-35mm f/3.5 - 4.5 and a brand new 35mm f/2 up for auction on eBay, and they're just two more of the lenses that I've bought and now will sell at a significant loss. Hopefully, this post will help you learn from my mistakes.
I bought my 10d after a long time of point and shoot digital cameras and then the Olympus E-10. I never had an interchangeable lens SLR, and I knew I wanted something a little longer than the E-10.
My first purchase was the 28-135IS, because everyone here was recommending it at the time. It is a very nice lens, but I use it only infrequently now - only when I can only travel with ONE lens. The problem is that the lens isn't as sharp as my L zooms (obviously) and its not wide enough for some indoor use.
During the first dinner party I attended after getting my 10d and 28-135is, I realized that the 28mm (effective 45mm) wide end of the lens was too long. I was taking picture of peoples facing while trying to step back and get them from waist up.
I then bought the 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5, because I thought it was wide enough, and it is a lot cheaper than the 17-40. Unfortunatley, I found that the 20mm sometimes wasn't wide enough, and the 35mm often wasn't long enough. Its on eBay right now, and I'm about to lose a lot of money after only owning it for a few months. Trying to buy cheaper has been expensive, as I ended up buying the 17-40 soon thereafter.
My next lens was the 50mm f1.4. I like this lens a lot, but after getting my other lens (listed below), I felt like its sharpness wasn't worth the problems with focal length. With a 1.6 crop factor on the 10D, D30, D60 or Digital Rebel, the 50mm really isn't that useful for me indoors. That being said, I'll hold onto it for a while. I attended a wedding this weekend and I got some great ceremony shots at F/1.4 without flash that I would never have been able to do with a slower lens.
Uphappy with how long the 50mm was, and still wanting a sharp lens, I bought a 35mm f/2. This is a great lens - VERY SHARP, but its now on eBay, and I'm about to lose a lot of money selling it because I bought the 24.70 f/2.8, discussed below.
Wanting a long lens, I bought the 70-200 F/4L. Everyone talked about what a great bargain this lens is, and it is great outdoors in bright light. The problem is that, on a cloudy day, its too slow. I found that I didn't use it much because the f/4, even with a high ISO, often wouldn't allow me handhold without getting shakes. At the short end, however, I loved this lens for portraits. The lens is incredibly sharp, and its a bargain for a great L lens, but if its too slow, the price really didn't matter, since I wasn't using it.
Next came the 24-70L F/2.8, and it is great. It is very big, but the quality is fantastic - it feels great, and its very sharp. I find myself unhappy with the results from the 28-135is because I think the 24-70 is significantly better. I also like the wide end of this lens much more, because I find that 24mm typically is wide enough, while 28mm wasn't wide enough.
I then got in on the Dell deal on the 70-200IS, and I immediately sold the 70-200F4. After only a few days with the IS, I knew that it was a much more useful lens, because it was hand holdable at slower shutter speeds b/c of the IS. Thus, I sold the 70-200 F/4 two weeks ago on eBay and again lost a fair amount of money.
Just this week, I was hired to do a small wedding, and I decided the 20-35mm really wasn't wide enough or sharp enough, so I bought the 17-40mm F/4. I REALLY hope I don't regret this decision. I lusted after the 16-35mm f/2.8, but I decided that I valued the extra 5mm on the long end more than the extra stop, because I typically use the wide angle lens indoors with a flash, and I found my 20-35mm would have been better if it was longer.
So, after a lot of mistakes, I am keeping (for now):
17-40mm f/4 - the wide angle indoor choice
24-70 f/2.8 - walk around lens when not too heavy
28-135is - when i can only bring one lens in a small bag
50mm f/1.4 - when I know I'm taking available light shots indoors
70-200 IS f/2.8 - for anything long, when I don't mind a big camera bag.
It wouldn't surprise me if I get rid of the 28-135mm and maybe even the 50mm within the next 6 months or so. They are my least used lenses now, and it would leave me with just the three most useful for my photography.
When I first started with my 10D, I couldn't believe that some people actually owned the 17-40, 24-70 and 70-200IS L zooms, as it seemed like such a huge investment. Now, I wish I had thought more about it and not tried to find cheaper replacements like the 35mm f/2, 20-35 f3.5-f4.5 or 70-200 f4.
The nice thing about canon glass is that it holds most of its value for years to come. When you sell it within a few months, however, you take almost the same hit you would take if you sold it after a few years.
Good luck to all, and I hope someone can learn from my expensive mistakes.
- Dan "
"I'm kicking myself right now for wasting so much money figuring out what lenses I really wanted. I have a barely used 20-35mm f/3.5 - 4.5 and a brand new 35mm f/2 up for auction on eBay, and they're just two more of the lenses that I've bought and now will sell at a significant loss. Hopefully, this post will help you learn from my mistakes.
I bought my 10d after a long time of point and shoot digital cameras and then the Olympus E-10. I never had an interchangeable lens SLR, and I knew I wanted something a little longer than the E-10.
My first purchase was the 28-135IS, because everyone here was recommending it at the time. It is a very nice lens, but I use it only infrequently now - only when I can only travel with ONE lens. The problem is that the lens isn't as sharp as my L zooms (obviously) and its not wide enough for some indoor use.
During the first dinner party I attended after getting my 10d and 28-135is, I realized that the 28mm (effective 45mm) wide end of the lens was too long. I was taking picture of peoples facing while trying to step back and get them from waist up.
I then bought the 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5, because I thought it was wide enough, and it is a lot cheaper than the 17-40. Unfortunatley, I found that the 20mm sometimes wasn't wide enough, and the 35mm often wasn't long enough. Its on eBay right now, and I'm about to lose a lot of money after only owning it for a few months. Trying to buy cheaper has been expensive, as I ended up buying the 17-40 soon thereafter.
My next lens was the 50mm f1.4. I like this lens a lot, but after getting my other lens (listed below), I felt like its sharpness wasn't worth the problems with focal length. With a 1.6 crop factor on the 10D, D30, D60 or Digital Rebel, the 50mm really isn't that useful for me indoors. That being said, I'll hold onto it for a while. I attended a wedding this weekend and I got some great ceremony shots at F/1.4 without flash that I would never have been able to do with a slower lens.
Uphappy with how long the 50mm was, and still wanting a sharp lens, I bought a 35mm f/2. This is a great lens - VERY SHARP, but its now on eBay, and I'm about to lose a lot of money selling it because I bought the 24.70 f/2.8, discussed below.
Wanting a long lens, I bought the 70-200 F/4L. Everyone talked about what a great bargain this lens is, and it is great outdoors in bright light. The problem is that, on a cloudy day, its too slow. I found that I didn't use it much because the f/4, even with a high ISO, often wouldn't allow me handhold without getting shakes. At the short end, however, I loved this lens for portraits. The lens is incredibly sharp, and its a bargain for a great L lens, but if its too slow, the price really didn't matter, since I wasn't using it.
Next came the 24-70L F/2.8, and it is great. It is very big, but the quality is fantastic - it feels great, and its very sharp. I find myself unhappy with the results from the 28-135is because I think the 24-70 is significantly better. I also like the wide end of this lens much more, because I find that 24mm typically is wide enough, while 28mm wasn't wide enough.
I then got in on the Dell deal on the 70-200IS, and I immediately sold the 70-200F4. After only a few days with the IS, I knew that it was a much more useful lens, because it was hand holdable at slower shutter speeds b/c of the IS. Thus, I sold the 70-200 F/4 two weeks ago on eBay and again lost a fair amount of money.
Just this week, I was hired to do a small wedding, and I decided the 20-35mm really wasn't wide enough or sharp enough, so I bought the 17-40mm F/4. I REALLY hope I don't regret this decision. I lusted after the 16-35mm f/2.8, but I decided that I valued the extra 5mm on the long end more than the extra stop, because I typically use the wide angle lens indoors with a flash, and I found my 20-35mm would have been better if it was longer.
So, after a lot of mistakes, I am keeping (for now):
17-40mm f/4 - the wide angle indoor choice
24-70 f/2.8 - walk around lens when not too heavy
28-135is - when i can only bring one lens in a small bag
50mm f/1.4 - when I know I'm taking available light shots indoors
70-200 IS f/2.8 - for anything long, when I don't mind a big camera bag.
It wouldn't surprise me if I get rid of the 28-135mm and maybe even the 50mm within the next 6 months or so. They are my least used lenses now, and it would leave me with just the three most useful for my photography.
When I first started with my 10D, I couldn't believe that some people actually owned the 17-40, 24-70 and 70-200IS L zooms, as it seemed like such a huge investment. Now, I wish I had thought more about it and not tried to find cheaper replacements like the 35mm f/2, 20-35 f3.5-f4.5 or 70-200 f4.
The nice thing about canon glass is that it holds most of its value for years to come. When you sell it within a few months, however, you take almost the same hit you would take if you sold it after a few years.
Good luck to all, and I hope someone can learn from my expensive mistakes.
- Dan "
