N/A - Chris/Iceman and any other photogeeks

[Brian Austin]

Okay, I'm expanding the photo gear collection. Yes, I'm a lens geek now.

Current inventory:

Canon 20D
Tamron 28-75/f2.8
Canon EF-S 10-22/f3.5-4.5
Canon EF 70-200/f2.8L IS
Canon 2X MkII
Canon Speedlite 580EX
Sekonic L558R lightmeter

A few questions:

1. I'm looking at longer lenses, preferably in the 400-500mm range. I like the versatility of zooms but have heard very nice things regarding speed and sharpness on primes (ie non-zoom). It appears my choices (given my budget) are the Canon 100-400mm zoom, the Canon 400/f5.6L, or the Sigma 50-500mm (there is also the 170-500 but I haven't seen good things about it). The 100-400 is a favorite among Canon fans but I've heard good things about the 400/5.6L and the Sigma. Any recommendations?

2. Any recommendations on a book that specifically addresses lightmeters and how to use them? The Sekonic manual is rather light on techinque. Another book I picked up, "Understanding Light" (author escapes me at the moment), is good about light and technique...but nothing regarding lightmeters and how to utilize them.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Brian Austin]

I've got a question for you... I have the Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM, and I've been thinking about selling it and picking up either the EF-S 10-22 or the EF 17-40 f/4. Just curious if you had any thoughts about tradeoffs between those two lenses, given that they're almost exactly the same price.

Which camera are you using? EF-S lenses are limited to a few Canon models. They're specifically designed for the 1.6 crop factor sensors (APS-C size).

 

[Brian Austin]

I'm using the 300D (digital rebel body). Hoping to upgrade to a 20D, or its successor, one of these days.

That would work with the EF-S lineup. Same with the 20D and its recent successor, the 30D (just came out a few weeks ago but nothing in the distribution channel yet).

I like the 10-22 but have no comparison to the 17-40 or even your 20mm. Obviously, the zoom has its flexibilty. From what little I've used it so far (just picked it up a month ago), I haven't seen any sharpness issues, even at the edges. There is distortion in the 10-14mm range but that occurs on any wide angle outside the T/S or 'special' categories.

When the 30D hits the stores, you might PM me about my 20D. Could be for sale at that point.

 

[RotaryWingBob]

The Canon 100-400mm IS is a really nice lens. When need be, I can actually hand hold it even at 400mm!

The tradeoff is that zooms tend to be heavier and generally have a smaller effective aperture, but then again you don't have to tote around a bunch of lenses.