best standard zoom for 7D?

L

LorenS

Member
Just bought my 7D to replace my current DSLR / camcorder setup, but I'm still a bit conflicted about kitting the camera out for film. It feels like the more research I do the less sure I am. From the videos I've seen IS seems to be critically important to getting decent footage out of this camera when it's not on a tripod. As such I've crossed the Tamron 17-50mm off the list even though I'm currently very happy with this lens in Sony mount. The Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS at first glance seems to fit the bill here, but $1000 for a non-L lens with no dust / moisture sealing is a bit much for me to stomach. The new Tamron 17-50mm with image stabilization is also close, but at almost twice the cost of the non-stabilized Tamron 17-50mm it too feels overpriced. The Canon 24-105 IS seems like the best deal going right now, but the range on the 7D is a bit awkward.

Call me crazy, but my plan right now after pouring over 7D video samples and canon lens reviews is to pick up an 18-55mm kit lens (well reviewed) for ~$100 from ebay and use this as my standard zoom when shooting video. It's sharp, it's got IS, and it's cheap.

If you bought a 7D recently which standard zoom did you end up going with? Why?
 
Hey Loren,

I ended up going with Canon's new 15-85mm f3.5. It runs around 800 dollars. I have the lens, but my 7D is showing up tomorrow. I will be doing a short test with it tomorrow after class. I bought it basically because, I too, was going to go with the Tamron and another short telephoto lens that would add up to around 1000 bucks. Instead, I decided to go with one lens that can do it all. I will someday add a ~200mm lens to my collection, but this should hold me for a while.
 
what interests you about this camera?


I don't have time to search for reviews, but a quick search showed me the
kit is Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 right?


Thats way too SLOW for what most people are looking for. We want 2.8 or
faster, in a zoom.
 
If you want f/2.8 or faster in a zoom, be prepared to spend the money. Plus consider the added weight and size. I bought the EF-S 15-85mm because I wanted something I could use as a walk-around lens for stills, and a wide angle for video. Plus having a fourth generation IS built-in is a huge bonus for video work.

If you are looking to use an f/2.8 for wide angles because you want shallow DOF, don't bother. The DOF in wide angles is naturally large at that field of view. Check out any of the sites that review these lenses. They all say that throwing the background out of focus at that wide of a focal length will be very difficult.

For me, I use the EF-S 15-85mm for wide angle use, then once I get to a focal length right around 50mm, I switch to my EF 50mm f/1.4. Anything beyond that I switch to my EF 70-200 f/2.8. I really wouldn't want anything shallower at those focal lengths because the image is already pretty shallow due to the increased focal length.
 
sunburst said:
what interests you about this camera? I don't have time to search for reviews, but a quick search showed me the kit is Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 right? Thats way too SLOW for what most people are looking for. We want 2.8 orfaster, in a zoom.
Click to expand...

Yes, I am talking about the f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. I bought the 7D for increased control over depth of field, but also to combine my photo & video kits and simplify my equipment setup. I am buying a sigma 50mm f/1.4 and possibly a 85mm f/1.8 so if I'm on a tripod for interview shots I'll probably be using a prime.

sunburst said:
where is this kit lens well reviewed? thanks
Click to expand...

This photozone review thinks the 18-55mm kit lens is quite sharp / useable on a 15 megapixel body like the 50D so it should hold up on an 18 megapixel body too.
 
Sorry to say this to owners of the expensive zoom lens. The latest "IS" 18-55mm is cheap and the glass is better than those costing hundreds and thousands. I swear by it. That's how I was able to get two 7d bodies. For zoom I suggest getting the 11-16 tok and 70-200 Canon, the regular one. and complete it with the 50mm 1.8 or better yet get the faster glass. Sigma 50mm is highly recommended too.
 
xbourque said:
Canon doesn't appear to make zooms faster than 2.8... is there such a thing?

-X
Click to expand...
No, with one big exception: Olympus makes a pair of Four-Thirds zooms that do f/2.0. But of course, they're useless on other DSLRs. I don't know of any other zooms that fast, and I've done a fair amount of looking.
 
khina said:
Sorry to say this to owners of the expensive zoom lens. The latest "IS" 18-55mm is cheap and the glass is better than those costing hundreds and thousands. I swear by it. That's how I was able to get two 7d bodies. For zoom I suggest getting the 11-16 tok and 70-200 Canon, the regular one. and complete it with the 50mm 1.8 or better yet get the faster glass. Sigma 50mm is highly recommended too.
Click to expand...

Definitely going for the 11-16mm tokina. That's one of the reasons I went for the 7D over the 5D II - wide angle coverage on full frame with even decent sharpness in the corners is EXPENSIVE. Already bought my sigma 50mm f/1.4 :happy: - switched over from a Sony dslr and this was my favorite lens on that system as well.

ydgmdlu said:
No, with one big exception: Olympus makes a pair of Four-Thirds zooms that do f/2.0.
Click to expand...

Four-Thirds sensors are smaller than APS-C so you lose about a stop of DoF - hence a f/2.0 zoom gives you about the same DoF that you would get from f/2.8 on a crop body, or f/4 on a full frame.
 
LorenS said:
Four-Thirds sensors are smaller than APS-C so you lose about a stop of DoF - hence a f/2.0 zoom gives you about the same DoF that you would get from f/2.8 on a crop body, or f/4 on a full frame.
Click to expand...
The DOF difference between full frame and APS-C is 1.5 stops. The difference between full frame and Four-Thirds is 2.0 stops. Therefore, the difference between APS-C and Four-Thirds is only half a stop. It's all in Barry Green's article about DOF, aperture, and sensor size.

DOF isn't the only reason to have a faster lens. The main reason for faster lenses has always been better low-light performance.
 
ydgmdlu said:
The DOF difference between full frame and APS-C is 1.5 stops. The difference between full frame and Four-Thirds is 2.0 stops. Therefore, the difference between APS-C and Four-Thirds is only half a stop. It's all in Barry Green's article about DOF, aperture, and sensor size.

DOF isn't the only reason to have a faster lens. The main reason for faster lenses has always been better low-light performance.
Click to expand...

Was sloppy about the DoF stop differences - should've looked up the specific numbers. The smaller four thirds sensors have worse high ISO performance that should more than negate the benefits of a stop or two worth of faster glass.
 
xbourque said:
Canon doesn't appear to make zooms faster than 2.8... is there such a thing?

-X
Click to expand...

only in my dreams..

lodus411 said:
Anybody tried the Canon 24-70mm f2.8L with the 7D yet? Been thinking of getting this to replace my kit 18-135mm f3.5-f5.6.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-24-70mm...TF8&coliid=I36SXD6I5HCDKH&colid=3UKCO1YPZM7IZ

Also bought the cheapo Canon 50mm f1.8 and its works amazingly well. Really cheap housing, but a very clean image. :)
Click to expand...

have you considered one of the sharpest Canon zooms; 18-55 f2.8 IS USM ?
It's EF-S though
 
zephyrize said:
have you considered one of the sharpest Canon zooms; 18-55 f2.8 IS USM ?
It's EF-S though
Click to expand...

Still a fantastic lens and it'll still be useful down the line for future cameras. Not everything will be FF. I use it on my 7D and love it and I've got a eos-micro 4/3 adapter coming so I can try it out on my GH1 as well. Not too concerned about stopping down, since I've got some NDs to control the light coming in when I throw it on the GH1.
 
Zooms are great for wide angle stuff. The 17-55 is is great if you got $$$. Otherwise the non-is tamron is a great $400 alternative. No matter what get a good 50 1.4 or 1.8. I'd also say get a nice 20-30mm prime. Once you shoot with wide aperture and get gorgeous out of focus backgrounds you won't ever want to go back to shooting just zooms.

When not the best range, the 24-70mm is a great range for a lot of stuff, it's a great lens too. The tamron 28-75 is also a good lens. It depends on how far back you can go really. :)
 
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