Looking at buying a 2nd lens for my 7D

J

Joe Stas

Active member
Hi everyone
I currently own a 7D with an ef-s 17-55 f/2.8 which I've been enjoying for the past year. I'm looking at buying a new lens to give me some fresh shots though. I like to shoot short films and some documentary type shots for my band (interviews and fly on the wall clips), often in low light.

Just asking for opinions on what your choices would be for a 2nd lens?
 
Canon 100mm f/2.8L macro with IS, for 4 reasons: 1) extremely sharp, 2) best IS to date from Canon, 3) very different look complementary well to your 17-55, 4) it opens up a new world (macro).
 
A 70-200 f/2.8 is a great addition to any lens kit. In your situation I think it would be great for getting nice tight portraits and close-ups of the instruments.

I have the Tamron version and it is my favorite lens. I use it for everything from wedding ceremonies to surf footage to interviews.
 
all the options listed here are quite good, except I'd go for the samyang 85mm f/1.4 instead of the canon 85mm f/1.8, because of the nicer bokeh of the samyang (and the fact that it is more future-proof: get the nikon or sony mount and a dumb adapter)
 
Thanks for the advice. I'd love to buy a macro lens but I think I need to save some money to justify the expense for a lens I will use less. The Canon 100mm looks great.

Also, worth noting, I usually shoot handheld, so I assume I'd be best with something with IS?
 
IS helps a lot, specially at longer focal lengths (on APS-C, I'd say above 50mm); but a steady camera to begin with is even better...
 
Tokina 11-16/2.8 or Sigma 30/1.4 or Samyang 35/1.4

f2.8 is often not bright enough indoors, and f1.4 will also give you some isolation.

The 11-16/2.8 is great in crowded places where you cannot step back or setup a tripod. I just use a monopod for balance (steadycam style) or great for over-the-crowd type shots.
 
NormanBates said:
all the options listed here are quite good, except I'd go for the samyang 85mm f/1.4 instead of the canon 85mm f/1.8, because of the nicer bokeh of the samyang (and the fact that it is more future-proof: get the nikon or sony mount and a dumb adapter)
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The Sony Alpha mount cannot be adapted to Canon EOS without a glass element.
 
if you want macro and you can't afford the 100 L the 60/2.8 is damn good too

this pill is maybe 4mm wide
t2i with 60/2.8 macro at f13


5562868128_c8108e7497_b.jpg
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NormanBates said:
all the options listed here are quite good, except I'd go for the samyang 85mm f/1.4 instead of the canon 85mm f/1.8, because of the nicer bokeh of the samyang (and the fact that it is more future-proof: get the nikon or sony mount and a dumb adapter)
Click to expand...

I'd say the Samyang 85mm f1.4 is the worst of all the options. But cheapest.
 
Some great advice. I've been reading up on all these lenses and I think there's some very good options for me.

If I wanted a f/1.4 with image stabilisation (as I'm shooting mostly handheld at the moment), what would be the best recommendation?

I'd love to be rich... there's so many great lenses!
 
it depends on how good you are and how steady your hands can be; personally, being almost a newbie, I can't get useful footage handheld with anything above 50mm unless it has IS; with a (cheap) shoulder rig, I can go up to 90mm if I'm allowed to cut away my mistakes (also, all that is on APS-C) - now, on the samyang thing: check out these bokeh tests: the samyang 85mm f/1.4 is much, much closer to the way more expensive canon 85mm f/1.2 or zeiss 85mm f/1.4 than to the canon 85mm f/1.8 - http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/483-samyang_85_14_5d?start=1 - http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/536-zeiss85f14eosff?start=1 - http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/502-canon_85f12ff?start=1 - http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/419-canon_85_18_5d?start=1 and bokeh is really, really important on a portrait lens such as a 85mm
 
Joe Stas said:
Thanks Kin. I didn't realise. DO you think footage would be too shaky with handheld footage with a f1.4?
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The shorter the lens, the less likely you'll see shake. A monopod, or a shoulder mount will be a great help. I've shot with a my 7D, 85/1.8 and a Manfrotto 560B (video monopod with feet and fluid pods)
 
I hate to sound like a broken record, but don't forget that an 85 mm lens is a med-long telephoto lens on an APS-C. 50mm becomes your portrait lens. 24-35mm is standard. And below that is wide angle.

So if you're shooting much indoors, unless you're on a stage, 85mm is kind of not going to work there. If you're going for a fast lens for indoor work, stick to the 24-35mm range.
 
steventimothy said:
So if you're shooting much indoors, unless you're on a stage, 85mm is kind of not going to work there. If you're going for a fast lens for indoor work, stick to the 24-35mm range.
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Agreed. I've found that with the aps-c, anything longer than the 50mm isn't very useful for video except in special situations (suggest the 85 1.8 on a budget, the 100mm IS macro if you have a little more cash and definitely the 70-200 if you want to drop the cash, love that lens for concert photography, too). I shoot a lot of band stuff, too, in low light (because we're nocturnal creatures), and would suggest a very fast prime between 20-50mm with some sort of stabilization like a tripod or shoulder mount; you'll get great low light footage. I'm not familiar with the Samyang, but I end up using my Canon 50mm 1.4 a lot for low light stabilized shots. You already have the 17-55, which has been my go to for handheld low light footage.
 
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