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L Lens and EOS Rebel T3i body

calilove27
Contributor
I've been asking so many questions on here, haha.
But I'm here with another question. So I've somewhat been researching on the net about using L lens with a t3i and quite a handful of people are saying that they wouldn't work well together? So L lens aren't recommended for EOS Rebel bodies? Can someone explain this to me please.
I just recently bought the T3i and I just want a good lens. Preferably for landscape photos. I also take some sports, low light, and portrait photos.
Suggestions for landscape and all around photography lens would be great (:
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

amfoto1
Authority

Often for landscape photography people want to use a wide angle lens. Not always, there aren't any rules that say you can't use something else. I'm just sayin' it's typically the first thing that comes to mind

 

One of the best wide angles you can get for use on a T3i is the Canon EF-S 10-22mm USM. It is not an "L" but that doesn't matter.

 

I suspect what you have been told about using an L-series lens is due to your camera's crop factor, as several other responses have suggested. L-series will work just fine on your camera, but all L-series lenses are "full frame" designs, by definition. As a result, none of the L's will be particularly wide angle on your camera. So when people hear "landscape", they suggest something other than an L-series.

 

You have four different stated purposes: landscape, sports, low light and portraiture. The whole point of a DSLR such as your T3i is to be able to interchange lenses, to be able to adapt the camera for use in different situations. So I would suggest not to try to do it all with one lens, but to look at several lenses (some of which are Ls), which ultimately should give you better results. For example....

 

Wide angle landscape: EF-S 10-22mm.

 

Sports: 70-200/4, 70-200/4L IS, 70-200/2.8, 70-200/2.8L IS II, 100-400L IS, 300/4L IS.

 

Low light: 24/2.8 IS, 28/1.8, 35/2 IS, 50/1.4, 50/1.8 II, 85/1.8.

 

Portraiture (candid): 50/1.4, 85/1.8.

 

Portraiture (studio): EF-S 15-85 IS, EF 28-135 IS, 24-105L, 24-70/4 IS , 24-70/2.8L II.

 

Portraiture (environmental): 20/2.8, 24/2.8 IS, 28/1.8, 35/2 IS.

 

General purpose "walk-around" lens: EF-S 15-85 IS... or, depending upon what other lenses you get, EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS, or EF 28-135 IS, 24-105L IS, 24-70/4L IS, 24-70/2.8L II.

 

There are lots of different ways to put together a lens kit. For example, maybe you just don't need as wide a view as the 10-22mm for your landscape photography. If so, instead you might choose the EF-S 15-85mm as wide enough and because it can double as a walkaround lens and can even be useful for some portraiture.

 

A "minimal" kit I often carry around with a crop camera is: 10-22mm, 28-135 IS, 300/4 IS w/1.4X teleconverter, and a Tamron 60/2.0 macro/portrait.

 

When I'm shooting sports, which I mostly do with crop sensor cameras, I usually carry: 10-22mm and 24-70/2.8, but my most used lenses are 70-200/2.8 IS and 300/4 IS. (In certain situations I also use 70-200/4 IS and 300/2.8 IS.)

 

For portraiture with a crop sensor camera, my favorite lenses are: 28/1.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.8 and 135/2. Especially the 50mm and 85mm.

 

Your camera can use all EF-S and EF lenses, including all L-series. But just because a lens will fit and work doesn't mean it's the best choice for your purposes. In some cases buying a full frame capable lens for your camera will be wasteful.... FF lenses can be bigger, heavier and more expensive... yet not really give you any better performance, maybe even give less. For example, a 16-35/2.8L II is a wonderful lens on a FF camera, but makes little sense to buy for use on a crop camera. For less money you can either get a lens that's truly wide (EF-S 10-22mm), or a lens that offers slightly wider range of focal lengths and has IS (EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS).

 

Depth of field actually is not directly effected by different camera sensor sizes. What changes depth of field are: lens focal length, lens aperture, and distance to subject. If you are looking for shallow depth of field (blurring down a background for a portrait, for example), you need a large aperture and longer focal length... and the closer you are to the subject the more shallow depth of field will be. If, on the other hand, you want a lot of depth of field ( for a landscape shot, for example), you want to use a smaller aperture and a shorter focal length.... and the farther you are from the subject (within reason), the deeper depth of field will be.

 

Now where crop sensor vs full frame does come into effect is that in order to get the same subject framing with a crop sensor we need to stand farther away with any given focal length, or if shooting from the same distance will use a shorter focal length. In either case, the result is "less" depth of field, but it is an indirect result of the different sensor size.

 

Have fun shopping and learning your new camera!

 

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM 

 

View solution in original post

28 REPLIES 28

great! thank you Smiley Happy i'm about to buy the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens.

Actually, I believe there are some differences with the L lenses. I own four of them, the 17-40mm, 100mm F/2.8 Macro, 24-105mm and the 100-400mm. None of these lenses work correctly on my GF's crop body SL1. I did use a 70-200mm F/4 L successfully when I used to use a t3i, but none of these other L lenses seem to work correctly on crop bodies. The 100mm Macro won't get a proper focus lock, the, same with the 24-105mm and the 17-40mm. The 100-400mm autofocus doesn't work at all on the SL1 unless using it in manual focus only. All of these lenses work perfectly on my 5DS R, 5D classic, 5D Mark II and 6D, but NONE of them work on either of the 2 brand new SL1's she has.

"...NONE of them work on either of the 2 brand new SL1's she has."

 

Whatever!  It is not the lens as there is absolutely no reason an "L" lens won't work on a Rebel or SL-1.  You need to look elsewhere for this problem.  If anything an "L" lens will perform better than any other lens.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!


@liamphotography wrote:

Actually, I believe there are some differences with the L lenses. I own four of them, the 17-40mm, 100mm F/2.8 Macro, 24-105mm and the 100-400mm. None of these lenses work correctly on my GF's crop body SL1. I did use a 70-200mm F/4 L successfully when I used to use a t3i, but none of these other L lenses seem to work correctly on crop bodies. The 100mm Macro won't get a proper focus lock, the, same with the 24-105mm and the 17-40mm. The 100-400mm autofocus doesn't work at all on the SL1 unless using it in manual focus only. All of these lenses work perfectly on my 5DS R, 5D classic, 5D Mark II and 6D, but NONE of them work on either of the 2 brand new SL1's she has.


i hate to say it, but the most likely explanation is operator error.  I have used almost all of the lenses you cited on a T5. 

 

I see no reason for the "L" lenses not to function properly on a Rebel SL1.  Just make sure the camera battery is fully charged.  The bigger lenses have bigger motors, which need more power than the standard kit lenses.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

Funny as I called Canon this morning and they said that it is possible the L lenses won't work properly on the new Hybrid AF on the SL1.


@liamphotography wrote:

Funny as I called Canon this morning and they said that it is possible the L lenses won't work properly on the new Hybrid AF on the SL1.


Doesn't the 5D Mark IV have the same hybrid AF? If "L" lenses didn't work on the 5D4, we'd certainly have heard about it by now. Are you sure your SL-1 is up to date with the latest firmware?

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

Latest firmware on both SL1's and L lenses still don't work.

Unless you concentrate on the real issue you will not find the cause.  Get another SL-1 and another T3i and try them on it.

I personally have use "L" lenses on various Rebels.  They all have worked perfectly.  I have had a dozen or so Rebels and perhaps 50+ lenses over the years, they all have worked as expected.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Not going to buy 2-3 more crop bodies just to test. Both SL1s are brand new with latest firmware so unless someone else has actually tested L lenses with this model and confirmed it works, I'll go by what Canon told me on the phone.

No idea, but I doubt it's the same one as the SL1 I have not read everything on the Mark IV, but the article I read earlier said only the SL1, T5i and T6i had this new Hybrid system.

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