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Which lenses should I keep?

goody
Apprentice

Hello all, let me first say that my knowledge of photography is next to nothing. I have “inherited” some camera equipment and I know that some of the lenses are in essence “duplicates”.  I have the following Canon lenses:

EFS 10-18mm 1:4.5-5.6 IS STM

EF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 IS USM

EF 70-200mm 1:2.8 L IS USM

EFS 18-135mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS

EFS 19-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS STM

EFS 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS II

 

Two camera bodies 60D and 80D.  I plan on keeping the 80D and giving the 60D to my younger sister.  Which lenses should I keep and which should I give to her that I don’t really need?  Thanks for your time!

9 REPLIES 9

goody
Apprentice
Make that an 18-55mm


@goody wrote:

Hello all, let me first say that my knowledge of photography is next to nothing. I have “inherited” some camera equipment and I know that some of the lenses are in essence “duplicates”.  I have the following Canon lenses:

EFS 10-18mm 1:4.5-5.6 IS STM

EF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 IS USM

EF 70-200mm 1:2.8 L IS USM

EFS 18-135mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS

EFS 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS STM

EFS 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS II

 

Two camera bodies 60D and 80D.  I plan on keeping the 80D and giving the 60D to my younger sister.  Which lenses should I keep and which should I give to her that I don’t really need?  Thanks for your time!


Keep the 10-18, the 70-200, the 18-135, and the 55-250; give the rest to your sister. If you're feeling really generous, give her the 55-250 too.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

"Keep the 10-18, the 70-200, the 18-135, and the 55-250 ...."  Corrected list !  Smiley Happy

Add to your keepers the EFS 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS STM

 

If you own an ef 70-200mm f2.8L  you will not, never ever, use the latter two.  They do not belong in the same zip code as this lens.

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

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend

@goody wrote:

Hello all, let me first say that my knowledge of photography is next to nothing. I have “inherited” some camera equipment and I know that some of the lenses are in essence “duplicates”.  I have the following Canon lenses:

 

EFS 10-18mm 1:4.5-5.6 IS STM - Keeper

EF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 IS USM - Duplicated by 70-200 and 55-250 

EF 70-200mm 1:2.8 L IS USM - Keeper

EFS 18-135mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS - Keeper

EFS 19-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS STM - Sister

EFS 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS II - Sister

 

Two camera bodies 60D and 80D.  I plan on keeping the 80D and giving the 60D to my younger sister.  Which lenses should I keep and which should I give to her that I don’t really need?  Thanks for your time!


You are correct, the focal ranges are duplicated by three lenses: the 55-250, 70-300, and the 70-200.  If all of the lenses had one previous ownder that is probably the order in which they were acquired.  The 70-300 is the sore thumb. It is a better than that older version of the 55-250.  BUT.  It would be useful to you for the 300mm focal length, though.



The 18-55 and 55-250 are a natural pairing.  They used to be packaged together in Canon DSLR camera kits.  Those two lenses, with the 60D, is a complete starter package. A good add to this package would be the least expensive lens that Canon currently sells, the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

The 18-135 was also packaged in Canon DSLR camera kits.  That focal length is packged in 80D kits today, but with an updated version of the lens.  The 10-18 is a great wide angle.  The 70-200 is a high quality telephoto zoom.  Those three lenses are a great package.

Which leaves the 70-300mm sticking out like a sore thumb, again.  

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

TCampbell
Elite
Elite

The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM is, by far, the best lens in the group (it's a fantastic lens).  I have the first and second generation versions of that lens and they get more use than any of my other lenses (even for things like portraits).

 

The EF-S 10-18 is a great wide-angle lens.

 

But the "normal" focal length for these cameras is about 27mm... so you've got a good wide angle and an very high end telephoto... but you need something to cover the normal range. 

 

Between the 18-55mm STM and the 18-135mm (non STM), the STM lens is the better of the two.  So I'd probably use that.

 

I agree that if you have the 70-200 f/2.8L... you'll never want to use the 55-250 or the 70-300mm.  

 

Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da


@TCampbell wrote:

The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM is, by far, the best lens in the group (it's a fantastic lens).  I have the first and second generation versions of that lens and they get more use than any of my other lenses (even for things like portraits).

 

The EF-S 10-18 is a great wide-angle lens.

 

But the "normal" focal length for these cameras is about 27mm... so you've got a good wide angle and an very high end telephoto... but you need something to cover the normal range. 

 

Between the 18-55mm STM and the 18-135mm (non STM), the STM lens is the better of the two.  So I'd probably use that.

 

I agree that if you have the 70-200 f/2.8L... you'll never want to use the 55-250 or the 70-300mm.  

 


The reason I think I'd favor the 18-135 over the 18-55 (neither of which I've ever used) is that it eliminates the coverage gap between 55 and 70 mm. Until I finally bought a full-frame body (which eliminated the coverage gap for reasons not germane to this discussion), I found the coverage gap very annoying.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA


@RobertTheFat wrote:

The reason I think I'd favor the 18-135 over the 18-55 (neither of which I've ever used) is that it eliminates the coverage gap between 55 and 70 mm. Until I finally bought a full-frame body (which eliminated the coverage gap for reasons not germane to this discussion), I found the coverage gap very annoying.


There is the coverage gap.   If this is the original 18-135 (and not the STM or USM version) then the 18-55 is probably better w.r.t. optical performance.  

 

Since it’s a small gap, so I consider the trade-offs:

 

  • How often would I need that specific range (e.g. suppose I want 60mm... could I just drop down to 55?  Or if I want 65mm ... could I just bump it up to 70?). Do I do any type of photography where the range needs to be extremely specific?
  • What other trade-offs are there?  
    • If you bump up to 70mm then you can use the 70-200 ... which has an f/2.8 focal ratio.  The 18-135mm has a max aperture of f/5.6 in that range.
    • The original 18-135 (if this isn’t the STM or USM version) starts to suffer some degraded options just as it hits this range (it does best in the 18-55mm range even though it’s an 18-135mm lens) which chromatic aberration in the edges of the frame. 

This is why I sort of favor the 18-55 STM.  The OP’s sister is going to need either the 18-55 or the 18-135 (or obtain another lens that can handle the standard range).

 

 

Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da

Agree with the others, don't let that 70-200 F2.8 get away.  It is my favorite lens and it doesn't disappoint.

 

Rodger

EOS 1DX M3, 1DX M2, 1DX, 5DS R, M6 Mark II, 1D M2, EOS 650 (film), many lenses, XF400 video

goody
Apprentice
Thank you everyone for the awesome advice, it was most helpful!
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