Canon DSLR lenses

[thirdherd]

I've recently purchased a Canon 6D Mark 2 full frame. This is my first Canon acquisition and need to familiarize my self

with their lenses. So.....what should I be looking for to ensure I'm getting a lens that will work on a full frame? I noticed the mount description is EF, are there others and lenses listed as IS II USM? I live in a very rural area and trips to a Canon dealer are rare events and so I purchase online.

[ebiggs1]

thirdherd,

You sound like my kinda guy with that gear!   

But If you have a Nikon F5 why are you using anything else?  It is just a fantastic camera.

[TCampbell]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"Stick to Canon lenses."

Although my blood runs true to Canon, if you do that strictly, you will miss out on some superb lenses.  

<snip>

Last example might be the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens for Canon EF.  Canon has rumors that they were going to offer a lens similar to this big Siggy but it hasn't come to pass.  Yet !

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Ernie, that's the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM II.

Though it's 100-400... if you use Canon's 1.4x III teleconverter... it becomes a 140-560mm (close enough).

But it turns out the Canon lens is so much better than Sigma's two lenses (they make it in a 'Sport' and 'Contemperary' although the Sport is regarded as the better version) or the Tamron (who also makes a 150-600)... than even if you choose to crop in OR use the Canon teleconverter (MUST be Canon's 1.4x III ... not the II) to get to a similar range, the Canon lens is still sharper.

Whether or not Canon will ever release an actual 150-600... I have no idea. 

[ebiggs1]

Tim,

"Ernie, that's the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM II."

No it isn't.  The lens I was referring to is a ef 200-600mm f4.5-5.6 IS non-L.  It exists at least in prototype.  It has for quite some.  If it becomes a reality I will have one in a heartbeat. Been waiting a long time for it.

I will just assume you have not used any of the 150-600mm lenses you stated.  I not only have used them I own them.  The Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens for Canon EF is the best of the bunch if you take the entire package into consideration.  The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 for Canon EF is also very nice.

I agree with you on the other models.  Really a take your pick.

I used the first version of the ef 100-400 zoom for a lot of years and it made me a lot of money.  It has a soft spot in my heart. I can't say much bad about it.  Just can't.

You really need to try the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2.  It is competition like this lens that keeps Canon on top.

[TCampbell]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

Tim,

"Ernie, that's the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM II."

No it isn't.  The lens I was referring to is a ef 200-600mm f4.5-5.6 IS non-L.  It exists at least in prototype.  It has for quite some.  If it becomes a reality I will have one in a heartbeat. Been waiting a long time for it.

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Ernie, although I don't own the Sigma & Tamron lenses, I do own the Canon 100-400 version II.  It is an exceptionally good lens.  But I've noticed a few reviews that comapre the Canon to the Tamron and Sigma and the reviewers own (or have access to) all four lenses and sometimes even multiple copies.  All the reviews seem to agree.

In the native 100-400mm range... the Canon easily wins -- no question and Sigma and Tamron's latest & best still can't touch it.  It's not just the glass in certain focal length ranges... it's the full focal length range.  It's got a better focal ratio.  It's got better focus performance.   It's got better image-stabilization performance.  

But the next part was the suprirse... one review applied a 50% crop to the Canon images ... which has the effect of providing the view you would get with a 150-600mm... and then compared the fine detail.  They found that the images from the scaled-up 100-400 were still actually sharper than any copy of their Tamron and Sigma 150-600.

They also tested using the Canon 1.4x III (technically you'd need a 1.5x to precisely match the Tamron & Sigma range, but nobody makes a 1.5x and the 1.4x is pretty close) and found that the Canon lens was STILL sharper even though use of a teleconverter usually slightly softens the image.  But they did state that which teleconverter you used made a difference... you can't use a 3rd party TC nor should you use Canon's older 1.4x version II.  But the improved optics of the 100-400 version II lens combined with the improved optics of the 1.4x version III teleconverter were STILL providing sharper images than they could achieve with the Sigma 150-600 "Sport" (whcih was their favorite of the Sigma & Tamron 150-600 lenses).

To be fair, at this point the reveiwers are only comparing image detail quality and the Canon wins (even with a 1.4x teleconverter attached).   They aren't measuring performance.

When you apply a 1.4x teleconverter to the Canon, it becomes an f/6.3-8 lens and Canon typically intentionally slows the AF speed when a teleconverter is used.   They didn't mention this in the few reviews I came across but I wouldn't be suprised if the Sigma Sport can focus faster than the Canon 100-400 + 1.4x III combo when both lenses are at the long end of their range.

[ebiggs1]

Tim,

This sentence makes the difference. "The Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens for Canon EF is the best of the bunch if you take the entire package into consideration."  Most including you, apparently, seem to ignore that.  Everyone thinks the lens passes or fails on IQ.   Nothing else.

I could have and use any of these, oh wait I did, I mean I do, but I chose the big Siggy.  I'll give you an example. Price.  If you can't afford it, how much good does it do you if it has the best IQ?  Another, if you can't see the CA in the photo what difference does that make?  Yeah, you got a pretty chart or graph out of the deal.  Great if your thing is photographing charts.

Let me say this you can read all the reviews you want or you can actually try each and decide for yourself.  I did the latter. I would wager I can post three images and you won't be able to tell me, with certainty, which lens did which.  If you are happy with your new ef 100-400mil, great, I am happy for you too.  It is a fantastic lens and a nice improvement over the first model.

BTW, I never had a client say to me, "That photo of the bride and groom kissing at the end of the ceremony would have been great if you only had used the new 100-400."  Never!  It all depends on how you intend to use your work.

"...at this point the reveiwers are only comparing image detail quality and the Canon wins..."  

Maybe, and one reason I don't read reviews.  Enjoy your 100-400 and don't look back, take lots of pictures.

[TTMartin]

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@thirdherd wrote:

I've recently purchased a Canon 6D Mark 2 full frame. This is my first Canon acquisition and need to familiarize my self

with their lenses. So.....what should I be looking for to ensure I'm getting a lens that will work on a full frame? I noticed the mount description is EF, are there others and lenses listed as IS II USM? I live in a very rural area and trips to a Canon dealer are rare events and so I purchase online.

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For your 6D Mk II you'll want Canon EF lenses. You do NOT want EF-S or EF-M lenses as those are specific to Canon's APS-C cameras.

 
Canon lenses with the f/?L IS II USM designation are typically the newest version of that L lens. L lenses are Canon's pro-grade lenses. In my opinion the L IS II USM lenses are the best there is regardless of brand.

Canon STM lenses are the newer version of Canon's consumer lenses. There are a couple of gems in the STM lens line, that despite their price have fantastic image quality.

Two of those lenses are the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM (pancake), and EF 50mm f/1.8 STM. They both are fantastic values and don't let their low price fool you into dismissing them.

The EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake and the 6D Mk II make for a very small full frame set. 

Canon 6D with EF 40mm f/2.8 STM

[TTMartin]

The excellent EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II should be closer to $2300.

[RobertTheFat]

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@TTMartin wrote:
The excellent EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II should be closer to $2300.

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$1900 at B&H as I type this.

[TCampbell]

BTW, just to be complete... a bit about the "secret decoder ring" to decode the meanings of Canon lens names:

"EF" actually stands for "Electro-Focus".  All EF lenses have an auto-focus motor in them.    You can use any Canon EOS "EF" lens with any Canon EOS full-frame camera.   You cannot use the "EF-S" (designed specifically for cameras with the smaller APS-C size sensor) or "EF-M" (designed for Canon "mirrorless" cameras.)  Those lenses wont project a large enough image to fill the frame of a full-frame sensor (also they wont fit.)

But there are some lenses lenses that are desitned to work with full-frame cameras but they do not have the "EF" designation because they are not "Electro-Focus" (automatic focus) lenses.

Any Canon TS-E series lens (TS = Tilt-Shift ... and these are all manual focus lenses) which allow you to alter the plane of focus or shift the image projection to correct for parallel lines (e.g. buildings that appear to "lean back" can be corrected to stand upright.)

Canon also makes the special purpose macro lenses... the MP-E 65mm.  This is a manual focus extreme-macro lens.  Most dedicated macro lenses do 1:1 scale (image on sensor is as large as subject is in real life) but a few are 1:2 scale... and most zooms that are labeled as "macro" only do 1:4 or maybe 1:3 scale.  This extreme macro lens can actually do anything from 1:1 scale down to 5:1 scale (object is 5x larger on sensor than subject is in real life).  Think of it like putting a microscope on your camera... to photograph really tiny stuff.

The designation in front of the focal length indicate the mount and type... the notations after the focal length using indicate other attributes.

EF = Electro-Focus (auto-focusing lens)

EF-S = Electro-Focus -- SHORT back-focus distance (for APS-C DSLRs)

EF-M = Electro-Focus -- MIRRORLESS (for Canon EOS-M mirrorless cameras)

TS-E = Tilt-Shift -- Electronic (the "electronic" means the lens is chipped and also support auto-aperture)

MP-E = Macro-Photo -- Electronic

Then the lens will list the focal length

Then you'll see other designations

L = Canon "L" series lenses -- widely accepted that "L" stands for "Luxury" though I don't think I've ever actually found an explanation in Canon documentation.  I've also never seen any alternate explanation of what "L" stands for.

IS = Image Stabilized (lenses with built-in image stabilization motors and elements)

USM = UltraSonic Motors (a type of auto-focus motor ...  actually I think there are three variations of USM motors).

STM = STepper Motor (another type of auto-focus motor ... especially quiet but usually not quite as fast as the USM motors).

Macro = Lens allows for closer-focusing distances

And you might also see generation listed in roman numerals... "II" or "III".

Did I leave anything out?

[TTMartin]

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@TCampbell wrote:

L = Canon "L" series lenses -- widely accepted that "L" stands for "Luxury" though I don't think I've ever actually found an explanation in Canon documentation.  I've also never seen any alternate explanation of what "L" stands for.

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I believe Ken Rockwell says the L stands for Expensive as 'L'. 😉