I'd love some advice on which lens to buy...

[Stan16]

Hi,

Great to be here. I'm a novice and hobbyist shooting with a 77D. I currently just own a 50mm 1.4 lens. I'm looking to assemble my own kit, but I'm not sure which lens to purchase next. I know I'd love a versatile lens that can handle low-light situations such as concerts, but can also be used as an everyday lens. I was looking at the 24-70mm 2.8L, but it's worth more than my soul. Haha. If I were to purchase this lens, would I still need any additional prime lenses? I was thinking of getting the 35mm f/2 and the 85mm 1.8 instead of the 24-70. So many options, and tough to decide where to go next. Anybody have any advice? Thank you to all!

[ScottyP]

I love that you started with a bright prime. 

With a crop sensor i'd shy away from 24-70 because the 24mm wide end is like 35mm field of view.   Not wide enough.  That is supposed to be your walk around lens. 

Look at EF-s 17-55 f/2.8.  Sharp as heck, constant bright f/2.8 aperture, and the zoom range is optimized for crop sensor.  That was my walk around before I sold my crop body. 

[shadowsports]

The first thing you probably need to understand is the difference between APS-C and full frame sensors.  When you use a EF lens on an APS-C body, the focal length of the lens changes by a factor of 1.6x.  So a 24-70mm will be a full frame equivlent of 38-112mm when used on a APS-C body. 

With that said, The 24-70 f2.8L is a great lens.  Its a highly versitile multipurpose lens that can be used in a great deal of shooting situations.  Sometimes a prime is the best option, but a zoom allows you the flexibility to shoot both wide and close without having to chqnge a lens for each shooting situation.  The 24-70 is an excellent choice for an everyday walk-around lens and an excellent foundation as you start to build your lens collection.  With a crop body, you may want to consider a EF-S lens which are designed specifically for APS-C (crop) body cameras.

Scott and I posted right over each other...  but as you can see, we both are recommending the same thing.

[Stan16]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it!

The only reason I'm avoiding EF-S lenses is in case I upgrade to a full frame camera, I'd want lenses I could actually use on it. Otherwise, they'd probably be just sitting around.

[ScottyP]

In that case, the 24-70 would be great. 

[Stan16]

Thanks, ScottyP.

[Stan16]

ScottyP, do you know if the 24-70 remains sharp through the entire focal length? Or is there a specific point where it looks the best? 

[RobertTheFat]

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Stan16 wrote:

ScottyP, do you know if the 24-70 remains sharp through the entire focal length? Or is there a specific point where it looks the best? 

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Any lens has a specific point of maximum sharpness, typically near the bottom of its zoom range and near the middle of its aperture range. But the 24-70 f/2.8L, at least in its Mark II version, is a very sharp lens. If you buy it, you shouldn't find yourself avoiding any part of its zoom or aperture ranges. A number of us in this forum have that lens, and I think we all like it a lot.

Whether the 24-70 is an ideal walkaround lens on an APS-C camera is another matter; I favor the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS myself. But I certainly see your point about planning for a possible FF conversion. Note, however, that if you have only one FF body and are photographing, say, a two-camera event, an APS-C camera with the 17-55 pairs well with a FF camera with a 70-200mm telephoto.

[Stan16]

Thank you, Robert!

[TTMartin]

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@Stan16 wrote:

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it!

The only reason I'm avoiding EF-S lenses is in case I upgrade to a full frame camera, I'd want lenses I could actually use on it. Otherwise, they'd probably be just sitting around.

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Buy lenses for the camera you own, not, for a maybe someday camera.

When you buy your new camera what are you going to do with your old camera? 

Sell it? Then sell the lenses at the same time.

Keep it? Then you'll need lenses for it.

Today's cameras have come so far it becomes harder and harder to justify a full frame camera over an APS-C camera. Back in the days of the 5D Mk II and the 50D there was clearly a need for the extra light gathering surface area of a full frame camera. Today with the high ISO performance of cameras like the 7D Mk II not so much.