L Lens and EOS Rebel T3i body

[calilove27]

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 (:

[hsbn]

That ís wrong info you got there. Any Canon dslr can use ef lens L or not. L lens will work great with your camera. For landscapes L lens i recommend the 17-40 F4L.

[ebiggs1]

"...  a handful of people are saying that they wouldn't work well together?"

You need to run, not walk, away from these people!   

As a general rule and guide there is no better lens on the planet than a Canon "L" for a Canon camera. Be it a Rebel or a 1 series. Period! 

You said, "Preferably for landscape photos. I also take some sports, low light, and portrait photos"

I love the 17-40mm f4 L and if you get it, you will love it, too. But, there is always a 'but', isn't there? I am going to recommend the 24-105mm f4 L. This lens is the best buy of a Canon L lens that Canon makes.

The 17-40mm is going to excel at landscapes but will be lacking in portraits and sports. On-the-other-hand, the 24-105mm will not do landscapes quite as well but will excel over the 40mm lens at portraits and sports.

Both will do low light pretty equally. Way, way better than the kit lens that usually comes with a T3i. Both are constant f4 aperture, a plus in my book.

[calilove27]

Well the reason I found from these people who say the L lenses wouldn't be the best for Rebel cameras is that that crop factor would change the depth of field performance.

And thank you so much for the lens suggestions (: I'll look into them.

[ebiggs1]

What they are mistakenly referring to is the crop factor of your T3i. A 24-105mm lens, for example, has it's DOF fixed.

It can not be changed just because it is used on a Rebel T3i. No lens can change any of it's characteristics just from bolting it onto a camera.

However, the designation of 24-105mm, in this instance, is a little misleading. As it will effectively perform like a 38-168mm lens. The corresponding DOF will therefore reflect it.

This is good and it is bad. You get a little more tell on the long end, for free, and less DOF. But you get a little less wide angle and DOF on the wide end. Which in reality is a moot point, in either case, as you will get exactly what you see in your viewfinder.

[MikeSowsun]

Well the reason I found from these people who say the L lenses wouldn't be the best for Rebel cameras is that that crop factor would change the depth of field performance.

On a crop camera the "Field of View" changes due to the crop factor. Many people will tell you that 24mm may be not wide enough and that could be what you heard.

24mm on a crop camera may make it difficult to get a group shot indoors, wide landscapes, or large objects outdoors. I personally think even 18mm is not wide enough and that is the reason I bought an 11-16mm lens when I had a 7D.  I later bought a 15-85mm USM and found that to be the perfect lens for me.  

You can try setting you 18-55 lens to 24mm and see if you think that would work for you, but if you have ever wished for wider than 18mm, I think you will be disappointed. 

[ebiggs1]

Remember the lens is where it's at!  Get the best you are able to.

[amfoto1 · Accepted solution]

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 

[calilove27]

Wow, thank you so much for your reply! And i'll look into the lens you have recommended.
Oh I have one more question I forgot to add to this post... I'll be going to Vegas and Los Angeles this year and that made me eager to learn how to take cityscape photos, especially at night. So is there any lens you would suggest regarding night time cityscape photos? Or just cityscape photos in general.

[amfoto1]

For cityscapes I would probably use my EF-S 10-22mm mostly.

WIth a very wide lens, you can get by handholding the lens a lot longer shutter speeds. 1/30 should be "doable"... maybe even 1/15. Those would show blurs with moving traffic and pedestrians, though.

Some might say use an f2.8 lens instead, but I'd rather use a tripod and longer exposure times. F2.8 lenses often tend to flare more, and you'll have a lot of specular light sources in any night shots in Vegas or LA. The 10-22mm is unusually excellent resisting flare (I also have a Tokina 12-24/4, another nice wid angle lens but merely "very good" handling flare.) Plus, I would want gobs of depth of field, so will likely end up stopping any lens down to around f8 or f11 anyway... so an f2.8 wide angle would be sorted of wasted.

You'll probably need to use a fairly high ISO on your camera. On my 18MP crop cameras, I wouldn't hesitate to use 1600... and will use 3200 with some extra noise reduction in post processing (I shoot RAW and am carefull to avoid underexposure).

For street photography, a slight wide to moderate telephoto portrait lens would be useful. On a crop camera, I'd probably use 28/1.8, 50/1.4 or 85/1.8.

A single lens that might serve both purposes, if wide enough, would be the EF-S 15-85mm IS. I don't have one personally, but hear great things about it. 15mm is wide, but not ultrawide.... and it covers some nice portrait focal lengths too, though not with a large aperture to allow strong background blurs (for that an f1.4 or f1.8 prime would be better).

Shooting the city at night, be sure not to put any filter on your lens. A filter will just increase flare effects and might even add to any chromatic aberrations.

And be a little careful on the city streets at night with your camera. It's always a good idea to have a partner watching your back and to be acutely aware of what's going on around you. A newspaper staff photographer was robbed of his cameras at gunpoint here in the SF Bay Area this week.

***********
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