@sarafina wrote:
First, thank you all, for the input! Can anyone help me understand the difference between the actual functionality of the 24-70 and the 24-105?
When I was looking at the 24-70 I saw some different versions, one a wide angle. I was concerned at first that this would distort my images, but now it seems as if that's just one version, not all of this lense model are wide angle.
One of the things I struggle with is adjusting everything so that I get pretty good depth of field. Having just the front of the product in focus, or just the back isn't good. I need the testure and detail to pop.
I am hoping with this 5DII being synced to the laptop so I can see the shot on a big screen will help me with this. Of course my remote shutter and cables from my Rebel don't work on this one, new HDMI cable on it's way to me now.
The focal length determines if a lens is wide-angle vs. normal vs. telephoto. In other words, at the 24mm focal length, all lenses are "wide angle" on the 5D II body. It's not as if one 24mm is "wide" and another is not.
If a lens is zoomed to the 43mm point on the 5D II body, then that focal length is considered "normal" -- meaning not telephoto nor wide-angle. Anything shorter than 43mm is going in the wide-angle direction. Anything above 43mm is going in the telephoto direction.
I think I count as many as eleven different Canon EOS lenses that can be used with the 5D II (so we're ignoringa ll the "EF-S" lenses that only work on cameras with the smaller APS-C size sensor). But of those... several have a zoom range where both the shortest focal length and longest focal length in the range are all on the "wide angle" range. e.g. there's an 11-24mm, two 16-35mm lenses (an f/2.8 and an f/4 version) and a 17-40mm.
That may be what you were thinking of when you mentioned you learned that one lens was a "wide angle".
Because some of the other choices offer a zoom range which goes from wide to telephoto in the same lens. That would include the two 24-70mm zooms (the f/2.8 and f/4 version) and the two 24-105mm lenses (the f/4 version and the variable f/3.5-5.6)
There are a LOT of qualities that we can fuss over when we select a lens. The more expensive lenses are better -- though it might be difficult to tell just looking at the specs. But some specs are obvious.
The focal ratio stated in the lens named (e.g. the "f/4" in the name: EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM) is the lowest focal ratio the lens can achieve (they can all use higher focal ratios when needed... the question is how low can they go when needed.). That ratio represents the diameter of the clear opening through which light can enter the lens divided into the focal length of the lens. In other words if you zoom to a 100mm focal length, the aperture openging would be 25mm wide (because 25 divides into 100 exactly 4 times. Hence "f/4".) BTW, if you zoom out to the 24mm end, it means the aperture opening would now be 6mm across... for the same reason (6 divides into 24mm exactly 4 times.)
When a lens is f/2.8 (those will be more expensive) it means the aperture is larger and thus divides into the focal length fewer times. That larger aperture means that more light can enter the lens when the shutter is open. Of course you can't just make the aperture bigger without making the whole lens diameter bigger and that means all the glass elements inside have to be bigger. That also means the lens will weigh more. So you do get more light... but it drives up the cost of making the lens and it's heavier.
I also mentioned there was one lens with a variable focal ratio. The lower-priced lenses tend to have variable focal ratios. What this means is the widest focal ratio it can achieve at the wide-angle end is not the same as the widest it can achieve at the long end. As you zoom, the focal length diminishes. It's easier to make such a lens and that means the manufacturer can offer the lens at a more affordable price. But if you could afford any lens you want, you'd probably "want" the lens with the lowest possible focal ratio.
Some lenses are "sharper" than others. It turns out there's no single quality called "sharpness" even though that's the term everyone tosses about. In reality sharpness is the sum total of a whole lot of factors. Most lenses are optically their "sharpnest" near the center axis and that quality diminishes as you get farther from center (e.g. corners are usually the weakest.) But even that varies by the f-stop you select when you take the shot.
The EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM will typically look a little more crisp than the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM -- as long as you're comparing like-for-like focal lengths. So while the 24-70 looks better in the 24-70 range than the 24-105 in the 24-70 range... the 24-105 has that focal length range from 70-105 that isn't available on the 24-70.
The 24-105 is a nice "walking around" general purpose lens. If you don't necessarily know what you might want to photograph, but you've got the 24-105 f/4 lens... chances are that lens will be up to the task.
Sound like there's no "right" answer to which lens to choose? That's why Canon makes more than one lens. The whole point of the SLR & DSLR camera concept is that you can swtich lenses because there's never a "best" lens for everything. But given one particular subject you want to shoot in one given set of shooting conditions... there is a "best" lens.
As for syncing to the laptop... you probably don't want an HDMI cable. You probably just want to use the USB cable. The supplied USB cable will work (and its the very same cable that your Rebel would have used). I think it's 6' long. That can be a bit short for tethering purposes because if you want to move your camera around, you've got to move the computer too ... the "leash" is a bit short.
You can buy a longer tethering cable. I picked up a 15' cable from Amazon (search for "15-Feet USB 2.0 A Male to Mini-B 5pin Male") There are several from which to choose. A company called "Tether Tools" makes a bright orange colored cable. Functionally no different than any other... but it's orange so you're hopefully less likely to not notice it and trip on it. But they wanted $36 for "orange" and I picked up a black cable from another brand for less than $7. Again... functionally identical (both have the same length, same ends, both have the "ferrite" on the cable. etc.) When using cables to tether... make SURE nobody trips on it or you can damage the plug on the camera (You may want to clamp the cable to the tripod with a velcro strap or gaffers tape so that if someone does trip on the cable... it yanks against the tripod and not the camera socket. I don't care if I damage a $7 cable. I DO care if I damage a $1500-3500 camera.)
The tethering cable means you can use something like Adobe Aperture in "tethering" mode (EOS Utility also supports tethering). You take the shot and within 1 or 2 seconds, the image is already imported to the computer so you can inspect it. I use a device called the "CamRanger" which allows me to do wireless tethering to my 5D III -- even though the camera doesn't have WiFi. It's a small module that I clip to the tripod and it has a very short USB cable to connect to the camera. As I shoot, it grabs the image from the camera and transmits to the computer wirelessly (I can also remotely control the camera.)
Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da
