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Lenses for 80D!!

mishkalidas
Apprentice

i guys. Coming from a 1200D with 18-55mm kit lens, I'd like to update now that I have the chance. I use my camera mostly for travel, landscape, street, and portrait photography. I also like doing food photography, always shoot in manual. What I'm looking for in a new camera is overall better performance, focusing and low-light abilities. I also want a vary-angle screen, as I really miss that right now.

The 80D seems like a good choice, but I've been having a hard time with lenses. Particularly whether I should get a zoom or a couple of primes. So far, these are my options, but I'm not sure whether they're any good or not:

Canon 80D with:

--> Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM

--> Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM

--> Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

20 REPLIES 20

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

I am a big fan of the 80D. If I were to buy one the choice of a lens would be between two.  The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens or the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon. Both outstanding. One is a bit longer and the other a bit faster, trade off.

 

The primes you listed are all OK lenses but they are so much more limiting to use than zooms like I recommended. Just like "always shoot in manual". The 80D has some great abilities and while manual mode can do a good job so can the other modes. Manual mode has its place and the others have theirs.

 

The 80D is a great camera and deserves great glass!

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


@ebiggs1 wrote:

I am a big fan of the 80D. If I were to buy one the choice of a lens would be between two.  The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens or the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon. Both outstanding. One is a bit longer and the other a bit faster, trade off.

 

The primes you listed are all OK lenses but they are so much more limiting to use than zooms like I recommended. Just like "always shoot in manual". The 80D has some great abilities and while manual mode can do a good job so can the other modes. Manual mode has its place and the others have theirs.

 

The 80D is a great camera and deserves great glass!


I agree with Ernie's recommendation of the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and with his opinion on primes vs zooms. I'm not familiar with the Sigma he mentions, but it's enough shorter at the long end that I'd go with the Canon 17-55.

 

If you really think you need a macro lens, I'd go with the Canon 60mm f/2.8 Macro. I don't recall ever using it myself, but my wife has had one for years and likes it a lot.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend
All agree that the 80D is a great camera. I recommend buying it from the Canon Refurbished store with the upgraded EF-S 18-55mm lens. It is almost a free give away and a very good lens, especially for auto focus tracking when recording video.

The EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 is great lens, but not a must have at this point. I think other stuff should have a higher priority, like a professional grade tripod and a quality bag to carry your gear and accessories. Figure spending $200 on a tripod and almost as much on a bag. You will want a tripod for food shots.

If you want the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM, then go for it. It is a solid investment. It will make a good starter portrait lens. Buy it in the two lens kit with the EF-S 10-18mm lens!

I recommend a macro lens, too. I say go for one of Canon’s 100mm macro lenses. My son uses a tilt shift lens to photograph plates of food. He loves it because he can get up close and get the entire plate in focus in one shot.
--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

Tronhard
VIP
VIP

@mishkalidas wrote:

I use my camera mostly for travel, landscape, street, and portrait photography. I also like doing food photography,


The list of the types of things you like to photograph are quite diverse:and I am curious as to what you will produce: i.e. are you going to produce images for social media, UHD screens, small prints or  large high resolution prints.  The reason I ask is because the larger the image, particulary in print the better your lenses should be.

 

If you are not going for large, hi-res prints, and unless you want to carry a bunch of prime lenses I would personally stick to zooms.

 

In the range of walk-around lenses, good for travel and street photography as well as shooting your food I have several suggetions for you. The following sample images are all taken hand-held

 

As has been already suggested the 17-55mm f2.8 lens is among the best EF-S zoom in the range of walk-around lenses.

This is taken with the 17-55 on a Canon 600D

Canada BC Victoria Legislature at Dusk.jpg

 

Another great lens is the EF-S 15-85mm, a wider range at each end and it is an excellent lens - it has been called the secret L series lens, although it cannot claim that monicer because is it nether and EF lens nor weather resistant (to my knowledge no EF-S lens is).It is also a bit more compact than the 17-55 and lighter too.

 

This image is taken with the 15-85mm, using a Canon 60D

NZ Auckland Muriwai Gannet Colony Sunet 06.jpg

 

If you want to have more reach in one lens then you might want to consider the latest iteration of the 18-135mm lens, it got a wider reach, but has smaller aptertures than the 17-55mm  -  the small aperture means a greater depth of field and for food work close up that is likely not a bad thing unless you want to focus on one tiny element on the plate.

 

This image is taken with the 18-135mm and the 80D.

IMG_2220-1-1.jpg

 

For a longer reach, i.e. telephoto, then I would recommend the Canon EF 70-300 F4.0-5.6 IS II USM.  For the price it is an excellent lens with a great reach.  I use if for more than just wildlife, I have also used it for landscape work and portraits.  For an exhaustive article on this lens see the thread on Canon 70-300 Non L lenses. HERE

 


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

Trevor,

On your sea scape have you ever used luminosity masking with blending modes to adjust the image? Nice shots, BTW.

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


@ebiggs1 wrote:

Trevor,

On your sea scape have you ever used luminosity masking with blending modes to adjust the image? Nice shots, BTW.


Hi Ernie:

 

Thanks for you kind words and suggestion.  Nope, I don't know how to do that!  My PP skills are fairly basic I'm afraid. Smiley Frustrated  Perhaps I will learn that in the SIT course! Smiley Happy

 

That said the image I did post looks a bit flat to me.  It might be an early shot - perhaps this is better:

NZ Auckland Muriwai Gannet Colony Sunset 07-1 (2).jpg

 

 


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris


@Tronhard wrote:

@myfedloan wrote:

I use my camera mostly for travel, landscape, street, and portrait photography. I also like doing food photography,


The list of the types of things you like to photograph are quite diverse:and I am curious as to what you will produce: i.e. are you going to produce images for social media, UHD screens, small prints or  large high resolution prints.  The reason I ask is because the larger the image, particulary in print the better your lenses should be.

 

If you are not going for large, hi-res prints, and unless you want to carry a bunch of prime lenses I would personally stick to zooms.

 

In the range of walk-around lenses, good for travel and street photography as well as shooting your food I have several suggetions for you. The following sample images are all taken hand-held

 

As has been already suggested the 17-55mm f2.8 lens is among the best EF-S zoom in the range of walk-around lenses.

This is taken with the 17-55 on a Canon 600D

Canada BC Victoria Legislature at Dusk.jpg

 

Another great lens is the EF-S 15-85mm, a wider range at each end and it is an excellent lens - it has been called the secret L series lens, although it cannot claim that monicer because is it nether and EF lens nor weather resistant (to my knowledge no EF-S lens is).It is also a bit more compact than the 17-55 and lighter too.

 

This image is taken with the 15-85mm, using a Canon 60D

NZ Auckland Muriwai Gannet Colony Sunet 06.jpg

 

If you want to have more reach in one lens then you might want to consider the latest iteration of the 18-135mm lens, it got a wider reach, but has smaller aptertures than the 17-55mm  -  the small aperture means a greater depth of field and for food work close up that is likely not a bad thing unless you want to focus on one tiny element on the plate.

 

This image is taken with the 18-135mm and the 80D.

IMG_2220-1-1.jpg

 

For a longer reach, i.e. telephoto, then I would recommend the Canon EF 70-300 F4.0-5.6 IS II USM.  For the price it is an excellent lens with a great reach.  I use if for more than just wildlife, I have also used it for landscape work and portraits.  For an exhaustive article on this lens see the thread on Canon 70-300 Non L lenses. HERE

 


 The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens or the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon. Both outstanding. One is a bit longer and the other a bit faster, trade off.

 

The primes you listed are all OK lenses but they are so much more limiting to use than zooms like I recommended. Just like "always shoot in manual". The 80D has some great abilities and while manual mode can do a good job so can the other modes. Manual mode has its place and the others have theirs.

"The reason I ask is because the larger the image, particulary in print the better your lenses should be."

 

While I would not dispute having the best quality lenses at all times, the sensor size is a bigger factor if you constantly need to make larger prints.

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

There is a class of lenses Canon makes, some pretty long in the tooth, that are next step upgrades from the standard kit lenses. The Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens is one of those lenses.  There is no doubt they are better than the kit offerings and Trevor always seems to pull the best from them. However, they are not "L" class and no where near pro quality or build.

One of the better, IMHO, lenses in this class is the new Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens. I admit I do not have one because I don't have a camera that it will mount on but I have friends who do have it.

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