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Looking for best all purpose lens for an EOS 20D

dallas
Contributor

Hi Everyone.  I have had my EOS 20D for over 10 years now.  I've never been satisfied with the EFS 18-55mm lens that it shipped with.  Just doesn't have enough zoom or wide angle.  I don't do anything professional.  Just like to take lots of family and outdoors / nature shots.  I would like to be able to take quality portrait pics as well as a picture of the grand canyon and have it turn out great.  I would like to be able to just take one lens with me on vacations.

 

I've been looking at the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS.  It seems to have it all.  Are there any other general purpose lens I should be looking at?

 

Thanks,

 

Dallas

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

"Will the 55-250 STM be able to take nice wide angle shots too?"

 

That depends on your definition of wide angle. I think most would say no.  If you will start thinking of angle-of-view "AOV", it will become easier to tell.

A 55mm lens on your 20D has an AOV of 28 degrees (approx).  Not very wide is it?  Your 18mm lens has a AOV of 84 degrees.

The AOV spec is easy to find because it is listed in all lenses specs. BTW, 250mm is approx 6 degrees.

Canon is supposed to be coming out with a Canon EF-S 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens.  I don't know if it is for sale yet so you might want to check.  AOV will be 84 to 5 degrees (approx.)  Pretty wide to pretty tele, isn't it?  The larger the AOV number is, the more wide angle.  The smaller that number, the more tele it is.

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

View solution in original post

15 REPLIES 15


@ebiggs1 wrote:

"Just one last thing. Can you please recommend a good all around flash attachment?"

 

Canon Speedlite 430EX II


for forgot rubber bands and a blank piece of paper or white card stock to use as a bounce card 😛

Canon 1100d, Canon EF-M (manual focus film slr), Canon EOS 3, Canon EF-S 10-18/4.5-5.6 IS STM, Canon EF-S 55-250/4.0-5.6 IS II, Tamron EF SP 24-70/2.8 Di VC USD, Canon EF 28–70/3.5–4.5 II, Canon EF
35-350/3.5-5.6L USM.


@Weetbix wrote:

@ebiggs1 wrote:

"Just one last thing. Can you please recommend a good all around flash attachment?"

 

Canon Speedlite 430EX II


for forgot rubber bands and a blank piece of paper or white card stock to use as a bounce card 😛


The 430EX II doesn't have a built-in bounce card?

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA


@RobertTheFat wrote:

@Weetbix wrote:

@ebiggs1 wrote:

"Just one last thing. Can you please recommend a good all around flash attachment?"

 

Canon Speedlite 430EX II


for forgot rubber bands and a blank piece of paper or white card stock to use as a bounce card 😛


The 430EX II doesn't have a built-in bounce card?


it does but its to small to be efficient when it comes to outdoor and high ceilings and when using high speed sync

(the less light you waste the lower the flash power needed, which translates to less battery swapping and faster recycle times)

Canon 1100d, Canon EF-M (manual focus film slr), Canon EOS 3, Canon EF-S 10-18/4.5-5.6 IS STM, Canon EF-S 55-250/4.0-5.6 IS II, Tamron EF SP 24-70/2.8 Di VC USD, Canon EF 28–70/3.5–4.5 II, Canon EF
35-350/3.5-5.6L USM.

"it does but its to small to be efficient when it comes to outdoor and high ceilings and when using high speed sync

(the less light you waste the lower the flash power needed, which translates to less battery swapping and faster recycle times)"

 

Just curious, do you use a 430EX II ?

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


@ebiggs1 wrote:

Yes I do.  Smiley Happy  The Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens.  I have one of these and it is not only a great lens, it is an outstanding lens.

AOV on this jewel is 108 to 61 (approx).  This lens is exceedinly better than the kit EF-S 17 - 85 mm F4.5 - F5.6 IS USM lens.

BTW, the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens was introduced about the exact time as your 20D.


I have to agree with Ernie on the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM.  It is very sharp lens, with quick focusing.  The lens will give you f/4.0 when it is zoomed to 18mm. 

 

I get fantastic shots when using a tripod, because I can accurately level the camera, which minimizes the effects of barrel distortion.  Vertical lines stay nice and vertical, without leaning inward or outward.  Below 14mm you will see some distortion, but it has a pleasant quality to it. 

 

The_Belly_of_the_Dragon.Small.jpg

 

Rebel T5, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5, 20mm, f/18, 1/80, ISO-100.  The camera was taken on a tripod, with the camera angled upward about 20-30 degrees.  It is an old wooden roller coaster.  It was once used in a Mariah Carey video.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

Or just think in terms of what 10 years of shooting your 18-55mm lens has taught you.  

 

The wide end of your current zoom lens is 18mm. The long end of your lens is 55mm and that is what you see when you zoom in all the way. 

 

If the 55-250 lens STARTS at 55mm. The widest it can shoot is equal to what you get with your current lens zoomed in all the way to 55.  So no, a 55-250 will not give wide angle shots. You would use your 18-55 lens for the wide shots. 

Scott

Canon 5d mk 4, Canon 6D, EF 70-200mm L f/2.8 IS mk2; EF 16-35 f/2.8 L mk. III; Sigma 35mm f/1.4 "Art" EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro; EF 85mm f/1.8; EF 1.4x extender mk. 3; EF 24-105 f/4 L; EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS; 3x Phottix Mitros+ speedlites

Why do so many people say "FER-tographer"? Do they take "fertographs"?
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