Perfect first EF-S "L"

[fman]

The 50mm f/1.2L?

Way too expensive for a single 50mm prime. (Isn't 50mm the easiest to manufacture?) But I'd pay even more for a 30-60 f/2.0 IS USM (and I'd be willing to trade IS for 1/3 of the price) that has decent IQ already from f/2.8.

[kubelik]

I'm with those who believe it is unlikely that Canon will start to produce EF-S lenses with a red stripe.  I get the point that the L designation has shown up on other items before; that alone is not sufficient indication that it will happen again, as that was very much an isolated occurrence.

however, this is a heck of an enjoyable thing to ponder, because what Canon HAS demonstrated is that they're willing to produce high quality EF-S glass (like the 17-55 f/2., even if it's not red-ringed.

I'd love to see some f/2 and wider glass that's optimized for APS-C bodies to conserve size and weight.  30-60 seems like a strange focal length though, maybe 35-70?  that would mean linking up between the 16-35 and the 70-200's, and would cover 56mm-112mm equivalent, which is a fairly useful range for portraiture and even usable for a walkaround

[missitnoonan]

What I really do not understand is the creation of the weather sealed 7D without the creation of a weather sealed standard zoom for APS-C.  Call it L if you want, EF-S or EF, who cares, but a weather sealed lens that is wide enough (15 or 17mm) is a must.  I don't really care if it is the 17-55mm 2.8 with weather sealing or a larger zoom range at F4, but there is a real need for a weather sealed standard zoom. 

[fman]

I'd love to see some f/2 and wider glass that's optimized for APS-C bodies to conserve size and weight.  30-60 seems like a strange focal length though, maybe 35-70?

Would not mind 35-70 f/2 either (event though I consider it a bit long for APS-C as a general purpose lens).
Actually 35-70 f/2 has been rumored a lot already.

I'll stick for a long time with my EF-S 15-85 as walkaround. Many people asking already why isn't that an "L"? Who cares if IQ is fine? I wish Canon continues that kind of IQ lenses at an affordable price and if that helps without any kind of unnecessary labels.

[neuroanatomist]

What I really do not understand is the creation of the weather sealed 7D without the creation of a weather sealed standard zoom for APS-C.  Call it L if you want, EF-S or EF, who cares, but a weather sealed lens that is wide enough (15 or 17mm) is a must.  I don't really care if it is the 17-55mm 2.8 with weather sealing or a larger zoom range at F4, but there is a real need for a weather sealed standard zoom.

The EF 17-40mm f/4L is weather-sealed and starts at 17mm.  IMO, it's not quite long enough for a standard zoom, but it comes close to what you're asking for.

Having said that, I'd certainly prefer a weather-sealed version of the 17-55mm f/2.8 or similar!!

[missitnoonan]

What I really do not understand is the creation of the weather sealed 7D without the creation of a weather sealed standard zoom for APS-C.  Call it L if you want, EF-S or EF, who cares, but a weather sealed lens that is wide enough (15 or 17mm) is a must.  I don't really care if it is the 17-55mm 2.8 with weather sealing or a larger zoom range at F4, but there is a real need for a weather sealed standard zoom.

The EF 17-40mm f/4L is weather-sealed and starts at 17mm.  IMO, it's not quite long enough for a standard zoom, but it comes close to what you're asking for.

Having said that, I'd certainly prefer a weather-sealed version of the 17-55mm f/2.8 or similar!!

Yeah, forgot about that one, probably because the range is a too limited.  I think the 17-55mm range is about the minimum necessary for my tastes, and the inclusion of IS would also be appreciated.

It's all just wishes for me, as I'm a long way from a new camera purchase anyway.  Happy with my T1i and 15-85 as I learn more about DSLRs.

[kubelik]

personally, I don't feel like 17mm cuts it on an APS-C.  that only comes out to a 28mm equivalent, versus the standard EF L zooms that start at 24mm.  it doesn't seem like a big difference, but I've found when shooting that having the extra 4mm actually amounts to an addition 8 degrees of FOV horizontally.  it's a big difference, and we need to see APS-C standard zooms that start at 15mm.

a weathersealed EF-S 15-45mm f/2.8, aynone?

[JLN]

a 35-70 f2 would be quite possible, canon use to make a 35-70 (albeit at f3.5-4.5) so it's not an unheard of length.

A 40-60 f2 IS usm wouldn't make as much marketing sense though, a lot of people will choose to forgo it to get a fast 50mm prime and take 1 step forward/backwards, especially if it has a very high pricetag.

I agree with kubelik that 17mm isn't all that wide on APS-C. 15mm zooms otoh are a very new tech for aps-c.
The 15-85 was only released a year ago bringing a equiv 24mm zoom to the masses effectively replacing the also popular 17-85.

I expect that there will be either a EF-S 15-55 2.8 IS, or 15-50 2.8 IS to replace the current 17-55 which is getting a bit long in the tooth now. While I don't expect this new lens to be fully weather sealed, i expect it to be better than the current 17-55 in keeping dust out.

This new lens will have the best shot of any EF-S lens of being designated L.

Aside from that, I hope that canon will release more ef-s primes, canon dominates the competition in sheer number of primes but for crop bodies, there are very few well priced options.
An ef-s 20 1.4 & ef-s 35 1.4 would do rather well as their respective FF cousins are just too expensive for most people.

[fman]

I expect that there will be either a EF-S 15-55 2.8 IS, or 15-50 2.8 IS to replace the current 17-55 which is getting a bit long in the tooth now.

That would be a quite logical step from Canon if they'd like to provide the same range for EF-S users as the EF 24-70 f/2.8 for FF.

However going towards the wide angle may not be the perfect lens for some (including me). The wide end has quite some perspective distortion that let alone artistic photos have more cons as pros.
Also variable aperture zooms are the fastest at the wide end (though e.g. the 15-85 is f/3.5 only between 15-17 and the f/4 range is also quite short) so that can be covered quite easily e.g. with the 15-85.

I'm actually happy that 17-85 was extended to 15-85 as if I don't have any other choice I can still use the wide end (though I'd rarely go less than 20-22).

The shallow DOF (that comes with the big aperture) combined with the wide angle can be almost as tricky to use as a tilt-shift without its advantages.

That's why I'd consider a decent fast zoom (can be also EF-S) in the range of 24-70 or 35-70 or around that as perfect candidate for EF-S "L".
That combined with the excellent EF-S 15-85 walkaround (the other EF-S "L" candidate)+ one of the new EF 70-200 variants (IS f/4 or f/2.8 II; zoom doesn't need to be EF-S) would very well satisfy most non-artistic needs.

[nzmargolies]

What I really do not understand is the creation of the weather sealed 7D without the creation of a weather sealed standard zoom for APS-C.  Call it L if you want, EF-S or EF, who cares, but a weather sealed lens that is wide enough (15 or 17mm) is a must.  I don't really care if it is the 17-55mm 2.8 with weather sealing or a larger zoom range at F4, but there is a real need for a weather sealed standard zoom.

Couldn't have said it better myself