Bought my first digital camera today 5d

[Jettatore]

elford,

I will concede all of those points and more, after the intended purpose for the lens is well defined.  If the need is shallower depth of field sure, low-light where a prime length is ok without lens switching/carrying too much equipment, sure that too.  But then once the needs are well defined, the even faster, more expensive lenses, or rentals of them if they are only occasionally needed, might be better options.  Also, while I agree with you completely, the 24-105's added IS does give it some extra low light capability if your subject needs can still work with slower shutter speeds, and in many cases they can.  That's why I am suggesting to push the existing lens as far as possible before getting anything else.  Actually, upon determining needs, with the limitations/requirements of intended purpose, an EX Flash might be a better purchase than a faster prime lens of either the highest end price and quality or the middle/cheap of the road step.

Also you are probably even more correct than the various reviews available.  I wasn't in low-light, but a borrowed 50mm f/1.4 shot at f/1.4 was excellently sharp to me.  I do hear (again from these reviews) that the f/1.2 preforms better until f/2-f/2.8 so again if the need, is low light, perhaps the greater investment or a flash is a better solution than getting something without knowing why you need it first.

[dilbert]

You will want either the 70-300 IS USM or the 70-300L. 200mm is not enough on FF unless you're doing "close quarters" shooting.

Rather than get a couple of primes, you should get the 17-40L. That will give you better quality wide angle shots than the 24-105 can deliver close to 24mm. Although by the same token, 17-20 on the 17-40 isn't that great either due to field curvature. The same problem generally doesn't exist on any of the zooms that have been mentioned at the "short end" (70mm).

Either the 50/1.4 or 50/1.8 should also be on your "must have" list.

[Edwin Herdman]

A prime lens will give you much shallower depth of field than an f/4 zoom.

Assuming the camera has a wide aperture selected, otherwise, the maximum aperture counts for little.  That's really down to the photographer.

Besides, shallow depth of field isn't always useful.

About the 50mm lenses:  The f/1.4 really isn't sharp at f/1.4 even in the corners on APS-C.  The 50mm f/1.2 just looks too expensive, and judging from the real-world examples on Photozone it won't be as usable for general purposes as the f/1.4 owing to the chromatic abberation (especially check out the water picture).  Anyway, that seems to me to be outside the scope of the camera.

If it was me, I'd get some hands-on experience with the 24-105mm f/4 first and then decide if buying extra lenses was worthwhile.

[mreco99]

Hi Everyone
After waiting overa year for a d800 or watever nikon wanted to call there full frame with video we bought the 5dmkII. Still reading the manual but so far were happy. Just wanted to introduce myself and say hi. Just got the 24-105 and would like to add a fixed prime and larger zoom. Any recomendations or advice. The salesman at the camera shop was a pure nikon guy and the nikon rep was there also visiting and they both did there best to push us to the nikon but in the end my wife just wouldnt settle for less then full frame.
Thanks
Rod

Hi Rod,

Congrats, had mine a couple of weeks now, i keep stroking it. I can recommend the 100mm Macro L if thats for you, you get a nice fixed prime+macro compatibility

[markd61]

Congratulations. I use my 24-105 for what seems to be 90% of my work and it is a splendid performer. As for primes I have a 100 Canon macro non -IS and  Canon 85 1.8 and  a Sigma 50 1.4 and a 17mm TS-E. I shoot architecture and portraits with the odd wedding (many are very odd) and event.
I like primes for weddings because of the low light abilities but I hate the Sigma 50. It is sharp but is very poor at focusing in low light. The 85 is wonderful. I would choose the 35 1.4L if I were you as it is dead useful indoors in low light with great IQ to boot. I could see easily shooting an entire wedding with just the 35, 85 and 135 f 2.0. Although I have to say a zoom really helps when you have enough light.
As for a zoom I am quite happy with my 70-200 2.8L IS. The new Version II is even better but more expensive.

I suggest you rent to see which lenses fit your needs.
Best of luck.

[briansquibb]

Congratulations. I use my 24-105 for what seems to be 90% of my work and it is a splendid performer. As for primes I have a 100 Canon macro non -IS and  Canon 85 1.8 and  a Sigma 50 1.4 and a 17mm TS-E. I shoot architecture and portraits with the odd wedding (many are very odd) and event.
I like primes for weddings because of the low light abilities but I hate the Sigma 50. It is sharp but is very poor at focusing in low light. The 85 is wonderful. I would choose the 35 1.4L if I were you as it is dead useful indoors in low light with great IQ to boot. I could see easily shooting an entire wedding with just the 35, 85 and 135 f 2.0. Although I have to say a zoom really helps when you have enough light.
As for a zoom I am quite happy with my 70-200 2.8L IS. The new Version II is even better but more expensive.

I suggest you rent to see which lenses fit your needs.
Best of luck.

The 24-105 works well on the 5D - the sweet spot seems to be about f/8

[7enderbender]

Congratulations and welcome on board. I don't think you will be disappointed. Did the same thing about a year ago now. I was coming from 35mm film and had waited years before seriously considering a DSLR because of the shortcomings in previous generations.

I had been a Canon guy before but was very open minded since I had to start with a new system anyway. I looked into Nikon, Sony and Canon. I decided to stick with Canon and move to EF lenses and the 5DII. A year into this now I still think it's still the best compromise available. Not only because the 5DII is a great camera but certainly because the Canon system offers pretty much everything you could ever ask for at extremely high quality and often slightly better pricing than Nikon.

Is everything flawless? No. Nothing ever is. And everyone will have their own preferences and priorities. But what ever you are planning on doing your new kit should be able to handle it one way or another.

I second one of the previous posters on the 50 1.4, 85 1.8 and the 135L for very good primes without totally breaking the bank. I personally added the 200 2.8LII and highly recommend it if you have a need in that range. Extremely good for a reasonable amount of money.

The 50 is one of my all time favorites since the Canon FD days. Some people love it others not so much. It has some unique issues, but it is great bang for the buck depending on what you want to do. The 135L is on top my wishlist for next year...

The 24-105 I recently started to appreciate more. I always wanted to trade it for the 24-70, but I think I may hang on to it. Current prices for the 24-70 actually making it tempting to just add it...

Enjoy and best of luck.

p.s.: Reading the manual is certainly a good idea. I also benefited from reading David Busch's book. YMMV. Tons of good information also on the web of course, including here.

[DavidM]

enjoy your new buy !!!! remember take lots of photos

[iasm]

We got the book from david busch coming our way. We are taking a lot of test photos to get used to the camera. We are having a little trouble with the auto focus. We may have set something wrong. Different focus points light up when in auto mode and i guess im expecting the center spot to be the primary one to light. Need to study more.
Rod

[wickidwombat]

We got the book from david busch coming our way. We are taking a lot of test photos to get used to the camera. We are having a little trouble with the auto focus. We may have set something wrong. Different focus points light up when in auto mode and i guess im expecting the center spot to be the primary one to light. Need to study more.
Rod

to get rid of this press the right hand button at the top the + zoom button (its the AF point select button) then press the joystick in this should center the AF on the center point and select it as the active, to select any of the other points just move the joystick in the direction you want and to recenter the point push the button