Which lens lineup for 5D3?

[Wilmark]

You did not say what kind of pictures or work you plan to do with the 5d. That will make a big difference in terms of what you buy. Do you plan to do video? You seem to be getting the 24-105 L why didnt you buy it in kit? You save about 300$ this way, and there are discounts offered currently that will save you a few hundred dollars on canon lenses until end of June, but only if you bought the cam with the lenses. You seem to be another enthusiasts with a deep wallet  .

[Dylan777]

#2...50 f1.4 + 70-200 f2.8 IS II are SUPER. I'm not a big fan of 24-105 nor 100 non L. Save your money for 24-70 mrk II

[Ian_of_glos]

Set 2 but consider 100L macro and ditch 50 1.4

The 50mm F1.4 would be the first lens from the list that I would choose. In fact I use this as my walkabout lens. It is very good value and I find that mediocre zoom lenses with max apertures of F2.8 or even less just don't produce the results I am looking for.

[VirtualRain]

I'm not sure what's worse... asking for lens advice without indicating what you shoot, or giving lens advice without knowing what's being shot. 

[EvilTed]

Start with the holy trinity of zooms:

16-35mm F/2.8 II
24-70mm F/2.8 II
70-200mm F/2.8 II

and fill in with primes in the lengths you find you shoot the most.

Remember, all of these can be stopped down to F4 but F4 glass can never go faster

ET

[Viggo]

After spending å couple of months with my 5d3 i find the most used lenses are 24 ,35, 50, with the 50 absolutely most used. After calibration in Reikan it is truly wonderful... 135 was awesome at an airshow I attended, and the 17 does what no over lens on the planet does, but I don't shoot that much landscape. The 85 is soo good I will never sell it again, but it doesn't get used that much.

But this is ONE dude's use of lenses, talk to å sportphotographer and he will love a 70-200 which I absolutely hate. Had the old and mk2 version of the 2,8 but NEVER used it, I find it very boring compared to the 135....

[bornshooter]

From your choices, I'd opt for set #2.

+ 1 we finally agree neuro lol

[K3nt]

Start with the holy trinity of zooms:

16-35mm F/2.8 II
24-70mm F/2.8 II
70-200mm F/2.8 II

and fill in with primes in the lengths you find you shoot the most.

Remember, all of these can be stopped down to F4 but F4 glass can never go faster

ET

This is what I'd do. Add the 50mm f/1.4 (or if money no objection, judging by the 24-70 mk II inclusion) go all out with the 50mm f/1.2L and also add the 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro.

That set should pretty much cover anything you can think of. Spruce it up with extenders and filters as needed.

[Dylan777]

Start with the holy trinity of zooms:

16-35mm F/2.8 II
24-70mm F/2.8 II
70-200mm F/2.8 II

and fill in with primes in the lengths you find you shoot the most.

Remember, all of these can be stopped down to F4 but F4 glass can never go faster

ET

+1...I have most of the lenses on your list, except 24-70 mrk II(on pre-order).  I'm thinking two more L prime lenses will cover most of my shooting - 35L and 50L mrk II.

[Cfunkexplosion]

Thanks to everyone for their input.  I got the 5D3 with the 24-105 and I've been happy with it that lens thus far.   I've also acquired by brother's 50 1.4, swapping it for my Sigma 30 since he has a 60D.  I also retained the Tamron 70-300 VC.  I purchased it awhile ago because I wanted to cover that focal range, though I rarely shoot long.  Nice lens for the price, and seems fine for my hobbyist usage. Future upgrade to that would dependent on a need for something faster.  I've decided that I am going to replace the 50 with the 35L and I just got a good deal on the 85L.  It's absolutely an extravagance, and I did not intend to end up with one, but fell in love with it after playing with it for a few hours.  The 35L, 85L, and 24-105L will be my core lineup, with a Tokina 16-28 coming at some point for when I want to shoot ultra wide.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed.  I'm finding the 5D3 and these lenses to be a joy to use.  I'm only a hobbyist, and my gear is far more than I need, but I just love these tools.

[Razor2012]

Start with the holy trinity of zooms:

16-35mm F/2.8 II
24-70mm F/2.8 II
70-200mm F/2.8 II

and fill in with primes in the lengths you find you shoot the most.

Remember, all of these can be stopped down to F4 but F4 glass can never go faster

ET

It would be a holy trinity of zooms if Canon came out with a 14-24L.   

[bdunbar79]

I honestly believe that if the 24-70L II lens is as good as it is hyped up to be, there would be absolutely no reason to buy a 35 or 50 prime lens IMO.  Unless you need 35 and 50 at very low lighting conditions, it would be redundant.  That's why I'm not buying the 24-70L II lens right now; I have the 35L and 50L already.  If money were no object and I were staring out, I'd of course have the 16-35L II, 24-70L II, and the 70-200L II.  And that's all I'd shoot with for a very long time.  When I first got into digital photography, I only had a 24-105L zoom lens and that's all I used for about a year.  It was a great learning experience.  I agree with the poster who said to then purchase a prime at a focal length that you shoot a lot but you must also consider lighting and type of photography you do.  If you find yourself shooting a lot of indoor basketball for instance, get an 85 f/1.8 and the 135 f/2L and also bring your 70-200L zoom lens along.  Of course, most recent cameras have such high ISO quality performance that maybe f/2.8 is wide enough even for that.  Things have come a long way since my first 1D Mark III