5D Mark II with my 3 lenses question

[JPlendPhoto]

I want to go full frame sometime this year and it looks like I’ll be going for the 5D Mark II because of the price. I currently have 3 lenses, 17-40mm f/4 L, 70-200mm f/4 L and 50mm f/1.8. I was wondering if anybody has had experience in using these lenses on the 5D Mark II and has anyone used the 17-40mm as a general purpose lens? I would rather get something like the 24-70mm or 24-105mm as a general purpose lens, but because of a tight budget, for now I will have to stick with the 3 lenses I have.

Thanks very much!

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

They will be fine to start with. You might want something longer than 200mm, but wait and see.

 

[JPlendPhoto]

They will be fine to start with. You might want something longer than 200mm, but wait and see.

Ok thank you

 

[RLPhoto]

I want to go full frame sometime this year and it looks like I’ll be going for the 5D Mark II because of the price. I currently have 3 lenses, 17-40mm f/4 L, 70-200mm f/4 L and 50mm f/1.8. I was wondering if anybody has had experience in using these lenses on the 5D Mark II and has anyone used the 17-40mm as a general purpose lens? I would rather get something like the 24-70mm or 24-105mm as a general purpose lens, but because of a tight budget, for now I will have to stick with the 3 lenses I have.

Thanks very much!

You've got everything covered in my book. 17-200mm's plus a Fast 50mm. Done. Perhaps a flash?

 

[JPlendPhoto]

I want to go full frame sometime this year and it looks like I’ll be going for the 5D Mark II because of the price. I currently have 3 lenses, 17-40mm f/4 L, 70-200mm f/4 L and 50mm f/1.8. I was wondering if anybody has had experience in using these lenses on the 5D Mark II and has anyone used the 17-40mm as a general purpose lens? I would rather get something like the 24-70mm or 24-105mm as a general purpose lens, but because of a tight budget, for now I will have to stick with the 3 lenses I have.

Thanks very much!

You've got everything covered in my book. 17-200mm's plus a Fast 50mm. Done. Perhaps a flash?

I have a Jessops 360 AFDC Flash, I was given it a few years ago… Don’t know much about flash, can you recommend a good flash I could buy at some point which would go well with the 5D Mark II?

 

[Infrared_Fred]

As far as a flash you can look at the Canon 470 or it big brother the 580 depending on how much you are willing to invest, also you might want to look at the 24-70 MM again when you go to buy tour 5D, because right now they are coming out with a new one so the version 1 of the lens with be deeply discounted and you might be able to work a deal with the place you buy the 5D from a " package" as they call it, and if you have taken good care of the 17-40 & the 50 MM you may be able to sell those back to the store to lower the cost of your new fear also. where are you are you in the USA or are You from abroad,if you are in the us i would be more than happy to assist you when the time comes with my discount i get pro and repeat customer pricing such as the PromoteRemote system sells on the internet for 349$ i paid 219$ i just bought a Rebel T3i to convert for Full spectrum photography i paid for it and the EF-S 18-55 and the EF 17-40 MM 449$ so i can usually get some pretty good deals on stuff.

 

[JPlendPhoto]

As far as a flash you can look at the Canon 470 or it big brother the 580 depending on how much you are willing to invest, also you might want to look at the 24-70 MM again when you go to buy tour 5D, because right now they are coming out with a new one so the version 1 of the lens with be deeply discounted and you might be able to work a deal with the place you buy the 5D from a " package" as they call it, and if you have taken good care of the 17-40 & the 50 MM you may be able to sell those back to the store to lower the cost of your new fear also. where are you are you in the USA or are You from abroad,if you are in the us i would be more than happy to assist you when the time comes with my discount i get pro and repeat customer pricing such as the PromoteRemote system sells on the internet for 349$ i paid 219$ i just bought a Rebel T3i to convert for Full spectrum photography i paid for it and the EF-S 18-55 and the EF 17-40 MM 449$ so i can usually get some pretty good deals on stuff.

Thanks! Some things for me to consider. I'm from the UK and for now I will be keeping my 17-40mm as I have done weddings where I have found I need a wide angle lens, that's why I brought it, also it was a good price!

 

[Marsu42]

I would rather get something like the 24-70mm or 24-105mm as a general purpose lens, but because of a tight budget

"Tight budget" is my signal phrase so: Did you look at the Tamron 24-70 and the used prices of the 24-105? The latter is often sold very cheap because it's a discounted "kit" lens and people sell it because they seem to think "kit" lenses can't be good and f4 is too slow - both isn't necessarily true.

 

[JPlendPhoto]

I would rather get something like the 24-70mm or 24-105mm as a general purpose lens, but because of a tight budget

"Tight budget" is my signal phrase so: Did you look at the Tamron 24-70 and the used prices of the 24-105? The latter is often sold very cheap because it's a discounted "kit" lens and people sell it because they seem to think "kit" lenses can't be good and f4 is too slow - both isn't necessarily true.

I'm on a very tight budget! I don’t have even have any money for buying the 5D Mark II, at that point I'll sell my 450D... Did not think of Tamron, I'll have a look at that. By the time I buy the 5D Mark II I hope I can pick up a used 24-105mm relatively cheaply!

 

[Marsu42]

I'm on a very tight budget! I don’t have even have any money for buying the 5D Mark II, at that point I'll sell my 450D...

Ugh, that sounds even worse than me - did you calculate the complete cost, inc. filters and cf cards, maybe flashes, batteries, softboxes, tripods, bags and so on? There are many pros successfully shooting on aps-c, and a standard zoom lens for aps-c like the 15-85 is cheaper than L glass and up to par in iq...

In any case remember that it is very important to have a backup body for many applications, no matter how crappy/outdated it is!

Did not think of Tamron, I'll have a look at that. By the time I buy the 5D Mark II I hope I can pick up a used 24-105mm relatively cheaply!

I don't think the 24-105L will drop any further in used or new/kit price, it's been around for so long. You only could get a rebate for the lens during a Canon promotion or buy it as a kit with the 5d2. Even if a successor would be introduced the price would go *up*, see the 24-70 mk1...

 

[JPlendPhoto]

I'm on a very tight budget! I don’t have even have any money for buying the 5D Mark II, at that point I'll sell my 450D...

Ugh, that sounds even worse than me - did you calculate the complete cost, inc. filters and cf cards, maybe flashes, batteries, softboxes, tripods, bags and so on? There are many pros successfully shooting on aps-c, and a standard zoom lens for aps-c like the 15-85 is cheaper than L glass and up to par in iq...

In any case remember that it is very important to have a backup body for many applications, no matter how crappy/outdated it is!

Did not think of Tamron, I'll have a look at that. By the time I buy the 5D Mark II I hope I can pick up a used 24-105mm relatively cheaply!

I don't think the 24-105L will drop any further in used or new/kit price, it's been around for so long. You only could get a rebate for the lens during a Canon promotion or buy it as a kit with the 5d2. Even if a successor would be introduced the price would go *up*, see the 24-70 mk1...

Well the thing is I have just finished my Foundation Degree in Photography, so I am unemployed and I am looking for any freelance work in photography. In terms of equipment I have some different things like bags, tripod and more, but the next thing on my list is a new camera! That is a good point, I may just keep my 450D as a backup. Also the reason why I brought two L lenses was with the intention of upgrading to a full frame camera.

I have considered an APS-C sensor camera like the 7D but I know I will benefit from the full frame sensor of the 5D Mark II, especially when it comes to most things such as weddings. It’s a difficult one, I know it will be one of those two cameras!

 

[Marsu42]

I have considered an APS-C sensor camera like the 7D but I know I will benefit from the full frame sensor of the 5D Mark II, especially when it comes to most things such as weddings. It’s a difficult one, I know it will be one of those two cameras!

If you want to shoot weddings, there's no difficulty involved because you'll want relatively clean iso1600-iso3200: get the 5d2 - same as me, as a matter of fact ... I have the 60d with the 7d 18mp sensor, and anything above iso800 is really bad.

 

[kentandersen]

you will be fine with the 3 lenses that you have.

I would spend some money on flash. I can recomend you to try out some cheep flash, like Youngnou. Light is light. And even the cheepest flash is able to do the work for you. For 150$ you can buy youreself 2 flash and remote triggers. That will be a great start, and great tool to learn basics with.

I have those and use them all the time.

If you are going to do weddings, you would probably need one more prime. Weddings are very often conected with bad light situations. In the church and also at the party you will probably be longing for more light.

Some flashes is helpful. But there is a limit on how much pictures you would like to take with a flash. At the wedding sermon, a flash going on all the time is not something people love.

 

[JPlendPhoto]

I have considered an APS-C sensor camera like the 7D but I know I will benefit from the full frame sensor of the 5D Mark II, especially when it comes to most things such as weddings. It’s a difficult one, I know it will be one of those two cameras!

If you want to shoot weddings, there's no difficulty involved because you'll want relatively clean iso1600-iso3200: get the 5d2 - same as me, as a matter of fact ... I have the 60d with the 7d 18mp sensor, and anything above iso800 is really bad.

I don’t specifically want to shoot weddings but I know the 5D Mark II should be good generally and if you are recommending it then I’m sure it’s the one for me if I can get it by the end of the year I hope the price comes down a little bit!

 

[JPlendPhoto]

I would spend some money on flash. I can recomend you to try out some cheep flash, like Youngnou. Light is light. And even the cheepest flash is able to do the work for you. For 150$ you can buy youreself 2 flash and remote triggers. That will be a great start, and great tool to learn basics with.

If you are going to do weddings, you would probably need one more prime. Weddings are very often conected with bad light situations. In the church and also at the party you will probably be longing for more light.

Some flashes is helpful. But there is a limit on how much pictures you would like to take with a flash. At the wedding sermon, a flash going on all the time is not something people love.

Ok thanks for the advice, flash as somthing I will look more into and lenses I will have to put on hold. I have done a couple of weddings with the kit lens of my Canon 450D and I got through it, and the 2 new lenses I have now will be better than what I have used before!

 

[canon816]

I use a 17-40 with my 5DII. It's an excellent combination for wide angle work. I shoot real estate and its my go to setup for that. For fun I do a lot of landscapes and it works very well for that. It is perhaps canon's best wide angle zoom lens. Better then the 16-35 IMO.

It does not work well with a 10 stop VARI ND filter, so If I am using that for long exposures I switch over to my 24-105.

I would never sell my 17-40. It is far to useful and valuable for the type of shooting I do. I will say that on FF it is a bit too wide for a walk around lens. I only have it mounted on my camera body when I intend to shoot Wide.... for walk around I use my 24-105 or 70-200. Both excellent lenses and being FF give you a fairly wide view.

You will be amazed how much wider a 5DII will shoot when compared to the same focal length on your Rebel.

 

[Marsu42]

I don’t specifically want to shoot weddings but I know the 5D Mark II should be good generally and if you are recommending it then I’m sure it’s the one for me

I did a lot of research of 5d2 vs 5d3, but if the 5d2 is a no-brainer if it's the high end of your budget if you want a Canon or are stuck with it (Nikon currently has more "bang for the buck"). The one drawback of the 5d2 is the af system, it's basically center-point af only. Your only other option would be a 5dc ("classic") which you can get rather cheap, but this one is rather outdated now.

if I can get it by the end of the year I hope the price comes down a little bit!

Don't count on it - imho chances are the prices will go *up* if Canon phases out the 5d2 sometime or introduces a mediocre "entry full-frame" successor. The current price for a new 5d2 is next to unbeatable, even used ones aren't much cheaper since people cling to their good equipment or aren't willing to sell it for a low price. But since you say you'll have to save money for it anyway, I wish you luck

 

[ruuneos]

They will be fine to start with. You might want something longer than 200mm, but wait and see.

Then probably 100-400 F4.5-5.6L is way to go

 

[gmrza]

I want to go full frame sometime this year and it looks like I’ll be going for the 5D Mark II because of the price. I currently have 3 lenses, 17-40mm f/4 L, 70-200mm f/4 L and 50mm f/1.8. I was wondering if anybody has had experience in using these lenses on the 5D Mark II and has anyone used the 17-40mm as a general purpose lens? I would rather get something like the 24-70mm or 24-105mm as a general purpose lens, but because of a tight budget, for now I will have to stick with the 3 lenses I have.

Thanks very much!

It also depends a little bit what you are shooting. The 17-40mm does suffer a little due to edge softness on full frame (whereas your 450D will use the centre sweet spot). On the other hand, with the limited use I have made of the 17-40 on the 5DII, I cannot say that I have found sharpness to be problematic. (That said, most times I have used it on the 5DII I have been shooting at f/8-f/11.)

I think you also need to be cognisant of the fact that you may need to change lenses more, using the same lens combination on a full frame body. This will, again, depend on the kind of work you are doing. Also, given budget constraints, it is surprising what you can do without! Once you do have budget, the 24-105mm is definitely worth looking at.

Depending on what you shoot, I would also agree with the comments that a flash may be worth considering before more lenses.

 

[Hillsilly]

Your lenses are good choices and are great lenses. I essentially used the same lenses for a few years. Late last year, however, I purchased a 135mm / f2. Since then, I've barely used the 70-200. Although you lose the benefits of the zoom, you gain much more light gathering ability. Its also sharper at f/4, smaller and black (so stands out less). I think if you start doing more weddings, some faster lenses would be good options - and would consider the 24-70, an 85mm or 135mm. But other than that, stick with what you have until you clearly identify that something is lacking.

I've been on a flash buying spree over the last year. Bought my latest one last week. It is a Nissin Di866 Mark ii (a decision I made after reading a few comments on this forum - thanks guys and girls). They're cheap - $240. The advantage of it over the Yongnuos is that it offers HSS and I felt this justified the increased price. Played with it all weekend. It works well. On the downside, it makes a funny crackling sound. I initially thought it was broken, but apparently that's what they do.