15-85 Equivalent on Full Frame

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I liked my 15-85 for crop bodies, but my 24-105mm L blows it away on FF. The distortion near 24mm is easily corrected.

Well, well, ain't that the truth. Almost every lens that gets mounted on FF sensors, even those maligned ones like the 24-105 f/4L, produces extraordinary details.

That's generally true, but there are some crop lenses that are excellent. My EF-S 17-55 was as good as some "L" lenses when mounted to a crop body. I prefer EF-s lenses on a crop body for normal and wide angles. For telephoto, EF lenses are great. There are no Canon long focal length EF-s lenses probably because there is no size advantage. A low cost one could be made, of course, but it will be the same length and diameter.

 

[nc0b]

My wife and I just vacationed in CA, and she used the 24-105mm on a 6D while I shot either a 16-35mm f/4 or 100-400mm IS II on a 5DsR. If I can carry only one camera, it is the 6D and 24-105mm. I'll take the wider zoom range over having to juggle between a 24-70 & 70-200. I have the 15-85mm, but I just don't shoot crop much anymore. As good as the EF-S lens is, I have had no luck selling it bundled with my 40D. I am not going to virtually give it away. While in South America I shot the 24-105 on the 6D 80% of the time, with a 70-200 f/4 IS on a 60D the other 20%. Long ago I had two 28-135mm, and both had the IS fail. The 24-105 has never let me down, and I like the constant aperture. If I need more speed indoors, then I use the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

My wife and I just vacationed in CA, and she used the 24-105mm on a 6D while I shot either a 16-35mm f/4 or 100-400mm IS II on a 5DsR. If I can carry only one camera, it is the 6D and 24-105mm. I'll take the wider zoom range over having to juggle between a 24-70 & 70-200. I have the 15-85mm, but I just don't shoot crop much anymore. As good as the EF-S lens is, I have had no luck selling it bundled with my 40D. I am not going to virtually give it away. While in South America I shot the 24-105 on the 6D 80% of the time, with a 70-200 f/4 IS on a 60D the other 20%. Long ago I had two 28-135mm, and both had the IS fail. The 24-105 has never let me down, and I like the constant aperture. If I need more speed indoors, then I use the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II.

Don't bundle the lens with a 40D. As good as they were (I had 5), a 40D is no longer a sought after camera, $150 is a typical price. Sell the 15-85 by itself, it will bring $350- maybe $400.

Put the two together, and no one wants them.

 

[nc0b]

I asked $500 for the bundle, and didn't even get a counter offer. I'll just keep them rather than selling them for a song. They take perfectly good pictures outdoors with good light. I have an outdoor portrait of my wife taken with the 40D and 70-200 f/2.8 II that is stunningly sharp. 10 MP isn't necessarily a handycap under the right conditions. But you are correct, no one wants low MP cameras today.

 

[Flamingtree]

If you know you will mistreat a lens, buy used no matter what. Not sure what you mean by "mistreated" but I wouldn't waste the money on good glass if "mistreated" means what I think it means.

Ultimately, it is your money.

I can't afford to mistreat anything. I'm wondering how one mistreats a lens without mistreating the camera at the same time. Especially on a one lens set-up. Good luck to you.

Sounds like something out of "Fifty Shades of Gray". Poor lens. Is the safe word "Sony"?

Haha, I only just saw this post!!

Let me clarify by mistreat. I like taking shots in the rain, on the rocks on the coast with all the sea spray, when I go hiking I carry the camera over my pack and shoulder on a sling strap - bashing into shrubs etc. I always thought the 15-85 was weather sealed..... I guess what I am after is something robust and reliable.

Out of interest of those who travel with two lenses, how do you do it?

I think you may find your self keeping the one lens on the camera, changing the way you shoot subjects at the long end or cropping more often - the crop difference between 100 and 135 is not huge.
But if I do carry two lenses, I rarely go anywhere without a daypack in which I can put the camera when I want to be discrete, so the second lens is in there (with spare card, battery and polariser). Or a bumbag.

Mind you, when I got my MFT rig for street shooting, I found a second MFT body with lens attanhed is smaller than the second APS-C lens I found myself carrying! Always ready

I usually carry a pack if I am in tourist mode (bumbags are illegal if you are from NZ/AUS), so 2 lenses is an option if the need is great.

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In terms of my decision for what lens I was actually going to go with the 24-105, so was pretty excited with he new rumour of the new one coming out at the same time as the 5D4.