koolman said:
As the lines between FF and crop continue to blur - and we are seeing very high performance crop bodies - I am hoping canon will invest in high quality lenses for crop bodies. Why not L lenses for crops ? There is no good wide angle prime lens options for crop (outside third party lenses) this is a pity.
You can pretty much consider the new 24mm and 35mm IS USM models "L" lenses in an optical sense.
No, they don't have the L weathersealing, nor are they built to withstand being run over by a truck, nor do they have the fastest of fast apertures... But does your application REALLY need all of that? Are you going to leave your camera out in the rain uncovered? Are you going to drop your lenses on the floor every day? Do you need an aperture so fast that often only the center of the frame is sharp and the depth of field is so small you can't keep two eyes in focus?
The new IS non-L primes are built about the same toughness as the 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, and they have optical performance that matches the L lenses at the same aperture (check out DXOMARK for sharpness etc tests - who actually states they exceed the L lenses at same aperture in some cases). I fully expect a rollout next year of 50mm IS USM, 85mm IS USM, maybe even 100 or 135.
I don't see the advantage of creating an EF-S prime. Reason being, EF primes are compatible with EF-S, so just buy an EF prime at the focal length you want. EF primes are more compatible so a better deal.
Where EF-S needs the most help is in the zoom lenses because the typical ranges for EF lenses might not be as useful crop lenses - example, EF-S equivalents of the 16-35, 24-70, and 70-200.
For 16-35 range, EF-S has a very well built 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 which is similar in field of view. But, with the recent super deep price cuts, I would wager we will see a replacement next year when the 7D2 is released. Although the original 10-22 was great, a replacement could improve in terms of aperture (f/2.8 would be nice instead of the variable f/3.5-4.5) and sharpness. There is a slim chance they could add L branding to it.
For 24-70 range, EF-S has the 17-55 IS f/2.8 which has a very solid track record. Again, this lens has seen deep price cuts lately, indicating a new version will likely arrive with the 7D2. Improvements could include increased sharpness and contrast and updated IS. There is also a slim chance they could add L branding to this replacement as well.
For 70-200 range, EF-S has the 55-250 f/4-5.6 STM that was just released this year. This lens is a fantastic optical performer virtually on par with the 70-300L that costs 4x as much. But, it does have a plastic mount that is disappointing... Also, it is no match for the 70-200L f/2.8, but that lens appears to be one Canon will reserve as an expensive carrot to dangle for people to upgrade to full frame; also, it may simply be too large and heavy for Canon to consider an EF-S release for - but there is a slim chance they could launch one w/ the 7D2.
So, overall EF-S has actually got it pretty good. EF-S can use all of the excellent non-L and L primes. EF-S has all the major zoom ranges covered, one of which got an update this year and the other two will likely be updated next year. Not much really to complain about I would say, the "L" designation is simply a marketing tool, not a real specification. Thus, even though lenses like the 24 IS, 35 IS, 10-22, 17-55, and 55-250 STM don't have the L designation, doesn't mean they don't perform like an L optically. But if you really want that designation on all your lenses for the look of it, I would advise to upgrade to full frame.
