Thinking of replacing a couple of lenses

[EOS rebel]

Hi, I'm new here.

I live in Canada and currently shoot with a rebel T3i/600D (eagerly awaiting the 7D mkII) and have no plans to go FF because I love the reach of crop and don't want to spend obscene amounts on supertelephotos when I get something more appropriate for sports and wildlife/birding. I currently have the Canon 10-22mm and the Canon 28mm/2.8 IS USM for UWA fun and standard prime/low light photography.

After hearing good things about the new 10-18, I've been wondering if I should replace my 10-22 with it and sell it for a profit. However I really enjoy the build quality and the USM of the 10-22 (plus I only got it 8 months ago) so I am reluctant to part with it. So I'm torn as to whether the improvement in optical quality is worth the step down in build quality and loss of USM. I am not a video shooter and don't like the idea of electronic manual focus requiring me to have my camera on to change focus. If anyone has heard anything about a 10-22 II that would definitely solve my problem lol. Btw I'm not interested in the Tokina 11-16 because my gf has it so I don't want to duplicate lenses.

As for my 28mm, I like it but I'm wondering if I should have gotten the 35mm/2 IS USM instead. I got the 28mm initially because it was available on Kijiji for $440 which I though was a great deal. Unfortunately I'm finding that it's phase detection AF is a bit off on my T3i. Now I have limited experience with fast lenses so I don't know if it's a problem with the lens, the camera, or the combination of the 2. Live view focus is fine with the lens though and my T3i seems to have no problem with phase detection autofocus with my other lenses (24-105L, 70-300L, and 100L macro). So the options that I've been thinking of was to send it in to Canon (but I'm reluctant to spend the money since I bought it used); wait until I get the 7D mkII and do further testing; or just sell the 28/2.8 and get the 35/2 IS USM for the larger aperture.

So what are your thoughts as to how I should proceed for my 2 lenses? Thank you in advance for any advice

 

[Jim Saunders]

How about a 7D2, the 10-22, and a Sigma 18-35?

Jim

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

Canon 28mm F2.8 IS is a great lens, and when used in a body with AFMA, should solve the inaccurate focus. I can not believe 10-22mm will receive an update in the coming years, as 10-18mm already brought upon innovations in this area. I think STM is not much slower than USM. On the other hand, giving up openings F3.5 in 10-22mm, and settle for 4.5 in the 10-18mm not leaves me excited.

 

[Ruined]

I'd rather have the f/3.5 of the 10-22 than the f/4.5 of the 10-18... The 10-18 is thus not truly an optical upgrade. Keep the 10-22.

for the 7d the difference between 28 IS and the 35 IS is there but not huge: the 35 is faster but in terms of focal length they both end up pretty normal on crop. I'm not sure that's worth it either.. Why not get something significantly different? Or if you want a 35 hold out until the 35L II is announced.

 

[sdsr]

The new 10-18 is supposedly sharper than the 10-22 and, while a bit slower, has a huge advantage in IS (unless you prefer to use tripods, in which case it doesn't matter, I guess); the IS is very good - I've taken sharp photos with mine at 1/6 & 1/8 secs hand-held without any problem. I have no first-hand experience with the 10-22 or the Tokina your girlfriend has, though, so I can't say from personal experience how they compare. Why don't you compare the two and see if you can detect a significant difference? (Do the two of you need both of them anyway?) It's hard to see why Canon would come out with a new 10-22....

As for the 28mm IS, do you find it better than your 24-105 @ 28? If not, do you need such a thing at all? If a faster lens matters, get the 35mm f2 or Sigma 35mm 1.4.

If you really want superior optical performance, switching to FF would make a bigger difference than worrying about these lenses (esp. if you shoot in low light), but since you don't want to do that....

 

[Random Orbits]

The issue that you have with your 28 f/2.8 IS is most likely something that can be solved with AFMA because it focuses accurately with LiveView. If you stop it down to f/4 or focus on something a bit farther away, does the target fall into the DOF? If so, then AFMA should solve the issue. If you know you can wait until the 7DII, then hold onto the lens and make the decision to switch to the 35 until you've evaluated it on the 7DII.

I think the 35 f/2 IS will suit you. It is a bit bigger than the 28 f/2.8 IS, but the additional stop is very useful. You should also look into the f/1.4; APS-C cameras need faster glass than FF. Most people choose the 17-55 f/2.8 IS to cover their normal range while still having IS. I find that the 28 f/2.8 IS is more suited to FF, but it is a very travel-friendly lens on either platform.

 

[preppyak]

The issue that you have with your 28 f/2.8 IS is most likely something that can be solved with AFMA because it focuses accurately with LiveView.

T3i doesn't have AFMA...though I agree with you, it's something it would solve (and the 7D2 would have AFMA)

That said, if you've already got the 24-105, I don't see the point of having the 28mm. That extra stop won't make as big a difference as having something like a 35mm f/2 or 30mm f/1.4 would.

How about a 7D2, the 10-22, and a Sigma 18-35?

Jim

Sigma 18-35 would also be a nice option. You could turn the 10-22 and 28mm into a 10-18 and 18-35 and come reasonable close to break even.

Part of it depends on what you shoot. Unless you are doing night photography or some action work in mixed light, I don't find the wide, fast lenses that great on crop cameras.

 

[Random Orbits]

The issue that you have with your 28 f/2.8 IS is most likely something that can be solved with AFMA because it focuses accurately with LiveView.

T3i doesn't have AFMA...though I agree with you, it's something it would solve (and the 7D2 would have AFMA)

That said, if you've already got the 24-105, I don't see the point of having the 28mm. That extra stop won't make as big a difference as having something like a 35mm f/2 or 30mm f/1.4 would.

How about a 7D2, the 10-22, and a Sigma 18-35?

Jim

Sigma 18-35 would also be a nice option. You could turn the 10-22 and 28mm into a 10-18 and 18-35 and come reasonable close to break even.

Part of it depends on what you shoot. Unless you are doing night photography or some action work in mixed light, I don't find the wide, fast lenses that great on crop cameras.

I know the T3i does not have AFMA, which was why I suggested that stop down slightly and move the target distance back to check that it is something that AFMA could fix. It is also why I suggested he hold onto the 28 f/2.8 IS until he gets the 7DII because it will have AFMA. The OP has already stated that he'd rather not send the lens/body into Canon for calibration.

 

[EOS rebel]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I'm not much of a third party lens guy so I never even knew about this Sigma 18-35 so I'll have to look into it. Although at first glance it seems heavier than I would like in a crop lens...

I'm still undecided about the 10-22 vs the 10-18 although the replies so far are pushing me back towards my 10-22. This sounds like its shaping up to be like the 24-70/2.8 vs 24-105/4 battle.

I also forgot to mention that I have a 77mm circular polarizer that I sometimes like to use despite the rim being in view at 10mm; although I suppose it could be solved by a step-up ring.

As for the 28/2.8, I think I'll have to do some more testing on the focus to see if it would be something that AFMA would resolve. From what I've noticed so far, it seems to be just slightly out of focus when wide open so maybe if I increase my DOF it'll be fine. About how much of a difference would AFMA make? Like if the target is in focus at f/5.6 would that be within the range of AFMA to correct or is that too far (I'm just throwing out a number so far since I don't have the time to check yet)?

The reason I have the 28mm and the 24-105mm is that the 28mm is for casual walk around (e.g. date with gf where I don't expect to take pictures) or when I know I'll be someplace with low-light (e.g. dinner with friends), whereas the 24-105mm is more for when I'm on vacation and don't want to be swapping lenses much. So the 35mm appeals to me because it is similar to the 28mm (a somewhat normal 45mm vs 56mm equivalent on FF), relatively light being a prime, and has a wider aperture. Of course, the cons being that it is still narrower FOV than the 28mm, slightly heavier, and requiring me to spend more to buy it and get a new 67mm UV filter.

 

[Ruined]

You will get more light out of the 35 IS, but note it is significantly larger than the 28 and might not be worth the hassle of selling given how similar it is aside from the stop difference. If you find f/2.8 is too slow for your needs, then perhaps it is worth the hassle/cost of selling/buying lenses. But, you might also want to wait until Photokina this fall to see if Canon announces an mkii of the aging 35L. If so, prices of the original will drop and you may be able to get an f/1.4 lens for not that much more money, that will be a much larger difference in aperture.

 

[EOS rebel]

Thanks for the suggestion Ruined. Since I'm waiting for the 7DII and 100-400 II, I might as well add the 35 II to the list. Hopefully this will help relieve my latest bout of GAS

 

[Marsu42]

But, you might also want to wait until Photokina this fall to see if Canon announces an mkii of the aging 35L. If so, prices of the original will drop and you may be able to get an f/1.4 lens for not that much more money

Experiences with recent Canon premium/L lens upgrade tell us that it's more likely the new version will be much more expensive to cover upcoming high-mp sensors while the to-be-obsoleted version stays roughly at the same price.

The old version might even rise in price because a lot of people realize the above and demand rises quicker than supply from people "upgrading"... this was the 24-70mk1 vs mk2 effect. Lesson: Don't wait for lens upgrades to snatch the old version at a budget price, this only works for camera bodies and flashes.