What current Canon EF lens will work well with the new 5DS/5DSR?

[pulseimages]

I know Canon has stated that the 24-70 f/2.8 L II and 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II lens are optimized for the new 50 megapixel sensor in the 5DS/5DSR camera but what other existing Canon lenses will work well with this beast of a sensor or maybe more importantly what Canon lenses won't be up to the task?

I currently own the following lenses:

1) Canon EF 17-40 f/4 L USM
2) Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L IS USM
3) Canon EF 85 1.8 USM
4) Canon EF 100 2.8 Macro USM
5) Canon EF 70-200 2.8 L USM

Will my present glass be able to handle this new sensor or will I have to upgrade some of them?

 

[Marsu42]

I know Canon has stated that the 24-70 f/2.8 L II and 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II lens are optimized for the new 50 megapixel sensor in the 5DS/5DSR camera but what other existing Canon lenses will work well with this beast of a sensor or maybe more importantly what Canon lenses won't be up to the task?

Look at the d800 reviews from back then - most existing lenses don't make sense for 36mp, never mind 50mp. All your lenses are a previous generation and the 5ds would be wasted with them.

If you want to look for yourself, go to tdp's lens comparison tool and look at how sharp they are vs. top-rated primes or at least the 24-70L2: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx

Second you can convert the mount from EF to 5Ds/R BUT approx. every second pixel will then be black since
the lenses are designed for exactly 24MPix.

Ugh? Who? What? The 5ds has a new mount? 24mp?? Every other pixel black???

 

[dcm]

I believe the interviews mentions L series lens introduced since 2010 were designed for high MP cameras. Until some form of official list is produced you might view DPReview's lens list sorted chronologically to get an idea.
http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/lenses?subcategoryId=lenses&sort=Chronological&view=Grid

 

[msatter]

Sorry to say, but none of the listed lenses will work.
First of all you need the new 5Ds/R lens mount which these lenses lack of.

Second you can convert the mount from EF to 5Ds/R BUT approx. every second pixel will then be black since
the lenses are designed for exactly 24MPix.

The good thing is: If you follow the new path and also get the new 50MPix lenses all your pics will be much better.
Of course you have worked with mirror lockup and sturdy tripods before. But still you were lacking
sharpness and detail. Especially since all your photos are printed 60'x40' and beyond.

The good: You can forget about all that in the future. You even don' t have to think about
aperture and framing anymore. The camera will do for you. BUT you need NEW GLASS.

Probably this person uses the wrong convertor to this reality.

 

[bholliman]

I believe the interviews mentions L series lens introduced since 2010 were designed for high MP cameras. Until some form of official list is produced you might view DPReview's lens list sorted chronologically to get an idea.
http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/lenses?subcategoryId=lenses&sort=Chronological&view=Grid

Yes, lenses introduced since 2010. I do not think any of the lenses listed meet this criteria.

Note: the first response is either a bad joke or somebody who has no idea what they are talking about. The new cameras have an EF mount.

 

[DominoDude]

It's not like they designed these new bodies to demand new lenses. I would guess that for most users they'll do pretty fine with what they have right now. If you're still in doubt, figure out which of your lenses that's the worst, and find a way to test it on one of these new bodies. If the result suck, upgrade that lens and go on to testing the next lens in line.
If, on the other hand, the first test goes fine, then you know the rest of them will be good. Trust your own judgment.

 

[Finn M]

I know Canon has stated that the 24-70 f/2.8 L II and 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II lens are optimized for the new 50 megapixel sensor in the 5DS/5DSR camera but what other existing Canon lenses will work well with this beast of a sensor or maybe more importantly what Canon lenses won't be up to the task?

I currently own the following lenses:

1) Canon EF 17-40 f/4 L USM
2) Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L IS USM
3) Canon EF 85 1.8 USM
4) Canon EF 100 2.8 Macro USM
5) Canon EF 70-200 2.8 L USM

Will my present glass be able to handle this new sensor or will I have to upgrade some of them?

Which camera do you own? If you ever have tried the 17-40/4L on a Canon full format camera with 20-22Mpix sensor like 6D/5DII/5DIII you may already have noticed that the lens just isn't sharp enough even on this sensor.

My advice: start by upgrading your lenses and buy the 5Ds camera afterwards. Your first move will be to sell the 17-40/4L and buy the brilliant 16-35/4L IS.
IS is an even more important factor with a 50Mpix sensor, if you don't want to drag a tripod with you everywhere of course.... The best is to use faster shutter speeds, but that isn't always possible. That's why I advice you to upgrade both your macro and 70-200mm to the IS versions which also are sharper.

I will recommend these zoom lenses:
16-35/4L IS
24-70/2,8L II
70-200/2,8L IS II
100-400/4,5-5,6L IS II

You can also use most of the fixed L-lenses except the 50/1,2L which needs upgrading.

The only lens you can keep is the 85/1,8.

 

[dcm]

I believe it was mentioned previously that lenses introduced since 2010 were designed for higher resolution sensors. This doesn't include any of your current lenses.

Many of the L zooms were updated/released since 2010 (8-15L, 16-35/4L, 24-70Ls, 70-200L, 70-300L, 100-400L, 200-400L) and some of the non-L primes were recently updated with IS (24, 28, 35). All of the great whites have been updated: 600/4L II, 500/4L II, 400/2.8L II, 300/2.8L II, 400/4L DO II.

The L primes have not been updated since before 2010, including 14/2.8L II, 24/1.4L II, 35/1.4L, 50/1.2L, 85/1.2L II, 100/2.8L, 135/2L, 200/2L and all four TSEs. It's unclear how these will perform on the 5DS/R.

It will be interesting to see if/when TDP and the others add the 5DS/R to their repertoire. Its a lot of lenses to crank through.

 

[Laktibrada]

You can also use most of the fixed L-lenses except the 50/1,2L which needs upgrading.

but... thats the only L prime i have... am i doomed?!?!

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

All your lenses will work well with the new cameras 5DS / 5DSR.
The correct question should be:

You will see a big improvement in sharpness when you change your 5D Mark iii the new 5DS?

While appear not controlled tests, my answer would be:

17-40 L - will look blurry when viewed at 100%.
24-105 L - will look blurry when viewed at 100%.
85mm F1.8 - F2.8 will have good images and great images in F4.
100mm 2.8 Macro - have good images at F2.8 and great images in F4.
70-200 2.8 L - will have good images in F4 and great images in F5.6.

Tips to enjoy the capacity of sharpness with Canon 5DS / 5DSR:

Change your 17-40 by 16-35 F4 IS
Change your 24-105 by 24-70 F2.8 ii, or 24-70 F4 IS
Change your 70-200 by 70-200 F2.8 IS ii

 

[Haydn1971]

Said lots of generic review site tosh

There's more to great photography than how sharp your glass is, my own personal favourite photo was taken using a 3Mpx Fuji point and click from the early 00's.

Don't worry about your glass until it's limiting your creativity - you've some great lenses, seriously think about what you need 50Mpx images for, if you've a practice use, get the camera and enjoy, see what results your getting and only then, if you ain't happy, look to upgrade your glass starting with the focal lengths you most need the higher resolution from.

As yet, no one really knows how good or bad the older lenses will be, so just go with the flow and let someone else make the unnecessary costly upgrades before you do.

 

[privatebydesign]

All your lenses will produce better resolution on a higher MP sensor.

Lenses don't "out resolve" sensors, and sensors don't "out resolve" lenses. The system resolution will always be lower than the lower performing part of that system. The 50 f1.8 will resolve a lot more on the new cameras too, just not as much as a 200 f2.

Even a theoretical 'perfect' lens wouldn't resolve 50MP from the new cameras, it just doesn't work like that.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=25215.msg498253#msg498253

We have to get over this idiotic 'this lens isn't good enough for that sensor", "that lens out resolves this sensor" garbage, it just displays a complete lack of understanding of a pretty simple idea.

Nothing is perfect, no lens, even a theoretical perfect lens, will resolve every pixel on a sensor even if it doesn't have an AA filter.
No sensor can resolve 100% of any lenses resolution capability.
The end resolution will be lower than the lowest potential of any of the single elements in the system.
Any EF lens will resolve more on a higher MP sensor than a lower one.
How much resolution you need for any single image is entirely moot and only you can decide.

 

[TeT]

I would love to see comparison pictures using the new 5DS/R v 5DIII or 6D with either a 24 105 or 17 40 (as well as some of the upper echelon lenses, primes etc...) of an image from 10' to 15' of a busy subject with crisp lines....

 

[benperrin]

All your lenses will produce better resolution on a higher MP sensor.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=25215.msg498253#msg498253

We have to get over this idiotic 'this lens isn't good enough for that sensor", "that lens out resolves this sensor" garbage, it just displays a complete lack of understanding of a pretty simple idea.

Nothing is perfect, no lens, even a theoretical perfect lens, will resolve every pixel on a sensor even if it doesn't have an AA filter.
No sensor can resolve 100% of any lenses resolution capability.
The end resolution will be lower than the lowest potential of any of the single elements in the system.
Any EF lens will resolve more on a higher MP sensor than a lower one.
How much resolution you need for any single image is entirely moot and only you can decide.

This. Also the 17-40 will work just fine. As a previous owner of the 17-40 and a current owner of the 16-35 IS I can say that the main difference is the corners. The copy of the 17-40 I had was quite sharp and will perform well on a 5DS/R. The 24-105 is pure garbage though in comparison to the 24-70 II. Once again I own both and can tell you that the 24-70 II is an amazingly sharp lens. Of course the price difference between the 2 is substantial so it may not be worth the upgrade for you.

 

[geekpower]

All your lenses will produce better resolution on a higher MP sensor.

Lenses don't "out resolve" sensors, and sensors don't "out resolve" lenses. The system resolution will always be lower than the lower performing part of that system. The 50 f1.8 will resolve a lot more on the new cameras too, just not as much as a 200 f2.

Even a theoretical 'perfect' lens wouldn't resolve 50MP from the new cameras, it just doesn't work like that.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=25215.msg498253#msg498253

We have to get over this idiotic 'this lens isn't good enough for that sensor", "that lens out resolves this sensor" garbage, it just displays a complete lack of understanding of a pretty simple idea.

Nothing is perfect, no lens, even a theoretical perfect lens, will resolve every pixel on a sensor even if it doesn't have an AA filter.
No sensor can resolve 100% of any lenses resolution capability.
The end resolution will be lower than the lowest potential of any of the single elements in the system.
Any EF lens will resolve more on a higher MP sensor than a lower one.
How much resolution you need for any single image is entirely moot and only you can decide.

All of that.

And this: lenses are analog. They can neither out perform nor under perform a digital sensor. The sensor simply does the best job it can at digitizing the light it receives through the lens. If a lens puts out a blurry line, a higher resolution sensor will do a better job of digitizing it than a lower res sensor, with less aliasing, and a smoother transition, that when zoomed out (not pixel peeped) will look sharper than before.

In the audio world, nobody tosses their old analog synths because the latest high sample rate AD converters are too good and it make them sound bad!

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

All your lenses will produce better resolution on a higher MP sensor.

Lenses don't "out resolve" sensors, and sensors don't "out resolve" lenses. The system resolution will always be lower than the lower performing part of that system. The 50 f1.8 will resolve a lot more on the new cameras too, just not as much as a 200 f2.

Even a theoretical 'perfect' lens wouldn't resolve 50MP from the new cameras, it just doesn't work like that.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=25215.msg498253#msg498253

We have to get over this idiotic 'this lens isn't good enough for that sensor", "that lens out resolves this sensor" garbage, it just displays a complete lack of understanding of a pretty simple idea.

Nothing is perfect, no lens, even a theoretical perfect lens, will resolve every pixel on a sensor even if it doesn't have an AA filter.
No sensor can resolve 100% of any lenses resolution capability.
The end resolution will be lower than the lowest potential of any of the single elements in the system.
Any EF lens will resolve more on a higher MP sensor than a lower one.
How much resolution you need for any single image is entirely moot and only you can decide.

+1

Any lens can produce better images, and the high end lenses that cost $$$$ and up provide better images at wide apertures.

At f/8, all lenses will be pretty much equal as far as resolution, so don't worry.

The biggest factor toward getting high resolution will as always be the photographer. Those who are very careful and understand the techniques to get high resolution might even do it with a Coke bottle ;D

Don't obsess over lenses, like others, I like fine tools and that includes fine lenses, but they will all do just fine.

 

[StudentOfLight]

Borrow a 7D-II or a 70D from a friend and use your lenses to shoot some static scenes at low ISO and with good light. The reason to use these 20MP APS-C bodies is because they have roughly the same pixel pitch as the 5Ds/R cameras. If you are happy with the detail that your lenses deliver on these high-res APS-C cameras then your lenses will perform adequately for you on the 5Ds/R cameras. If you feel detail (and other aspects of images quality) are degraded too much compared to your current camera setup then perhaps consider upgrading the relevant lens(es).

 

[privatebydesign]

And doing that will tell you nothing about the extra 160% of sensor area that a FF sensor will cover, and that tends to be the worst performing section of the image circle for lenses.

 

[StudentOfLight]

And doing that will tell you nothing about the extra 160% of sensor area that a FF sensor will cover, and that tends to be the worst performing section of the image circle for lenses.

Thanks for bringing up that point I should have mentioned it as well, although I would think that APS-C gives you enough center weighted info to make a decision since lens performance is logged radially.

To start, if the best performing section is not good enough then surely the worse performing areas will be inadequate. Also some basic geometry will show how large areas of the "missing" part of the full frame sensor will perform (see attached).

The truly missing portion turns out to be about 21% of the full frame area. For some people this corner area will be critical for others not. Those for whom the corner performance is really critical would likely have the best lens(es) available already in their camera bags.

 

[privatebydesign]

That is a good point, if it isn't 'good enough' in the center then it is unlikely that the edges will be better, having said that it is worth noting that for same sized prints/on screen the enlargement factor is less than 50% on a ff image so any lens issue will be less visible.

I don't understand your 21% comment though. An APS-C sensor is 332mm², a FF sensor is 864mm², that is 2.6 times the size, or, to put it another way, a crop sensor covers 38% the area of a ff sensor and for evaluation purposes that is a lot to not see!