Which is the best "normal" prime for a Crop Camera?

[Loswr]

How would you guys comparevthis 24mm 1.4L with the 35mm, 1.4L still by Canon? I would guess a 35mm is closer to "normal" and would also be such on a FF, should one decide to eventually upgrade... Right?

The angle of view from the 24mm is about 25% wider than the 35mm lens. Both would be 'normal' on a crop body (38mm and 56mm equivalent). On a FF body both are wide angle lenses (although 35mm is at the longest end of 'wide angle' while 24mm is at the shortest end, and wider that that is usually called 'ultrawide angle').

Performance of the two lenses is pretty similar, it really comes down to the focal length you need. If you have a zoom lens covering the range, set it to 24mm for a while then to 35mm for a while and see which you like the best. Personally, I chose the 35L.

If the 24 is too much for you and you arent sure if you will move up to FF, i recommend the sigma 30 f1.4. great price, decent resale should you wish to sell later and performs quite well too. my mate has one and if i werent planning to go to FF later, i wouldve picked that up much earlier

How many great shots did you miss out on because you didn't 'pick up [the Sigma 30/1.4] much earlier'? I'm a firm proponent of buying the lens(es) you need for the body you have. Lots of people are 'planning to go FF soon' but unless 'soon' means I'm getting the new body next month, it's all relative. What if the 5DIII doesn't appear until late 2012? Or 2013? What if a 7DII comes out first, and has a feature set and price you can't resist, and there goes your savings for the 5DIII?

Not sure I agree on the resale value of the Sigma 30/1.4. At least on my local CL, Sigma lenses seem to take quite a hit on the second-hand market. High-end Canon lenses do seem to hold value pretty well (L series, and the top end EF-S lenses, too).

 

[nismohks]

How many great shots did you miss out on because you didn't 'pick up [the Sigma 30/1.4] much earlier'? I'm a firm proponent of buying the lens(es) you need for the body you have. Lots of people are 'planning to go FF soon' but unless 'soon' means I'm getting the new body next month, it's all relative. What if the 5DIII doesn't appear until late 2012? Or 2013? What if a 7DII comes out first, and has a feature set and price you can't resist, and there goes your savings for the 5DIII?

Not sure I agree on the resale value of the Sigma 30/1.4. At least on my local CL, Sigma lenses seem to take quite a hit on the second-hand market. High-end Canon lenses do seem to hold value pretty well (L series, and the top end EF-S lenses, too).

well some people, myself definitely included, can't really afford to buy things 'for the moment' and so they gotta somehow look at the future too to see what would suit their needs better. obviously if you can afford to buy lenses for the gear you have now, and repurchase them when your needs change, then good for you. i do photography as a hobby and for the most part of since doing it, ive been studying so funds haven't been the easiest to acquire.

even though a 7d2 may come out first and it has a great feature set, i still wouldnt get it as im looking for a full frame camera. no matter the features and extra etc, both cameras will still be fundamentally different what with the 7d with a crop and the 5d being a full framed camera. for me, it's a no brainer as i want to start a side business doing photography to complement my day job, but then again everyone is different so once again it depends on where people see themselves in the future with photography.

i guess resale will differ depending on where you are, but in australia they aren't too bad since the market for them is not as big as in the states and we dont have many options for local purchase or even just to test gear. most aussies have to buy from overseas (US or Hong Kong) as it is simply much cheaper than local pricing and so 2nd hand gear generally holds their price well here as there is a market for those who are unable to easily purchase equipment.

anyway just my 2c, i wish the OP will be able to find what they want and be able to enjoy it

 

[epsiloneri]

well some people, myself definitely included, can't really afford to buy things 'for the moment' and so they gotta somehow look at the future too to see what would suit their needs better. obviously if you can afford to buy lenses for the gear you have now, and repurchase them when your needs change, then good for you.

I think the point is that you actually don't lose much money (probably much less than you think, anyway) by catering to your current needs rather than hypothetical future, especially if you can find good used lenses that don't lose value at all. Some lenses work as well for both APS-C and FF, but if you plan to stay APS-C for a while, then you are probably much better served by, e.g., buying better suited EF-S zooms than more expensive wide/normal L-zooms that are heavier, somewhat wrong focal range, and don't produce much better quality on the APS-C than the APS-C-optimised EF-S lenses. It mostly depends on how much photography you plan to do before your FF upgrade.

 

[Taym]

although in a slightly different league of the 35/f2, i absolutely LOVE my 24/f1.4 on my 7D....

it's a totally wonderful lens and lives on my camera most of the time now as i find that it's just right for framing and it can also focus quite close which makes it very versatile for my uses. if you plan to be stuck on photography for awhile i recommend getting this lens because it makes using a crop body much more joyful

Ok, based on this review and test, no surprise there:
http://www.lenstip.com/245.1-Lens_review-Canon_EF_24_mm_f_1.4L_II_USM.html

24mm 1.4L seems quite sharper than 35mm 1.4L. Still taken over from the above review, here are the two charts (left 24mm, right 35mm):

 

[Taym]

... also, guys, what is your recommendation here. Look at the 50mm 1.2 diagram, and compare it with those above. Price for these three lenses is high but relatively similar. Leaving aside the focal length, would you give up some picture sharpness at f/1.4 and get the 50mm f/1.2L, to gain the baility to shoot at f/1.2? In other words, if focal length itself was not a particularly big issue for you and you could be happy with both, say, 35mm and 50mm, would you prefer the additional sharpness or the ability to go down to f/1.2L?

50mm 1.2L and 35mm 1.4L respectively:

 

[Loswr]

well some people, myself definitely included, can't really afford to buy things 'for the moment' and so they gotta somehow look at the future too to see what would suit their needs better. obviously if you can afford to buy lenses for the gear you have now, and repurchase them when your needs change, then good for you.

I think the point is that you actually don't lose much money (probably much less than you think, anyway) by catering to your current needs rather than hypothetical future, especially if you can find good used lenses that don't lose value at all. Some lenses work as well for both APS-C and FF, but if you plan to stay APS-C for a while, then you are probably much better served by, e.g., buying better suited EF-S zooms than more expensive wide/normal L-zooms that are heavier, somewhat wrong focal range, and don't produce much better quality on the APS-C than the APS-C-optimised EF-S lenses. It mostly depends on how much photography you plan to do before your FF upgrade.

Exactly - and for many, that FF upgrade remaing 'soon' for a LONG time. For example, the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS delivers better optical quality than either the 24-70mm f/2.8L or 24-105mm f/4L IS (when comparing all on a 1.6x body), and provides a true general purpose zoom (wide to short tele, whereas 24mm on APS-C is not wide angle).

As for losing money, I wanted an ultrawide lens before I had a FF body, got the EF-S 10-22mm. Sold it nearly a year later, after getting my 5DII, for a loss of $50 - and that was before the jump in lens prices earlier this year. If I sold it today, I'd have made a profit (after less than 18 months of ownership).

 

[YoukY63]

Ok, based on this review and test, no surprise there:
http://www.lenstip.com/245.1-Lens_review-Canon_EF_24_mm_f_1.4L_II_USM.html

24mm 1.4L seems quite sharper than 35mm 1.4L. Still taken over from the above review, here are the two charts (left 24mm, right 35mm):

Thanks for the figures, but be carreful when you compare tests from different reviews.

In these tests, 24mm and 50mm can be compared together because they have been made on the same sensor: Canon 50D (15MP).
On the other hand, the 35mm has been tested on a Canon 20D (8MP)! So it is very logical that numbers seems lower than for the 2 other guys.
So regarding linear pixel density, the ratio between both cameras is 1.356.
To "compare" these results, you have to divide results from the 24mm and the 50mm by 1.356.

After that, I don't think you will see the 35mm as weaker than the 2 other ones...

 

[RustyTheGeek]

I'm not going to quote reviews or comment on camera specs. My suggestion is based on my own experience with crop and FF cameras. I have a 30D, 40D, 60D and 5D. I own or have owned many of the lenses mentioned here. I carry the 28mm f/1.8 EF USM prime lens for the exact reason you want one and I love using it. It's a well made lens that isn't cheap and isn't super expensive. (I like the saying that L stands for Expensive as L!) I have several other zoom L lenses that cover the same focal length (and I love/use them also) but the 28/1.8 is a great lens on both the crop and FF cameras. I much prefer it to the 50mm prime lenses I own. I use it a lot in low light. Keep in mind that low light sometimes requires some manual focus skill regardless of the lens or camera. Just my 2 cents.

 

[bainsybike]

I like the Sigma 30mm. This one taken at F1.4 with a 50D.

 

[bainsybike]

Sorry - didn't work! I tried to insert an image using the icon at the left of the second row, and typing in its full path name. What did I do wrong?

 

[Edwin Herdman]

You didn't upload it to a web server, and I can't access your K:\ hard drive over the Internet. You need to have it hosted somewhere before you can display it.

 

[Loswr]

Upload your image to this forum using the Attachments and other options link below the text entry box.

 

[bainsybike]

Thank you, gentlemen. I'll try again! Sigma 30mm at F1.4.