Which lens to go with a Canon 40D-body only?

drunkenmaster

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I may have the opportunity to buy a Canon 40D body only for a very good price.
But then it got me thinking about which lens to buy for multi-use?
So can anybody recommend me a single lens that I could use for landscape/portrait and just general use?
I suppose a budget of around £500.00 could be possible, but the cheaper and better would be ideal!!
Cheers
 
Not a Canon boy myself, but I seem to recall that the Canon 17-55mm IS USM is regarded as one of the best landscape lenses, and f2.8 and decent bokeh is going to make it nice for portraits I'd imagine.


FM Reviews - EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM

I've blown your budget though - it's £620 :oops:
 
Significantly under your £500 budget and not an 'L' by any means but I recently bought a Sigma 17-70 for £216 and I'm really chuffed with it. Did some unofficial shots at a wedding at the weekend with my 40D and was really pleased with the results. It's macro abilities came in handy for the close-up flowers, dress detail shots etc and I was pleasantly surprised with it's low-light performance. Didn't need to resort to the 'nifty fifty' at any point. :thumbsup:

I'm sure others will offer-up more exotic alternatives but for the money I'm really pleased with my purchase. :)
 
Staying Canon, I've just bought a 24-85 without IS for about 220 quid (I think). It's very nice indeed, it covers most non telephoto situations and seems pretty quick to focus. There is a similar lens in the range with IS for a bit more cash (but less than 500 notes) that may suit your needs.

And buy a nifty fifty. On general principal.

I, by no means, have any idea what I'm doing with a camera though...
 
Tamron 17-50 2.8 leave you plenty of ££ to add a 55-250IS still with ££ left over ;)
 
Curve ball for you. If you can wait a bit the new Tamron 18-270 VC could be a cracking all rounder and will be within your budget.
 
I'd plump for a 2nd hand 17-55 2.8. It's a truly excellent lens and well worth the money. Should be achievable for £450-£500 if you look hard.
 
I'd plump for a 2nd hand 17-55 2.8. It's a truly excellent lens and well worth the money. Should be achievable for £450-£500 if you look hard.
Excellent I agree but quite costly even secondhand .. and a dilemma if you need to go full frame
Its relative high cost is why it remains well known but not around in large nos
I have one but would rather sell it as part of a body lens combo than sell it for say £350
 
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Picked up a Canon 30D body off of a friend for not very much as always wanted an SLR camera. But don't have a clue about which lens. Firstly is was reading the link and was wondering what IS is? But most importantly i am looking for a good all round beginers idiot proof lens for family holiday shots and scenery for my up coming trip to florida. I would prefer not to have change lenses at the moment until I am a little more competent so one lens that suits all please?
As for budget I am not too bothered but would prefer under £250?
 
Personally I'd get to the classified section as quickly as possible to snap the hands off callmesteve who has a 24-105mm L for £480.
 
IS is image stabilisation
It allows you to take handheld shots and avoid shake from slower shutter speed, thereby making them more lower light friendly, or slower shutter speed
Very handy where it is either impossible or impractical to use flash
Some camera brands have it in buit on the body so all lenses are effectivelt stabilised
Contentious topic....:rolleyes:
As for an all round lens for the money.. a few threads have already done that to death ( 40D, 30D) but the new Canon Kit lens 18- 55 ( IS) , the Tamrom and Sigma lenses covering the 17-70 range are very popular ( the Tamron more so)
What you do with a walkabout lens is live with its focal range. I have used the old 18-55 for a family trip to Disneyland in the past ( with a 350D) and although I have a assortment now I think any of the above will do for the vast majority of shots
The 24- 105L is serious VFM but youll need to forego the wide angle ( 24mm on a APS-C sensor isnt very wide) , for a good "L" lens and short Zoom+portrait ability
 
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17-40mm F4 L and a 50mm F1.8 maybe?
I got one (17-40mm) second hand in mint condition for £350 or selling new at £490 (not forgetting the fact that if you upgrade to a FF oneday you can still use it)
Canon EF 17-40mm f4 L USM Lens (8806A007AA) - Warehouse Express
I wouldn't really recommend (17-40mm) for Portraits, but its a cracking lens for Landscapes. But do get the Canon 50mm F1.8, it's a must have for portraits on a 40D (especially for the price) :thumbsup:
 
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Another possibility would be Canon 18-200 : 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

Not sure if they are available yet.

I always find a 24-105 not wide or long enough for a one lens walkabout solution.

18-200 would be great for a lot of people if the quality is OK,


Mark.

Got one for my Nikon. Very nice, but given a choice, I'd swap the extra length for f2.8, as it's not much cop for portrait/shallow DOF stuff.
 
I had the same decision to make recently and decided on the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8. I bought it from one-stop digital for a little extra saving - they include an international warranty card if you ask them.

I could have stretched to the Canon 17-55mm IS, but just couldn't justfy it. If you can, then it is a better lens.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the potential swap to full frame, as these lenses hold their value extremely well and the 40D will keep you happy for a while :)
 
I think it looks like either the Sigma 17-70 2.8-4.5 or the tamron 17-50 2.8. Going into London tomorrow to see what I can pick up
 
I really can recommend the Tamron. I read alot before I got mine. It was a toss up between that, the Sigma equiv or the Sigma 17-70. Decided against the 17-70 because of the variable aperture. Sigma 18-50 had reports of bad purple fringing. Tamron negatives were noisy and sometimes unreliable (in low light) AF and (according to photozone.de) a marked curve on the focal plane, though so far I've not noticed that particular problem.
Anyway, I've been absolutely amazed by the sharpness of the Tamron. Yes AF is noisy and a bit skittish when light's dim, but the negatives are far out weighed by the constant f2.8 aperture and detail it can reveal. At f2.8 it's good, but stopped down I honestly have been grinning like a b'stard at the results. Focuses at under 30cm too so coupled with the clarity, close ups are very nice.
Cannot recommend it highly enough.
 
You should be able to pick up a 24-105 f4L IS for under £500 second hand if you've a bit of patience. Brilliant, extremely flexible lens. I hardly ever use anything else in general walkabout.
 
Thanks for all your help, I finally went for the Tamron and the pics I took over the weekend were great.
 

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