Lens Choice

[RyanB]

Well I am finally upgrading my 600D(Rebel T3i), it has done well as a third hand body which I have racked up nearly 300k shots on. I suspect it still has a good amount of life left but I have been after a 6d and its low light capabilities for a while now. I mainly do macro/ nature so I know a FF body will have less coverage with the same glass I have been using but I am hoping I should be able to get comparable shot MP and framing with cropping and still have the ability to shoot at those higher isos without all the noise I get with the 600D(Rebel T3i).

My main quandary at the moment is a walk about lens. My current 17-50 f2.8 is a EF-s lens so is no use with the new body. I do have some old film primes like an OM 50mm 1.8 and a 24mm 2.8 which I look forward to playing with but I would really like something with AF.

This is probably the most expensive purchase I will have made to date and my budget is a bit tight for extra glass but doing some research I have come up with 2 options although I am open to suggestions providing they are within the £150ish limit.

First is get a used EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, this would run me £150ish used and all my extra funds would be done.
or
second would be to go for an older Canon 28-105mm 3.5-4.5 mk2 with the metal mount and 7 aperture blades but no IS
and a screw about lens like a Cosina/ Tamron/ Vivitar 19-35mm 3.5-4.5 which was also made for film but supposedly not half bad in sharpness when stopped down and a nice somewhat wide angle for architecture and possibly trying some astro if it is sharp enough at f3.5.

So I guess I am wondering if the 28-135 would blow the 28-105 out of the water or would the optical differences be negligible and or fixable in post? If so I do like the idea of an extra WA lens even if the quality leaves a bit to be desired as 28mm is really not that wide.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MikeB]

Well I am finally upgrading my 600D(Rebel T3i)(Rebel T3i), it has done well as a third hand body which I have racked up nearly 300k shots on. I suspect it still has a good amount of life left but I have been after a 6d and its low light capabilities for a while now. I mainly do macro/ nature so I know a FF body will have less coverage with the same glass I have been using but I am hoping I should be able to get comparable shot MP and framing with cropping and still have the ability to shoot at those higher isos without all the noise I get with the 600D(Rebel T3i)(Rebel T3i).

My main quandary at the moment is a walk about lens. My current 17-50 f2.8 is a EF-s lens so is no use with the new body. I do have some old film primes like an OM 50mm 1.8 and a 24mm 2.8 which I look forward to playing with but I would really like something with AF.

This is probably the most expensive purchase I will have made to date and my budget is a bit tight for extra glass but doing some research I have come up with 2 options although I am open to suggestions providing they are within the £150ish limit.

First is get a used EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, this would run me £150ish used and all my extra funds would be done.
or
second would be to go for an older Canon 28-105mm 3.5-4.5 mk2 with the metal mount and 7 aperture blades but no IS
and a screw about lens like a Cosina/ Tamron/ Vivitar 19-35mm 3.5-4.5 which was also made for film but supposedly not half bad in sharpness when stopped down and a nice somewhat wide angle for architecture and possibly trying some astro if it is sharp enough at f3.5.

So I guess I am wondering if the 28-135 would blow the 28-105 out of the water or would the optical differences be negligible and or fixable in post? If so I do like the idea of an extra WA lens even if the quality leaves a bit to be desired as 28mm is really not that wide.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Several of the photographers I know who moved from a crop camera to a FF were disappointed with the resolution of their FF.

Your 600D(Rebel T3i) has a higher resolution sensor (greater pixel density or more pixels per square mm) than the 6D. In fact, to have a FF with the same resolution as your 600D(Rebel T3i) you would need a 40.5mp FF whereas the 6D has only 20.2mp - you'll be working with half the resolution (detail) you are used to. The FF will give you a much wider angle of view and significantly larger light wells (6.5 µm as opposed to 4.29 µm) which will provide you a much better ISO range and a much better dynamic range. The 6D also has a lot of features not present or greatly improved in comparison to the 600D(Rebel T3i).

The lens choices you mentioned will all provide about the same image quality - especially at the center. I would focus more on resolution across the lens, lens defects, chromatic aberration, and lens build.

Consider a used Sigma 24-105 f/4 Art DG OS HSM lens as a long-term investment.

 

[RyanB]

Several of the photographers I know who moved from a crop camera to a FF were disappointed with the resolution of their FF. .......
The lens choices you mentioned will all provide about the same image quality - especially at the center. I would focus more on resolution across the lens, lens defects, chromatic aberration, and lens build.

Consider a used Sigma 24-105 f/4 Art DG OS HSM lens as a long-term investment.

Cheers for the response Mike, I know most of that stuff although I hadn't done the math on the resolution. Still think I will give it a go as noise with the 600D(Rebel T3i) is pretty bad from iso800+ and that is one thing the larger light wells in the 6d should handle well. They also seem to be holding their resale value so it isn't a huge gamble and if I end up hating it I will sell it on and get a 760D(Rebel T6s) or a 80d. I ended up throwing a really lowball bid on a Canon 28-105 mk2 on ebay and came home today to find I won the auction. I think for the time being I will make do with that and leave the UWA lens and save for an Art or L lens at some future point.

 

[hooferinsane]

Before I traded in Canon gear for Fuji gear, I had the 28-135 Ryan. I found it a good walkabout lens, I was into street photography at the time, and found it great for that (mine was a used version too). No experience of the 28-105 though.

 

[RyanB]

Before I traded in Canon gear for Fuji gear, I had the 28-135 Ryan. I found it a good walkabout lens, I was into street photography at the time, and found it great for that (mine was a used version too). No experience of the 28-105 though.

Good to know from a trusted source about the 28-135mm. From what I have read the 28-135 and the 28-105 are very similar optically just a difference in focal length at the long end and the associated aperture increase. Well that and the IS but the 135s are going for £130-150 used and I paid £37 for a mint 28-105mm mkII, not sure if IS is worth £100 to me as my 100-400L has IS and the same aperture at its short end as the 105 at the long and shooting wider I shouldn't need IS as much. I know in the world of photography I am talking peanuts but I probably shouldn't be spending what I am already...

 

[rebel06]

I have the Sigma 24-105mm art lens and find it sharper than my older Canon 24-105mm L lens (that ended up in the sea).

 

[RyanB]

I have the Sigma 24-105mm art lens and find it sharper than my older Canon 24-105mm L lens (that ended up in the sea).

That does not surprise me one bit Paul, I have several Sigma lenses and I have always been very happy with their IQ and they are not even Art versions which I have read are spectacular. If my car hadn't gone terribly wrong last week I would probably have one in the post by now but it is definitely on my list when the time comes if the price is right.

 

[Mike Singh]

I have not much to add to the above. The Sigma 24-105 is an amazing lens and my work horse walk about lens. I’d say save up for the 80D camera.

 

[RyanB]

I have not much to add to the above. The Sigma 24-105 is an amazing lens and my work horse walk about lens. I’d say save up for the 80D camera.

Another for the Sigma , I'm shocked I tell you. As for the 80d while it is a beautiful camera I think I'm pretty set on the 6d unless I find a 5dIII going for way cheap.

 

[Pteranadon]

Another for the Sigma , I'm shocked I tell you. As for the 80d while it is a beautiful camera I think I'm pretty set on the 6d unless I find a 5dIII going for way cheap.

As i do like the 80d, the low light you are going for, nothing is going to compare to the ff, as you see.
I am too a fan of the sigma art line also.

 

[Mike Singh]

Another for the Sigma , I'm shocked I tell you. As for the 80d while it is a beautiful camera I think I'm pretty set on the 6d unless I find a 5dIII going for way cheap.

5Dlll is awesome. Not bad prices on mpb

Used Canon EOS 5D III Digital SLR Camera - mpb.com

Find used Canon EOS 5D III digital SLR cameras for sale at mpb.com, or sell or trade your own.

www.mpb.com

 

[Pteranadon]

I don't know about UK.
But i believe i dealt with them years ago under another name. Mpb.

MPB US Inc. | Better Business Bureau® Profile

This organization is not BBB accredited. Online Retailer in New York, NY. See BBB rating, reviews, complaints, & more.

www.bbb.org

Worth a look.
They tried (if it's same company)
Bait n switch. Buy, then they are "looking" for one....so the said.

 

[Tony Mancini]

Have you considered the 90D Ryan ?
SUPERB camera

 

[RyanB]

Have you considered the 90D Ryan ?
SUPERB camera

No doubt Tony but I think my next body is definitely going to be FF. I almost thought about selling my whole kit and going for a Nikon d610 setup until I came to my senses and realised how crazy that was. I mean Nikon, really...