Which lenses should I get with Canon 6D?

[Sus75]

Hi guys!

I have been reading so many great and insightful answers in this forum so now I will try asking for help regarding my own troubles;-)

I am about to upgrade (from Canon 60D + Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC + Canon 50 f/1.8) to Canon 6D. I gave up waiting for 6D2;-)

Now I am looking for good lenses to go along - preferably 3 lenses, unless you can really convince me why to get more (or less…;-).

My main concern - of course, you can say - is that I want all my lenses to be used and not stored;-) Therefore I try to avoid overlaping too much unless they have different ‘best for’.

My usage:
I use my gear for 'extended' everyday-use (a lot more than general people but not professional/making money from photography - yet, anyway - I would love to;-)

My main shooting will be:
- everyday life in my family indoor/outdoor (number one!)
- a bit of portrait (not portrait sessions but mere like my own kids etc.)
- holidays/vacations/travel
- food photography and other ‘item-shootings’ for blogging
- street
- (I don’t do any wildlife or sports, very little landscape)

Lenses that I am interested in (for full frame):
Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 or
Canon 24-105 f/4

Canon 85 f/1.8

Sigma Art 35 mm f/1.4

Canon 70-200 f/4 IS or
Canon 135 f/2

One thing I am thinking a lot about is that it seems when you start using primes, a lot of you get mere and more attached to them. Does that mean you end up not putting your all-around zoom (like the 24-70) on for occasions like kid’s birthdays parties/everyday life - so that the all-around lens becomes redundant?

I hope a lot of you would take the challenge to point out the 3 lenses you think would be most helpful to me - it would mean a GREAT deal to me and I will be very grateful for each of your answers.

Though it is always so inspiring to hear about favorites from individual use of different lenses (from that persons need), please keep my needs/usage in mind if you put in your suggestion for my top 3 (and maybe number 4 for the future wish list…;-)

Thanks to everyone who will help me;-)

Kind Regards,
Susanne

 

[Sus75]

I didn't mean Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 - I did mean Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC

KR / Susanne

 

[RunLuke]

24-105, definitely (but I'd get the 24-70 2.8L II because that lens is just the sweetest thing on earth).

It's versatile and it almost covers the entire area you are interested in.

Regarding primes, I've got the 50 1.2 and I love it and I use it a lot, but I also have two bodies if I'm doing something where there's "action" like stories or reportage or stuff so that I can quickly switch without having to unscrew a lens (this is for work though).

I use the 24-70 quite a lot, but I also find that I tend to bring the 50 1.2 with me a lot more if I'm just going out to shoot for fun or to a party, well, it just looks better, gets you focused more, it's harder to use etc.

Your problem is that you need one more lens if you go the prime way.

 

[Sus75]

Hi RunLuke!

Thanks for your reply. I just have to understand you correctly - it seems like you both point to the 24-105 and the 24-70;-) Which one would you suggest+

I already have a Canon 50 mm 1.8.

;-)

 

[RunLuke]

The 24-70 2.8L II! It's a much better lens, also lets in a lot more light, but it's also a lot more expensive

But for a full frame sensor I'd prefer the 24-70

 

[Sus75]

My option is the Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC or the Canon 24-105 f/4 L.

You wrote: "24-105, definitely";-) But you mean the Tamron would still be a better choice for me?

 

[RunLuke]

Well, between those I'd get the Canon 24-105 because it covers a wider range and because I don't trust the reverse engineered stuff like Sigma and Tamron.

Sorry, if I was being confusing, what I meant was that I'd rather get the Canon EF 24-70 2.8L II because of vastly superior optical performance.

 

[Sus75]

Thank you for your great advices so far. Please keep them coming if anybody else has something to share;-)

Someone mentioned that I should consider the Canon 100mm f/2 (instead of the Canon 85mm f/1.8). Do any of you have any thoughts on that?

His advice (he works professionally selling cameras and equipment) was to get:

Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC
Canon 70-200 f/4
+ maybe either Canon 100mm f/2 or Sigma Art 50 mm f/1.4 (instead of 35mm)

Personally I somehow hoped he would have recommended that 135/2 instead of the 70-200/4 (I would have liked a professional to convince me so I would feel better buying...;-) - but he went for the safer/versatile choice by 70-200/f.

I just keep reading so many people SO fund of the 135/2 - swearing that they will never go back to 70-200/4. And then of course there are the ones who have both and find both very useful;-) I will not get both though as I think I will end up noy getting use of both.

Anybody have any experiences or great advice for me - I would really appreciate a lot (and again, please have my needs/use as described in mind if you put in your 2 cent;-)

Thanks a lot, guys - you are really helpful!

Kind regards,

Susanne

 

[RunLuke]

I'd get the 135 2.0.
But the 70-200 is more versatile and probably somewhat sharper. Take it from a professional photographer.

I wouldn't recommend any 3rd party lens.

 

[bebek_loncat]

My usage:
I use my gear for 'extended' everyday-use (a lot more than general people but not professional/making money from photography - yet, anyway - I would love to;-)

My main shooting will be:
- everyday life in my family indoor/outdoor (number one!)
- a bit of portrait (not portrait sessions but mere like my own kids etc.)
- holidays/vacations/travel
- food photography and other ‘item-shootings’ for blogging
- street
- (I don’t do any wildlife or sports, very little landscape)

Hi there, I just accidentally bumped into this thread while searching for something on google. Since I'm a 6D user myself, I think that I can give you some tips.

Referring to your needs, I would recommend you to get these 3 lens:

- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS
- Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro

EF 24-105 has a great range and constant aperture at f/4 is good enough for indoor since 6D also has a very good low light performance (don't be afraid to bump the ISO to 6,400, it still looks good), and not to forget that 24-105 is equipped with Image Stabilizer (I own this lens myself). This lens is good for family events, travel, a bit of portraits and a bit of landscapes.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 is hands down a good performing lens on 6D. The focal length of 35mm on 6D is wide enough to capture the environment but long enough to compress the subject and avoid extreme distortion as normally seen on ultra wide angle lens. 35mm on 6D is equal to 22mm on your 60D. This lens is good for portrait (with a little bit of the environment), street, and travel.

EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro is one of the best macro lens on the market. Even though this lens is labeled as a macro lens, don't be mistaken, this lens can be a powerful portrait lens as well. The sharpness on this lens is crazy, and of course this lens will be perfect for food photography and product shot (for your blog).

I know that there are overlaps on the lens focal length, but believe me that all of those lens will be very useful for you.

Me myself, I own EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS, EF 16-35mm f/4 L IS, Sigma 35mm f/1.5, EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II, EF 50mm f/1.4, and Samyang 8mm f/3.5 fish eye. I'm not a professional photographer, just like you, I took photos just for general purpose only, and the lens I use the most are the first 3, you'll notice that there are also lots of overlaps on my lenses there.

About the other lenses you mention there, for Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VC, I believe that this is a good lens, but a wide aperture is not necessarily mean a good optical quality, and for that, I also believe that 24-105 has better optics quality (it's an L lens, used by many professionals). For EF 70-200mm f/4 L, the 70mm wide end is not wide enough for me thus I only use my 70-200 for certain occasion (portrait, or events where I need a long reach or fast lens, since mine is an f/2.8 IS II). EF 135mm f/2 is undoubtedly one of the sharpest canon lens on the market and great for portrait, but I think EF 100mm f/2.8 L macro will be more versatile since it's capable of doing macro shot as well. EF 85mm f/1.8 is also a good lens, especially for portrait, but the quality is not on par with other canon "L" lenses yet. This lens has strong CA (Chromatic Aberration), especially on the out of focus area. Compare to this lens, EF 100mm f/2.8L macro is much better on all aspect (apart from a slightly smaller aperture at f/2.8).

Well, these are my 2 cents as a 6D user, I hope it can help you to get some insight and make your decision on your purchase. Cheers!