need a cannon lens recommendation

[mavericks-03svt]

My wife has a Cannon 5d Mark 3 and is thinking about getting another lens for it. I am trying to convince her to expand her horizons from just taking photos of kids and dogs and venture out into the car world. I know there are some awesome photographers on this site and I was wondering what a good all around lens for photoing cars would be. Looking to do photos at shows, rolling shots , etc... Got a 1k or so budget, so please let me know what you guys think is a good place to start.

 

[derklug]

90% of what I do is with my 18-55 or my 75-300. A fixed 55, or a fisheye also come in handy. I use an adapter and can run all my old FD lenses from my F-1, and those are what I fall back on if I need something special. Old FD lens can be bought cheap on Ebay, and they let you know if you want to shell out the cash for a similar EF lens.

 

[Montana]

Does she own any prime lenses? Prime lenses, as a general rule, produce a bit better quality. But to me, they make you think outside the box a bit more and it makes photography more fun. A nice 35mm L or 50mm would be a great fit for car photography on a full frame camera such as the 5D. My favorite lens is my 85mm f/1.2 L mkII, but the autofocus is a bit slow.

 

[GodStang]

It would help to know what lens you have now. We have a standard 50mm that we use tons.

 

[MovingZen]

I'm not the best person to be giving advice about lenses but for cruise ins or closely packed car shows I got a 14-24 so I could stand right up on the car and still get the whole car in the frame. I found that I could reduce the number of people in the photos when I didn't have to stand way back to get the whole car in the frame. If you are doing rolling shots or individual car shots you can pick the time or the place and your other lenses will come back into play. imo get the best wide angle zoom your budget will allow.

 

[CLN 6R]

IMO, 1st gen 24-70mm f.2.8L non-IS.

You want good glass for that 5D MkIII.

It's a Full Frame body, so you can't run certain lenses. 24mm will be pretty wide on a FF.

 

[TheVikingRL]

+1 on a fixed/prime 55 or 85mm for portrait type shots.

 

[mavericks-03svt]

Thanks for the suggestions. I spoke with my wife earlier today at lunch and she said she is debating on one of these two lenses for her next one. She said she is leaning towards the 85mm. She wants to do more family style portraits. She is really not in to taking photos of cars, but I guess I could learn the ropes pretty quick.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-Le...423684984&sr=1-6&keywords=canon+ef+50+mm+lens

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-85mm-f1...69&sr=1-3&keywords=canon+ef+50+mm+f1.2+L+Lens

I will post what she currently has when I get home.

 

[TheVikingRL]

I'd go with the 85mm. But kind of blows you 1k budget right out of the water

 

[mavericks-03svt]

I'd go with the 85mm. But kind of blows you 1k budget right out of the water

yea no doubt, my budget has been blown since the day I got married though. The good news is she has some of the money saved up. Most likely I will still be on the hook for the difference though. I just bought a set of wheels and tires so I kind of expected she was going to want something pricey in the future. A few weeks ago she started planting the seeds that her lens is not cutting it and she really wants to do this and that. I figured I might as well benefit if she is going to get a new lens, which is why I posted this thread. I was hoping to kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

[HYBRED]

Did someone say 18-55? The plastic kit lens? I had one, I think I gave it away LOL

IMO, 1st gen 24-70mm f.2.8L non-IS.

I have one, it needs a rebuild again. It pisses me off more than it makes me happy. I can't in good faith recommend the gen 1. Gen 2 may be better, I haven't used one yet.

For rolling shots at events, road courses, etc, the 70-200 F2.8L is amazing. The gen 1s are still fetching a decent price last I checked; that's what I have, in non-IS form and it's been my baby since the day I bought it. The gen 2 is pretty spectacular, but so damn expensive LOL

Car shows, shoots, etc, I use the 70-200 as much as I can, but I picked up a 16-35 F2.8L last year that I'm just loving. Yeah, it was expensive, but I got it with Best Buy's 0% financing. Which I strongly recommend for big lens purchases, it'll expand your budget and eliminate that big purchase instant regret. lol

For a prime, with cars, I think the 85mm is a good one. It also doubles as a good portrait lens. I just don't use primes because I what I shoot is so dynamic, and I rarely have the option to choose how far away my subjects are.

 

[TheVikingRL]

Well, if you're going to take a lot of car pics then maybe steer her towards the 55mm instead. With the 85mm you'll likely be standing waaaay back to get a proper shot.

 

[CLN 6R]

Did someone say 18-55? The plastic kit lens? I had one, I think I gave it away LOL



I have one, it needs a rebuild again. It pisses me off more than it makes me happy. I can't in good faith recommend the gen 1. Gen 2 may be better, I haven't used one yet.

For rolling shots at events, road courses, etc, the 70-200 F2.8L is amazing. The gen 1s are still fetching a decent price last I checked; that's what I have, in non-IS form and it's been my baby since the day I bought it. The gen 2 is pretty spectacular, but so damn expensive LOL

Car shows, shoots, etc, I use the 70-200 as much as I can, but I picked up a 16-35 F2.8L last year that I'm just loving. Yeah, it was expensive, but I got it with Best Buy's 0% financing. Which I strongly recommend for big lens purchases, it'll expand your budget and eliminate that big purchase instant regret. lol

For a prime, with cars, I think the 85mm is a good one. It also doubles as a good portrait lens. I just don't use primes because I what I shoot is so dynamic, and I rarely have the option to choose how far away my subjects are.

I have both a Gen 1 24-70mm f/2.8L and Gen 1 70-200mm f/2.8L and had 0 issues with either. *shrugs*

Sucks to hear yours if having to be re-built.

 

[Lt. ZO6]

As others have posted... If you don't have a prime lens, definitely get one. My prime is my favorite glass by far.

 

[WireEater]

Another vouch for a primes lens (35mm/55mm f1.4). It was by far my favorite lens to shoot with.

 

[weems]

I have a Canon 10-22 that I use every single day. But I do shoot a ton of real estate photos, but I LOVE how wide it gets.

 

[mavericks-03svt]

It would help to know what lens you have now. We have a standard 50mm that we use tons.

She told me we have a 50mm 1.4, 100mm macro, a 24-105 L series Lens, and a tamaron 70-300 zoom lens.

 

[mavericks-03svt]

She pretty much said her heart is set on the 85mm one instead of the 55mm also. My guess is she will probably be ordering it soon cause she usually doesn't waste much time when she wants something.