What You Might Have Missed Photographer Thomas Spiessens

3 Incredible Canon Lenses: AKA The Holy Trinity of (Canon) Lenses

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Posted by Patrick on Jul 25, 2009 in Lenses

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There are many, many great lenses for the Canon platform. In fact their price, their capabilities, their performance, are a big part of why a lot of photographers find themselves wholly attached to the Canon platform. If you’re anything like me, you’ll end up getting a countless number of them, enjoying each for some unique or esoteric quality. But there are 3 lenses in particular that get a great deal of attention. You’re probably already familiar with them, and it’s very likely that you might even have one. Each offers tremendous “L” series build, fast performance, and excellent image quality. It goes without saying the each also costs a pretty penny. With that in mind I’ve provided some alternatives to each, but honestly these 3 lenses can do nearly anything you’ll ever need to do, 16-200mm at f/2.8 the whole way.

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM

For wide angle use, look no further than the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM. High build quality and a fast aperture make this the wide angle of choice for those not on a budget. At $1400, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM is more expensive than the also very good Canon EF 17-40mm f/4. Overall image quality is pretty close (some even prefer the 17-40 for some applications) but the f/2.8 provides more versatility if you ever want to take the lens out of the field shooting landscapes, and instead use it for photojournal type work or street/people photography. In lower light you’ll be glad you had the faster glass.The biggest catch, the 82mm filters you’ll have to buy, a futher big expense.

Alternatives:

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM: Most the same image quality, half the price.
Canon TS-E 17mm f/4 L: Make your photographer friends insane with jealousy.
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L II: Make the operator of this website insane with jealousy. This is an amazing lens that also costs as much as your Canon EOS 5D Mark II.
And yes, any number of great primes throughout the focal range, perhaps offering sharper and faster performance, but at the cost of convenience.

Convinced? Get the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM here at Amazon or at our favorite, B&H Photo.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM

The ultimate walk around lens for the Canon platform. The focal range covers just about everything you need, the build quality is high, and the sharpness is, well this is an amazingly sharp lens. This is a wedding photographer’s staple lens, good for groups and portraits, great for low light work. If there’s a catch it has to be the size of the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM. It’s big and heavy for sure, a trade off many will be sure to take given the lens’ capabilities.

Alternatives:

Again, a good number of excellent primes.
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM: For many photographers, this single lens is all they need.

The Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L USM is very close to “must have” status. Get it at Amazon or B&H Photo.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM

The “money maker” lens if there ever was one (for Canon). Every pro has one and with good reason. Incredible image quality with very good reach, fast f/2.8, excellent build, 3 stop image stabilization, beautiful bokeh, do I need to go on? This is your “go to” lens, your “have to get this shot” lens. For portraits and sports/action photography look no further–this is your lens! The only cons are the obvious size of the lens and compared to the 24-70mm f/2.8, very long focus distance. Other than that there’s no reason to not want this lens.

Alternatives:

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM: Ditches the image stabilization for a bit of a discount
Canon EF 70-200m f/4 L IS USM: Losing a stop greatly reduces the price, and some of the appeal?

Everybody either has this lens or wants this lens. Get yours here at Amazon or at B&H Photo.

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