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Canon EOS 40D
Canon EOS 40D
B
HQ Grade: B
A is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of digital cameras.
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nextdream (nextdream) 0 pts
March 31, 2008 10:26 PM
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Best lens to choose for portrait/people shorts (head and shoulders, whole person). Something really SHARP and nice. The camera is Canon 40D. Thanks!!!

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by James DeRuvo (byjamesderuvo) 58446 pts
April 1, 2008 9:16 PM
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For portraits, a 24-105mm dedicated lens is optimal. The best are Canon brands. Period. However, Photography magazine recently stated that both Tokina and Sigma are giving Canon a run for their money these days and for a cheaper price.
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AJ Melvin 29 pts
April 7, 2008 8:27 AM
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The 40D which has a 1.6x focal length multiplier.The good wide angle lenses (or zoom lenses with wide angle coverage) for 40D will include the EF-S 10-22mm, EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, EF 17-40mm f/4L, EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS, and EF 14mm f/2.8L II.

The 40D is more of an action/wild life/photojournalist type of camera, which often needs longer zoom and fast speed to capture the moving targets at a distance.

For Canon EOS, there are two types of lenses: EF and EFs. EF lenses will work on all cameras, but EFs lenses will only work on the digital Rebels (300D, 350D, and 400D) and on the 20D, 30D, and 40D. EF-s lenses are all zooms to my knowledge, with the exception of one macro lens.

EF zoom lenses such as the 17-40L f/4 (field of view is about equivalent to 27-64mm on film/full frame, I have this lens myself and find it pretty good, slightly expensive) and 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 (quite a bit cheaper, FOV equivalent to 32-56mm, apparently decent image quality).

The widest truly EF-compatible lens I know is Sigma AF 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6, which is an ultra-wide lens even on non-fullframe Canon cameras and rather amazingly wide on full-frame cameras.

How wide angle do you want? The Canon's widest lens (10-22 zoom, which gives the approximate field of view equivalent on full-frame/35mm film of 16-35mm lens) is unfortunately an EF-S lens, so you can't use that if you move to a camera with a larger sensor. Moving slightly up from that, there is the 14mm f/2.8L. However, it's very expensive.

Sigma 10-22mm if you're on a budget, Canon 10-22mm if you have the money.

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM is a real bargain for an ultrawide zoom for sub-frame cameras. If you want to shoot really wide with your DSLR, this lens looks like a good way to go about it.

What's it good for?

While the "traditional" uses of wide-angle lenses are in landscape and architectural photography . wide-angles are by no means limited to this. In particular, WA's are excellent for interior and situational/street photography, and have their uses even in portraiture.

1.Situational photography, lens brightness is very valuable Sigma EX 20/1.8
2.For a portrait lens is something between 80 mm [50 mm] and 135 mm [85 mm] or so.
3.Even more than for landscapes, nothing is too wide for architecture: the Sigma 12-24 would suggest itself for this application, at least for the crop-factor cameras.
4.For serious landscape photography, the critical lens characteristic is performance stopped-down: in particular, evenness across the frame, and resolution. For example, the Sigma 15-30 excels at this type of work -- it's razor-sharp, and the greater-than-average barrel distortion won't matter for this application.
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George Funderburk (georgefun99) 527 pts
April 9, 2008 9:39 AM
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AJ Melvin covered a lot of good info on wide angle lenses, the Canon EF-S 10-22 is the sharpest of the crop-camera wides zooms. The only lens he didn't mention which many consider the best price/performance value for your 40D is the Tokina 12-24 f4. At about $200 less than the Canon EF-S 10-22, and with much better build quality, this lens is the choice among professionals who are using crop cameras and want to save money vs the Canon or Nikon versions. However, all the talk about widest angle lenses best for landscapes is not what you originally asked for, so I will quickly move on to your intended portraits topic.

I have owned about 10 different lenses over the past 4 years, seeking "the best of the best" both for my personal satisfaction and also for making money doing events and weddings. My favorite zoom is the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS, because it captures high quality photos in more settings than any other standard focal-length zoom lens, period. If you are interested in taking photos at night or dimly lit indoor places where a flash is not allowed or desired, the IS of this lens will help you capture images you never thought possible. At $1,000 it's not the first lens someone on a tight budget will think of.

My 2nd choice for your requirement is the lens "Mr. Helpful" James DeRuvo suggested, the 24-105 f4L has a larger zoom range and covers the portrait head-shot closeup focal lengths up to 105mm, gets you a LOT closer than the 55mm does. Another consideration is this lens is probably the best quality single travel lens you can buy. I used it last summer on a 5D and captured some amazing photos in San Francisco, and didn't need to carry around any other lenses. Also priced at about $1,000, you can get this lens for about $700 if you buy it in a kit with the 5D camera, then immediately sell the camera while it's still new and before it loses value. Watch for Spring Canon rebates that are expected to be starting in the next month or so.

My 3rd choice for a single zoom lens that can capture both full body and head shots is the Tamron SP 28-75 f2.8. It focuses slower than the Canon lenses but is hard to beat for sharpness, and the price of $275 is just right for someone on a budget. This is the lens that got me into professional level events and weddings. After my friends saw the photos I took with this lens I started getting regular requests to photograph birthday parties, anniversaries and graduations.

As good as all these zooms are, there are still other options you should consider at some point. Fixed focal length "primes" offer the sharpest and lowest distortion photos achievable, along with wider apertures that produce more pleasing out of focus backgrounds or "bokeh". These not-too-expensive lenses would be GREAT for your stated purposes:

Full body shots: Canon 35mm f2.0 for about $225
Head shots or distant body shots: Canon 50mm F1.8; the $75-85 cheapo "nifty-fifty", excellent images at lowest price.
Tight Head shots: Canon 85mm F1.8; at about $350 the #1 recommended portrait lens on the planet.

Special mention: Portrait/macro dual purpose lenses:
The Canon EF-S 60mm f2.8 macro for about $399 is one of the sharpest lenses made by Canon, almost non-existent distortion and the ability to focus up-close for real macro work.
An even better dual purpose, the Sigma 70mm f2.8 macro lens also about $399 has even better sharpness that rivals the impressive 180mm macro lenses, and it can be used on full frame cameras also. This lens is on my "need-to-buy" list.

Happy Shopping!




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by James DeRuvo (byjamesderuvo) 58446 pts
April 9, 2008 12:07 PM
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George, a fantastic outline of what's out there and what's best. Even I learned alot about some lenses I haven't had a chance to use. Thanks for sharing it!
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nextdream (nextdream) 0 pts
April 9, 2008 7:36 PM
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Thank you all for the answers!
Thank you George for a really fantastic outline!
24-105 f4L looks attractive, but f4 embarrasses me..
it is strange nobody mentioned 24-70 f2.8 ... Any opinions?

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George Funderburk (georgefun99) 527 pts
April 9, 2008 8:04 PM
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24-70 f2.8L ?? This would be at the top of the list for a full frame camera such as the 5D, but for the crop cameras the 17-55 with IS is so much more versatile. If you are considering upgrading to full frame, such as when the much anticipated 5D update comes out later this year, then by all means put the 24-70L on your list.

But whatever you buy now, remember these quality lenses have great resale value. Take care of it and it will always be worth about 10% less than whatever the same lens is going for new. Camera bodies lose value big-time when a new model comes out, lens are not updated on a regular basis and hold their value. With that in mind, get what works best with the camera you have now, and if you upgrade the body later know you can always sell what you have to fund the next purchase.
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by James DeRuvo (byjamesderuvo) 58446 pts
April 10, 2008 5:23 PM
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George is dead on here. Thanks to portals like eBay, you know longer have to worry about the implications of trying one platform only to move on to another. You can always sell to another one just like you and apply what you earn to the cost of the new item. That's my long standing rule ... don't try something new unless you can sell what you're aren't using to pay for it.
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AJ Melvin 29 pts
April 10, 2008 6:14 PM
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Sigma 18-50 2.8 EX Macro
one of many sample pictures portrait at ,http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterjaena/1055215187/.

My gear:
Canon EOS Rebel XTI
Canon EF 50-1.8
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Sigma DC 18-50MM 2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 24-70 f2.8 EX DG
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George Funderburk (georgefun99) 527 pts
April 10, 2008 7:09 PM
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VERY NICE photos AJ, thanks for sharing it. Great photography and awesome subject.

The Sigma 18-50 2.8 EX is one of the many lenses I have owned and I liked it ALMOST as much as the Tamron 28-75.

Try again to get that same photo without a flash or the strobe you used. The Canon 17-55 2.8 IS is the only lens I know of that will even come close.
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AJ Melvin 29 pts
April 12, 2008 8:36 AM
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The 18-50 Sigma, which i bought as a walkaround lens. In an ideal world i would probably have a bag full of L's, but for less than half the price, the sigma is probably 98% of the lens.

I really like the 18-50, its small, light, useful range, reasonable AF, build quality seems good. I wish it had HSM but its not a massive issue, and its sharp. I debated whether to spend twice the money right now? I would rather shell out the big bucks on an ultra wide (sigma 10-20 mm $ 439.95 which i bought with the money i saved by buying sigma) a telephoto eventually.

I spent a couple of weeks agonizing over this and ended up buying the Sigma for my Rebel XTI. Performance was roughly comparable (each has strengths and weaknsses) but the Sigma was much cheaper.

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR $998.88
Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 EX DC Lens for Canon Digital SLR Price: $349.95

I am not a professional photographer but i read of reviews and this being a hobby i had to make some hard decisions. I learnt a lot from your post, for which i thank you.

My dream car for some reason (my being a auto tech ) is a Mustang Saline edition, but i drive a corolla with over 208,000 miles.

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by James DeRuvo (byjamesderuvo) 58446 pts
April 12, 2008 11:10 AM
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That's a good breakdown, AJ. When performance is comparable and the price is over half, only a purist wouldn't pick up that Sigma lens!

Mine's a 67 Mustang. Convertible. Had on in my mispent youth and I miss it terribly!
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George Funderburk (georgefun99) 527 pts
April 12, 2008 11:13 AM
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Another Good Post AJ!

I believe you made a great choice for your needs, the performance per dollar from select lenses made by Sigma, Tokina, and Tamron is clearly better than either Canon or Nikon, it must be for them to make any sales. Competition is great, without it the Canon 17-55 2.8 would probably go for $1,500-$2,000 or more.

I too have a limited budget and have repeatedly made similar agonizing choices. Just so you know I'm not stuck on Canon only, I currently have 3 lenses:
1) Canon EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS
2) Newly released Sigma 70-200 2.8-II EX DG Macro (not sure yet if I like it better than the older version I used to have)
3) Sigma 150mm 2.8 Macro (the sharpest lens I have owned to date, and I had the Canon 135 2.0L for a few months)

Remember above I mentioned the Sigma 70mm Macro is on my "need to buy" list, when I have that I will be 25% Canon and 75% Sigma. Oh, did you know about the recent announcement from Sigma about their upcoming 50mm f1.4 EX, also on my list and I expect it to make the Canon 50mm 1.4 almost obsolete. I was investigating a Leica or Zeiss manual focus 50mm until I saw this announcement, now I just sit back and wait to see the results.

My dream car is a new BMW 750i, but I have owned a 1989 Chev S-10 pickup 10 years for the same reason you have the Corolla. I suspect we are more similar than different. Anyway, the original post asked about the BEST lens for portrait full body and head shots, I think we have answered that question from many angles now.

Good luck to everybody, I wish you all success in your hobby and professional life. For me these may become the same thing, only time will tell.

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AJ Melvin 29 pts
April 12, 2008 11:48 AM
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Thank you George and James. I am proud that i have met and come to know you both. I have learnt a great deal from you guys. I think i will mark both of you down as my photography "gurus".Please send me a copy or link of any of your posts.
I have a question about sigma:
What is the difference between sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 II EX DG APO HSM Macro and Sigma 70-200 2.8-II EX DG Macro.That is my next lense.
I was very much interested in Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM,Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM but i chose to go the other way. I may at some point buy one or both of those.
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George Funderburk (georgefun99) 527 pts
April 12, 2008 12:23 PM
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Actually I left off the APO and HSM parts of the description of my lens, both the descriptions you list are the same lens. Many reports are that the older non-Macro version is still the best (which I used to have before the "DG" versions came out).

How about starting a new question so one of us can make some more points!
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AJ Melvin 29 pts
April 12, 2008 1:12 PM
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I think we start a topic on TELEPHOTO LENSES FOR EOS CAMERAS.
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AJ Melvin (AJMelvin) 0 pts
September 26, 2009 10:46 PM
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Best lens for sports on a canon 40D.
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