New Camera and Lens Help

[Tervon]

I am going to buy a new Canon 7D. I want to start out with the right lenses. I am looking for two to three lenses.
I had a canon 7D which Kit 28-135 and 75-300. Both camera and lenses were stolen. I have the chance to start over and would like to do it right. I am working with $3000 for lenses and camera.
Thank you very much in advance.

[OsmosisStudios]

Depends greatly on what you want to do with the camera. You can get a 7D+28-135 kit from B&H for 1900, which leaves you a good chunk of change to get one of the older 70-300 IS lenses as well as a 50/1.8

[inkista]

What do you want to shoot, and what did you hate about your old gear? Those are always a good starting point.

If you just want to replace with one-step-up gear, then maybe an EF-S 15-85 IS USM, and 70-200 f/4L USM will do it, but it's hard to recommend blind without some kind of guidance as to what it is you actually want. Do you want faster gear? Better image quality? More features? Or different kinds of lenses altogether?

[Tervon]

I took mostly indoor photos. We just recently returned from a cruise and I took shots of concerts and shots when we were ashore. I also want to take portraits of my family. Since the gear was stolen I thought best to upgrade on the lenses while I have the chance. I really want to get more involved with photography. The cruise really was the first time I saw the possibilities with the 7D.

[inkista]

Ok, I think you've got three choices when it comes to the walkaround zoom. Two of them are kit lenses. Assuming you're in the US, the two kit lens options are:

EF-S 18-135 IS
EF-S 15-85 IS USM

The first one kits around $1900, the last at around $2250, according to B&H.

The 18-135 IS is essentially a crop-body update to the EF 28-135 IS USM. You lose USM, but you gain actual wide angle capability that's equivalent to what 28mm does on fullframe/film. The optical quality is a little better than the 28-135's. The cost is also about the same.

The 15-85 is a better, sharper lens than the 18-135, and it also has USM. It's an update to the EF-S 17-85 IS USM. It's essentially more like a crop-body version of the 24-105L, in terms of focal length.

If you go for the first option, that leaves you $1100 to play around with on lenses. If you get the second option, that only leaves you around $750.

Your third option is to get a fast f/2.8 zoom with a 7D body. Unfortunately, if you go for either the EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM ($1000) or the EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM ($1300), you're pretty much going to blow your entire budget right then and there. But you'll be able to use that lens for portraiture indoors with your camera without a flash and get decent shutter speeds. You can find much lower-priced 3rd party alternatives.

When it comes to a telephoto zoom replacement, I'd recommend getting an EF-S 55-250 IS instead of a 75-300 III--newer design, better optics and IS. But if you really want to step-up to a mid-grade lens, then a $500 EF 70-300 IS USM, or $600 EF 700-200 f/4L USM is the way to go. Ideally, again, if you want to shoot portraits with the lens indoors, then the EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM Mark II is ideally what you want, but it's a $2000 lens. So you might have to modify your sights, much as with the f/2.8 walkaround zooms above.

I'd actually hold off on replacing your telephoto zoom until you've studied what you really want it for: indoor portraits or outdoor wildlife or whathave you. With four figures to spend, you could get some seriously nice glass, but you need to figure out if speed or reach are more important to you.

I would recommend getting a fast prime. If you've never used one before, the cheapest is the $100 EF 50mm f/1.8 II, which isn't risking very much to try one out. Primes are small, fast, sharp and cheap compared to their zoom counterparts. And the wider max. apertures can let you use faster shutter speeds in lower light, as well as make it easier to blur out backgrounds. For portraits, they're the go-to lens. If you want to spend a bit more, analyze what focal length is going to be good for you by looking at the EXIF information from the zoom lenses you have. That might help you figure out where you "sit". Most of the mid-range fast primes from Canon are in the $350-$500 price range.

[Tervon]

Inkista
Thank you for the much needed information. Just for reference sake, I just ordered the Canon S95. My camera bag that was stolen had the Canon S90, G11 and 7D with flash 580 II and a smaller flash that I used with my G11. I am not going to get the G11 replaced just yet, but I know that primary focus are indoors portraits of mostly my daughter, family, and outdoor when we go on trips. I am in Germany and my family tries to travel when we can. I have the 50mm f1/4 in my amazon box as well as the 85mm f2/8, but that was when I receive advice months ago and I still had the 28-138 and 70-300. I only used the 70-300 once and found it hard to use without a tripod. I used the S90 and G11 mostly, and the 28-135 mostly with the 7D.
Your thoughts

[inkista]

Thought 1: you don't need an S95 AND a G11/G12. One or the other should be enough.

Thought 2: Did you have the 75-300 III? or the 70-300 IS USM? These are two very different lenses. The 70-300 IS USM has stabilization, which makes it easier to handhold than the 75-300 III, so that might eliminate your tripod issue. Mostly, though, with telephoto lenses, you just have to watch the shutter speed. Using them outdoors in good light, with higher iso settings (800, 1600) can help a lot. If you don't have IS (as with the 75-300 III), your shutter speed should be at 1/focal_length (e.g., 1/300s for a 300mm lens) or faster if you want to handhold.

Thought 3: When using prime lenses, the first task is to analyze what focal lengths you actually want. You may want a 50mm, you may not. You may want to go wider, rather than longer. Everybody has different preferred working distances and framing preferences, so what works for one person may not work for another. I've actually found I "sit" around 35mm and 135mm. This is not usual, but it works for me. I have a 35/2 and a 135/2 that I often use in combination together.

Thought 4: The other issue with a prime lens is the one of "normal on a crop". This probably has no relevance if you never shot film, but on film, there was a specific feel that a 50mm lens gave you on a film body, and that included the angle of coverage that lens gave. On a crop body, the same "field of view" is given more by a lens that's closer to 30mm, rather than 50mm. So, a lot of folks prefer a prime lens that's close to 30mm for their shooting if they're used to 50mm on film. The main choices for "normal on a crop" with Canon are the EF 28mm f/1.8 USM, the EF 35mm f/2, and the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 HSM (Sigma-speak for USM).

[Tervon]

1. I only plan to get the S95

2. I had the 70-300 IS USM which I did not use often. I had this equipment less than a year before it was stolen and had limited use.

I believe I need a walk around zoom that I can use for portraits, and I would like something that has a longer reach.
I am not able to buy the very best today, but I don't believe in going super cheap either. Being overseas I will probably be ordering online. I have read many of your post and do value the things you have to say.

[Tervon]

Anyone any final thoughts?