Category Archives: Equipment

Commentary, Equipment

Questions about the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

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Alex writes to ask about the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM:

I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and have noticed that you haven’t commented on the Canon 10-22mm lens on a crop camera. I have a 350D with the 10-22mm lens. I’m curious as to your opinion on using this lens on a crop body compared to the 17-40mm. I’m considering upgrading to the 5D at some point and would obvioulsy need to purchase a WA lens as well. You seem to be satisfied with your result of using the 17-40 on a crop body in the past or did it make a noticeable difference to you when you moved from the crop body to the full frame on the 5D with your 17-40mm?

Thanks for writing, Alex. You are right that I haven’t written about this lens, but only because I don’t have any direct experience with it. Being an EF-S lens, it is designed for use only on crop sensor Canon bodies (like the 350D/400D series and the 20D/30D/40D series), and I’m using full frame these days.

You are also correct that I’m a big fan of the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L lens. I used this lens on the crop sensor camera that I had until about a year ago, and I continue to make a lot of use of this lens on my 5D. On my crop sensor body, the 17-40 always produced excellent center sharpness, though it could be a bit soft in the corners, especially when shot wide open. I find it to be even better on full frame where I frequently shoot it at f/11 or even f/16, thus controlling the corner softness/fall-off issues more effectively.

On a crop sensor body, the 10-22mm focal length range is essentially equivalent to the 16-35mm range on a full frame body – in other words just a tiny bit wider than my 17-40mm lens on full frame. Although I had thought that 17-40mm was “wide enough” on my crop sensor body, once I started shooting full frame with this lens I really came to appreciate the much wider coverage provided by this combination. I think that the combination of the 350D and the 10-22mm lens could very useful – for example, it could be a wonderful small and lightweight setup for doing landscape photography while hiking or backpacking.

With that in mind, I guess you could say that I was satisfied with the 17-40 on the crop sensor camera at that time, but that I know realize that if I were going to again use a crop sensor body I would almost certainly want to get a lens providing the coverage of the 10-22. Although I haven’t used the EFS 10-22mm lens myself, almost everything I’ve read about it has been positive.

When you do move to that full frame body you might find that the 17-40 really comes into its own, especially if you shoot landscapes and similar subjects. As to whether you would want to get this lens now or wait, I think that depends upon what kind of coverage your other lenses currently provide in that range.

Equipment

Asking the Wrong Question – Part 2

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I often see a question more or less like this one posted in photography discussion forums:

I want to get a new lens. Which is better, the 16-35mm f/2.8 or the 24-70mm f/2.8?

Sigh.

This is kind of like the following: “I want to eat. Which is better, breakfast or dinner?”

Regardless of one person’s personal preference for one lens (or meal) over another, there is no rational way to say which is best – and in fact, these lenses are so different that they almost defy comparison in this way, and either could serve admirably in the appropriate situations.

Fundamentally, this question really isn’t about which lens is intrinsically better. In fact, neither is objectively better or worse than the other in a general sense. I’d be tempted to answer the lens question as follows: “If you need a 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, the 16-35mm f/2.8 lens is better. If you need a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is better.”

The real question is which lens is better suited to a particular sort of usage, but the poster didn’t give us enough hints to speculate about this. Frequently the question simply illustrates that the poster doesn’t understand his/her own photographic needs well enough to understand what gear is most appropriate – and lacking that understanding wants someone else to decide.

The best advice to the person is to suggest that they need to figure this out before investing any money in more equipment.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Commentary, Equipment

Follow-up On A Post From Yesterday

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Yesterday I posted a short piece about timing a move to full frame, particularly in relation to the possibly arrival of an upgraded version of the Canon 5D and dropping prices on the existing model. (“A Good Time to Move to Full Frame DSLR?“) I may have left a false impression that I was mulling over my own decision about this. Nope, I already shoot with a 5D.

Which perhaps raises a couple questions. First, what do I think of the camera? I like mine a lot. It is pretty much the perfect camera body for the sort of work I do most of the time.

Would I trade my 5D for a 16MP replacement model? Unlikely, at least until prices drop as they always do after a new camera has been out for awhile. The difference between 12MP and 16MP (if that is what comes out) is less than you might think, and in most cases it wouldn’t result in a noticeable difference in my photographs. I might change my mind if a new body is introduced that is significantly better in other important ways, but even then I don’t think I’d be in any big rush to do so.

That said, it is starting to look like a better market for those who are looking up upgrade to full frame.

Equipment

A Good Time to Move to Full Frame DSLR?

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I just was a report that the Canon 5D 12 MP full-frame body may be available for as low as $2,149 at one or more major online camera resellers. This is great news for those who want/need full-frame but have been put off by the fact that the 5D price started out more than $1000 higher than this.

This price makes the 5D a more attractive (or perhaps I should say ‘possible?’) option for those who might otherwise be looking at a camera like the Canon 40D. While the 40D can do some things that the 5D cannot (6.5 fps, for example) those whose feature needs are met by the 5D can spend a bit more and get the image quality advantages of full frame.

On the other hand, the lower price of the 5D could well signal the imminent release of the supposed “5DII,” or differently named update of the 5D. While there is only rumor of such a camera, reasonable guesses include the likelihood that it may have a 16 MP sensor, dust-reduction technology, and some of the other features that have shown up in other recent Canon DSLR cameras. My hunch is that the initial list price of such a camera would be in the $3000 range.

Given that rumor, is it better to wait for the update or take advantage of lower prices on the current 5D? If price is an issue, the current 5D is a fine camera for most full-frame photography. Frankly, the difference between 16MP and 12MP is likely to be completely insignificant for most people, and only somewhat significant even for those who make pretty good size prints. If I needed a new full-frame body now and didn’t think I’d be able (or willing) to afford a $3000 16MP body during the next year I would not hesitate at all to get a 5D now.

(Well over a year ago I posted a piece speculating about Canon models in which I guessed that Canon might push full frame bodies down “lower” in the product line before too long. I still suspect that Canon might do this before long, possibly by keeping the 12MP full frame sensor but in a less-expensive body that would be cost-competitive with the recently-announced Nikon D300 – introducing this new full-frame model at a list price of around $2000 and a real sales price lower than that. I’d guess that a 16MP 5D update would also be produced but with pricing more in line with that of the original 5D.)

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.