# Lens recommendations for t2i crop sensor



## koolman (Jul 10, 2011)

Hi,

I have a t2i with 15-85 kit lens. The 15-85 is nice as a walk around - but a slow lens in general, and I'm very much missing a faster option. I tried the canon 17-55 - seems very costly( >$1,000!) and bulky for medium build lens. My auto focus was not tack either....

Any ideas ?? 

is there a way to calibrate auto focus on a lens - without messing the body up - and causing it to miss focus on other lenses ?


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## dr croubie (Jul 10, 2011)

a) besides the 17-55 f/2.8, there's the 16-35L and the 24-70L, but more expensive...
Some people say the Tamron or Sigma 17-50 f/2.8, not as good, but nowhere near as expensive.
other than that, you'll be using Primes. the 50 f/1.8 is a bargain $100, the 28 f/2.8 around $200, 35 f/2 at $300, 50 f/1.4, 20 f/2.8, 28 f/2.8 get up to half the price of the 17-55 f/2.8. Also Sigma make an APS-C only 30 1.4 around that price too...

b) yes, and it's called AF microadjustment. But only on the 50D (not 60D), 7D, 5D and the 1 series. Otherwise, send your camera and all your lenses in to canon together, i have no idea what it costs though (only pros get it for free if they buy enough expensive stuff)


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## dr croubie (Jul 10, 2011)

and if you want to go down the road of fast primes, want to stay really really cheap, and don't mind Manual Focus all the time, there's always a lot of M42 and other old primes easily adaptable to canon cameras on ebay, bargains for the bad ones, $1-200 for good sharp specimens (like Takumars and Zeiss)


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 10, 2011)

koolman said:


> I tried the canon 17-55 - seems very costly( >$1,000!) and bulky for medium build lens. My auto focus was not tack either....is there a way to calibrate auto focus on a lens - without messing the body up - and causing it to miss focus on other lenses ?



The EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS is pretty costly for a non-L lens, but you're getting L-series optical quality and a useful focal length range.

As dr croubie points out, the T2i lacks autofocus microadjustment. Slower lenses (like an f/3.5-5.6 zoom) mask AF issues because they have a relatively deep depth of field. When you start using faster lenses, you might notice problems, but it varies by body and lens. For example, I started with a T1i, 17-55mm, and 85mm f/1.8, both of which focused correctly on the body. I then got an EF 100mm /2.8L Macro IS, which backfocused slightly. Sending body and all lenses (still under warranty, at least) to Canon would have been the only option. As it was, I lived with it for a while because I shoot macro with manual focus primarily, and I soon upgraded to a 7D where I could properly calibrate my lenses (FWIW, I use a LensAlign Pro for the calibration).


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 10, 2011)

koolman said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have a t2i with 15-85 kit lens. The 15-85 is nice as a walk around - but a slow lens in general, and I'm very much missing a faster option. I tried the canon 17-55 - seems very costly( >$1,000!) and bulky for medium build lens. My auto focus was not tack either....
> 
> ...



Calibrating a lens will not mess up a body. The cost of having your out of warranty body or lens calibrated might be better spent on a upgrade to the 7D, which can be adjusted to tweak autofocus for individual lenses. No lenses are perfect, and sooner or later, you are going to want perfect.

In any event, do not get confused by those who THINK that Canon calibrates a lens to a body, they do not! They calibrate a lens to spec and a body to spec, but not to each other.

A refurb runs about $1400 direct from Canon, and by trading in a old broken point and shoot or film SLR, you can get another 20% off. Then sell your T2i.

If you want a faster and lighter lens, consider prime lenses. 24mm f/1.4 L, 28mm f/1.8, 35mm f/2 or the pricy 35mm L, 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8, 100mm f/2, 135mm f/2. There are more, this is just a few.

The fast zooms all have a lot of glass in them, and will seem heavy. Your 17-55mm is likely the lightest weight fast zoom.


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## kirillica (Jul 10, 2011)

Hm, calibrating in Canon services has cost smth about 30â‚¬. Well, you won't afford any Canon lens for these money, but at least 1 correctly working lens is quite OK result


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 10, 2011)

kirillica said:


> Hm, calibrating in Canon services has cost smth about 30â‚¬. Well, you won't afford any Canon lens for these money, but at least 1 correctly working lens is quite OK result



Thats a very low price. they won't even look at a lens in the USA for that price. Even the lowest cost lens, the 50mm f/1.8L has a flat rate of $95 plus tax and shipping one way (to them).


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## dr croubie (Jul 10, 2011)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> kirillica said:
> 
> 
> > Hm, calibrating in Canon services has cost smth about 30â‚¬. Well, you won't afford any Canon lens for these money, but at least 1 correctly working lens is quite OK result
> ...



You looking at the right price list? my 50mm f/1.8 cost me â‚¬90, that's not more than US$130 even with the low value of the US$ these days...
I'm going to investigate what they cost in AU$, gotta ring canon some time this week...


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 11, 2011)

dr croubie said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > kirillica said:
> ...



You are Right, I was in error when I picked the fixed price for the 50mm f/1.4 service.


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## zerotiu (Jul 11, 2011)

I use 50mm f/1.8 , 85mm f1.8, and 17-40 L f/4 for my walk-around lens. You should try L , previously I use 10-22 and the kit lens for my walk around lens but the image quality of L lens is superb


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## koolman (Jul 12, 2011)

Thank you all for your input.

Question: Its not clear to me. The MF adjustments on the 7d are per Lens or per focal length ?

In other words can I specify the MF for 50mm of the 17-55 - and not "ruin" the 50mm say of the 50mm 1.8 prime ?


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## dr croubie (Jul 12, 2011)

With AF Microadjustment, you can choose to do either.

If your sensor/lensmount is misaligned, you can choose option 1, and every lens is adjusted by the same amount.

If only one lens is off, choose option 2, and you can adjust up to 20 lenses individually. But you can only adjust per type of lens, ie if you have 2 copies of a lens, then both will be adjusted by the same amount.

Personally, i'd use option 2 anyway, unless you absolutely know your camera is the reason all your shots front/back focus...


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 12, 2011)

koolman said:


> Thank you all for your input.
> 
> Question: Its not clear to me. The MF adjustments on the 7d are per Lens or per focal length ?
> 
> In other words can I specify the MF for 50mm of the 17-55 - and not "ruin" the 50mm say of the 50mm 1.8 prime ?



Lens adjustments are not per focal length,. You can make a autofocus microadjustment for all lenses, or for individual lenses, but not both. 

If you have a zoom lens, and set a adjustment at 50mm for that lens, it will apply to all focal lengths of that lens model, so, if your lens varies in focus accuracy from wide to telephoto, it will need to be calibrated by the manufacturer.


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## AJ (Jul 12, 2011)

I've had focus issues with my 17-55/2.8 IS as well. On my 7D it required a large amount of adjustment (+18). Strangely, on my 400D this lens focuses perfectly.

Koolman: one more budget-friendly option is Tamron 17-50/2.8 non-VR. It's about 400 bucks. I own this lens and I like it a lot. It's easily my most used lens. Deadly sharp. But there's no stabilization of course. The lens works great for indoor shooting with or without flash.On a drebel the Tamron is better weighted, while on a 7D the heavier Canon 17-55/2.8 IS is more balanced.

I also hear good things about Sigma 17-50/2.8 OS. It's a little cheaper than the Canon. I haven't used this lens myself.

Another option is a fast prime like Sigma 30/1.4. I own this lens too. It's got superb bokeh, easily matching or surpassing lenses like Canon 85/1.8 or Tamron 90/2.8 macro. It's sharp in the center but the borders are weak, even when stopped down, so really it's useful for selective-focus shots only. Somehow I don't end up using this lens very much. I suppose it all boils down to personal shooting style.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 13, 2011)

AJ said:


> I've had focus issues with my 17-55/2.8 IS as well. On my 7D it required a large amount of adjustment (+18). Strangely, on my 400D this lens focuses perfectly.



Thats pretty common. there is a tolerance for AF with camera bodies as well as lenses. If the body and lens are off in the same direction, it may be perfect, while if off in opposite directions, a large MA is needed.


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## koolman (Jul 18, 2011)

AJ: Thanks for your insight. I actually own the Tammy 17-50 non VR lens, and I totally agree it is a very good investment, however like all photography equipment not perfect - i.e. dicey auto focus - especially in low light.

I actually find its IQ at least as good if not even superior to the canon 17-55 which is OVERPRICED to my taste.

The secret with the Tammy, is to focus on a part of the subject with good contrast and color, for people use the eyes, or eye brows, or a curve in the nose. For "things" use a colorful contrast part with some borders or lines.


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## criza (Jul 19, 2011)

kirillica said:


> Hm, calibrating in Canon services has cost smth about 30â‚¬. Well, you won't afford any Canon lens for these money, but at least 1 correctly working lens is quite OK result



What if I own a Canon 60D. a 50mm 1.8 II, a 28mm 1.8 and a 15mm 2.8? Can I send them in and they'll be calibrated all together? And what would I have to pay for this? Excuse my question but I am new to this. Thanks.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 19, 2011)

criza said:


> kirillica said:
> 
> 
> > Hm, calibrating in Canon services has cost smth about 30â‚¬. Well, you won't afford any Canon lens for these money, but at least 1 correctly working lens is quite OK result
> ...



NO!

Cameras are not calibrated to lenses or vice versa, this is a old wives tale.

Canon will calibrate your camera to its proper specs, and your lenses to their proper specs. 

That way, a new lens or body you buy in the future will match.

If your 60 D is off with all your lenses, get it calibrated first. I refuse to buy one, because of the lack of Micro Adjust.


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## criza (Jul 21, 2011)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Canon will calibrate your camera to its proper specs, and your lenses to their proper specs.
> 
> If your 60 D is off with all your lenses, get it calibrated first. I refuse to buy one, because of the lack of Micro Adjust.



Thanks Spokane, what you said makes sens 8). I may call Canon to ask for the price for a 60D Body Calibration..
Actually the 60D qualifies for CPS, and it's still under warranty, so I may get it for free?

When I bought the 60D I knew the MA would be the only thing I would miss with this camera for now, but I compensate the last surplus of MA sharpness with my artistic talent...or at least I try to :


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 21, 2011)

criza said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Canon will calibrate your camera to its proper specs, and your lenses to their proper specs.
> ...



Since its under warranty, and, presumably out of spec, they should not charge you. It must be on your listing of equipment for CPS to qualify, so make sure its registered first.

You could send both the lens and the camera, if they tweak both to spec, then things should look pretty good.


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## criza (Jul 26, 2011)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Since its under warranty, and, presumably out of spec, they should not charge you. It must be on your listing of equipment for CPS to qualify, so make sure its registered first.
> 
> You could send both the lens and the camera, if they tweak both to spec, then things should look pretty good.



Thanks again, that's a good point, "presumably" out of spec! With my Canon 400D and the 50mm 1.8 II I took razor-sharp photos, now with my 60D they are sharp but not as sharp as with my 400D. I wonder if it's only 'cause of the 10 to 18 Mpx upgrade, or both, that the 60D out of spec is not matching as good with the out of spec of the 50mm lens, not as good as with the 400D.

And yes, I'll register them on the CPS homepage, but unfortunately the 50mm 1.8 II does not qualify for CPS, and it got no more warranty, in contrary to the 15mm, which too got no more warranty, but it's a "CPS lens", I am already curious how much the calibration will cost..

Last but not least, how is this calibration done? How can they calibrate a lens? I am eager to know the technical facts behind it, maybe you know Mr. Mt. Spokane?


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 27, 2011)

I do not know the exact method they use to calibrate a lens, it is different for different lens models. I happen to have a Nikkor maintenance manual for a electrical autofocus lens, and it called for a specially designed piece of equipment to make the adjustments and check them, but my manual is 15 years out of date, so they likely have better processes. I suspect that they use desktop computer driven equipment nowdays.

It is definitely something you don't do at home, its likely that very few repair companies outside Canon have the full capability.


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