Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS - $800

Great discussion on lens selection.

For someone wanting to buy their first lens other than the 18-55mm kit lens for T3i, what would be the recommendation in terms of the best bang-for-the-buck ? Mostly for landscape and outdoor. Already have 55-250 EF-S (which is already remarkably better than the kit lens). I think I have outgrown the kit lens....

Quote from hot$kong : seems a good deal to me, thoughts?

I paid more for a new one... If you have serious concerns about not having a warranty, you can always buy a squaretrade one using a discount code and still pay less than what I paid for a new one (though I'm happy with my purchase).

The only issue really is if you are finicky and buy 6 of them... find the sharpest one and then return the rest. Though not too many people do that.

I doubt you will get a bad copy, but it is possible and so their return policy may be an issue... or sending it in for refurbishment.

Quote from OR-master : Why the thumbs down? 800 is a very good price for this lens NOW. (I'm sure someone will say it was cheaper at some point) We are not talking about some nebulous deal at some point in time. For right now this is as good as you are going to do for a US model new lens. Canon has the refurb of this for more money and NO there are no 20% off codes right now. Good deal for a good lens OP. Repped. The MPN# is listed as 0344B002 which is the US model. Same as the one thay sell at Adorama for $1069. So no it is not a grey market lens.

I have never had issues with a lens... and i have the 50mm f/1.4 which is a bit notorious. And if you lens does go bad... Canon actually will fix them at a very reasonable price.

Quote from preppyak : Actually, they state that its pulled out of a kit, so I'm guessing they either took it out of their 5dII or 5dIII kits and have just white-boxed them. Pretty common really. It'd definitely be a better deal if it had the Canon warranty, but, I think the past Ebay Daily Deals have also been from companies who are just selling off the kit lens

Companies will make an extra one or two hundred dollars doing this... and I can't blame them. It is a good way to maximize your profits. I've sold kit lenses that have come with the 60D...

Quote from dude6156 : Is this an overkill for a T3i ? I am looking for a "better" lens than the one in the kit.

No... There are some lenses that don't play well with a cropped sensor (e.g., vignetting along the corners) but this is a very nice lens with excellent range. I have it with my 60d and I have no complaints. It isn't super wide, but I personally don't like wide angle photography... and even if you do get the 17-55, the 17 isn't as wide as a tokina 11-16 or maybe even a fisheye.

If/when I go to the grand canyon... I'll rent buy one of the aforementioned, but for everyday uses... this is solid.

Quote from fyu : get the 17-55mm 2.8

It is a good lens... I am not going to argue that point. But it is an ef-s lens which isn't compatible with full frame. So if that is something he/she was considering as an upgrade... it would be a shame to not be able to use a lens he/she loved.

Quote from Coolchu : Pretty sweet deal... but I'm having a hard time deciding on this or go with the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VC Tamron is f/2.8 and has a US warranty (But $400 more!). Both lenses appear to be pretty sharp at the same apertures. In some cases, the Tamron was shaper than the mk1 24-70mm L

Tamron makes good products... but if you are considering resale at all, I think Canon holds its value better. IF you know of anyone who might be eligible for the Tamron educational rebate... you might be able to save a little more. Do a google search for it... education program... something or other. EPP.

Quote from buzzrk : 24mm is quite wide for me. It just depends on type of shots you like. Look at your collection and see how many shots you shot below 24mm. I have used this lens this summer and it is awesome. Some say this si best walkaround/travel lens. Go for it.

I hear the 24-70 is a great lens, but it is just heavy as balls (iron ones I presume). I think this is one of the best value lenses available in the L series... and that is partly because there are so many made as they are included as a kit lens with the 5dmk ii and iii.

Quote from buzzrk : No, T2i pictures will start looking like 5D pictures once you put a lens like this in front. You will save money on upgrading to newer cameras thinking T2i sucks. T2i is awesome - the kit lens is what makes it junk. I used to hate teh pictures out of my T2i - now I am loving the camera.

Agreed. I tell people all the time that the kit lens is only a stepping stone... to a really expensive hobby.

Quote from dude6156 : Is this an overkill for a T3i ? I am looking for a "better" lens than the one in the kit.

Yes, I suggest a 15-85 instead. It's a better focal length than the 24-105 on a APS-C.

Unless you are planning to upgrade to the 5D in the very near future.

Quote from FreeBaGeL : I'm currently using this [amazon.com] Canon 18-200mm lens. I rarely use the 105-200 range though. If I were to pick up this lens what would I be gaining for my investment? I'm not a professional. I typically take photos (mostly landscape type stuff) on vacations and have them wrapped to hang on the walls of our home. Would this be worth the upgrade?

I agree with preppyack... If you do landscapes... the 24-105 is nice and it is sharp... but it is using a hand trowel to dig a grave. It works... but it isn't the right tool for the job. Though I am personally not a fan of the 18-200... so I think if you sold that for 400 and then have a total of 1200 to spend... you could probably do better getting a 11-16 tokina and a 15-85mm canon. Both are solid lenses and are both and upgrade.

Quote from dude6156 : Great discussion on lens selection. For someone wanting to buy their first lens other than the 18-55mm kit lens for T3i, what would be the recommendation in terms of the best bang-for-the-buck ? Mostly for landscape and outdoor. Already have 55-250 EF-S (which is already remarkably better than the kit lens). I think I have outgrown the kit lens....

If your criterion is bang for the buck, I highly recommend the 18-135mm instead of this lens. It's the ultimate walk-around lens for crop APS-C cameras because it has a great zoom range. It comes as the kit lens on the 60D and high-end Rebel kits, or can be bought separately. I had the extreme fortune of getting one of these almost free by getting a slickdeal on a 60D kit and then selling the body on Craigslist.

Quote from sbddude : Yes, I suggest a 15-85 instead. It's a better focal length than the 24-105 on a APS-C. Unless you are planning to upgrade to the 5D in the very near future.

There are rumors that the 7D mk ii will be a full frame... or at least there is the possiblity that there will be a full frame entry level option... so while he/she may not be interested in either the 5d mkii or mkiii, there may be an affordable option that he/she will consider in the not too distant future.

Quote from dude6156 : Great discussion on lens selection. For someone wanting to buy their first lens other than the 18-55mm kit lens for T3i, what would be the recommendation in terms of the best bang-for-the-buck ? Mostly for landscape and outdoor. Already have 55-250 EF-S (which is already remarkably better than the kit lens). I think I have outgrown the kit lens....

Well, my suggestion would be to go through your photos and see what you shoot the most. Do you use the kit lens from 18-55, or is it mostly on the 18mm end? If you use Windows, this [demon.nl] can tell you what focal lengths you use the most

From that info, you set your price range. If you use it most at 18mm, then you're probably looking for something wider. If you use the whole range, then you probably want a lens with similar coverage (15-85 is a great suggestion). You may find you use each end, but nothing in between, so maybe you want a wide angle, and a 40-50mm prime. There are many different ways to go, and what you shoot will give you some idea of which way to go.


For example, I basically shoot landscape and action. So, I needed something ultra-wide (Tokina 11-16) and something telephoto (70-200 f/4L IS). I also have a 28mm and 50mm prime that I use to fill the gap between 16mm and 70mm. It means I can't shoot from 16-27, 29-49, and 51-70...but, those are focal lengths that I basically never used anyway. I use the 28mm prime some because it's a Zeiss and it gives me a specific look, and I basically never use the 50mm. For others, they wouldn't need the wide angle and tele and would just want primes.

Quote from haydentech : If your criterion is bang for the buck, I highly recommend the 18-135mm instead of this lens. It's the ultimate walk-around lens for crop APS-C cameras because it has a great zoom range. It comes as the kit lens on the 60D and high-end Rebel kits, or can be bought separately. I had the extreme fortune of getting one of these almost free by getting a slickdeal on a 60D kit and then selling the body on Craigslist.

First of all, ignore this guy above.

Quote from dude6156 : Great discussion on lens selection. For someone wanting to buy their first lens other than the 18-55mm kit lens for T3i, what would be the recommendation in terms of the best bang-for-the-buck ? Mostly for landscape and outdoor. Already have 55-250 EF-S (which is already remarkably better than the kit lens). I think I have outgrown the kit lens....

2nd of all... the 18-135 has similar performance as the 18-55mm but with greater focal range. The 18-200 is also in a similar boat in regards to image quality.

3rd. the best bang for you buck lens is going to be the 50mm f/1.8 because you can get amazing shots when you stop it down to 2.8 and it only costs 120 or so bucks.

The 2nd best lens is the 40mm f/2.8 which is 200... but I haven't used it... I have only heard rumors and reviews. And you already have the 3rd best value lens, the 55-250mm.

But for your purposes, landscape would be the aformentioned wide angle option of the tokina 11-16 or maybe the 15-85. Since you will probably use a tripod and it is outdoor (as compared to low-light indoor), you don't need a particularly large aperture. And I'd guess you will stop the aperture down to the teens or twenties so everything is in focus. So again... not really needing the low light big apertures.

The 24-105 is GREAT... I love mine... but it isn't a wide angle lens... and it especially isn't a wide angle lens on a crop sensor. So while this is a good deal... it just may not be the deal for you.

Quote from jdramirez : First of all, ignore this guy above.

Huh? You say that, with no further explanation, and then your very next sentence is a exact rephrasing of what I just said.

His stated goal is bang for the buck, and I stand by my comment that the 18-135 in the best bang for the buck lens Canon makes, with the possible exception of the 50/1.8. Yes, we're in a thread about an L lens, but he's obviously not in the market for that.

*sob* so true.

Quote from jdramirez : Agreed. I tell people all the time that the kit lens is only a stepping stone... to a really expensive hobby.

Quote from haydentech : Huh? You say that, with no further explanation, and then your very next sentence is a exact rephrasing of what I just said. His stated goal is bang for the buck, and I stand by my comment that the 18-135 in the best bang for the buck lens Canon makes, with the possible exception of the 50/1.8. Yes, we're in a thread about an L lens, but he's obviously not in the market for that.

I'm not trying to pick a fight... but I was telling him to ignore you. The focal range of the 18-135 is nice... but that is about the last nice thing I can say about it.... actually, it does have IS... so 2 nice things.

I really don't think there is an improvement in regards to picture quality with the 18-135. I actually feel a little bad every time I sell one for around 300 bucks. I also feel bad when I sell a 75-300mm, but that is a different story.

I know people really like their equipment so I'm not trying to tell you that you are wrong. But when people outgrow their present lenses, it is usually to get better low light performance, better picture quality, or better focal range. Your suggestion only satisfies one of those requirements, and it really doesn't improve his range at the wide end... so I'll put an asterisk on that 1.

Quote from Mattsgarage : So how do they get their items? In this case it could have been pulled from a kit, but how are they buying from Canon then going directly against their agreement with them? Just seems odd. However, if this lens were fine upon arrival, I'm sure it'd be fine and it is a really good price.

2 ways:

1. split off kits
2. from canon or mass reseller... this way canon doesn't need to stand by it and can dump quantity as lower prices.