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I do a lot of low light work , night time and alike , is this a good lens.

EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM

Matt

http://www.firecall.com.au

What type of shooting do you do and what cSLR do you have?

Fire service , some images here http://www.firecall.com.au

Well its a great lens but when slapped on your 350, you'll only get a moderate FOV (38-112mm) cause of the 1.6x crop factor.

Go for the 17-55 2.8 IS. Not as well made (and heavy) as the 24-70 but would suit the 350D and your type of work

Night shot with IS and 2.8 = winner. I use it for weddings.

Thanks Ron ,one of the main reasons I was looking at the L series was the dust and moisture issue that I deal with continually.

I have seen some write ups on the 17-55 2.8 IS that complain about dust issues from the get go??

Thanks Matt

Yeah i've read reports on those issues as well. Personally I've never experienced them (bought in Mar/Apr 07) and have a UV filter on it since day one.

By all means go with the 24-70. Great tough lens but you'll just be limited at the wide angle end for more scenic shots

It's a great lens but for the 350D, as mentioned the field of view is limited to non wide angles.

Also the weight of the lens will make the 350D more front heavy unless u get a battery grip which balances the weight out nicely.

Have a look at a few primes as well such as the 30 1.4 or 50 1.4.

It's an excellent lens. You might be better off with the 17-55/2.8 IS than the 24-70, depends on your planned upgrade path. If you're looking at a 5D second hand the EFS lens wont fit it, but for anything else I reckon the wider lens will be better.

That said I have the 24-70 because it's really, really nice. I've used it on a 350D and it felt fine to me - the 350 is a nice small camera and kinda makes up for the huge chunk of glass hanging off the front. The 24-70 is not really something you use one handed anyway, so size is not critical IMO.

But I find the 350D does not focus as well as the 30D does, and that bothers me (I miss shots). Both in low light and just general focus ability on moving subjects. But if it's working for you now then stick with it. Better to save for a 1DII than buy a 5D I reckon... those 45 focus points beat the heck out of a 5D with grip and the two weigh about the same.

If you shoot more wide angle than telephoto, you can try a Sigma 15mm fisheye lens (Cheaper and some say well built than canon). You won't get extreme curvature since you'll really get 24mm. Lighter and should focus faster being a prime.

Thanks all,I wanted to get some good glass first and the once that investment is made get a better body (1 for me also )

I have had a few lens but always cheap ones , I have the 70-200 f/2.8 L and love it as you do and wanted a good short lens, I'm just using the kit short lens at this time.

I need a good lens for the shorter shots and some thing that will with stand smoke, dirt and a little wet every now and again so I guess I figured the L series would be best??

I will not be looking at a body upgrade for 12 mths ( I have just also bought the 580EXII flash and the other L series)

I am about to pick this lens up this afternoon , I use the 18 to 55 kits lens at this stage so as long as I keep the L series above 35mm I should get a good image>??

I had a 50mm prime but it has more dust and specks than a dirty beach.

Matt

I don't shoot nowhere near as often as I should but when I do I thank myself everytime that I got the 24-70f2.8L.

Pics are nice and sharp, the colours are true and the focusing is really fast.

I just wish Canon made an IS version of it