Should I buy the Canon EF 28-135mm IS or EF 85mm f/1.8 if I already have a 50mm f/1.8?
Asked 11/28/2010
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I’m a hobbyist photographer choosing my next Canon lens on a limited budget. I already own a Canon 50mm f/1.8, and I mainly shoot portraits, candids, street, random objects, architecture, and occasional vacation landscapes. I know the 85mm f/1.8 is strong for portraits, but the 28-135mm seems more flexible as a walkaround lens. If I buy one now, I probably won’t be able to buy another lens for about a year. Which would make more sense first, especially if I’m using an APS-C camera?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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I'm assuming you have a APS-C cropped sensor camera (e.g. 50D, T2i etc) rather than full frame (5D, 1Ds). In that case both the 85mm (a superb lens) and your 50mm (a very good lens) are fast short tele primes. The 28-135 is a normal-to-tele zoom. The 85mm is in some ways a 'better 50mm' for your camera. The 28-135 is more flexible. However, please consider a wide-to-normal zoom too. For example, the 15-85, the 17-55 f2.8, the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 (non-VC) etc. The wider-than-normal viewpoint is worth getting to know, and 28mm on a crop cam is not wide at all.
If you do have a 5D/1Ds then 28mm is OK, though a 24-105 would probably do the camera more justice.
Originally by user2329. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2329
15y ago
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If you already have a 50mm f/1.8, the 85mm f/1.8 may be less useful as your only next lens than it first appears—especially on APS-C, where both behave like short telephoto portrait lenses. The 85mm is excellent, but it overlaps your 50mm more than a general-purpose zoom would.
The 28-135mm gives you more flexibility for candids, walkaround use, and varied subjects, so it’s the more practical single-lens choice of these two if you want broader coverage now.
That said, several answers point out that on APS-C, 28mm is not really wide, so it’s not ideal for architecture or landscapes. A wider standard zoom such as a 15-85, 17-55 f/2.8, or 17-50 f/2.8 may actually fit your interests better than either of the two lenses you’re considering.
So: between just these two, the 28-135mm is the better all-around buy now. But if you’re on crop sensor, a wider standard zoom is likely the smartest choice overall.
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