I am going to make the plunge from my canon elan 2 film camera to the 30d. I shoot just about everything...but mainly people and kids in posed portraits and candids - indoors and outdoors. I like to blur the background for portraits to make the subject "pop". I am a recreational photographer who appreciates quality and is willing to learn to make this equipment work to its potential.

I plan on keeping a few lenses from the elan:
1. canon 28-105 3.5-4.5
2. canon 50 1.8

I have been told my Tamron 28-200 ld 3.8-5.6 will not be a good lense for the 30d. I believe they said the quality does not match up.

considering the 1.6x factor, I am going to be short on the wide angle end and I am considering the canon 16-35 2.8L that will cover the low end with flexibility. A big splurge would be the canon 70-200 2.8L IS, but I am not sure if I will need it if the 28-105 works out (considering the 1.6x factor). Also, maybe I should give the Tamron a try first before I discontinue it....but never really cared for the lense...it always was faily dark in the viewfinder.

I do not think I want to get into the canon s lense series since I do not want to be stuck with those lenses should the camera market go the full frame. However, this camera should last me many, many years since it is only a hobby and I don't plan to upgrade unless there is a major benefit in future technology.

Please give me some recommendations. I appreciate the help.

Yes, I think the 50mm is the first thing that comes to mind when you talk about your application.



I would suggest the 17-40 f/4, but since you want bright viewfinder, this would not meet that requirement. OTOH, the 17-40 is comparable for a grand less $. Dim viewfinder is strictly related to max aperture, so a Tamron, per se, is not dim, the aperture makes it dim. BTW, you will find the viewfinder dimmer on any 1.6 crop DSLR - nature of the the beast.



I lost count of how many time I made that statement!

If you don't plan on upgrading the camera then EF-S lenses really shouldn't be an issue. And even if you do BJL would be happy to tell you why crop cameras are here to stay. The 17-55 f2.8 IS would seem like an ideal lens for your application. The Tamron 17-50 f2.8 would also be a good choice.

But if you're just doing portraits just go with some fast primes.

I agree, the EF-s 17-55 2.8 USM is pretty much the cat's meow: sharp, bright and handshake resistant. Of course it costs $1200, so that may take the wind out of your sails on that one. If it was $600 I'd buy one today for my 20D!

The EF 17-40 4L USM is great choice at half the price but, at F4, is none too bright. It makes a great "normal" zoom for a 30D but will block the popup at the wide end.

but it's not compatible with the 5D, one camera I hope to upgrade to from my 350D one day in the future.