Getting ready to buy a Canon 40D. Lens or not is my question.

My wife has a xti with a 18/55, 28/135is, 24/70 2.8, and a 70/200 4.0is.

All bought new in the last year, except the 28/135is which I got off ebay as a used lens.

So do I get a 40D with a 17/85is, a New 28/135is, and sell or keep the other 28/135, a 18/55 and sell one. or just get a body.

Thanks Maddog
and Merry Christmas

Will she let you use her lenses? <grin>

I got a 40-D this month -- just the body. I have been using it with an old 17-35/2.8L lens that was sitting unused in the back of the locker. It's a fine combination, especially since I can correct the amazing chromatic aberration in Camera RAW. But I usually want something a little longer, so I end up carrying a 50 or an 85, or an old 70-200. None of these lenses have IS, which I have grown to enjoy. (And carrying a second lens can be a pain.)

I think I'm going to pick up a used 17-85 IS as a kick-around lens for this camera. I was considering the 24-105, but it's just not wide enough for my taste. I know the 28-135 isn't even close to wide enough for me. YMMV.

If you can share lenses, I would do that for now. Save a few bucks, and figure out what you really need before buying.

BTW the 40-D is a nice little camera. It's not as responsive as the 1D2's that I use at work, but it's a lot better than the 20-D.

--Ken

I just got the EF-S 17-55mm IS to the 40D. It is an excellent lens, virtually on par to the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L Make II; I got both of them and tested them a week long (I have seven others, so there was a large basis for the comparison).

The 17-55mm together with the 70-200mm IS is IMO the ideal combination. If I sell enough of my lenses, I will buy that one (the f/4 IS). The gap between 55mm and 70mm is negligable. I could count on my hand the shots (out of 20,000 or so) I made between 50mm and 75mm.

Photozone doesn't appear to have tested the 16-35 II, but the 17-55/2.8 IS certainly seems to be better than the 16-35 mk1, discounting possible QC variation between models.

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Get the 17~85! Maybe my copy is exceptional, but I find it to be my most used among the 5 lenses I have. There is a bit of CA, but no worse than I've seen from the 24~105 or 17~40L. The IS is phenomenal. I suggest that you read what Reichmann has to say about this lens, on this site, and ponder how one could be without this lens.
Canon lenses
17~85 and 20D

I went a head and bought a 40D with the 17-85 lens
It was only 200 dollars more.
1420 from The Imaging world.
Now I have a Xti and a 40D with a 24-70 2.8, a 70-200 4.0
a 18-55, a 28-135 3.5 and a 17-85 4.0
Should I keep all above or sale the one and get something else.
I could sell the 28-135 or the 17-85 and get something else. or keep the 28-135 and 17-85 as standard lenses for the above cameras. a few reviews didn't talk highly of the 17-85 lens.
Thanks
Maddog

The 17-85 is a pretty good lens from 24 on up. (Very sharp by 85.) It is dark, however, and IS is not a substitute for a big aperture.

I'd ditch the 28-135, 24-70 and the 17-85. Then buy a pair of 17-55 f2.8 IS lenses. (Or the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 if you feel that you don't need IS.)

The 24-70 is a very nice lens but an odd focal length range for a crop camera.

Your shooting experience may vary. (And the lenses you have are nice. If you have to ditch one, sell the 28-135 IS. Just an odd focal length on a crop camera and not that great a lens.)

I use the 24-70 2.8 for the Gym, Kids basketball, indoor soccer, Christmas Programs in the gym etc. What lens would suggest for this If I sell it.
If I let the 28-135 go, what GP lens for the wife XTi.
Thanks
Maddog

I think this all depends on the focal lengths you typically use. So check your exif information to see where you live. The 24-70 and 28-135 might be what you need.

Hunt down an application called ExposurePlot and feed it all your images. It will chart out your fav focal lengths, f stops, shutter speeds and all that. It will give you a really good feel of where you like to shoot. Once you know that you should have a pretty good idea of the lenses you want.

Looks like exposure plot can be found here ... http://www.vandel.nl/