+maham rafi sharp images are not everything. The contrast, color rendition etc. there are more important things, personally I dont like 'pancake' lenses, I like bigger ones :) Don't get the 50mm 1.4, the images look soft. I recommend you to check out the 50mm 1.8 stm. Have fun!
For reference if anyone is interested, I've had the new EF 50mm f1.8 STM (replacement for the plastic nifty fifty mkii and, to an extent, the 50mm 1.4USM) for just over a week on my 30D APS-C and I can highly recommend it. Far superior build quality, metal mount, quieter focusing motor and much improved bokeh over its predecessor and about the same initial price point as the nifty was when it was new.
I've been watching your stuff for a long time and one of the things I love about you is you understand not everyone is a professional with an unlimited budget and although we may have saved and bought a nice camera, we may not be able to rush right out and grab some 2k+ glass. You're awesome and you get it.
A very useful list for all Canon DSLR owners. It is a minefield out there, with so many options. I think others have mentioned vintage lenses, and as a very cheap alternative to the Canon primes I have found my wee Olympus 50mm 1.8 to be quite wonderful. Just as sharp as the Canon 1.8 and competes well with Canon's 1.4, which I had to sell for financial reasons (I still wake up in a sweat of regret over that.... because, I mean..... 1.4!) Vintage lenses can be a great way of experimenting with focal lengths and apertures without breaking the bank, and when you are done with them you can sell them on and get your investment back.
One of my favorite cheap Canon lenses is the 22-55mm. Long discontinued, this lens was intended as a kit lens for an EOS APS-C Film camera. Yup a cropped film camera. But the lens is FF and does great on modern DSLRs FF or Crop. To be honest it's not a great lens, but at $10-100 if you watch ebay and a careful, they can be had for next to nothing. I paid $17 and got a Film rebel and flash to go with it. the novelty is great. i put a ring of red tape on it and it drives my camera club nuts trying to figure out where this new lens can be bought.
I own No. 6 (Samyang) and No. 5 (Pancake) for my 6 years old Canon 1100D (Rebel T3i) - I wonder how many people still using this entry level camera these days! They deliver pretty awesome performance, though Samyang requires more of trial and error each time, but still manages to pull off some stunning results. Thanks for your insightful reviews everytime. Keep up the good work.
Really happy the Sigma 30mm F1.4 Art came in second for ASP-C cameras. I've had one for a few years that I use with my 7Dmkii. It is my go to lens. I was living abroad in Europe and travelling regularly and ended up just taking that lens everywhere. It took amazing photos and was excellent in low light. Even though its a prime lens, I also chose to take it over my 24-105mm f4 L. Highly recommend for anyone with an ASP-C sensor camera who's looking for a great prime lens.
(Beginner) Thank for posting this. Lenses is where it's at regardless of your cameras age. I know this video is from '15, but I recently bought the Sigma 15-35mm f1.8 Art lens for cropped sensors. It's solid in build quality and great clear pictures....noisy for video because you can hear the lens focusing but you just need to compensate for that. I use it on my T4i, and my SL3. Paid about $600, not super cheep, but totally worth the money.
Awesome and God bless you to Christopher 😀 Yes the Canon 50mm f1.8 mk1 is a good choice if not rare lens. Not sure if it translates well with digital cameras but with your excellent technical expertise I am sure you will give it a thorough examination.
I had forgotten about the Holga! I have been out of the photography loop for a very long time and it is only recently that my husband bought me a Canon 600D on clearance that I have started to get back into it. I quite literally paused your video to go and order just a plain Holga lens off Amazon (currently £11.99) to get me back into it. I love the look of heavy vignetting if it is done right so I now have to play around to get it right! Thank you for your rundown and I feel very happy knowing that all 4 lenses that I own (soon to be 5) are on your list!
Just a small warning about the Yongnuo 50mm f1.8. The auto-focus doesn't work on LiveView and on many cameras the camera will freeze even when you just try to enter the LiveView-mode... So, if LiveView is not important for you, it's a amazing lens and even sharper than the Canon 50mm f1.8 with nicer bokeh and IQ overall! Because of this issue I didn't get the Yongnuo and got a few vintage lenses (M42, Pentax K, Nikon F, Yashica/Contax etc.) instead for 10$ with a great 28mm f2.8 among them ;) Hopefully I will make a review of all them and you might like to explore that area (if you haven't already), especially with APS-C Canon DSLRs (I got a 600D) which got good compability with vintage lenses :D
Christopher Frost Photography Same for me. The seller I used had issues with getting copies of the lens from the manufacturer (probably because of the extremely high demand of it!), so I skipped it and got a full refund as well. But despite the fact it has that LiveView issue, it's a great low-budget lens (better than the Canon counterpart in my opinion at least).
Trancemaster Onyx Demand must've been pretty high. I'm trying again now, but it probably won't arrive for a month or so. Should be interesting, anyway...
Christopher Frost Photography Yes, it sure has been! I can only imagine such a small Chinese company just getting these large amount of requests from a lens that they never thought was possible. It was also because of its high publicity from other (amateur) photographers on the Internet that its price skyrocketed to almost the double of its original listing price (originally it was max 40$, now it's around 60$ and it peaked around 70-75$ one or two months ago). I heard many advises to wait for the price to drop but I'm not sure if it will return to the 40$-ish area ever again...
Christopher Frost Photography oh no! I thought you already received it and have been waiting for your review before taking the plunge :) I hope you get it soon. Also, I contacted Yongnuo and they told me a 50mm 1.4 (at least superficially a copy of the canon) is coming out in May.
Hi Chris, thanks! One lens for hobby photographers, who are on a budget, is the Canon EF 3.5-4.5/28-70mm II lens, which came out back in 1988. I purchased one from Japan via eBay in Exc++ condition and I'm very pleased with it on my Canon 6D and Sony A7 Mk II (with sensor image stabilization). The image quality is astonishingly great and leaves nothing to be desired and the AF, albeit not USM, is very fast and accurate. Highy recommended! Also this lens is small, light and a joy to carry around. Best, Ralf
I so love your videos! Christopher, I've recently re-entered wedding photography, having left back when DSLRs emerged. You are my primary educator on lens review, and I am so very, very grateful for your outstanding work!
I would add Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 as a alternative to the 17-50 2.8. It's sharp, and it has some extra telephoto reach I enjoy. The variable aperture doesn't annoy me too much in real life, and if I really need 2.8, I'll keep it wide open. With the amount of megapixels today I can always crop, but never felt the need. Just a beautiful, beautiful cheap and cheerful lens, too bad it doesn't have manual focus override (same as 17-50 2.8 afaik). Excellent image stabilization, good build etc. BTW, I have the older version, heavier than the newer one. It has some heft to it, but not something that bothers me. I own a Nikon, but there is the canon variant too.
Good video Christopher, you bring a well rounded review covering every aspect of IQ without bogging us down with bar graphs. I especially like the fact you compare the lenses on FF and crop cameras, so many assume the sweat spot on APSc sensors will produce sharper images, so often it doesn't, shake reduction, CAs, flair, vignetting and AF all there in a well thought out package......well done!
Another contender in my opinion in the Sigma 30mm 1.4 HSM prime. I had one for a couple of years and, on a crop, it's marvellous. Much more usable in low lit, tight spots than a 50.
I have the Sigma 70-300mm and the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and I just couldn't agree more. The Sigma feels a million times better than the kit lens and is really impressive in terms of quality when you think I had it for 300 €. And the Canon 50mm well I was not too sure about this one and I had the chance to test one for a day before buying it. I loved it so much, it really changes your little habits as a photographer and forces you to think your pictures on another angle. Great choice to learn. This compilation is an amazing idea, it will definitely help me a lot in the future! Thanks Chris!
You've made me happy, I have the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 and I'm super happy with it. After so much thought it's my lens of choice for wedding video work to get all the shots I need without a lens change! thanks for all the vids
Hi Chris! Best lens compilation on the Net. It's a pleasure to watch your videos. I think the EF-S 60mm 2.8 macro is a good value for the money, but it seems you prefer the Tamron 60mm 2.0. By the way, don't you think Canon isn't exploring all the potencial of the STM technology? I have a 70d also and I would LOVE a USM version of the 17-55 2.8 ( even if I am a happy owner of the Sigma 18-50). God bless you.
Christopher Frost Photography just have a deep enough wallet for that beauty! cause if it arrives anytime, it'd cost a ton of money... :) and I'm with you, it'd be my dream standard zoom as well! :D
I tapped out at the half way mark since my primary camera is a full frame and I'm not looking to buy any APSC (or EFS) lenses. That said my backup camera is a T5i so i do have both. Have to say i agree completely with the assessment of the 50mm. Best lens for the money that exists I believe. I would also add in the Tamron 70 - 200 mm f2.8 which is a brilliant performer on both full frame and APSC sensors. The G2 version is said to be even better but the original is just outstanding and such an amazing value!
I love the Tamron 70-300mm! I bought a copy of it a couple of months ago. Great bang for the buck. There's only one thing that bugs me, actually at times ticks me off. The VC switch is located in a place, that the way I hold the lens, at times I accidentally shut off the VC. The switch doesn't snap in place as well as higher end lenses do with IS or VC. When that VC is on, it is super. But when I accidentally hit the VC switch off, it's a nightmare. I shot some pictures of a northern blue bird last weekend. I shot about 30 pictures of it, not realizing I shut off the VC by accident. Every picture came out blurry. This is the second nesting season I've been trying to get pictures of these guys. Hopefully, my next day off, I'll have that mental note burnt in my mind, to keep a check on that VC switch.
oh my God. you are amazing. I hav been searching & surfing for months to buy a camera with only one lens.... why didnt I meet you earlier? I just have decided. Thank you so much .... I think only 72284 subscribers are too less for you. You deserve more.
For macro-on-a-budget (with a dedicated 1:1 lens) I do recommend the Tamron 90mm f2,8. It works on both full-frame and APS-C sensor cameras and with the higher focal length of 90mm you can keep a distance from your subject, which can be very handy. Nice and sharp too! The only complaint could be that it lacks image stabilization. But for best macro shots it's recommended to use a tripod, so that shouldn't be an issue in that regard. The lens is also quite decent for portraits as well.
My favourite lens is the 24mm f2.8 STM, It makes a fantastic all purpose lens for APSC cameras, it's not super fast or super wide, but its tiny, it has amazing image quality, and its built very well for a budget lens. You can pick them up very cheaply sometimes used, I bought mine for 90$ in absolutely pristine condition, making it an even better deal.
A lens I've been looking into lately is the predecessor to the Sigma 17-50 - the Sigma 18-50! This discontinued lens sells for $200 or less and if it's as good (or almost as good as) the 17-50 it would be an excellent bargain. I heard it mentioned favorably in one of Jared Polin's videos....
Very Good Review. I wish you had reviews like this for Nikon since I am a Nikon user. I had been looking for the recommendation on sigma 17-55mm lenses since I was planning to buy that for my Crop censer camera and you recommended that as #1 increased my confidence.
great job, dear Christopher... I viewed many of your reviews, and I find them the most useful reviews about dslr lenses... I'm 55, I make pictures, as an amateur, for almost 40 years... I used Praktica L, Pentacon six TL on film, Olympus 2Mpx compact camera, Fuji 6,5Mpx bridge, and now I own a Canon 1100D and a 600D dslr... my purpose is to reduce the need of changing lenses, so lately I use two cameras... now I have the standard kit non IS lens, the 55-250 stm, and the 10-18 stm lenses I want to get a lens to fill the gap between the 10-18 (ultra)wide lens, and the 55-250 telephoto can you recommend one of these? canon 18-135 stm + goes from wide to tele so much, so it could make my 55-250 almost useless... there are not often situations when I really need a focal beyond 200 equivalent on full frame - not so luminous tamron 28-75 f2,8 non VC + sharp and luminous - could handle better the indoor pictures - non VC, quite short zoom range sigma 17-70 f2,8-4 ... + both luminous and sharp - short zoom range do you have a recommendation? thank you very much regards
I have to say I am very happy with my 17-85mm Canon lens, despite seeing some reviews which were a little bit negative. Yes, its got some common flaws that you see in most non ```L `` Canon lenses. Barrel distortion wide open, some CA, a little soft on the edges wide open etc....the usual things, but its nicely made with great and silent focusing abilities, and really very sharp in the central area when stopped down to F8. I have some really cracking shots taken with this lens on my 7D and 40D cameras.
Gotta agree on this. I have several lenses; most of the time, it's Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 non-VC that's on my 70D. But since I bought the Sigma 30mm f1.4 Art lens, I really enjoy playing around with it. A very good economical lens for APS-C camera indeed.
Thank you again Chris F. enjoyable. I have been picking up the right EF-S lenses for the Canon 80D and enjoying watching your reviews to help make the right selections. Thanks again and God bless you too.
Canon recently announced the new Canon 50mm f1.8 STM. Major differences are a metal mount, STM focusing motor, more blades in the aperture for creamier bokeh, a bigger focus ring, shorter focus distance and a bit smaller. I pre-ordered mine since they will start shipping on the 21st of May. It will be my only Non L series lens.
I picked up an old Pentacon F1.8-F16 35-50 mm lens from a recycle (thrift) store for EUR 2.50 (3 dollars) and it has become one of my favourite lens. Of course I have to set my 50D to manual and I need an M42 to EOS adapter. It looks kind of silly this small stubby lens on a big camera but I have made some amazing photos with it, both landscapes and close ups.
Love your videos. Easy to understand and relaxing. Have you considered doing a new vid like this since so many new and updated lenses are now available? In the new year I plan on getting new lenses for my Canon T3 and hoping to move up to a Canon 77D. Would love to see an updated vid for the available low budget lenses.
Very interesting video, even for not Canon Users. Your 1st aps-c place is also my favorite lens by far, just loving it. Maybe i will give your second place a chance, sounds and looks very interesting.
Thank you for this. I already have the 55-250 STM, and the 18-135mm IS USM, which came with my 60D but is now used on a 350D instead. I plan on getting the Sigma 17-50 as my everyday lens because I do enjoy low light shooting, and it will complement the 55-250 nicely.
Heh glad all my lenses are on your list. Makes me feel better that after tons of research I haven't bought a turkey :) Might take a look at the 30mm Art. Looks well built and slightly wider than my 50mm 1.8. Nice lens round-up you've done there.
I highly recommend 'the double kits lens combo'. It's combo Canon 18-55 and 55-250. This is the best p/p combo for all purposes (landscape, portrait, travel,...) but sorry, not for low light. If you wanna shoot in low-light, Canon 50 1.8 it's a good choice. I'm using Sigma 17-50 2.8 OS HSM for all purposes and sometimes I have to decrease the sharpness (especially portrait) with negative Clarity value in ACR, it's too sharp for me on my 60D. I'm saving for a Sigma 30mm 1.4 Art (or maybe non-Art version because it's cheaper) for low-light and indoor.
Honestly, these are pretty expensive if you're going to be buying used. I was recently able to pick up a 24-105mm F4L for about $600, which isn't that much more than the lenses on this list. And that included shipping, insurance and taxes. Still, it's nice to see a list of lenses that aren't garbage, and going much cheaper probably would include either no choices or garbage ones.
Thank you for this roundup. Very useful list. I particularly appreciate the pointers to less mainstream ones which I would not have thought of (eg: Tamron 60 f2 macro.) I've watched nearly all your lens reviews and have enjoyed them all but this nice summary reminds me of the lenses I could realistically buy some day.
Thank you, very useful overview. My most favourite Canon lens is missing though, the 50mm f2.5 compact macro. This is second hand nowadays also very cheap.
The Canon ef 28-135mm f:3.5-5.6 IS USM is beautiful too, I replaced it with the Sigma 17-50mm f:2.8 but I keep it for backup. It was my eos 50D kit lens and I love it!!!
Hi Chris.. Thanks for openly appreciating Samyang lenses.. I have been using Samyang 85mm f1.4 quite a lot on my Nikons.. Many of my Pro friends sneer at this lens, but I'd carry it anywhere, in any crowd, because it does its job impressively.. Cheers..
Pleasure as always to watch your videos. Really wish one day you'll also make Nikon or even Sony reviews. Would probably multiply your views by a lot. Thank you Chris.
With the correct adaptor, these would ALL work on Sony's mirrorless range of cameras, as will almost any 35mm format lens. In fact, I use the Canon 28-135mm USM lens as the standard on my Sony A7.
Very nice video Chris. there is a Tokina f/2.8 11-16mm which is a good wide lens for Aps-c sensor, I'm quite pleased with it. Thank you and..Keep up the good work!
I've got a Sigma AF70-300mm 4-5.6 DG Macro lens for about $AUD150. It's proved to be very good on my EOS 60D. The autofocus can be a bit wanting beyond 250mm, but flicking to manual focus soon gets things right. Works well in macro mode too.
I decided just to stick to modern lenses - 99% of the time they do have better optics than old film lenses (I hate to say it...but it's pretty much true). Not that old film lenses are necessarily bad - modern lenses are simply better. And also, I'd have to test tonnes of old lenses which can be tricky for people to source on eBay just to see which ones are any good
Christopher Frost Photography maybe if you did nikon lens reviews.. you catch more people with your videos keep in mind =3 please ... hello from mexico
***** I has the Helios 44-2 and found it to be quite a fun wee lens, but sadly when compared to almost any modern lens the sharpness and contrast was just not as good. I also had a Helios 135, which I loved. But again, I had to let it go when I did a test against a modern zoom that incorporated that focal length.
I bought your Number One for Aps-C, the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 used for about 220€. It really is a great lens. Especially if you want to upgrade your kit lens, but don’t want to loose the flexibility of a zoom lens. It may be important to some that this is a quite heavy lens with a weight of about 550g.
I have the sigma 30 1,4F. It’s sharp ... has gorgeous full color .. and can really POP subjects with a versatile of background blur ... little or lots ... my choice... plus LOW LIGHT 💡 is jaw dropping ❗️😀
Hi Chris, I totally agree with you on the Sigma 17 50 F2.8 EX DC OS HSM.... I've had manual focus adapted primes for years and after a bit of an Ebay session I just bought my Eos fit version for £249 delivered as an import. A very sharp lens. Thanks for your very detailed reviews :)
Hi Chris, Just watched the video - great stuff I have the 40mm Canon Pancake and it's amazing. I know you haven't tested it yet but I did buy the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 and it's fantastic. Super sharp. Thanks again for posting this video. John
I just got an older 28-70mm f/2.8 ATX Pro lens (copy of the Angenieux 28-70mm f/2.6). This is a great lens and occasionally available on eBay from Japan at about $150 U.S. Dollars. The lens is lighter in weight than the Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8 Mark I. The IQ is awesome...
I like how calm and relaxed you talk, you are very calming and nice to listen to.
The pancake lens is really nice on my crop canon, so sharp.
is the pancake really sharp? i am so confused between 50mm 1.4 and the canon pancake lens idk which one to get :( i want my images to be sharp
+maham rafi I own a canon 40mm and it's really sharp
+maham rafi sharp images are not everything. The contrast, color rendition etc. there are more important things, personally I dont like 'pancake' lenses, I like bigger ones :) Don't get the 50mm 1.4, the images look soft. I recommend you to check out the 50mm 1.8 stm. Have fun!
adriana do i know you?
Get the Canon 50mm 1.8. It‘s amazing.
For reference if anyone is interested, I've had the new EF 50mm f1.8 STM (replacement for the plastic nifty fifty mkii and, to an extent, the 50mm 1.4USM) for just over a week on my 30D APS-C and I can highly recommend it. Far superior build quality, metal mount, quieter focusing motor and much improved bokeh over its predecessor and about the same initial price point as the nifty was when it was new.
AGREED I love mine
Absolutely agree - it was the first lens I bought, the cheapest and in terms of IQ, still probably my favourite!
I just bought that same lens. It's fantastic.
5 years later here, still a terrific lens, deffinitly recommend
How it compares against the 50mm 1.4 USM? I need to decide about one of them (both used, from internet, near my house)
I've been watching your stuff for a long time and one of the things I love about you is you understand not everyone is a professional with an unlimited budget and although we may have saved and bought a nice camera, we may not be able to rush right out and grab some 2k+ glass. You're awesome and you get it.
Yep, I have the Sigma 17-50 - brilliant "walk about" lens and great that it keeps its F2.8 through the whole zoom range.
A very useful list for all Canon DSLR owners. It is a minefield out there, with so many options.
I think others have mentioned vintage lenses, and as a very cheap alternative to the Canon primes I have found my wee Olympus 50mm 1.8 to be quite wonderful. Just as sharp as the Canon 1.8 and competes well with Canon's 1.4, which I had to sell for financial reasons (I still wake up in a sweat of regret over that.... because, I mean..... 1.4!)
Vintage lenses can be a great way of experimenting with focal lengths and apertures without breaking the bank, and when you are done with them you can sell them on and get your investment back.
One of my favorite cheap Canon lenses is the 22-55mm. Long discontinued, this lens was intended as a kit lens for an EOS APS-C Film camera. Yup a cropped film camera. But the lens is FF and does great on modern DSLRs FF or Crop. To be honest it's not a great lens, but at $10-100 if you watch ebay and a careful, they can be had for next to nothing. I paid $17 and got a Film rebel and flash to go with it. the novelty is great. i put a ring of red tape on it and it drives my camera club nuts trying to figure out where this new lens can be bought.
Thanks for the suggestion! Seems to be a great lens to go with my Canon EOS 5D classic.
I own No. 6 (Samyang) and No. 5 (Pancake) for my 6 years old Canon 1100D (Rebel T3i) - I wonder how many people still using this entry level camera these days! They deliver pretty awesome performance, though Samyang requires more of trial and error each time, but still manages to pull off some stunning results. Thanks for your insightful reviews everytime. Keep up the good work.
Really happy the Sigma 30mm F1.4 Art came in second for ASP-C cameras. I've had one for a few years that I use with my 7Dmkii. It is my go to lens.
I was living abroad in Europe and travelling regularly and ended up just taking that lens everywhere. It took amazing photos and was excellent in low light. Even though its a prime lens, I also chose to take it over my 24-105mm f4 L.
Highly recommend for anyone with an ASP-C sensor camera who's looking for a great prime lens.
Your choice of music and voice in general make every video a jewel. It's like hanging out in a coffeehouse discussing gear with a good friend!
(Beginner) Thank for posting this. Lenses is where it's at regardless of your cameras age. I know this video is from '15, but I recently bought the Sigma 15-35mm f1.8 Art lens for cropped sensors. It's solid in build quality and great clear pictures....noisy for video because you can hear the lens focusing but you just need to compensate for that. I use it on my T4i, and my SL3. Paid about $600, not super cheep, but totally worth the money.
Awesome and God bless you to Christopher 😀
Yes the Canon 50mm f1.8 mk1 is a good choice if not rare lens.
Not sure if it translates well with digital cameras but with your excellent technical expertise I am sure you will give it a thorough examination.
I had forgotten about the Holga! I have been out of the photography loop for a very long time and it is only recently that my husband bought me a Canon 600D on clearance that I have started to get back into it. I quite literally paused your video to go and order just a plain Holga lens off Amazon (currently £11.99) to get me back into it. I love the look of heavy vignetting if it is done right so I now have to play around to get it right! Thank you for your rundown and I feel very happy knowing that all 4 lenses that I own (soon to be 5) are on your list!
Man i must say,in hard times i like to watch your videos and they bring happiness to me thanks for your great work
I could listen to you talk all day hehe
Pleasant, articulate, reassuring voice:)
Therapeutic!
Indeed.
Just a small warning about the Yongnuo 50mm f1.8. The auto-focus doesn't work on LiveView and on many cameras the camera will freeze even when you just try to enter the LiveView-mode...
So, if LiveView is not important for you, it's a amazing lens and even sharper than the Canon 50mm f1.8 with nicer bokeh and IQ overall!
Because of this issue I didn't get the Yongnuo and got a few vintage lenses (M42, Pentax K, Nikon F, Yashica/Contax etc.) instead for 10$ with a great 28mm f2.8 among them ;)
Hopefully I will make a review of all them and you might like to explore that area (if you haven't already), especially with APS-C Canon DSLRs (I got a 600D) which got good compability with vintage lenses :D
I tried to get the Yongnuo lens but it never arrived and I had to get a refund! Maybe one day I'll check it out
Christopher Frost Photography Same for me. The seller I used had issues with getting copies of the lens from the manufacturer (probably because of the extremely high demand of it!), so I skipped it and got a full refund as well.
But despite the fact it has that LiveView issue, it's a great low-budget lens (better than the Canon counterpart in my opinion at least).
Trancemaster Onyx
Demand must've been pretty high. I'm trying again now, but it probably won't arrive for a month or so. Should be interesting, anyway...
Christopher Frost Photography Yes, it sure has been! I can only imagine such a small Chinese company just getting these large amount of requests from a lens that they never thought was possible. It was also because of its high publicity from other (amateur) photographers on the Internet that its price skyrocketed to almost the double of its original listing price (originally it was max 40$, now it's around 60$ and it peaked around 70-75$ one or two months ago).
I heard many advises to wait for the price to drop but I'm not sure if it will return to the 40$-ish area ever again...
Christopher Frost Photography oh no! I thought you already received it and have been waiting for your review before taking the plunge :) I hope you get it soon. Also, I contacted Yongnuo and they told me a 50mm 1.4 (at least superficially a copy of the canon) is coming out in May.
Hi Chris, thanks! One lens for hobby photographers, who are on a budget, is the Canon EF 3.5-4.5/28-70mm II lens, which came out back in 1988. I purchased one from Japan via eBay in Exc++ condition and I'm very pleased with it on my Canon 6D and Sony A7 Mk II (with sensor image stabilization). The image quality is astonishingly great and leaves nothing to be desired and the AF, albeit not USM, is very fast and accurate. Highy recommended! Also this lens is small, light and a joy to carry around. Best, Ralf
I so love your videos! Christopher, I've recently re-entered wedding photography, having left back when DSLRs emerged. You are my primary educator on lens review, and I am so very, very grateful for your outstanding work!
Got a Fringer Pro II EF-mount adapter. Love Canon-compatible lenses on my Fuji - X bodies!!! AF and aperture control too!
Anyone else going back to these old videos on autoplay just for the soothing voiceover and music in the background while doing other stuff? :'D
I would love to see a review on the Yongnuo 50mm. Also they are making a 35mm f/2.0. I'd like to see a review on that one as well.
I would add Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 as a alternative to the 17-50 2.8. It's sharp, and it has some extra telephoto reach I enjoy. The variable aperture doesn't annoy me too much in real life, and if I really need 2.8, I'll keep it wide open. With the amount of megapixels today I can always crop, but never felt the need. Just a beautiful, beautiful cheap and cheerful lens, too bad it doesn't have manual focus override (same as 17-50 2.8 afaik). Excellent image stabilization, good build etc.
BTW, I have the older version, heavier than the newer one. It has some heft to it, but not something that bothers me. I own a Nikon, but there is the canon variant too.
Good video Christopher, you bring a well rounded review covering every aspect of IQ without bogging us down with bar graphs. I especially like the fact you compare the lenses on FF and crop cameras, so many assume the sweat spot on APSc sensors will produce sharper images, so often it doesn't, shake reduction, CAs, flair, vignetting and AF all there in a well thought out package......well done!
Incredibly informative and interesting as always! :) Keep up the good work !
Another contender in my opinion in the Sigma 30mm 1.4 HSM prime. I had one for a couple of years and, on a crop, it's marvellous. Much more usable in low lit, tight spots than a 50.
I have the Sigma 70-300mm and the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and I just couldn't agree more. The Sigma feels a million times better than the kit lens and is really impressive in terms of quality when you think I had it for 300 €. And the Canon 50mm well I was not too sure about this one and I had the chance to test one for a day before buying it. I loved it so much, it really changes your little habits as a photographer and forces you to think your pictures on another angle. Great choice to learn.
This compilation is an amazing idea, it will definitely help me a lot in the future! Thanks Chris!
You've made me happy, I have the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 and I'm super happy with it. After so much thought it's my lens of choice for wedding video work to get all the shots I need without a lens change! thanks for all the vids
A finely crafted lens review as usual. Kudos.
Hi Chris! Best lens compilation on the Net. It's a pleasure to watch your videos. I think the EF-S 60mm 2.8 macro is a good value for the money, but it seems you prefer the Tamron 60mm 2.0. By the way, don't you think Canon isn't exploring all the potencial of the STM technology? I have a 70d also and I would LOVE a USM version of the 17-55 2.8 ( even if I am a happy owner of the Sigma 18-50). God bless you.
An STM version of the 17-55 with quiet IS and a slightly smaller size would be my dream lens...
Christopher Frost Photography just have a deep enough wallet for that beauty! cause if it arrives anytime, it'd cost a ton of money... :) and I'm with you, it'd be my dream standard zoom as well! :D
Awesome videos buddy!
James Kingston
James Kingston
Excellent and pretty comprehensive list. I just bought the Tamron Macro 60mm used for 248 USD. Thanks for the piece of advice.
I tapped out at the half way mark since my primary camera is a full frame and I'm not looking to buy any APSC (or EFS) lenses. That said my backup camera is a T5i so i do have both. Have to say i agree completely with the assessment of the 50mm. Best lens for the money that exists I believe. I would also add in the Tamron 70 - 200 mm f2.8 which is a brilliant performer on both full frame and APSC sensors. The G2 version is said to be even better but the original is just outstanding and such an amazing value!
Best lens reviews by far on UA-cam. Very well presented.
Thanks
you are nothing short of DSLR-God. Thanks for your excellent videos. I am greatest fan of yours.
Great great video. I love ur reviews; Straight to the point with lots of data and samples.
Thank u !!
I love the Tamron 70-300mm! I bought a copy of it a couple of months ago. Great bang for the buck. There's only one thing that bugs me, actually at times ticks me off. The VC switch is located in a place, that the way I hold the lens, at times I accidentally shut off the VC. The switch doesn't snap in place as well as higher end lenses do with IS or VC. When that VC is on, it is super. But when I accidentally hit the VC switch off, it's a nightmare. I shot some pictures of a northern blue bird last weekend. I shot about 30 pictures of it, not realizing I shut off the VC by accident. Every picture came out blurry. This is the second nesting season I've been trying to get pictures of these guys. Hopefully, my next day off, I'll have that mental note burnt in my mind, to keep a check on that VC switch.
oh my God.
you are amazing. I hav been searching & surfing for months to buy a camera with only one lens.... why didnt I meet you earlier? I just have decided. Thank you so much .... I think only 72284 subscribers are too less for you. You deserve more.
+Sudin Timilsina Glad you found it helpful!
For macro-on-a-budget (with a dedicated 1:1 lens) I do recommend the Tamron 90mm f2,8. It works on both full-frame and APS-C sensor cameras and with the higher focal length of 90mm you can keep a distance from your subject, which can be very handy. Nice and sharp too!
The only complaint could be that it lacks image stabilization. But for best macro shots it's recommended to use a tripod, so that shouldn't be an issue in that regard.
The lens is also quite decent for portraits as well.
I got the nr3 and nr1 on this list because of your videos! Love them!
Very nice round up! I would've inserted the Tamron 17-50 2.8 in there as well.
I was just surfing your channel looking for good cheap lenses and this came up. Thank you very much!
My favourite lens is the 24mm f2.8 STM, It makes a fantastic all purpose lens for APSC cameras, it's not super fast or super wide, but its tiny, it has amazing image quality, and its built very well for a budget lens. You can pick them up very cheaply sometimes used, I bought mine for 90$ in absolutely pristine condition, making it an even better deal.
Really... An OUTSTANDING Lens Review!!!
Thanks a lot Christopher!!!
Again a great video with tons of info, you just got to love it!
A lens I've been looking into lately is the predecessor to the Sigma 17-50 - the Sigma 18-50! This discontinued lens sells for $200 or less and if it's as good (or almost as good as) the 17-50 it would be an excellent bargain. I heard it mentioned favorably in one of Jared Polin's videos....
I haven't tested it but apparently it performs very similarly to the old Tamron 17-50 (non-VC version)
Very Good Review. I wish you had reviews like this for Nikon since I am a Nikon user. I had been looking for the recommendation on sigma 17-55mm lenses since I was planning to buy that for my Crop censer camera and you recommended that as #1 increased my confidence.
great job, dear Christopher...
I viewed many of your reviews, and I find them the most useful reviews about dslr lenses...
I'm 55, I make pictures, as an amateur, for almost 40 years...
I used Praktica L, Pentacon six TL on film, Olympus 2Mpx compact camera, Fuji 6,5Mpx bridge, and now I own a Canon 1100D and a 600D dslr... my purpose is to reduce the need of changing lenses, so lately I use two cameras...
now I have the standard kit non IS lens, the 55-250 stm, and the 10-18 stm lenses
I want to get a lens to fill the gap between the 10-18 (ultra)wide lens, and the 55-250 telephoto
can you recommend one of these?
canon 18-135 stm
+ goes from wide to tele so much, so it could make my 55-250 almost useless... there are not often situations when I really need a focal beyond 200 equivalent on full frame
- not so luminous
tamron 28-75 f2,8 non VC
+ sharp and luminous - could handle better the indoor pictures
- non VC, quite short zoom range
sigma 17-70 f2,8-4 ...
+ both luminous and sharp
- short zoom range
do you have a recommendation?
thank you very much
regards
+Victor Mihis I'd go for the Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 OS HSM :-)
+Christopher Frost Photography
thank you very much!
merry christmas!
I have to say I am very happy with my 17-85mm Canon lens, despite seeing some reviews which were a little bit negative. Yes, its got some common flaws that you see in most non ```L `` Canon lenses. Barrel distortion wide open, some CA, a little soft on the edges wide open etc....the usual things, but its nicely made with great and silent focusing abilities, and really very sharp in the central area when stopped down to F8. I have some really cracking shots taken with this lens on my 7D and 40D cameras.
Just got the Canon 55-250 today. Looking forward to putting it into action!
Really appreciate your effort in making such quality videos. This is very informational.
Another great video! Thanks Chris
Thanks, I watch your reviews when I am stressed.
This video is so helpful, thanks for putting your time into these, man!
great vid! would love to see more cowntdowns like this in the future
Exactly what i was looking for. Very well explained and good video! Thank you for sharing this gold information and invest on lens just for that!
Gotta agree on this. I have several lenses; most of the time, it's Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 non-VC that's on my 70D. But since I bought the Sigma 30mm f1.4 Art lens, I really enjoy playing around with it. A very good economical lens for APS-C camera indeed.
Thank you again Chris F. enjoyable. I have been picking up the right EF-S lenses for the Canon 80D and enjoying watching your reviews to help make the right selections. Thanks again and God bless you too.
You're welcome!
Canon recently announced the new Canon 50mm f1.8 STM. Major differences are a metal mount, STM focusing motor, more blades in the aperture for creamier bokeh, a bigger focus ring, shorter focus distance and a bit smaller. I pre-ordered mine since they will start shipping on the 21st of May. It will be my only Non L series lens.
thanks for all! I choose my lens watching your videos.
I picked up an old Pentacon F1.8-F16 35-50 mm lens from a recycle (thrift) store for EUR 2.50 (3 dollars) and it has become one of my favourite lens. Of course I have to set my 50D to manual and I need an M42 to EOS adapter. It looks kind of silly this small stubby lens on a big camera but I have made some amazing photos with it, both landscapes and close ups.
Love your videos. Easy to understand and relaxing. Have you considered doing a new vid like this since so many new and updated lenses are now available? In the new year I plan on getting new lenses for my Canon T3 and hoping to move up to a Canon 77D. Would love to see an updated vid for the available low budget lenses.
Very interesting video, even for not Canon Users.
Your 1st aps-c place is also my favorite lens by far, just loving it.
Maybe i will give your second place a chance, sounds and looks very interesting.
Sigma 17-35 f1.8 art
Thank you for this. I already have the 55-250 STM, and the 18-135mm IS USM, which came with my 60D but is now used on a 350D instead. I plan on getting the Sigma 17-50 as my everyday lens because I do enjoy low light shooting, and it will complement the 55-250 nicely.
Heh glad all my lenses are on your list. Makes me feel better that after tons of research I haven't bought a turkey :)
Might take a look at the 30mm Art. Looks well built and slightly wider than my 50mm 1.8. Nice lens round-up you've done there.
my favorite lense of mine is the tamron 18-270mm with a f/3.5-6.3
it is amazing and it great for pretty much everything
I highly recommend 'the double kits lens combo'. It's combo Canon 18-55 and 55-250. This is the best p/p combo for all purposes (landscape, portrait, travel,...) but sorry, not for low light. If you wanna shoot in low-light, Canon 50 1.8 it's a good choice.
I'm using Sigma 17-50 2.8 OS HSM for all purposes and sometimes I have to decrease the sharpness (especially portrait) with negative Clarity value in ACR, it's too sharp for me on my 60D.
I'm saving for a Sigma 30mm 1.4 Art (or maybe non-Art version because it's cheaper) for low-light and indoor.
your videos are very helpful. thanks for the tips on the offbrands too!
Honestly, these are pretty expensive if you're going to be buying used. I was recently able to pick up a 24-105mm F4L for about $600, which isn't that much more than the lenses on this list. And that included shipping, insurance and taxes.
Still, it's nice to see a list of lenses that aren't garbage, and going much cheaper probably would include either no choices or garbage ones.
Thank you for this roundup. Very useful list. I particularly appreciate the pointers to less mainstream ones which I would not have thought of (eg: Tamron 60 f2 macro.) I've watched nearly all your lens reviews and have enjoyed them all but this nice summary reminds me of the lenses I could realistically buy some day.
Thank you, very useful overview. My most favourite Canon lens is missing though, the 50mm f2.5 compact macro. This is second hand nowadays also very cheap.
The Canon ef 28-135mm f:3.5-5.6 IS USM is beautiful too, I replaced it with the Sigma 17-50mm f:2.8 but I keep it for backup. It was my eos 50D kit lens and I love it!!!
TOKINA AT-X 11-16mm f2.8 would have defo been on my list for aps-c ..amazing lens
Great review Christopher
Great review ! GOD bless you Christopher
Hi Chris.. Thanks for openly appreciating Samyang lenses.. I have been using Samyang 85mm f1.4 quite a lot on my Nikons.. Many of my Pro friends sneer at this lens, but I'd carry it anywhere, in any crowd, because it does its job impressively.. Cheers..
Pleasure as always to watch your videos.
Really wish one day you'll also make Nikon or even Sony reviews. Would probably multiply your views by a lot.
Thank you Chris.
can you make a list, of best APS lenses for full-frame cameras? since Sigma Tamron etc lenses do work on full-frame.
I’ve bought sigma 17-50mm f2.8 because of you dude!
A lot of people seem to have - everyone tells me that :-)
With the correct adaptor, these would ALL work on Sony's mirrorless range of cameras, as will almost any 35mm format lens. In fact, I use the Canon 28-135mm USM lens as the standard on my Sony A7.
Very nice video Chris. there is a Tokina f/2.8 11-16mm which is a good wide lens for Aps-c sensor, I'm quite pleased with it. Thank you and..Keep up the good work!
Great job. Very useful for future reference as well.
I've got a Sigma AF70-300mm 4-5.6 DG Macro lens for about $AUD150. It's proved to be very good on my EOS 60D. The autofocus can be a bit wanting beyond 250mm, but flicking to manual focus soon gets things right. Works well in macro mode too.
What about vintage lenses such as the Helios 44-2? I would love to see some stuff on that.
I decided just to stick to modern lenses - 99% of the time they do have better optics than old film lenses (I hate to say it...but it's pretty much true). Not that old film lenses are necessarily bad - modern lenses are simply better. And also, I'd have to test tonnes of old lenses which can be tricky for people to source on eBay just to see which ones are any good
Christopher Frost Photography maybe if you did nikon lens reviews.. you catch more people with your videos keep in mind =3 please ... hello from mexico
I know...unfortunately, I just don't have the time...
=(
***** I has the Helios 44-2 and found it to be quite a fun wee lens, but sadly when compared to almost any modern lens the sharpness and contrast was just not as good. I also had a Helios 135, which I loved. But again, I had to let it go when I did a test against a modern zoom that incorporated that focal length.
Very informative video. Keep up the good work.
Nice! 3 of these I want to buy in the future.😁
I bought your Number One for Aps-C, the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 used for about 220€.
It really is a great lens. Especially if you want to upgrade your kit lens, but don’t want to loose the flexibility of a zoom lens.
It may be important to some that this is a quite heavy lens with a weight of about 550g.
i came to uk 1 years ago, so my english is on ... basic level, but when You talk calm i understand You in 90%
Great! Well done for learning so much English. I used to teach English, in South Korea
The Helios lenses, great review though I learned a lot
I have the sigma 30 1,4F. It’s sharp ... has gorgeous full color .. and can really POP subjects with a versatile of background blur ... little or lots ... my choice... plus LOW LIGHT 💡 is jaw dropping ❗️😀
thanks, now clear my all doubts
Love your vids mate! Keep up the good work! It would be nice to see a review of the new yongnuo lens!
Hi Chris,
I totally agree with you on the Sigma 17 50 F2.8 EX DC OS HSM.... I've had manual focus adapted primes for years and after a bit of an Ebay session I just bought my Eos fit version for £249 delivered as an import. A very sharp lens. Thanks for your very detailed reviews :)
This video is very help full... bravo
Hi Chris,
Just watched the video - great stuff
I have the 40mm Canon Pancake and it's amazing.
I know you haven't tested it yet but I did buy the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 and it's fantastic. Super sharp.
Thanks again for posting this video.
John
Like your video Mate.
Useful for us normal people.
No nonsense straight honest.
God bles you to
I like the 40 mm STM, nice reviews with normal and even cheap lenses. For me I miss the Canon 28mm F2.8. Old lens, but I love it.
Great list of lens
Thank you so much for the video, it's very helpful
Nice Video!
I use the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and it's also a very good Zoomlens on APS-C :)
Do you have problem with noisy sound when doing auto focusing?
I just got an older 28-70mm f/2.8 ATX Pro lens (copy of the Angenieux 28-70mm f/2.6). This is a great lens and occasionally available on eBay from Japan at about $150 U.S. Dollars. The lens is lighter in weight than the Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8 Mark I. The IQ is awesome...