What's your favourite "walk-around" lens for a crop camera ??

[ATP]

Hi Everyone!

I have just taken delivery of a 7D...and am really looking forward to doing its amazing features justice - eventually.

What I'd like to know is which lens is your favourite "walk-around" and why?

I already have a Canon 10-22...a Canon 70-200 IS...and a Canon 50 1.4 - and for a walk-around was thinking about a EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS...or a 24-105 f/4 L...they are very similar in price.

Thanks in advance for your advice...I really appreciate your insight.

[davomate]

My favourite walk-around lens is the 15-85 - my first step up from the kit lens. Although now I have added the 10-22 and the 70-200 and there is some overlap, it is a great focal range for situations when you dont want to carry a bag of lenses with you. The image quality is at least as good as the 17-55 (and it costs less), although it is not 2.8, so you might need to rely on the high ISO capability of your 7D if you want to take shots indoors without flash.

[ATP]

Thanks davomate! I'll check it out.

[Big Pix]

24-105 would be a nice walkabout.......

I shoot Nikon and use an 18-200 Nikon as a walkabout lens.....

[ATP]

Thanks Big Pix.

I was all ready to go the 17-55 when I could afford it...and then I met someone who swore by the 24-105...why do you think it would be best?

[fabian628]

Thanks Big Pix.

I was all ready to go the 17-55 when I could afford it...and then I met someone who swore by the 24-105...why do you think it would be best?

I think I wouldnt get a zoom that isnt at least 18mm on the wide end for a walkaround lens. Your idea may vary. I used a 24-70 on a crop body for a while but ended up selling it becuase the 24mm was not wide enough to get the shots I wanted.
Alternatively, you could go a simple prime lens (maybe 30mm) and use it as a walk around.

[triptych]

My 50mm 1.4 rarely comes off my camera...so I guess its my walk around lens. I mainly do portraits so its great for that, if you are wanting to do landscapes i'd go for the 15-85mm

[Kerro]

I have a 28-85 Sigma 2.8 as a walkaround off a 7D. Get some great shots. I find my 100mm too long for out and about shots.

[billylid]

Hi, i have a 24-105 F4L IS USM lens for walk a bout. I absolutely love it, great glass with sharp results. Very versatile. Also like to take out my 70-200 F4L USM for walk a bout too. Bill

[tmd77]

i have a tammy 17-50 f2.8 as my walkabout on my 450d. Very Very impressed with it. Especially for the price.

[acko]

24-105 would be a nice walkabout.......

I shoot Nikon and use an 18-200 Nikon as a walkabout lens.....

Agree - the 24-105 covers a lot of bases - I love mine!

[Art Vandelay]

300 f/2.8, with a 1.4x converter in one pocket, and a 2.0x converter in the other. Covers most things I like to shoot.

But you you it's probably different.
Considering you have the 10-22 the 24 -105 may be a good option, as 24 on a crop body is quite limiting.
If you only want to carry one lens though, the 15-85 is hard to beat for a crop. or the 17-55 f/8.
The downsside of the 15-85 is the variable aperture, the downside to the 17-55 is the lack of length. The upside is both are very similar (good) image quality.

[pmack]

If you plan on ever going full frame down the track i would probably go the 24-105L over the 17-55mm f/2.8
You already have 10-22 covered with a very good lens. if your next good lens up starts at 24mm, then you're not really missing any focal lengths (2mm is nothing, a tiny crop on the UWA would have that covered easy). However, you may find it annoying having to change between lenses. As 24mm on the 7D is effective 38.4mm, it's not particularly wide, and some might describe this focal length as a little awkward. And if you say you are using this as a walkaround, if you don't have the UWA handy, it is very likely that you will wish the 24-105 went wider for you.

So basically, if you will usually be carrying the 10-22 with you (and will possibly go FF down the track), i would go the 24-105L
But if you only want to have one lens with you as you do not want to carry additional gear or bother with changing lenses, then go the 17-55 f/2.8 or simillar

[ATP]

Thanks so much everyone...it's so interesting hearing everyone say why their favourite works for them...certainly have a lot to consider. I like carrying my 10-22 and my 70-200 around with me...so changing lenses doesn't worry me at all...but yes it would be nice to have one that covered many things when you're just cruising. I'm learning so much...a "walk-around" lens means such different things to different people - that's why I love photography!

[Analog6]

Is the 7D 1.5? That makes the 24-105 a 36-157.5 equivalent. 36 is a bit long for a wide angle lens. I'd try for something wider if I were you. The 24-105 is a great lens, but even on full frame I found it was sometimes too narrow.

[pmack]

^effective focal length is 1.6 times so 24 is 38.4mm

[mitgonk]

i like a one lens combo for walk around so my 17-55 is on my 7d majority of the time.
i like wider shots for street photography, as you never know when a opportunity may present when you're out and about in a indoor/cramped environment where a 24 focal length on a crop sensor is too restricting e.g. say you're in a market, or a birthday party etc.

i'll be getting a 24-70 sometime, but that will be for my film camera.

[StephenM]

I'm very happy with the 15-85 as a walk-around lens on my 50D!

Cheers,
Stephen

[davomate]

If you plan on ever going full frame down the track i would probably go the 24-105L over the 17-55mm f/2.8
You already have 10-22 covered with a very good lens.

Of course the 10-22 is an EF-S lens so you would need to replace that as well. The good lenses loose less than 20% of their new value when resold. For me I am happy to buy crop-only lenses now (if they meet my requirements), and resell them if I ever go FF.

[Wobbles]

Hi Amanda,
another vote for the 17-55 f2.8IS. It is always on one of my 50D's (70-200 F2.8IS on the other). While the 24-105 & 24-70 are both great lenses I believe they are just not wide enough on a APS-C camera. With the high resolution of the 7D and sharpness of the 17-55 you always can crop if it's a bit short but you can't "widen" a 24mm image. Also having both f2.8 and IS in the one lens is a hard combination to beat for a walk-around when lighting is often less than ideal.

Cheers
John