Buy a regular lens or L lens for Canon

I only shoot with Canon cameras, so my experiences with lens are only for Canon. My first lenses are Canon 28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS and 75-300 f4.0-5.6 IS lens, and I still have them. They are great lenses that start my journey with photography. As time goes by, I found myself demand more for my gear. After I bought better digital cameras with higher resolution, the lens I had did not keep up with them. I asked a friend to lend his L lenses to me to try out on my new cameras. Wow, the differences of performance and image quality are very noticeable. The L lenses are much faster with focusing and tracking, meanwhile give sharper images. This changes my view toward more expensive L lenses.

Here are some key areas that L lens outperform the regular lens.

Speed of focusing and tracking.
While my Canon 75-300 IS lens keep hunting for a focus point, the 70-200 L lens get to the object at almost no time. The difference is so huge, and I sold my 75-300 lens due to that reason. I tried to capture some images of my son playing. I’d say about half of those images taken from 75-300 lens are blurry, and 80% of them are not sharp. The 70-200 L lens led to drastically improvements with clear and sharp photos. 


Image quality
When higher resolution camera (10 MP or higher) are used, image quality of L and regular lens becomes more apparent, especially with details such as hair, grass and tiny objects.


Wide aperture opening
Wide aperture lenses can allow more light come into the camera sensor; therefore, result in higher shutter speed and reduce blurriness under low light condition. If you are shooting indoors without a flash, a lens with a f2.8 or wider aperture is desirable. Wide aperture also helps with blurring the background and distancing the back ground from the main object.

L lens usually has larger apertures than regular lens with comparable focal length range. Some of the most commonly used lens are listed as follows:

Canon EF 70-200 L F2.8 or F4.0 vs Canon EF 70-300 F4.0-5.6
Canon EF 24-105 L F4.0 vs Canon EF 28-135 F3.5-5.6
Canon EF 24-70 L F2.8 vs Canon EF-S 18-55 F3.5-5.6
Canon EF 50 L F1.2 vs Canon EF 50 L F1.4
Canon EF 85 L F1.2 vs Canon EF 85 L F1.8






L lens may not be your best choice if the following is true to you.

With limited budget
The cheapest L lens are Canon EF 17-40 F4 L and Canon EF 70-200 F4 L. They cost about $600-700 at current market price. Other L lens are all over $1,000.
Canon EF 16-35 f2.8 L -- $1,500
Canon EF 24-70 f2.8 L -- $1,400
Canon EF 24-105 f4 L -- $1,100
Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L -- $1300
Canon EF 70-200 IS f2.8 L -- $1900
Canon EF 70-200 IS f2.8 L II -- $2500
Canon EF 28-300 IS f3.5-5.6 L -- $2400
Canon EF 35 f1.4 L -- $1,350
Canon EF 50 f1.2 L -- $1,500
Canon EF 85 f1.2 L -- $2,000
Canon EF 135 f2 L -- $1,000
Canon EF 200 f2 L -- $750
Canon EF 300 f4 IS L -- $1,250
Canon EF 400 f5.6 IS L -- $1,250
Canon EF 400 f2.8 IS L -- $7,000
Canon EF 500 f4 IS L -- $6000
Canon EF 300 f4 IS L -- $1,250

I’d say most regular zoom lens are under $600 except for the ones with wide aperture of f.28.

Camera becomes cheaper and cheaper. For about $800, you can buy an entry level DSLR with a kit lens. It is good for most casual use. I don’t believe that the price of professional equipment is meant for purchase by most consumers.


With weight concern
Most L lens are very heavy. They use quality materials and are designed to be durable. The Canon 24-70 and 70-200 L lens I have weight about 3 lb each. If they are attached to my Canon 1DS mark II and a canon speedlite 550ex, you will have about 10 lb in your hand. I usually end up having sore hand and arm after a half day of shooting. In addition, the gear bag I carry around weights about 30 lbs when fully loaded. You do need some muscle to use professional gears for an extended time such as a wedding. On the other hand, most regular lenses are less than 1.5lb, which make them a lot easier to be held.






When you make your purchase decision, how you are to use your equipment should be the biggest deciding factor. Don’t just buy a cheap lens if you’d like to shoot sports for your kid’s football league because you will not be able to capture the motion. It is not necessary to spend thousands of dollars for a lens that’s going to sit in a closet with out being used. Of course, if money is not an issue, buy the most expensive one that you can afford. Better lens always has better potential of producing nicer images. Remember, lens and cameras are just tools. Good gears in good hands can create stunning art works.

If you have comments or questions regarding your lens purchase, feel free to drop me an email. I will do my best to answer your questions.
For my works that’s created by Canon L lens, you can visit my website for sample images

www.aperturephotoart.com