Canon 15mm or 17-40 L?

[gtucker]

I am saving up for a new lens and it's between the Canon 15mm and the Canon 17-40mm L...they are around the same price range and I really would like to get a lens that is fast and has a pretty wide angle since my camera has a 1.6x crop. Which one do you think is better overall?

I mainly use the lens to shoot events inside (without a flash if I can) so the f/2.8 would be great on the 15mm lens but I have heard there are sharpness issues.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[craig_d]

The 15mm is a fisheye lens, so I wouldn't even consider it in any real sense equivalent to the 17-40mm. The fisheye effect is great when you want it, but most of the time you probably don't.

Also, if you don't have a full-frame camera (5D or 1Ds), don't bother with the 15mm. The fisheye effect, by its nature, is at its most interesting around the edges, and that's exactly what you lose on a crop-frame camera.

I wouldn't say sharpness is a problem, though. I have both the 15mm fisheye and the 17-40mm. They're both great lenses. Here are a couple of samples:

Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40mm f/4L:
http://craigd.smugmug.com/Landscapes/20091001-Foster-City-Shoreline/IMG0473/667968011_xfM3s-L-3.jpg

Canon 5D Mark II, 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye:
http://craigd.smugmug.com/Street-Scenes/Street-Scenes/IMG1873/723146277_MceKm-L-3.jpg

[kdog]

The 17-40L is F4, so that's out for indoor use without a flash. For a fast mid-range zoom, what you really should be looking at is the EF-S 17-55 F2.8 IS. If you want to go super-wide, the EF-S 10-22 is your guy.

[rainbow]

For crop, consider the 10-22mm EF-S from Canon.

[SamirD]

But how sharp is the 10-22? Will it complete with these two L-series lenses?

[gtucker]

I was really trying to stay around the sub-700 price point here, that's the issue.

[John Mueller]

But how sharp is the 10-22? Will it complete with these two L-series lenses?
It all depends if you get a good copy.
The one I had back in the day was extremely sharp and could compete with an L.

If your going to stay with the 1.6 crop camera, this would be my choice.
The 17-40 is also very good and if you upgrade to a 1.3 or FF it will be all good:thumb

[SamirD]

It all depends if you get a good copy.
The one I had back in the day was extremely sharp and could compete with an L.Good to know. :thumb