Canon EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 vs. Canon EF 17-35 f/2.8L

I went to Calumet and rented the Canon EF 17-35 f/2.8L lens to compare the expensive glass with the much cheaper lenses which I own (to wit: the Canon EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6, which comes with most 350D kits, and a Tokina 24-200 f/3.5-5.6). Calumet's list price on this lens is over $1400, but as it has been superseded by the 16-35/2.8 it's available for significantly less elsewhere. (I would have rented the newer lens had it been available.)

In one set of experiments, I considered the 2.8L's performance in low-light conditions, where it performed fairly well, as one would expect for such a wide aperture. The previous day, I compared all three lenses in wide-angle daylight shooting, where the larger minimum aperture makes little difference.

Most of my photography fits into two categories: broadcasting artifacts (towers, transmitters, studios, etc.) and architecture (broadcast towers, broadcast studios, office buildings, the occasional library or church). Outdoors, the most significant issues related to choice of lenses are angle of view and depth of field. Since my photo galleries, like this one, present only minimally-processed images, it's important to minimize visual distortion even at wide angles. (However, with my 350D's 1.6 crop factor, I can tolerate a great deal of distortion so long as it falls out of frame.) Having images come out right (focus, white balance, and exposure) the first time is important, since my vision is not good enough to notice most faults in either the viewfinder or the LCD review screen -- and I'm not likely to be going back just to retake a photo that came out blurry.

All of the photos here were shot with the same camera settings; the only element that was varied was the lenses. However, it's possible that some of the differences are a result of the difference in filters (the rental lens came with a Calumet store-brand UV filter, whereas my two lenses have identical-but-for-size Tiffen filters).

The photos shown here were principally taken at three locations in the city of Medford. The first location is the transmitter site of WEZE (590 Boston, Salem, religion), located on Mystic Valley Parkway just west of Wellington "Circle". The second is the former tower of WILD (1090 Boston, Radio One, urban gold), on Corporate Way. The third is the combined studio/transmitter facility for Clear Channel's WXKS (1430 Everett, progressive talk) and WXKS-FM (107.9 Medford, CHR); the 1430 towers are now also home to 1090.

In addition, I also visited WMKI (1260 Boston, Radio Disney); a favorite overlook in the Blue Hills; the I-93/SR 138 interchange in Canton for a shot of the WGBH tower with the addition of Radio One's WBOT (97.7 Brockton, urban); the WFXT studios at 1000 Providence Highway ("25 Fox Drive") in Dedham; and the WHDH-TV (7/42 Boston) tower in Newton.