Canon 17-40mm

The Canon 17-40mm is quite simply a brilliant lens for a reasonable price. It is the lens that spends the most time attached to my DSLR and I love it!

It is also atypically light for an L series lens, which further strengthens its credentials.

But what else does it have to offer? Besides affordability, the 17-40 L offers extremely sharp images throughout its range and auto focus is fast, silent and efficient.

In my personal opinion, there is really not a lot to fault about this lens except for the usual wide open corner softness that you get with wide-angle lenses. I often find that stopping down to f/5.6 (if possible) improves corner sharpness.

Canon 17-40 review

While I may have a slightly biased opinion towards this lens, a lot of people will say that it is too slow.

However, I think we have to take a step back here and really ask ourselves this simple question – what will be the intended purpose of this lens?

In my opinion the 17-40 USM is the perfect landscape lens, especially on a 1.6 FOVCF body because the crop factor makes it look as if you are using a 27.2-64mm lens. Obviously it can also handle architecture, group portraits and a whole lot of other stuff.

As a result of being a more general outdoor piece of kit, the relatively slow (but still decent) f/4.0 maximum aperture will not be a problem in 9 out of 10 situations. Sure, there will be times whilst out in the field that you may need to increase ISO or use a tripod to compensate, but I still think a few people get a bee in their bonnet because this lens may struggle indoors where the light is less predictable.

In the same way that a Ferrari isn’t designed to go off-road, the f/4.0 17-40 wasn’t really meant to be able to perform effortlessly in low light (remember, it doesn’t have image stabilization (IS) either).

Having said that, anyone with a steady hand and slight tweak in setting should still be able to get good shots no matter the environment.

The crux of my point is this – buy a 50mm 1.4 or 16-35 f/2.8 IS if you want the best of both worlds. More so the 16-35 if you like landscapes or the 50mm 1.4 if you prefer portraits.

What others are saying about the Canon 17-40mm f 4l

“NutMac” from Mountain View, CA, offered some sound advice for anyone thinking about purchasing this lens:

First, determine your budget, focal length, and aperture needs. If you frequently find yourself zooming out to get everything in a frame, you will want a wide angle lens such as this. If you frequently find yourself zooming in, this is not the lens for you.

On a full frame body such as Canon EOS 5D, this lens becomes ULTRA wide angle. On an APS-C crop body such as Digital Rebel XTi (which I used for this review), it becomes MEDIUM wide angle.

He then goes on to showcase some of the lenses strengths, written in way that clearly shows his passion for the 17-40:

The lens exudes quality from tip to tip.
You may tolerate heavier lens or may not mind lesser build quality of cheaper lenses. A walkaround lens will be used very often, so make sure you will be comfortable with it.

…Thanks to 7 diaphragm blades, this lens can produce very nice bokeh at 40mm (blur effects).

Read the rest of this great review here!

When I first got this lens years ago I payed around $1000. Now I have seen it for about 25% less than that on Amazon. Right now they are very reasonably priced and super competitive – the best online in most cases. Check out the low price here.

Please help support the maintenance of this site by using the links mentioned above to make any purchases you might be thinking of making. I get a small commission from your purchase but it doesn’t cost you anymore to buy the lens. Any purchase is greatly appreciated, thankyou.

Conclusion

The Canon 17-40mm is, in essence, the perfect entry level L series lens. Please don’t assume that I mean its optics and performance are to a lesser standard than some other L lenses – what I mean to convey is that the low price will enable many users to upgrade their kit lenses and enter the world of serious quality for the first time.

Not only does the 17-40 lower that barrier somewhat, it also importantly lives up to its reputation of quality and is by no means just a cheap, poor cousin to its L series counterparts.

Anyone who is willing to overlook the apparently slow maximum aperture (and I dare say those sort of people will be in the minority) will undoubtedly find themselves a life long friend with this lens.

Related posts:

1. Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS Lens – Is It Right For You Or Worth The Money?
2. Canon 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM – Making High Quality Macro Photography Fun
3. Canon 50mm 1.8 II Lens Review – A Must Own Canon Prime Lens

The Canon 50mm 1.4 has a lot in common with the 50mm 1.8 – it is small, light and offers outstanding image quality for a very reasonable price.

So, what distinguishes these two lenses?

While they look almost identical on paper, there are several important and perhaps less important factors that you should consider before deciding on one over the other.

Canon 50mm 1.4 Review vs Canon 50mm 1.8

To say that one lens is better than the other is flawed thinking. As always, it is really up to the individual to decide which lens is best suited to them.

Many people will try to tell you that you should opt for the 50mm 1.8 because it costs less and basically does the same job. Others will tell you to forget about the 50mm 1.4 because it won’t last the distance and that you are only setting yourself for an inevitable upgrade in the future anyway.

So with that in mind, I want to give you some hard truths to help you in your buying decision.

If you are just starting out in photography – then buy the 1.8 version – simply because 50mm is a workable starting focal length and the low cost of the lens means you aren’t risking much if you decide that you don’t like it.

Speaking of 50mm, did you know that it is the focal length which most closely resembles the field of view of the human eye?

While the 1.4 is more adaptable and will give you better results more of the time, the slightly slower version is still a high quality lens and will definitely wow beginners who have been used to the very soft and slow 18-55mm kit lens for example (why they don’t offer prime lenses as bundles with DSLR bodies is beyond me, but perhaps then it would ruin their charm and they would have never been as good as they have become).

If you are ready to graduate to the Canon 50mm 1.4 lens then you will surely appreciate the fact that it will probably last longer than the 1.8, and that is one major victory to be had without even looking at the optics or performance.

I have collated the main differences into the table below to make it easier to read.

Even though I am probably splitting hairs here, the fact of the matter is that the f1.4 exposes a third of a stop brighter than most other Canon lenses. It is brighter in the viewfinder in general teams and really is a whole stop “faster” than the f1.8 at maximum aperture.

If you’re willing to sacrifice some clarity, that extra stop can make a huge difference when you are looking to shoot moving subjects, particularly in low light.

For example – imagine that you are at a concert somewhere and while you wish to get a photograph of your favorite band – the venue is dimly lit.  The 50mm 1.4 has a faster shutter speed for less motion blur because of the wider maximum aperture and the bokeh will be much more pleasing and less distracting to boot. There is also more light gathered for better color reproduction (not that the 1.4 really needed it!).

It is the scenario mentioned above (and many others no doubt) which proves that the 1.4 will be more versatile and more able to handle itself under pressure. This will be a minor quibble to some, and a big deal to others.

I would not pay anymore than $400 for this lens - check out the low price here. As always though the price will fluctuate wildly from one retailer to the next. One place that is pretty consistent is Amazon and right now they are very reasonably priced – the best online in most cases.

With that in mind, please help support the maintenance of this site by using the links mentioned above to make any purchases you might be thinking of making. I get a small commission from your purchase but it doesn’t cost you anymore to buy the lens. Any purchase is greatly appreciated, thankyou.

Conclusion

The Canon 50mm 1.4 is a must have addition to any kit bag in my opinion. Whether you want to get your feet wet with the 1.8 is entirely up to you and hopefully I have given you enough information to make the right decision in this review.

Make no bones about it, the 1.4 is a serious lens that is up there with the big boys in terms of image quality and performance. For a measly $350 or so you can have the perfect starter lens that will never go out of fashion or be made obsolete by something else.

Matthew Davidson from Cambridge MA sums up this lens pretty well – it will open up your eyes to a whole new world of possibilities and you won’t want to put it down:

The Canon 50mm 1.4 gobbles light. It opens up a world of indoor photography that is not possible with a 4.0 lens. The 50mm focal length combined with available light produces natural-looking results. It is exactly what your eye sees. Shadows and highlights are intact. It is a revelation if you’re used to the harsh drop shadows and evenly-lit faces produced by flashes. This is a jarring step up in quality from snapshot to “wow”….

…As a father, my only regret is I wish I had this lens earlier. From one parent to another, I’ll tell you the price of the lens is irrelevant, as the pictures it produces are priceless.

photo credit smoorenburg

Related posts:

1. Canon 50mm 1.8 II Lens Review – A Must Own Canon Prime Lens
2. Canon 85mm 1.8 – Superbly Sharp With Beautiful Bokeh Make This The Perfect Portrait Lens
3. Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS Lens – Is It Right For You Or Worth The Money?

Nikon 35mm f/1.8 G

The Nikon 35mm 1.8 is a supreme quality, fast and cheap Nikon DX lens that is perfectly suited to hand-held photography in low light.

As a result, it is especially perfect for indoor photography where you would otherwise need the use of a flash. This is a great way to finally rid yourself of the unflattering and intrusive qualities of flash forever while obtaining images that will take your breath away.

Nikon 35mm 1.8 review

This lens is an absolutely no brainer for any Nikon DX user, especially if you don’t already own a fast prime lens. It is just a miracle worker in low light and the price of this lens is almost equal to the cost of a really good filter. Enough said.

The 35mm 1.8 is a particularly useful addition to the lower end DX models like the D40 and D60 and the flawless auto focus system means you can switch to manual focus at any time by simply rotating the focus ring. There is no need to flick any switches.

What I like about this lens is the fact that it is the perfect trade off between size and speed. At f/1.8 it is not too fast that it would require a bigger, bulkier lens. The 35mm is small and nimble.

Conversely, the fixed aperture is not too slow that it would be in direct competition with the kit lenses which generally start at f/3.5 or f/4.0.

Nikon 35mm 1.8

It is indeed a nice compromise and you’ll have to agree that this particular lens fills its niche within the market quite well.

(NB: If you are planning on upgrading to full-frame in the future, then please consider the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D which is compatible with full frame bodies – the 35mm 1.8G IS NOT).

What others are saying about the Nikon 35mm 1.8 DX

Glenn Carpenter from Golden, Colorado praised Nikon for delivering a feature-packed lens for a very affordable price:

Nikon has absolutely nailed it with this lens. A modest sum gets you exactly what you need in a lens, nothing you don’t, and it works beautifully.

It is relatively feature-rich at its price: cheap lenses, even from Nikon, often lack important features – but not here. Unlike other recent DX bargains this lens has Nikon’s M/A focus setting, which allows automatic focus with instant manual over-ride.

This is a simple and intuitive method of combining the ease and accuracy of AF with sometimes-necessary manual control, and Nikon has done users of this lens a great favor by including it, despite the low price…

… What is clear to me in using this lens is that Nikon has put its money in exactly the right places to make this lens a star despite its price. There may be nitpicks here and there, but the optics, the coatings, the engineering, and perhaps most importantly the quality of the focusing system, are exactly what they need to be to allow this lens to make photographs that are the equal of those made by professional zooms costing in the thousands.

Read the rest of this lengthy but awesome review here.

Don’t pay more than $250 for this lens, otherwise it is daylight robbery.

Amazon.com have it for under $200 at the time of writing, so click here to take advantage of this price before they decide to put the price up again.

Please help support the maintenance of this site by using the links above to make any purchases you might be thinking of making. I get a small commission from your purchase but it doesn’t cost you anymore to buy the lens. It is greatly appreciated, thankyou.

Conclusion

It is hard to find a reason not to buy the Nikon 35mm 1.8 - perhaps the only reasons why you wouldn’t buy one are because you own an FX camera or you are highly skeptical that Nikon could produce such a great lens for such a low price.

Skepticism and caution are natural human traits, but please, read the reviews and see how it has surprised and delighted so many photographers before you – you won’t be disappointed and if by some miracle you don’t like it – you can always return it for a refund within the specified time period.

I wish that I would have had something like this available to me when I was just starting out in photography. This lens is going to be ideal for amateurs who have bought the kit lens (often at a higher price than the 35mm 1.8) and were disappointed with the results.

They are going to be in a position to ditch the kit lens and buy something for half the price but for twice the satisfaction.

photo credit pv ks

Related posts:

1. Nikon 70-300mm Review – Discover A Hidden Gem Of A Lens
2. The Nikon 80-400mm – Telephoto Performance Without The Bulk Of A Telephoto Lens
3. Nikon 50mm 1.8 – Read The Review And Get Excited!

Canon 100-400mm

The Canon 100-400mm is the lens for serious wildlife and outdoor photographers. Buy it here now!

The 100-400 IS lens is a high image quality, high build quality piece of kit that any photographer who is serious about outdoor long-range subjects should own.

It is by no means a small lens, nor a light lens (it weighs in at approximately 3 pounds or 1.3 kilograms) and as such smooth operation will take a little getting used to.

Indeed, its weight and robustness can work to your advantage when you consider than this lens is used on safari, in boats, during outdoor sporting events and other situations that can present circumstances or conditions that are detrimental to the longevity of your equipment.

Luckily, the included image stabilization (IS) technology does make hand-holding this lens more forgiving in such rough-and-tumble conditions, especially in low light or simply if your arms are still getting used to the extra weight and you can’t quite hold it still yet.

Canon 100-400mm review

As I mentioned just before, image stabilization is going to be important on a lens with this much bulk.

While some might argue that one should use a tripod to negate the reliance on IS, there are of course certain situations where tripods are neither practical nor necessary. Do you really want to miss the shot of the century while you are fumbling around with your tripod assembly?

With the 100-400 Canon, you are spoilt for choice with 2 different IS modes – one for stationary objects and one for moving. The IS feature will also be automatically be disabled if the lens detects that it is being used on a tripod and will lock itself in the centered position between the two settings.

It is important to note that with the use of any sort of image stabilization technology, you are simply providing a buffer against camera movement, and not the movement of the subject you are trying to photograph.

For a camera with such a large focal range, you would think that there is a lot of scope for things to go wrong between 100mm and 400mm. In truth, the EF 100-400 delivers excellent image quality throughout, with only minor hiccups here and there.

Canon 100-400mm – outstanding quality

There is slight softness present in the center wide open at its shortest focal length, but the sharpness improves considerably if you change down just 1 stop. There is also a hint of chromatic aberration visible in the corners, especially in full frame cameras from 250mm onwards.

However it is worthwhile keeping in mind that there are very few lenses on the market today that would do better at those sort of ‘extreme’ focal lengths – and the few that do are often 4 or 5 times the price.

As you would expect, contrast and color reproduction are on the high end of the scale and bokeh is also quite nice the further you zoom in – although it isn’t the best you will ever see and probably in most cases not even in the same league as the bokeh you will see in prime lenses.

What others are saying about the Canon 100-400

P. Lehmann from Texas added an insightful review and asked the question that anyone who is considering this lens should ask themselves – is it right for you?

If you’re like me and the majority of your work involves people and portraits, the 70-200 2.8 (even non IS) is a much better choice for around the same money. I would have gotten 100x the use out of it over the past year…

…. But this lens does shine with its strengths. IS allows you to handhold 400mm pics with greater success than the non-IS prime. I dont do weddings but I can imagine IS allowing this lens as a supplement when a photog is stuck at the back of a church during the ceremony… as long as the lights arent too low..

… Other benefits? The push-pull design allows almost instant adjustments.

Because it compresses, its easer to carry than the prime (length- and size-wise, not weight).

Canon EOS 1D Mk III with 100-400mm

So the question boils down to whether you really need the zoom, the IS, and the ranges of this lens at the higher price than the prime. Wildlife/landscape photogs that use tripods? Maybe not. Sports shooters with monopods? Maybe….

…That said, if you weigh your wants and this lens still tugs at your heart, dont hesitate to buy it. It delivers performance and value…within specific parameters.

Review shortened for size, read the rest here!

A word about the 100-400 push-pull system

This lens employs the use of a push-pull zoom mechanism which will the be one thing that a lot of people wouldn’t have used before (as opposed to the twist to zoom system which is more prevalent).

Basically there is a ring located on the focus ring which adjusts the tension of the zoom. It may or may not be to your liking because while it is nice to be able to lock your zoom to one particular spot, it can get in the way of focusing itself and you can end up inadvertently knocking the zoom ring while you try to focus (thus putting you back to square one).

Indeed, you will also find yourself adjusting the zoom tension for every shot because, well, every shot is different and as a result will need a different amount of zoom.

Whether you enjoy using the function or not is probably irrelevant – it’s more a case of if you can live with it. If you are unsure it is probably best to test drive the 100-400mm in a camera store first.

A secondary complaint of this system is that the constant in and out motion somehow draws dust inside the lens. At this stage I’m willing to discount most of those claims as coincedence because for every 3 complainers there are 97 people who are perfectly satisfied with the lens.

You can probably attribute a bit of dust here and there as part and parcel of photography, can’t you?

You shouldn’t pay more than about $1,500 for this lens – but I have seen it for around $2,000 in some places. Check prices here.

Amazon.com have it for around this price at the time of writing.

With that in mind, please help support the maintenance of this site by using this link to make any purchases you might be thinking of making. I get a small commission from your purchase but it doesn’t cost you anymore to buy the lens. Any purchase is greatly appreciated, thankyou.

Conclusion

The Canon 100-400mm is certainly a lens that will please many different photographers from many different backgrounds, and I think that its versatility is one of its strongest points.

To repeat again that the lens has superb image quality throughout is a bit pointless, because we all come to expect such high quality from every Canon L series lens.

What I feel is more important in this instance is the fact that you will definitely get your money’s worth with the purchase of this lens – it’s not the sort of lens you can only use once or for one occasion or purpose.

Getting value for money is always important, especially when you consider how much you usually have to shell out for Canon’s finest. Make this lens a priority if you want it!

photo credit Dave-F A.J.Haverkamp

Related posts:

1. Canon 70-200mm 2.8 – Go Out And Buy It Already
2. Canon 50mm 1.8 II Lens Review – A Must Own Canon Prime Lens
3. Canon EF-S 10-22mm – L Series Quality Without The Price Tag

Canon EF 85mm lens

The Canon 85mm 1.8 is another example of an exceptionally high quality Canon prime lens for a budget price.

I would go so far as to say that everyone should own a copy of this lens regardless of if you enjoy portraiture photography or not.

Why? It’s just that the EF 85mm has so much going for it – super image sharpness and very pleasing bokeh but also high in portability and low in weight.

While the image sharpness is outstanding throughout the range of this lens, it is best utilized from f/2.8 onwards. Color and saturation are also very good and auto focus is fast and accurate.

Canon 85mm 1.8 review

A lot of users who already own this lens agree that it is the best portraiture lens they have ever owned – remarking that the combination of the 85mm focal length and fast f/1.8 aperture brings out detail and clarity in faces that simply wasn’t present in other lenses.

Bokeh-addicts will also enjoy the amount of background blur that is produced wide open and of course a good amount of bokeh is the key to any successful portrait shot in my opinion.

People have also commented that the 85mm gives their subjects a lot of 3-dimensionality, which I think is pretty cool because we as photographers (well, most of us) are always looking to recreate a scene as accurately as possible and the images really pop when get them printed.

Canon EOS 40D with EF 85mm 1.8 lens

What’s more, people who have little vested interest in photography can usually tell which images came from this lens and which came from something else, which I think says a lot.

The Canon 85mm 1.8 lens is also perfect for low light and indoor photography because of the extremely wide aperture.

Furthermore, it is great for indoor sports photography where light can also be limited. It also excels in this regard because it has slightly more reach than a traditional 50mm portrait lens.

The focal length is especially useful on a 1.6 FOVCF camera which the reach is extended further still.

A reminder about the Canon EF 85mm for novice photographers

As with all prime lenses, there is no actual zooming in or zooming out to achieve the composition that you want.

Instead, you are the one that is going to have to do the moving – either away from or towards your subject.

This seems like an obvious thing to mention in this review, but many people will be put off by the lack of zoom ring and will opt for a mid-range zoom lens instead.

Obviously this lens will be limited to situations where there is plenty of room to move about – I can’t imagine it working too well in a room full of people or anywhere there are large crowds in confined spaces.

It may take some getting used to, but the good news is that you quickly become accustomed to it and almost know instantly whether the lens is going to “work” in any given situation.

What others are saying about the 85mm EF lens

Abdulrahman Aljabri from Jedda, Saudi Arabia summed it up well:

If you plan to photograph friends and family then this is the lens. You will take sharp pictures with the right kind of effects for portraits like compression and beautiful bokeh.

The lens is fast and designed excellently for maximum control and comfort. You won’t miss a shot because of shake with slow shutter speeds and even if you do (that’s a big if) you can put its speed to use by dialing a higher aperture.

It’s only draw back is that it has a pretty tight angel of view on 1.6 factor SLRs. I can’t think of any other prime in the non-L canon line up that matches this lens (other than possibly the 50mm 1.4). Truly an incredible value, buy it with confidence!

Read the rest of this review here

You should not be paying any more than $450 for this lens.

Amazon.com have it for a fair deal cheaper at the moment, but I have no way of knowing how long their deal will last.

Please help support the maintenance of this site by using this link to make any purchases you might be thinking of making. I get a small commission from your purchase but it doesn’t cost you anymore to buy the lens. It would be greatly appreciated, thankyou.

Conclusion

The Canon 85mm 1.8 will open up a whole new world of possibilities for photographers who have tried their hand at portraiture photography in the past and didn’t get the results they expected or wanted. Of course, you still have to get the basics right, but this lens will have you well on the way to the pictures that you see in magazine publications.

Its low cost ensures that there is hardly any risk involved for anyone who wishes to give this lens a try – though I can’t see how anyone would be disappointed with the 85mm 1.8.

I can almost guarantee that you will find some useful application of this lens which will leave you with a big grin on your face – even if it is ins’t exclusively taking portraits.

photo credit tbisaacs

Related posts:

1. Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens – A Super Fast, High Quality Non L Series Lens
2. Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS Lens – Is It Right For You Or Worth The Money?
3. Canon 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM – Making High Quality Macro Photography Fun

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Buy the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 II from Amazon now and save over $400!

This lens is the highly anticipated successor to the already popular and competent 70-200mm f/2.8 I lens which is still a great piece of kit in its own right.

This is the sort of lens that is going to delight a lot of photographers but also tease a lot of other photographers too.

Why? It’s expensive. The cheapest you can get it at the time of writing is around the $2000 mark from Amazon.

I actually agonized for many months over my purchase of the series I version, simply because I wanted to be absolutely 100% sure that it wasn’t going to be a waste of money for my particular photography situation.

Did I want it? Did it fit in with your style? Did I only want it as a trophy purchase? I had a deep think about it.

In the end I decided I wanted the lens and it was just about the best decision of my life. Although I don’t have the series II version, I can guarantee that it offers superb image and build quality, ridiculously good bokeh and sharpness and lightning fast auto-focus.

Why was the original Canon 70-200mm 2.8 upgraded?

You might have been wondering why the original version was upgraded if it was so successful. It is a valid question because lens technology doesn’t progress at the rate that computer technology does for example.

So how do you make a great lens greater?

Perhaps the main difference is the noticeable wide open aperture image quality improvement in the new lens. The 70-200 f/2.8 IS II is very sharp wide open from the center of the image right into full frame corners at all focal lengths.

In addition to the improved sharpness, flare is also much more controlled in the latest offering (although still not totally negated, it is nice to know that Canon have dealt with what was a susceptibility with the first version).

What others are saying about the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 II

Alex from Florida, USA was all praise (unsurprisingly) but also included an important consideration at the end of his review:

WOW is all I can say. After getting over that I spent so much on a lens, this new machine is absolutely amazing. The image quality is top notch. 100% crops can be printed large and I can see every detail…

…No longer do you have to worry about shaking a tiny bit and the shot being out of focus or a bit blurry. Canon has really created an astounding piece of technology surpassing others(Nikon) in the lens market.

The build quality, as expected from an L series lens, is made to withstand extreme conditions. The zoom ring is large and easy to use. The buttons for different IS and af/mf are easy to use/see….

….All in all, the new 70-200 is quite a stunning lens which will continue to be one of or the best in Canon’s lineup of pro lenses. If you want it and can afford it without selling your house, I would get it haha but as always, research extensively and weigh your options before buying something at these price levels.

Sound advice indeed – buy it for the right reasons!

Conclusion

As I mentioned earlier in the review, you have probably painstakingly agonized over buying the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 for a long time now but for whatever reason you haven’t gone through with it yet.

Maybe you are still trying to justify the purchase to your loved on or maybe you don’t know if you will use it as often as you think you should.

Overall Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars

My advice is just to go out and get it if you really love the look of it.  You will not be disappointed. It is an excellent addition to any photographers kit bag and it will never, ever let you down.

Furthermore, you will be able to show off your big white barrel to friends, family and whilst you are out in public putting the 70-200 through its paces.

Related posts:

1. Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS Lens – Is It Right For You Or Worth The Money?
2. Canon 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM – Making High Quality Macro Photography Fun
3. Canon 50mm 1.8 II Lens Review – A Must Own Canon Prime Lens

The Canon EF-S 10-22mm  is one of the highest quality lenses to not wear the coveted L series designation.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

All orders are processed through Amazon – 100% safe, secure and with FREE shipping.

It is of course an ultra wide-angle lens and if you have done any amount of research at all up until the point of arriving on this page you will know that they tend to suffer from distortion and corner sharpness falloff.

Shoot with a Canon 1.6x body? Get a Canon 10-22!

Chances are that if you are looking at buying this lens, then you have a vested interest in either landscapes, architecture or street life or something which commands a wide field of view.

If that sounds like you, then you absolutely have to own this lens. Aside from fitting everything into the shot, you will get tack sharp, colorful and well contrasted images every time.

Canon 10-22mm reviews

The 10-22 has a very high approval rating amongst its current users – just about the highest rate of satisfaction I have seen for any lens that I have reviewed thus far.

M. A. Filippelli from Rosedale, CA. shared a glowing review of this lens, and you can really see his passion for photography and the lens in general shine through which is really inspiring to read:

I have had this lens for several months now and let me start out by saying WOW. I looked at the lens in the store along with the Sigma 12-24 and I was in total awe of what I saw though the view finder with the Canon 10-22…

…. The 10-22mm is equivalent to 16-35mm field of view using a canon 20D which is not a full frame sensor. With a minimum focal distance of .24m (about 9.5 inches) you can get very close to objects and still get alot of focal width in the photo. There is incredible clarity in the lens.

The photos I have taken are very clear with only a slight hint of softening at the corners at 10mm; everything else is sharp after that. There is a little barrel distortion at 10mm but everything else up to 22mm is nice. I have not gotten any light flare in my photos. The Ultrasonic motor is very quiet. The depth of field is outstanding.

Conclusion

The Canon 10-22 is a simple but highly effective lens and apart from being optically brilliant, it also feels “right” in your hands. It is decently constructed and doesn’t feel cheap, but I use the term cheap loosely here.

What do I mean by this? The lens is under $1000 but has the performance specifications that are more suited to L series glass that is 3 or 4 times the price. Value for money may be the more correct term here, because you are getting truckloads of it.

Image quality (sharpness, corner softness, flare, etc.) – Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Build quality (dust and moisture resistance, plastic or metal?) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Ease of use (weight, size, controls, popular filter size?) – Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Lens features (auto-focus, IS, full time manual focus?) – Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Value for money (all of the above measured against price) – Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The auto-focus system in this lens is not the fastest in the world, but the reasonably low maximum aperture and wide field of view ensure that most hand held images will require a fast shutter speed and hence be very sharp indeed.

The only real problems you are going to have with this lens are accidentally including your feet, your shadow or your tripod legs in the bottom area of the photo because of the extremely wide field of view.

Of course, being able to fit so much into the frame is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand it can make your photos look cluttered and busy but on the other, it can force you to carefully compose your shot and use the wide angle view to your ultimate advantage.

This is only even minutely negative aspect of this lens though – and you will get used to not including foreign objects in your shots over time. To me that says that this lens is pretty good.

Related posts:

1. Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS Lens – Is It Right For You Or Worth The Money?
2. Canon 24-105mm Review – Why Does Everyone Loves This L Series Lens?
3. Canon 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM – Making High Quality Macro Photography Fun

Buy from the Tamron 18-270mm review page at Amazon today!

The Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras is the lens that currently holds the record for longest focal length range of any product on the market – with a staggering 15x zoom capability.

Image quality – Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Build quality – Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Ease of use – Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Lens features – Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Value for money – Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

On paper the raw figures are impressive to say the least, but does the Tamron deliver on more important attributes like image quality, sharpness and usability?

Unfortunately there is always a balancing act that has to be made – one awesome feature may come at the expense of 3 lesser known features. In other words, you can’t have it all and the Tamron 18-270 is no exception to this rule.

It suffers from questionable wide-open image quality and you really have no idea whether you are going to get a good copy of the lens until after you’ve bought it.

Tamron 18-270mm compromises

As I said earlier, every lens that is put into production has a weighted compromise and technology – things such as size, weight, price, focal length range, reliability, ergonomics, image quality, autofocus performance and build quality.

The Tamron lens has a decent overall image quality without being outstanding and image sharpness is equally as reasonable at f/8. However unlike a lot of other higher quality lenses, the sharpness won’t get any better by stopping down as you might expect.

It also has the obvious advantage of being versatile, and for some photographers this is a more important consideration than the nitty-gritty details about lens performance.

The 18-270mm is basically two lenses in one and is still smaller than the Canon 17-55mm IS – it just gives you that great flexibility whilst out in the field or during a vacation.

On the other hand, some of the things you will have to put up with are noticeable barrel distortion wide open as well as a sticky and cumbersome focus ring. Several people have commented that it can be hard to find infinity focus because there is such a small amount of play between the minimum focus distance and infinity.

In other words, there is hardly any turning of the focus ring on your part before you have covered the whole spectrum – which makes obtaining precise readings a hassle.

The auto-focus system is also clunky and quite noisy to say the least, and like it or not there can be quality control issues.

What others are saying about the Tamron 18-270 for Canon

Mary Jo Sminkey from Durham, NC had a philosophical approach to her appraisal of the lens. She basically says that it is never going to be as good as an L lens but it does have a place in the market and does serve a purpose even if the overall performance is not top-shelf:

I give the lens 5 stars, not because it takes the greatest photos you will ever see, but because it is the first super-zoom I have tried that performs good enough that I am willing to use it, as a best-in-its-class lens.

It’s a perfect lens in particular for any new DSLR owner that can’t afford to invest thousands in really high quality and/or multiple lenses, or for someone like me that is often limited in the equipment they can carry at one time.

The lack of smoothness in the zoom ring and the creep are the primary annoyances for me, but I’ve yet to use a long telephoto lens in this price range that doesn’t creep, so hard to be really tough on it for that.

I wouldn’t use it as my primary sports lens (my f/2.8 will do that job far better) nor as an architectural wide angle lens but for a general all-purpose casual lens, it’s got a great feature set and well worth considering.

Read the rest of this review here

Conclusion and Tamron 18-270 price

At the end of the day, I cannot say if the Tamron 18-270 is for you or not – I can only make recommendations based on the information that is at hand. The ultimate decision is yours.

Overall Rating: 3.4 out of 5 stars

If you are excited about the super focal length range and have always wanted a lens like this, then I would be comfortable in saying that the 18-270 is a good enough piece of equipment to able to buy it based on this feature alone.

It is a great walkabout lens and as well as delivering admirable results, it will also save you weight and space in your camera bag. It will also save you money because it will negate the need for you to buy a second lens to make up for the shortfall in focal length coverage of your first lens. This is a true 2-in-1 package.\

Alternative options

If you are a more discerning photographer and you are prepared to give up 70mm of focal range then consider the Canon EF-S 18-200mm which in my opinion has a better compromise (there is that word again) between features and quality.

You may also wish to consider the Sigma 18-250mm which is more closely matched to the Tamron in focal range and has a better auto focus system. It is also a couple of hundred bucks cheaper.

Related posts:

1. Tamron 28-75mm – Is This Lens Actually Better Suited To 1.6x Crop Bodies?

Most of the questions tend to follow well worn paths – people want to know if L series lenses are worth the often hefty price tag and whether they are are as good as people say they are.

Of course, the answer from serious amateurs and seasonsed professionals alike is always a resounding yes, but photographers who are just starting to get really serious about their photography will want to know more pressing questions like why are they so good and when should I upgrade my kit lens?

First, the why.

While there has been numerous debate about what the “L” stands for over the years, it is pretty much accepted to stand for luxury as mentioned in one of Canons own Lens Work books.

Simply put, the lenses from this luxurious range offer greater mechanical and optical excellence than their non-L designated counterparts.

L series lenses also come with the following advantages:

1. better dust and moisture sealing and better build quality to stand years of harsh use
2. a fluorite element or low dispersion glass to produce outstanding image quality
3. comparatively longer focal lengths combined with large apertures
4. non-rotating front elements to allow the use of polarizing or UV filters for example

The good news is that you don’t have to understand all of the technical jargon associated with lens construction to be able to see images from your DSLR that have perfect color, contrast, sharpness and bokeh.

You will probably not even believe your eyes the first time, especially if you are upgrading from your trusty 18-55mm kit lens.

This leads me on to the second part of the article, and that is the when.

This is going to be different for everyone because we all have differing expectiations, experiences and perhaps most importantly of all differing budgets.

You see, L series range lenses are not cheap. Some of them are equal in value to a good second hand car and some of the super telephoto lenses would make a great deposit on a house.

However, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most people reading this article would have a pretty serious interest in photography and would most likely want to shoot with L lenses at some stage in their lives.

If you want enjoy the best that Canon has to offer and you have no other pressing financial commitments then by all means go ahead and become a member of the club.

This seems like an obvious thing to say, but you will be surprised how many people will go ahead and buy something they either can’t afford, aren’t ready for or do it without telling the wife!

At the end of the day, only you as an individual knows how serious you are about your photography and whether you want to take it to the next level.

Just keep in mind that the acquisition of a new lens will require extra room and weight in your camera bag, or may even mean a new camera bag completely.

You also have to think about other accessories like lens hoods, pouches, filters and even tripod collars. You will also have to decide whether to get the IS (image stabilizer) or non-IS version of the lens because among other things this can make a big difference on the total cost of your lens.

What should you do if you can’t afford L lenses just yet?

My best advice would be to do what I did, and that was to save, save, save!

I used the 18-55mm and 55-200mm kit lenses for a long time before I had enough money to upgrade them to the 17-40 and 70-200 f/2.8 L IS.

They weren’t the best lenses in the world – in fact the 55-200 was rubbish – but my love of photography kept me striving for the end goal.

While I was saving, I was also able to sharpen my photography skills. You know, things like composition and exposure and have the patience to be able to visit a single scene 20 times to get the perfect shot.

It is important to remember that no lens will be able to master those skills for you, no matter what the price tag or reputation. However, a good lens with decent image quality will definitely give you the motivation to get there.

If you aren’t in a position to save for whatever reason, then invest in a cheap prime lens such as the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II lens. This particular lens produces very good results at an extremely competitive price and will give you better results than most non-L series mid range zooms.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck in your photographic endeavors!

Questions or comments? Either leave them below or contact me here.

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Sigma 10-20

Image quality – Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Build quality – Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Ease of use – Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Lens features – Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Value for money – Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras is another very wide offering from Sigma and on paper it appears very similar to the newer Sigma 8-16mm lens.

So, is the Sigma 10-20mm better? I’m going to disappoint you and say it’s just about a dead heat. Perhaps the 8-16 has it by a whisker..

Sigma 8-16mm vs Sigma 10-20mm

Like I mentioned in the 8-16mm review, the inability for that lens to accept screw on filters is a major drawback and one which will turn a lot of photographers off it forever.

While the optics were pretty good across the range and are better than the Sigma 10-20mm, I’m willing to bet that for some the novelty of the 8mm field of view will wear off after a while as the associated shortcomings become more and more of an annoyance.

On the other hand, the 10-20 does take filters and while its image quality is not as good (it’s still pretty close), it is certainly nothing to sneeze at. It’s also roughly $200 cheaper.

As far as other optics go, the 8-16 is sharper overall, especially in the corners but has slightly more pincushion distortion zoomed right in. The 10-20 is slightly faster overall – though not really so much faster that it will influence a decision either way.

Of course, both of these lenses suffer from the typical symptoms of any ultra wide-angle lens, but these can mostly be fixed in Photoshop.

There you go, as always it is up to you the photographer to decide what is best for you.

Now, on with the Sigma 10-20mm review

As I said earlier, the 10-20 isn’t the fastest nor the best wide angle lens out there, but it’s price is modest and it still goes to 10mm at the widest end (this is what people seem to forget when they start bashing the performance of wide angle lenses at the very wide end – almost not realizing or coming to terms with the fact that the wide field of view was the reason they bought the lens in the first place).

Moral of the story – don’t expect any lens at the extreme end of the spectrum to be optically perfect, no matter the price tag.

What others are saying about the Sigma 10-20mm

M. Pickering from MI, USA had nothing but praise for the Sigma lens:

Although I wanted to buy a Canon ultra-wide, I just didn’t have that kind of cash. I read several rave reviews on this Sigma 10-20mm lens so I ordered one up. I haven’t had it very long but I have taken several photos with this lens and so far I am quite impressed. At 10mm you do get some curved distortions, giving a bit of a fisheye effect. This can be good or bad, depending on what you are looking for in your shot. As another reviewer pointed out, this effect can make clouds look wonderful.

His summary was also equally full of praise:

The optics produce quality photographs, the overall feel of the lens is perfect, and the price is substantially less than the closest Canon equivalent. 5 stars may seem a bit high to some people, who feel that only the most perfect, professional lenses deserve this high of a score. But I feel that the quality and performance of this lens merrits a perfect score. For the average consumer photographer there just isn’t a better ultra-wide lens on the market today. It even scores better than the Canon ultra-wides! I couldn’t be happier with my new Sigma EX 10-20mm, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an excellent ultra-wide lens.

Conclusion and final thoughts

I think the message that the reviewer left in the above summary is a nice way to think about this lens. The Sigma 10-20mm is not a 5-star lens from a technical point of view, but it is going to be 5-star in someones eyes.

In other words, it is going to fill a niche or desired purpose well. It is very wide, very cheap and the optical performance is good enough to get by, especially if you know how to get the best out of a lens.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

There are obviously better and more expensive wide angle lenses to upgrade to in the future, but for some the 10-20 will be all they need in this category.

In my personal opinion the 10-20 is nothing more than a wise alternative choice to the more costly but better performing Nikkor equivalents.

Related posts:

1. Sigma 150-500mm Review – How Does It Compare To The Bigma 50-500mm?
2. Sigma 8-16mm – How Wide Can You Go?