ralph m's reviews

  • Canon EF 35mm f/2

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Light weight, small, good image quality, low price
    needs USM, noisy focus

    This is a very good lens for the money. It is close to what we used to call "normal" in the old days with the 1.6 crop factor cameras. Image quality on the APS camera is very good. Sharp and pretty good contrast. Focus is noisy but fast and it does not hunt a lot. It is one of the older designs.. 1990's and could use USM and FT manual like the 85 1.8 etc. But, for the money it is a good lens to own and use. It is very small and unobtrusive. It will not stand out in a crowd or attract other photographers, but if you want some good images it will produce.

    reviewed December 5th, 2006
  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Excellent lens, sharp, fast, great image quality, reasonably priced
    none worth noting

    You cant ask for much more from a lens in this price class. It is very shap, fast, FT manual focus, USM. Images are very good.. excellent in fact and with the 1.8 it is a pleasure in low light. This one is a keeper in my book. I have bought and sold others but this one stays. I use an XT so it is equivalent to a 136 (approx.) 1.8 lens. I have used it at weddings where the light was very poor and it produced good images.

    reviewed December 5th, 2006 (purchased for $348)
  • Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    IS, good range (17-85), good contrast and color, USM, full time manual focusing
    distortion at low end but easily fixed in PS or PSE

    This lens is a step up from the kit with IS, better color an contrast, USM, full time manual focusing. It is now selling for less than $500 US at some stores and that makes it a good choice for those who don't want to pay or can't afford L glass at some $1200 a clip. While some folks have been critical, I have seen some very excellent work done with this lens. It is a good travel lens with the equiv. range of 27 to 135 for APS sensors. The fact is, there are not many alternatives in the Canon lineup to cover this range in one package. I have used this lens and have to say that I am pleased with the results. It may not be as sharp as L glass, but it costs 1/2 to 1/3 the price, is lighter, and has good range. A little post processing and you can get some very nice images. I carry this with the 70-300 USM IS (nonDO) and the combination covers a huge range of 27 to 480 equiv. with IS and USM all around. Not too shabby.

    reviewed December 15th, 2006 (purchased for $490)