element66's reviews

  • Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

    8 out of 10 points and recommended

    I bought this len as a kit for my Canon 20D back in 2005.

    Pros:
    - Good walk around lens. Jack of all trades, but not great at one.
    - Gives a nice wide angle for my 1.6 crop 20D
    - IS works really well. Save me many times in low light shots
    - AF is pretty fast and quiet

    Cons:
    - Dark corners in the wide end.
    - Distortion in the wide end.

    I originaly purchase the 20D with the Sigma 18-125 because it was cheaper and offer a longer zoom, but the pics look very soft. It was much worst than my Rebel w/18-55 kit. I can't tell if it was the camera or the lens so I returned both of them and got the 20D w/17-85 kit. This lens is much sharper than the Sigma. I took it on a 3 weeks Europe trip and it performs very well in most situations, since I didn't want to bring extra lenes. I think the seals can be better since I see dusts between lens elements after it got a little wet from the rain. Sharpness is very good, but not great. Good at taking lanscape scenery, but not ones with buildings in the wide end due to distortion. Dark corners are sometimes a problem, but it only happens in the wide end. Gets very good 1/15 hand held shots with IS. This lens works very well with my 20D.

    reviewed January 14th, 2007 (purchased for $660)

  • Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC

    5 out of 10 points and not recommended
    Nice zoom range (28-200mm for crop sensor)
    Very SOFT image, slow AF

    I bought this lens with my 20D in 2005, and returned them within a week. The pics were very very soft. It was much softer than my Rebel w/18-55 kit. This lens does give a good range for a walk around len. Too bad IQ part is so poor. I bought the Canon 20D w/17-85 kit afterward and am very happy with it.

    reviewed January 14th, 2007 (purchased for $300)

  • Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

    10 out of 10 points and recommended

    I brought this just before Xmas, and this is one sharp lens. I want to add a prime lens and I like the macro capability over a faster non-macro lens. I had a tough time deciding between this 60mm or 100mm. I chose the 60mm because the 100mm is a little long for my 20D for portrait. The lens is nicely build and perfectly weight. IQ is great, the pics has beautiful color and contrast. Just can't say enough about its sharpness. AF is quiet, but a little slow. Very narrow DOF, and the background blurs are very smooth. I think this is a lot of lens for the money.

    reviewed January 14th, 2007 (purchased for $385)