jamhoward's reviews

  • Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Really great zoom range. Good image stabilization
    Not as good as my 17-40, but hey what do you want for the price.

    I bought this lens when I upgraded from 50D to a 7D mark ii. The ability of the 7D mark ii to store in camera lens correction profiles is a game changer for lenses like this. It may not be a perfect lens, no lens is, but now you have the ability to fix it in camera without having to play around in your computer all day. This is a game changer that makes any choice for a third party alternative hard to justify. If you have a 7D mark ii, this is a good lens for you, with far better range than most of the alternatives.

    reviewed June 26th, 2017 (purchased for $299)
  • Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Small size that allows you to be ignored by the public. Good image quality and great usability.
    Price. Lens creep when not locked at 70mm and pointed down.

    I got this lens used for just about the same price I would have paid for kit lens. I would not spend anything near what Canon is asking for it, but it is a good lens. If you are going to spend over $1300 for a lens, I believe you may be better served buying a 70-200mm IS L lens in either f2.8 or f4. That does not take away from the positives I feel about having this lens. Image quality is good on my 7d Mark II. Some review sites have panned this lens and the 7d Mark II unfairly. They work well together.

    reviewed June 18th, 2017 (purchased for $299)
  • Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    The best optical quality you can get at all focal lengths.
    Weight and limited zoom range.

    I can only say that I think this lens was designed by aliens. I originally bought it to use on my 7d Mark II but am currently using it with the MC-11 adapter on a Sony a6500 as well. This is the sharpest zoom lens I have ever seen and beats most of my prime lenses. Remarkably, the performance of this lens with the MC-11 adapter is just about as good as it is natively on the 7d Mark II. Since the a6500 has in body image stabilization, the lens can effectively function in almost darkness without image blur.

    The only limiting factor for this lens is that it is big and heavy, but this lens replaces the need for any primes in the 18-35mm range. Most of the time you will not need the features that this lens has to offer, but when you do, nothing can replace it.

    reviewed January 21st, 2019 (purchased for $600)