Bogdan's reviews

  • Sony 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 DT SAL-1870

    7 out of 10 points and recommended
    Range
    Build Quality

    This was the first lens that i ever used on the pro side there is the obvious nicer focal length compared
    to the other kit lenses and although it doesn't seem much a 70mm lens has the field of view of 105 mm
    on a APSC sensor and that can really help in many situations. it has a "macro" reproduction rate of 1:4
    which is good for flowers and large bugs but it's not a macro lens by far if you want better macro
    capabilities get the sigma 17-70 f2.8-f4.5 which has a max. magnification of 1:2.3 that being very
    impressive for a standard zoom lens.
    Sharpness:
    quite good here nothing to really complain if you don't plan to make huge prints this is a good
    lens for you i would say A3 would be the limit for the prints. I usually shoot f5.6 and f8 those seem
    to be the sharpest but f11 is perfectly usable to
    Build Quality:
    the lens body is made out of plastic something common for kit lenses and it feels a bit loose
    attached to the camera i feel "safer" with my tamron attached. The focus ring is a bit small though but
    with the hood attached it won't be a problem even for those with big hands but on the up side the zoom ring has a very smooth movement.
    Focusing Speed:
    although it doesn't use a internal micro motor is still good but a bit noisy,
    that can be sometimes disturbing especially when trying to shoot people who don't expect you to take pictures of them suddenly they become aware and the shot gets ruined :)
    Chromatic aberrations:
    i rarely saw chromatic aberrations in my shots viewed at like 35% but at 100% they become more
    obvious anyway it handles CA a lot better than my tamron 70-300(at 300mm)
    after checking some reviews this lens apparently produces alot of CA i must have gotten lucky with the
    sample...
    Flare:
    this can be a problem sometimes do to the little hood they supplied you can try to block the sun light
    with your hand
    Distortions:
    there are some barrel distortions at 18mm but not really noticeable in real life shots only
    maybe if you shoot a lot of straight lines :P
    Vignetting:
    i have only noticed a bit of vignetting at 18mm f3.5 but shooting like that in the day-time
    when the sun is way up in the sky is not really a option
    Bokeh:
    i have mix feelings about the bokeh because it has 7 circular blades it produces quite pleasing bokeh
    but sometimes when the background has strong lights the bokeh seems pretty harsh and it can be very
    distracting
    All in all it's a pretty decent lens which can take great shots. If you don't really need a constant f2.8
    aperture or if you don't make huge prints i don't really see the reason for upgrading to the tamron 17-50mm
    f2.8 for example.

    some sample shots here ---> http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=29429803%40N06&q=18-70+DT&m=text

    reviewed May 20th, 2009 (purchased for $100)

  • Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 AF

    7 out of 10 points and recommended
    max magnification 0.50X (at300mm)
    soft at 300mm, CA at 300mm, focusing speed

    The Tamron 70-300 DI macro LD f/4-5.6
    Unlike most lenses who have macro in their name and don't really offer that much max. magnification this was
    a nice surprise when i heard it's max. magnification was 1:2
    Sharpness:
    The lens is quite sharp till about 200mm and then things get soft when shooting at 300mm i usually use f8
    Build quality:
    it feels good mounted on the camera really balances things and unlike the kit lens it doesn't
    wobble around if you shake it (don't try that too much at home!) the plastic used is quite good the only 2
    things i hate about it are for one the rather stiff zoom ring and when it is at 300mm and MFD of 0.95m
    then the lens really extends to twice it's size and to me really feels really insecure
    Focusing Speed:
    Very slow this is not the lens for fast moving subjects but if you do want
    to shoot them you need to anticipate their trajectory and focus on the ground fist then press the shutter
    button half-way and wait for them to come . It also tends to hunt a lot in dim light i had a lot of problems
    here once when shooting at a military event the soldiers where in the shade and after half a hour of shooting it wouldn't
    focus on them anymore quite annoying since i had to keep shooting so i used manual focus and ended up
    missing some shots and after 2 weeks it broke down for good and wouldn't focus at all i got it repaired
    and i am still shooting with it.
    Chromatic aberrations:
    another big downside of the lens it has massive color fringing in harsh contrast situations especially
    noticeable in the winter time this can be a big deal breaker for most buyers but if you only shoot
    raw and know to get rid of the color fringing via imaging tools this shouldn't really be a problem for you
    it's noticeable at 300 at the rest of the focal lengths it's better controlled
    Flare:
    not really a problem cause the hood they supply is quite large thanks to the focal length :)
    Distortions:
    not noticeable in real life situations
    Vignetting:
    nothing to report here
    Bokeh:
    being a telephoto lens and also having 9 aperture blades helps a lot and this lens produces pleasantly
    smooth bokeh but it doesn't handle that well highlights at the longer end of the zoom

    If you want this lens you should really consider the sigma too it's faster not so noisy and handles
    color fringing better (the Sigma APO one).

    you can find some sample shots of this lens here ---> http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=tamron%2070-300&w=29429803%40N06

    reviewed May 20th, 2009 (purchased for $200)