JimsMaher's reviews

  • Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

    5 out of 10 points and recommended
    CHEAP!!! very sharp for the price, wide aperture
    5 blade aperture, slow AF, plastic mount

    On a budget this is worth the investment ... versus not having a wide aperture lens.

    Works well on a digital for portraits.

    reviewed July 9th, 2006 (purchased for $90)

  • Canon EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6 II USM

    5 out of 10 points and recommended
    CHEAP!!! comparatively sharp images (next to similar lenses)
    Front focus ring / rotating filters, plastic mount

    The focus ring is the front of the barrel.
    Ergo the filter rotates.
    Essentially with this thing you're focusing with the filter ... a filter which you're gonna need because the lens bulges out just asking for a scratch.

    But compared to other lenses I've seen in this range / price ... it's sharp.
    Very sharp between f/5.6 and f/16

    If you can get it cheap or it's the only lens in that range available, go for it. Compared to not having a zoom?

    reviewed July 9th, 2006 (purchased for $80)

  • Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Zooms from 1:1 to 5:1 magnification, nice bokeh, SHARP
    Fixed focus, shallow DOF

    1:1 means the subject is the size of the sensor.
    5:1 the subject is 1/5th the size of the sensor ... 5x magnification
    ... an 8x10 of lincoln's copper beard.

    This lens can't take shots of things (in focus) more than a few inches in front of it.

    When zoomed out to 5x the lens is about twice as long as it is at 1x.

    No front element rotation.

    You have to move the whole camera or change the zoom (not recommended for most situations) or move the subject ... to focus. Single focal plane (fixed focus). No focus ring, just the zoom ring.

    The focal distances from the front of the lens at given magnifications, As written on lens under the zoom ring:

    5x 41mm 1.6"
    4x 44mm 1.7"
    3x 51mm 2.0"
    2x 63mm 2.5"
    1x W.D. 101mm / 4.0 inch

    It loses about 2-3 stops of light from 1x - 5x.

    Doesn't work well with hot-shoe mounted flash.
    This lens wants a macro flash.
    It also likes a tripod that can put the camera hovering just off the ground (the MP-E 65mm's packaged Tripod Mount Ring B is nice ... and removable)

    When in focus, pictures are very sharp with nice bokeh from 2.8 to16
    (note: aperture range does not extend to 64 as stated above under "Specifications", though it should)

    All around, a highly specialized lens that does the job it's supposed to.

    reviewed July 30th, 2006 (purchased for $800)