photo Art's reviews

  • Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Build, IS,2.8
    focus at times and 2.8 at 70-100

    I have owned the lens for 6 months. The build quality is next to none. Slightly heavy I find, but the befits of IS outweighs the 70-200 F4 (nonIS) that I previously owned. Focus is fast in good light. I find it sometimes misses in less than good light. Mine has been back for calibration, but still front focuses a bit mainly at 2.8 between 70-100. 2.8 is softer at the long end than what I expected from the reviews I had read. It is usable, but is a bit soft. Others say theirs is sharp wide open. The IS works very good and is the main benefit of this lens. Stopped down a bit, it is very sharp at all apertures and is really an excellent pro lens in every respect. Flare and CA is non-existent in most applicatins. Many like this lens for portraits, and I agree. The colour and bokeh is so nice. If you don't need 2.8, the new 70-200 F4L IS is a lens to consider, it's cheaper, lighter and reportedly a touch sharper and has a 4 stop advantage with IS vs 3 stop with the 2.8 IS. The 2.8 non IS is slightly sharper, but not on digital, only on film when scanned. Many have reported it is sharper noticeably, but I haven't seen any direct evidence of this. All in all, a great lens if you can get a good copy, and need the 2.8.

    reviewed December 18th, 2006 (purchased for $1,950)

  • Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Size, Internal Focus, build, colour, contrast and sharpness, FF capability,weather sealed.
    probably not as sharp as the 17-55 IS, and has no IS, short zoom range,hood is large

    This is an excellent lens in it's own right. From the second you hold it, you find the build quality is typical L for luxury. The zoom and manual focus rings are very smooth, well dampned and the lens does not extend or rotate during zooming or focusing. The colour, and contrast are very, very good for an UWA lens (onFF). While it is not Ultra Wide on a cropped sensor, it still is just as good. The corners are very good at all apertures and flare and CA are virtually non-existent. There is slight barrel distortion at the wide end, but this has to be expected for an UWA lens. At F4 the lens like any, is a tad soft, but very usable. Stopped down to F11 and beyond, the lens really shines, it is excellent for landscapes or other applications. The colour rendition is outstanding, slightly on the warm side. The lens is as sharp as some primes in this range as indicated in some reviews. The size and weight are very manageable. It is probably not as sharp at the 17-55 IS, but that lens does not have FF capability and there have been quite a few reports of it sucking in dust. The 17-40 L is weather sealed which may be a bonus to some. Some have wished the zoom range could have been greater, but then as always, something would have to given up in return. The lens hood is somewhat of an odd shape, it seems quite wide, and if this could be improved upon, it would benefit the appearance of the lens when using the hood. All in all, a very nice lens to own.

    reviewed December 18th, 2006 (purchased for $775)

  • Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM APO Macro

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Sharp, build,tripod mount and hood,2.8,nice medium lengh tele
    a little heavy

    All in all, very lettle to complain about. Excellent build and tripod mount, hood included in a nice pouch too. Collar is easy to rotate. Slightly soft at 2.8 (not much though) and gets really sharp with each stop down. Working length is great, makes a nice medium length tele and has great bokeh, focuses fairly fast for a macro. It can hunt in low light, but all macros do this. Internal focus is a bonus because the lens does not extend. Can be used for excellent portraits from a distance. Probably one of the sharpest I have used. The only complaint is that it is slightly heavy and I found hand holding difficult. Highly recommended for the price.

    reviewed December 22nd, 2006 (purchased for $780)