SteveR12682's reviews

  • Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Very sharp wide open, light weight, great value
    None

    This is the perfect lens for anyone looking for a relatively light weight telephoto lens with superb image quality. This lens is super sharp wide open and does very well with a 1.4 teleconverter. It is one of Canon's best values in an L lens.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006 (purchased for $550)
  • Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

    6 out of 10 points and not recommended
    Soft at the long end of the focal range

    This lens becomes very soft once you get past 200 mm, and, unfortunately, this is where it is most likely to be used. The IS system works well. It appears that the new 70-300 IS is a much improved lens compared to this version.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006 (purchased for $400)
  • Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Extremely sharp
    Larger and heavier than similar lenses

    This lens is a great lens, both for macro as well as general shooting. It is larger and heavier than other macro lenses in the 90 to 105 range, but the internal focusing and USM are definitely worth it.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006 (purchased for $450)
  • Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Inexpensive
    Build quality

    For $80, it's hard not to buy this lens. The build quality is not inspiring, but it is suprisingly sharp, even wide open.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006 (purchased for $80)
  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Great low-light lens
    Tendency for CA wide open

    This is a very popular low-light prime lens. It has all the sharpness that one expects from a prime lens and USM focusing is always fast and accurate. The only downsides to this lens are a tendency for CA in wide open shots and a slightly long minimum focusing distance that can be a little frustrating.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006
  • Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro APO

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Good value
    Soft at the long end

    This lens is probably the best choice out of all of the 70-300 lenses in the $200 or below price range. Image quality gets a little soft at the 300 mm end, but the APO glass does a good job controlling CA.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006 (purchased for $200)
  • Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical IF SP AF

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Very sharp
    None

    This lens is an excellent choice for a "walk-around" f/2.8 zoom. Image quality is superb, and images are very sharp, even wide open. It is a great low-cost alternative to the Canon 17-55.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006 (purchased for $450)
  • Tamron 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Di II LD Aspherical IF SP AF

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Light weight
    Edge sharpness

    This lens is a good ultra-wide angle lens but not a great lens. Image quality is good, but gets a little soft on the edges. Build quality is adequate. Other lenses like the Sigma 10-20 may be slightly better in these areas if you get a good copy.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006 (purchased for $500)
  • Tokina 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840 AF D

    7 out of 10 points and recommended
    Build quality
    Slightly soft at 400

    This is a good lens for what it is: a relatively compact super-telephoto. The image quality gets a little soft at 400 mm wide open, but does sharpen up at f/7.1. The build quality is typical Tokina excellent.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006 (purchased for $650)
  • Tamron 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6 AD Aspherical IF Macro SP AF

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Sharp

    This lens provides a very useful focal length range, although the 24 mm wide end is sometimes not quite wide enough on a 1.6-crop camera. The lens is surprisingly sharp, losing only a little bit at the long end, and the build quality is probably the best among all the Tamron lenses.

    reviewed December 30th, 2006 (purchased for $350)