upnorthfar's reviews

  • Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    sharp, lightweight, black
    -

    Excellent sharpness throughout the image. I bought this lens for a special low light wildlife shoot and was supposed to sell it afterwards. I just can't, it's such a sharp and nice lens.

    reviewed September 24th, 2008 (purchased for $600)

  • Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    sharp, lightweight, built in hood
    no IS

    Handheld it takes about 1/250s. minimum to succeed with tacksharp photos. 1/400s. is safer. With tripod anything is possible. For a wildlife photographer on a budget this is it. Pros use it for birds in flight. Amazingly compact, lightweight and balanced to use. Built in hood is a big plus.

    reviewed September 24th, 2008 (purchased for $1,000)

  • Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    zoom range, sharpness, macro

    I gave this lens a 10 on image quality. Simply because at 300,- the image quality is unbeatable by any Canon offerings. If you use this lens from f/5.6 it's very sharp. Also the tele end. I've been eyeballing Canon lenses for long but come to the conclusion over and over again that I will be loosing too much tele end and macro to make up for any slight image quality improvement a 17-40 or 17-55IS could give. And others are behind in IQ. I use it mostly 17-35mm and 70mm, so loosing the 70mm would be a big set back.
    Check the stopped down test results here and compare to other lenses, this one is a gem.

    reviewed October 1st, 2008 (purchased for $300)