snapper's reviews

  • Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    sharp from 70 to 300mm, also with 1.4x TamronSP TC, 3+stop I.S. ability, accurate focus, price
    long, less mech stable when extended, no FTM focus, color/contrast slightly weak, 5 feet closest focus

    I find this lens useful as a LONG walkaround... I want to shoot flowers, birds and faces. a good compliment to the 17-85 - but better image quality. VERY clean images no real issues except speed - f5.6 @ 300mm. The focus system at the front is shakey.. and seems a bit flimsy. This is a lens to get in the habit of manually retracting focus and locking it when walking/moving ...it is long and wants to get 'hit' by things. Just needs a little attention to that because of less robust mech design. BUT it gets flowers, and faces so very nice.. seems to need a SLIGHT boost in saturation - but NOT sharpening (70-300mm). The only way-to-go in this range... you really will love I.S. - to grab the far shots - with at least 3 stops of stabilization.

    reviewed November 18th, 2005 (purchased for $490)
  • Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    very sharp, good build, fairly compact & light, fast /accurate USM, well resistant to flare, colors jump out at you
    ef-s, a little pricey

    @ 22mm this is useful as a 'wide/normal' on 20D. Really fast and accurate focus. Super-wide 10mm is fun. Saturation/colors are splendid. Optically - overall - it is a lovely lens. THe complaint of reversed focus/zoom position is valid.. just have to get used to it..but I have to be careful when putting on WHERE I hold it with out holding focus ring. I like to keep it on as general snap lens @ 22mm. then grab some width when needed. I will keep the 20D (instead of/alongside a FF camera) for a long time BECAUSE of this lens. Wonderful. Make SURE the filter (thin Hoya pro w/front threads) CLEARS the front element in all positions - it is very close.

    reviewed November 18th, 2005 (purchased for $625)
  • Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    perfect range for 1.6x camera, useful & capable I.S., good image quality
    'purple fringe' @ 17mm but quickly decreases from there, about $150 over priced

    this lens is a perfect match for walk around lens for a 1.6x camera. 17-85mm zoom is useful and you get pretty good image quality across wholethe range. LOTS of primes and zooms are sharper and cleaner... but this gtets the MIX of shots .. whole buildings, facade/gargoyle detail, 'flashless' museums inside a little 'macro'-ish flower shot here and there. It travels well. THe NEW 70-300 I.S. is better image qual but a good matchup for some decent travel range.

    reviewed November 18th, 2005 (purchased for $620)
  • Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Reference level sharpness (L-like), good colors low distortion, reasonable speed and accurate focus
    a little long, no I.S. - which would make it PERFECT

    This is a great value. The sharpest lens in my bag. Dependable accurate focus, clarity - to be used when you want the best image quality you can get. Sometimes hunts in very low light. Takes the tamron SP 1.4x very nicely for 'Bigger Bees' - I cannot see any difference in quality with slightly slower focus. Very accurate focus nice big manual ring. I keep bringing it with me in the bag because I'll always see another bug/flower and this is the WAY to get 'em. Perfect for a your baby's face on a 20D.
    Rugged and heavy.

    reviewed November 18th, 2005 (purchased for $450)
  • Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Good sharp images,Cheap, Light, Small, Simple, Expendable
    weak construction, sometimes misses the focus, hard to manual focus

    A good lens to have with you when traveling ..has problem solving-speed! I usually take it with a tube and a 1.4x Tamron TC as a macro backup - and even when walking around with the 17-85 it can get you bugs etc... so light and small. I also enjoy the high performance to price ratio ...low-cost makes using it more fun. I wont get a 50 f1.4 - this is good enough (I use the sig30mm 1.4). makes a 50mm walk-around excerise fun because it is so light. I have to rate it HIGH because of VALUE!

    reviewed November 18th, 2005 (purchased for $70)
  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    heavy, large aperture, sharp wide open, fairly accurate focus-even on 20D
    heavy, expensive, slow focus, requires practice for wide open shots

    Lens is slightly faster focus than MK I and is fun to use.

    Successfully focused/composed shots wide open are of a very special look...but not easy to obtain

    For me it is the right length on a 1.6 crop camera..for face portraits. A little thought and preparation gets you a composition that has a smooth, smeared background that accents a very sharp subject. It does what I want.. in the faintest of normal light.

    Works nicely with a 12 or 25mm tube....for flowers.
    But the 100 macro is better suited...UNLESS you have
    some special need for aperture below f2.8.

    When putting the lens away, you should manually bring focus extension BACK into the lens body.. (camera MUST BE on) ..this seems to me to... be needed mechanically for protection

    Way too expensive

    reviewed July 15th, 2006