magicbutton's reviews

  • Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    size, wide angle, sharpness
    none

    I cannot share the feelings in the previous two reviews of this lens.

    This lens is excellent. I've used this for over a year on a 10D in all weather conditions and many different shooting situations (action, portrait, low light, landscape) and it has operated perfectly.

    Even though the 10D has a crop factor, the 16mm makes a big differnce and I am glad I have the W/A available. My only gripe is that I wish they made a W/A like this that went out to 50mm or even 100mm since I find myself in need of more a zoom at times (I switch off with the 70-200L 2.8). This is not the fault of the lens though (I knew the stats before I bought, right?). I looked at the 24-70 but i wanted the W/A . Pluse the 16-35mm is a newer design, ligher, shorter and ,frankly, it just felt better. Comes with a nice lens hood.

    Very nice walk-around lens. The W/A of this lens enabled me to get many shots that would have been impossible at other W/A focal lengths available. 24mm looks particularly nice on a 1.6x factor sensor.

    I always get sharp photos from this lens handheld or not. In *some* lighting situations the image is a bit softer wide open than if stopped to f5, f8 etc. , but what lens doesn't exhibit this? It's a W/A zoom! If you want the sharpest image possible, buy a prime. However, this lens produces very sharp, saturated and contrasty images-a prime just doesn't make sense in it's case for me. AF is micro-second fast. It deserves the L designation.

    (I plan on mating this with a full frame sensor body soon, so the EFS lens with the 'wider' wide-angle don't attract me. This is a future proof lens for me)

    reviewed December 2nd, 2005 (purchased for $1,250)

  • Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    ultra-sharp, fast AF, rugged.
    weight/size

    What can you say that hasn't already been said about this lens? It's as close to a perfect mid-range telephoto as you'll ever find.

    I'll never sell it.

    Construction is very solid and has resisted any wearing or chips on the body that come from long hours of use.
    This is not a 'weatherized' model though and no gasket is on the mount if that matters to you.

    The 2.8 has been critical for me to have and I would have missed shots if I had gone with the cheaper f/4 version. I have been happy with all my 2.8 shots in all lighting conditions for sharpness. In fact, I am continually amazed at the shots that I get with this lens.

    Have seen some posters( on other boards) mention that the color of this lens attracts muggers, etc. This is silly to me. A mugger is just gonna see that you have a SLR-like camera. It doesn't matter if you have a black lens or a pink one. Don't let the white color discourage you. In my experience, I have traveled internationally with this lens and walked in all manner of places with no issues ( I know... might have been luck, I doubt it though) . You just need to use your head irregardless if you have a $200 lens attached or this one!

    Length and weight of this lens make it a challenge to use on long days or in crowded areas. But, choosing gear is a compromise. I'll gladly sweat a little more or move a little slower to get my images captured with this lens. Most of my 'wow' photos come from this lens.
    It's an amazing bit of hardware.

    reviewed December 3rd, 2005 (purchased for $1,100)