published news
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM II Macro Zoom Lens
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM II Macro Zoom Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 7 hours 35 minutes ago
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM II Macro Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics) I have owned this lens for about half a year now. I have used it for sports, widelife, portraits, and general photography. In every one of those fields it has performed admirably. I find it quite sharp at f/2.8 (perfectly usable at least), and it only gets better from there. At f/4-11 it is tack sharp. I cannot imagine that the Nikon version performs much better at this aperture range, nor can I imagine that it is almost $1000 better at the f/2.8 range. I shoot with this lens wide open the majority of the time, and have never thought a shot too soft for my uses. The HSM motor provides a very fast, and usually accurate focus, but the focus can hunt slightly in low light, or if switching from dark to bright lights, however this has hardly been a problem in my field usage of the lens. As far as build quality is concerned, this is a very sturdy lens, indeed my best built lens. The finish is a little odd, but I hardly care about that given the excellent performance of this lens. The tripod collar is easily taken off, and provides quick pivot from horizontal to vertical orientation, useful when the lens is mounted on a tripod or monopod, the latter of which I use when photographing sports or theater because of the weight of the lens. I would suggest this lens to anyone who is on a (relative) budget ($800 is still a lot of money). I have total faith in Sigma as a company after this purchase, and currently have the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (which I will post a review of) and the 10-20mm f/4-5.6 on my horizons. So if you need a fast, durable and optically sound bit of glass, but cannot justify the Nikkor option, this is the lens for you. .
Read more...Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 7 hours 38 minutes ago
Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens (Camera) I hate zoom lenses, I always feel they are soft. I have used dozens and there are few that I like (1 or 2). This is the best zoom lens I have used, IMHO it is heads, shoulders and knees above the performance of the 18-70mm kit lens (which I used for about 1 month) and the 18-200mm vr (which I rented for a weekend and thought it was garbage, it could have been a bad copy I suppose). Speaking of sharpness... I have the 50 f/1.4 and the Tamron macro 90mm f/2.8 which I consider to be my 2 sharpest lenses. If you are as picky as I am about softness then this lens is for you. It is as sharp as the fixed fifty (1.4) and the macro and both of those are known for being RAZOR sharp. I typically shot between 30 and 55mm with this lens and I am rarely disappointed. I suggest renting it for a weekend, that is what I did, shot a few hundred exposures, if you do not like it, don't buy it. Consequently if you get mugged while holding this lens it could be used to defend yourself, it is ridiculously well built and solid. In my opinion this is the best zoom lens for the nikon D series, good choice for those who are picky about sharpness. .
Read more...Canon EF 25 II Extension Tube
Canon EF 25 II Extension Tube
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 7 hours 41 minutes ago
Canon EF 25 II Extension Tube for EOS Digital Cameras (Electronics) i bought this accessory maily for use with my canon 180mm macro on my 5D mk2. i'm disappointed with this extension tube because it doesn't fit tightly. it's pretty loose on both ends. if it was cheap and not made by canon I would have understood and maybe accepted substandard quality, but a canon extension tube between a canon lens and a canon camera should fit perfectly. i have over half a dozen canon lenses and extenders and everything fits perfectly, then something as simple as an extension tube comes along and ruins my day. i hope this is an exception and not eveyone is facing the same problem. Canon EF 25 II Extension Tube for EOS Digital Cameras (Electronics) If you like close up macro work then this is a necessity. It works great with my two macro lens, Canon EF-S macro and Sigma 150 macro, have also used it with my Canon 135L and 85 f/1..
Read more...Tamron AF 200-500mm f/5.0-6.3 Di LD SP FEC
Tamron AF 200-500mm f/5.0-6.3 Di LD SP FEC
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 7 hours 44 minutes ago
Tamron AF 200-500mm f/5.0-6.3 Di LD SP FEC (IF) Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics) I took a jump into this lens by research and faith... Bought it mostly for further reach of birds, I'm not disappointed. It took some use to handheld which got some decent shots and even better on a tripod...I'm pretty happy with it. As in comparing with the brand name competitors, I have no idea but I know cost was a factor...think its well worth it! Tamron AF 200-500mm f/5.0-6.3 Di LD SP FEC (IF) Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics) I got this lens to upgrade my kit with the purchase of a Nikon D90. I travel a lot and spend a good bit of time in southern and eastern Africa..
Read more...Nikon 200-400mm f/4G AF-S SWM SIC ED IF VR II Nikkor Super Telephoto Zoom Lens
Nikon 200-400mm f/4G AF-S SWM SIC ED IF VR II Nikkor Super Telephoto Zoom Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 7 hours 47 minutes ago
Nikon 200-400mm f/4G AF-S SWM SIC ED IF VR II Nikkor Super Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics) I mostly shoot birds and this lens is perfect for shooting birds in flight. My other long lens is a 400 f/2.8 which is too heavy to hand hold, The 200-400 gives me much better flexibility while being not to heavy. I normally use it with a 1.4 tele-converter and that gives me a very workable 580. It is extremely fast to focus either with or without the TC and works very well for birds in flight. Image quality is almost as good as the 400 f/2.8 especially on close subjects, say up to 100 Yards. The VRII allows hand held shots down to about a 250th of a second and slower if I can brace against something when shooting. I have gotten some fantastic shots with it that I would have missed with the larger lens because of the time required to set up a tripod. The lens is very sharp and easy to use it also provides some interesting features such as memory focus that is excellent for shooting birds coming and going from a nest or other set spot. I normally carry it with a Black Rapid R-strap and find this allows easy carrying and use. Overall I am extremely satisfied with this lens. It has become my main wildlife lens. .
Read more...Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 7 hours 50 minutes ago
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens for Canon EOS Cameras (Electronics) I bought this to have a good zoom to pair with my Rebel XT (350D) on backpacking trips. It weighs far less than the other options at the same size (particularly the L glass). Additionally, it is physically small for such a high power zoom. This combined with its being black makes it a fun lens to "walk around with" for candid shots since it doesn't draw much attention. As for backpacking, it is fabulous: light, small, and gives me a reasonable amount of reach for wildlife and nature shots. I've not yet paired it with a teleconverter, but, I intend to do so. I think that the optics of the lens have caused glass snobs to scoff at it and look for *any* possible flaw, with the biggest complaint in reviews being about bokeh. In real life, I can only recall about three shots out of several thousand where I have seen the negative effects mentioned -- you need to have background light hitting the lens at just the right angle. In one of the cases I liked the results, in the other I moved slightly. photoshop could easily rectify the output, too. I've found the focus on this lens to be much faster than the kit lens from the 350D and somewhat faster than my 50mm prime. The stabilization is pretty good, too. I've handheld 1/5sec shots of waterfalls with it to good result; just remember that it doesn't hold your subject still so it won't help as much for sports or wildlife. I didn't like the little bag that came to hold the lens when it isn't being used. If you plan on taking this lens with you backpacking/hiking/etc, I'd seriously consider using a purpose built camera bag with lens holders or a hard container. One other thing to keep in mind is that this is not the fastest lens (f/4.5-f/5.6), if you do a lot of low light or high speed photography, you'll either be shooting at higher ISO settings or slower lens speeds than with the L series lenses. .
Read more...Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens
Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 7 hours 52 minutes ago
Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics) Pros: - Build quality is excellent - Weather sealed - Very sharp from F/4 across the entire zoom range - Great colour rendition - SDM works as advertised: fast and quiet Cons: - A tad soft at 16mm F/2.8 Pentax SMC DA* Series 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics) The built quality is exceptional. sharp, smooth and fast AF. Be sure to update your k10D firmware to v 1.3 before using this lens, so you wont be like me at first scratching my head wondering why a lens this expensive is noisy and vibrates..
Read more...Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD VC
Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD VC
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 7 hours 56 minutes ago
Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD VC (Vibration Compensation) Aspherical (IF) Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics) I have a Canon 1DMkII, 1Ds and a 40D. I also have the Canon lenses - 28-300mm L IS, 100-400mm L IS, 70-200mm L IS and 300mm L IS The lenses and cameras are great needless to say. However they are big, heavy (except for the 40D) and not great to carry around all day when spending the day taking photos of something when you are not looking for that ultimate quality. The Tamron fits that need perfectly. Remember I am comparing it to the best that Canon makes so being second is not a bad thing! Combined with the 40D or a Canon XTi it makes a perfect walk around combination. You can go from wide angle to telephoto with one lens. The resolution is fine and the image stabilization performs nicely and is especially noticeable at the 300mm range. The price is good and the build quality is good. I wouldn't buy any other lens of this type. There are reviews in Popular Photo magazine and on their web site. Ben Lanterman .
Read more...
