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Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 8 hours 21 minutes ago
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (Camera) This a great fun lens to use. VR works terrific, now the tripod stays in the trunk most of the time. I've taken many shots over the years with some of Nikkor's sharpest single focal length, manual focus lenses fixed to a tripod and this one comes very close to the sharpest. In real life photography, photos from this lens can be enlarged to 36" poster size and only an experienced professional could tell the difference between this lens and a pro quality single focal length lens. Even then they'd need a magnifying glass to discern much of a difference. Compared to the 18-200mm VR the 70-20mm VR is much sharper and more contrasty at the 200mm end. The 18-200mm VR is a fun lens and great for traveling light, but it does not compare in sharpness to the 70-300mm VR. Once people begin to see this for themselves I believe this lens will reach icon stature. At $600 this is a truly remarkable lens that will bring many terrific wildlife shots to the net within the years to come. One thing to be aware of (that has been mentioned before) this lens does have some difficulties finding focus in dim indoor light. The easy fix is to get the focus close manually then depress the shutter button half way down to get an autofocus fix. Most gyms are bright enough that capturing your son or daughter's lay up in mid action with autofocus will be no problem at all. Build quality is better than I expected at this price point. Even though this is a plastic lens it is built very well with none of sloppy play that you see in Nikon's lower end plastic lenses. It seems to have a nice smooth, linear feel throughout the zoom range. Unlike the 18-70mm ED wich seems to bunch up at the long end. The build quality of this lens seems to be a step or two up from the 18-200mm VR. One week before purchasing this lens I bought the 70-300mm ED non VR version. I returned it within two days, after mounting it to a tripod and comparing it to some older single focal length lenses I was dissapointed that the image quality was not even in the same ballbark as my sons mid 80's Hoya 200mm f/3.5! Forntunately the 70-300mm Ed and the 70-300mm VR are completely different lens formulas. Conclusion: This lens is capable of producing real world professional quality images when combined with good technique and discipline. I hope to see many fine examples on the net in the near future!! .
Read more...Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 8 hours 24 minutes ago
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Camera) After shooting a few months with the kit lens (18-55), I found myself shooting at the wider range more often than not, with the exception of the occasional portrait. So I got rid of the kit lens, got myself a 50mm prime (the f1/4 from Canon: a masterpiece), and a wide-angle zoom for landscapes. I quickly found and bought the Sigma. Two months later, I couldn't be happier. It shoots where no other lens could shoot. Everyone knows that "10mm is wide", but few realize just how wide it is until they see it. Our eyes see in the 40-50mm range, so we're not used to perceiving such a wide field. When you look through this lens, you see pictures that you didn't even know were there. The glass quality is excellent, obviously not up to Canon L standards, but that was never the purpose. The pictures are SHARP and clear, and colors are excellent (tints tend slightly toward the warmer end when compared to Canon's 10-22mm; I like that, personally, but YMMV). Subjects are obviously deformed when shot up close at 10mm, but know what you're doing and that becomes a great tool for artistic pictures! You can shoot a 5'5" person head to toes from less than 3 feet away. Also, I am happy to report that at 20mm there is NO distortion whatever, regardless of the subject's distance. The only problem I can see right now with this lens is a rainbow effect when shooting at 10mm in direct sunlight. The hood helps some, but you'll still get the rainbow in some pictures. See my pic in the customer image section. It's not a huge deal (sometimes it's actually a neat effect), and it's happened to me only once out of 800+ pictures taken, but know what you're getting. Overall, this is THE wide-angle zoom to get if you're halfway serious about landscape photography, although the Sigma also works great in indoors with limited room to shoot. .
Read more...Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 8 hours 26 minutes ago
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens (Camera) Gorgeous super sharp WA lens. Sharp corner to corner, at wide open aperture, at entire zoom range. The color is just pop. It is better than my AFS 17-35 (sharp only in the center, at wide open, need to stop down for sharper entire frame). At 1st, I kind of reluctant to try it since I have 17-35 already. But after I tried it, holly smokes, I MUST to have it. It is has kind of quality that I cannot get from 17-35. The color and bokeh is just way more pleasing to my eyes. It makes D300 shows its capability in WA department. NO filter ring is the only my draw back. I guess I have to make my own custom Lee filter holder myself. The IQ of this lens is very hard to resist. It is worth the price. Flare is a problem, but it can be controlled easily with your technique. Most WA lenses have flare problem. I think this lens has the least. I am not a WA guy, but after owning this lens I start to take panoramic photos. For weddings, this lens is an absolutely must use lens. If you need real High Quality WA lens, this IS THE LENS. BTW, that bulbous almost protruding lens shape looks sexy, attracts quite a lot of interest at several parties. It is not fish eye lens, as many thought. .
Read more...Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 8 hours 29 minutes ago
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens (Camera) Nikon's new 14-24 lens is just phenomenal. The clarity is that of a prime lens. In fact, this super-wide angle zoom lens effectively replaces the equivalent prime lenses within most of its focal length (except perhaps the 24mm range); it's like owning a bag full of prime lenses that have been combined to make one superlative zoom lens. Yes, it's that good. If you check around the web, you will see the pros falling over themselves for this lens after they test it. It's built like a tank and is precise as a Swiss watch. Highly recommended. Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens (Camera) I got it about month and a half ago. I used Tokina 12-24 before and was not very happy with the edge performance. 14-24 is the only wide lens that lets me get the resolution that I expect from medium range and telephoto zoom lenses..
Read more...Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 8 hours 32 minutes ago
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Camera) Although I don't like to review products, I felt compelled to write a few words about this marvelous lens. I have been photographing using SLRs for nearly 25 years, and I cannot but praise this lens. After shooting over 1500 images with this lens in Paris and Oxford, I started to realize the special qualities about the 70-200 f/4 IS. Sharpness was excellent, color rendition was immaculate, the IS saved many precious shots, and there were hardly any defects (e.g. vignetting, aberration). Note that I used a cropped sensor body (1.6x). The lens tolerated a lot of cruelty from my end. It endured rain, dust and the odd bang. However, it still performed exceptionally when hand-held. I even took shots with shutter speeds of 1/30 without any loss of sharpness (no tripod). The IS works in two modes: normal and panning; both are exceptional. One has to give praise for Amazon as they replaced my non-IS 70-200 f/4 with the IS version and absorbed the shipping costs too. In sum, for $1100, this lens is one of the best values in photography, considering its superior 'L' optics and construction. .
Read more...Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 8 hours 34 minutes ago
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Camera) I have always had some kind of 70-200 lens since I started taking pictures many years ago. Once I went digital, I realized that my old zoom lenses really were not that good. I bought this lens and compared it to what I had, and a friend's Canon 75-300mm. The difference is amazing. The 70-200L is tack sharp. The other lenses look as if they have problems or didn't focus correctly. This lens also focuses quite fast, and when I use it with my newly aquired Canon 1.4X extender, there is hardly any quality degradation. On my Rebel XT with the 1.6 factor and the extender, I end up having a 450mm tele which still delivers incredible photos. I wish I had the 2.8 version but can't afford it. If you're in this budget range, you can't go wrong with this lens. .
Read more...Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Digital SLR Lens
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Digital SLR Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 8 hours 37 minutes ago
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Digital SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics) This lens is my favorite as I keep it on my Rebel XT at all times. I enjoy taking macro close-ups and portrait-type shots, which makes this a great lens for everyday use. It is light-weight and not bulky. My last SLR camera (years ago) was a Minolta with 50mm f/1.8 lens, and various other lenses that I rarely used. I usually don't use a zoom lens due to the extra length and weight. Also, most non-professional zoom lenses are much slower at the closest tele-position due to the higher f/stop. With a fixed focal length of 60mm, I don't mind moving myself toward or away from the subject (not a big deal). The pictures always appear to be sharp with good contrast and color saturation. My opinion on this lens is: "buy it ... you'll like it". I did ... and I love it. Good Luck! .
Read more...Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED AF-S DX Nikkor Wide-Angle Zoom Lens
Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED AF-S DX Nikkor Wide-Angle Zoom Lens
posted by abcnoonoi 1 day 8 hours 40 minutes ago
Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED AF-S DX Nikkor Wide-Angle Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (Camera) Bought this lens a couple of months back, and have loved shooting with it ever since. Recently just went to Italy. Before the trip I was debating whether or not I would need a wide angle lens like this. I have the new 18-200 vr II lens and thought I would be able to be fine. Against my intuition I went ahead and bought this lens. WOW. I am so glad that I did! It is a fantastic lens that allows you to be more creative and really make stunning images. People seem to get really caught up in technical details... this is a great lens that makes sharp and colorful images. If you read that it is not sharp, they probably don't know how to focus their camera correctly. 99% of image blunders are made by the photographer, not the camera or lens. If you love wide angle images, this is a must have lens for your arsenal. It is a solidly built lens, despite what other reviewers have said. Sure it's not pro standard, but who needs that anyway? And if it was built to pro standard it would cost probably about five times as much! Bottom line, it's a great lens, and you won't regret buying it. As for the 12-24, it's a great option. Definitely built tougher, and about the same price, but that 2mm makes a big difference. So if you want WIDE, go for the 10-24. .
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