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riversen
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Registered: Apr 7, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Mar 28, 2007
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $95.00
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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A good price if you are broke... okay, if you are looking for a decent piece of glass at near rock bottom prices, then this is it.
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Cons:
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This is cheaply constructed, the bokeh is not that good (f/1.4 USM is much better), slow to focus, best results at f/2.2, loud, and I have noticed viginetting and flaring.
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Well, I think I summed it up well already. It is nice for the price, but you get what you pay for. I think an investment in the next step would yield much better results.
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 Mar 28, 2007
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Mick Dooley
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Registered: Mar 4, 2007
Location: Ireland
Posts: 28
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Review Date: Mar 6, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $150.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, great IQ, colour and contrast. Fast
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Cons:
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Nothing worth mentioning
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One of the best lens I've ever used. I'm reluctant to take it off the 400D. So, AF takes 0.5 seconds and the motor is audible, and yes it did hunt when I tried shots by candlelight. Any shot not perfect was muggins fault, not the lens. Believe me, you'll live with the minor limitations when you see the results.
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Mar 6, 2007
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_ECK_
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Sep 9, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 696
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Review Date: Feb 14, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $150.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, cheap, light, good contrast and color.
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Cons:
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None for the price. Hard to find nowadays.
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This is the best value for the money in Canon line up.
Much better built than the newer MKII plastic version.
At wide open it's fairly sharp and very usable, but it vignettes a lot at f/1.8 on a 5D.
From f2.2 everything get better : incredibly sharp, nice color and contrast.
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Feb 14, 2007
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svx94
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Mar 25, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 657
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Review Date: Dec 3, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $160.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sharp and cheap
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Cons:
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Noisy and slow focus
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I sold this lens a while back to get the better 50/F1.4 USM. I don't even know it was a smart move or not. The guy who got it is still happy with it.
The Mark I 50/1.8 is a really good value. At a price that is cheaper than many UV filters, this lens delivered sharp image, good color...
http://www.hukai.net/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=1600
This is the lens get me into portrait shooting. I use 20D, so it is practically a 80mm/1.8, good for head-shouder portrait. It is a too long for full body, and too short for tight framed head shot. But it is an important lens for me. It made me start thinking about light, bokeh, etc.
As mentioned, it is slow and noisy in focus area. I wanted to be a little for serious on portrait, so I upgraded to F1.4.
Cheers!
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Dec 3, 2006
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mr peas
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Registered: Mar 7, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 174
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Review Date: Oct 4, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Very Sturdy, Very Sharp Images, Incredible Bokeh for the price, Very Fast Lens (F1.8)
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Cons:
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Mk1 has a very loud focusing motor. Its old!
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I acquired this lens from my father after already purchasing the MkII version of the same lens. Basically, I sold the MkII because I didn't need two of the same lenses!
First off, the image quality on the MkI and MkII is basically the same. Anyone who tells you otherwise is way too picky. The build quality on the MkI is much more sturdy than the MkII, but I think the MkII's motor is much more quiter or smoother. However, they both react the same way.
The DOF meter is useful, but I think its there just for looks. All you need to do is use your viewfinder and use the DOF preview button to see how your camera will react to the photo you're about to take.
The MkI and MkII are great buys. If you can pick up either one I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Understand that these lenses arent necessarily pick-up and automatically you're shooting sharp! You have to take the time to compose the image, move yourself back and forth to focus perfectly and make sure your exposure, aperture and ISO settings are all working together. It takes some practice to get really good at it. Don't expect to be 'superphotog' with it from the get-go! The lens is only as good as the photog using it.
Overall, its a great lens. Get the Mk1 or Mk2, it doesnt matter. Personally, I would use the Mk2 because its quiter and if it breaks at least I can buy another one. If my Mk1 breaks, I cant necessarily head over to B&H and pick another one up.
Its a great lens to learn proper composition, plus its a lot of fun experimenting with Bokeh!
Sample Images I took:
http://thirdeye.pnoise.com/dump/remote_50mm18mk1.jpg
http://thirdeye.pnoise.com/dump/flower_50mm18mk1.jpg
http://thirdeye.pnoise.com/dump/lenscap_50mm18mk1.jpg
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Oct 4, 2006
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Fabio Pignata
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Registered: Sep 14, 2006
Location: Italy
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Sep 14, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, cheap, much better built than mark II. makes night shooting possible. super nice focal lenght for digital SLR. Very light and little, easy to bring along.
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Cons:
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Not so many around and only second hand. Usuall more expensive than a new mark II
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Sep 14, 2006
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phil93_93
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Registered: Aug 7, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 104
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Review Date: Jul 14, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $100.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharp!!!!!!!!!!!
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Cons:
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It was hit or miss untill I got use to it...(I shot at 1.8 ALL the time)
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Great lens...Great price
Pictures speak for themselves...
http://static.flickr.com/62/173530392_4c0cdf01f5_o.jpg
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Jul 14, 2006
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kevmar
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Registered: Sep 26, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 98
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Review Date: Jul 7, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Tack sharp, lovely brokeh, doesn't feel like its going to fall apart on you in one usage
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Cons:
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out of manufacture, prices over inflated in the second hand market
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I was lucky when i got mine. It was in a second hand "Cash Comverters" style shop, and they didn't know what they had (it was attached on an old EOS750 that I've still got to fleabay sometime).
The unit itself was sound, and focusing was smooth throughout. Like the Mark II, the motor is noisey, but the opticis are sharp thoughout. The distance scale i've found is helpful when working away from the camera, as is that lovely manual zoom ring which far more accessable than the Mark2.
On a 1.6 body, this becomes the ideal portrait lens, and as such, I've used it for photoshoots, and its a life saver when you have 2 constant lights, and not much more.
If you're having trouble getting hold of a Mark1, get a 2 and live with it... but if you can locate one at a reasonable price, get it.
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Jul 7, 2006
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Grant Oakes
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Registered: Jun 5, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 15
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Review Date: Jun 24, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $79.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Tack sharp, good color and incredible Bokeh
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Cons:
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A bit slow on AF
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When considering a low light lens for wedding work I thought this would be the best bang for the buck. I was not wrong! I considered the 50mm 1.4 but for more than an additional $200 I thought I go with the cheapie. I'm thinking of getting another for my wife also. This lens has got me all jazzed up about going to all primes instead of zooms because of the much better image quality.
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Jun 24, 2006
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SergioCR
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Registered: Mar 16, 2006
Location: Costa Rica
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Jun 5, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $80.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Ultra-Sharp lens. Autofocus very accurate. Focus Ring works smooth and better located than the MKII version.
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Cons:
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None
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After several searching on ebay for a 50mm MKI finally got one attached to an old EOS 750. 
Actually it is the sharpest lens i have, optics are great, picture and color quality are amazing and the distance scale (not present with the MKII vers.) comes handy time to time.
Also the build quality compared to the "new" version is better, has a metal mount and things just doesn't feel like are going to fall apart.
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Jun 5, 2006
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JFerrillo
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Registered: Jan 26, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 8
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Review Date: Apr 13, 2006
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Price, speed
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Cons:
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Very slow AF, soft images
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I have always been steered well by the FredMiranda site's product reviews, and did my homework on this, searching for the "Mark I" version of this prime.
I suppose it is not right to complain about the quality when one has paid such a bargain price, but...
I bought this to have something lightweight and less intimidating for my subjects. It *is* light, and it *is* nice to have the 1.8 aperture.
Firstly, I am used to better speed and accuracy in my lenses ' autofocus ( I have been spoiled by my 17-40 L and Tamron 28-75). It searches quite a bit in low light, and taking pictures in low light is what I bought this for.
Second, I just don't get sharp images with this at any aperture setting. I may be missing something here, but this has been a disappointment.
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Apr 13, 2006
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claudermilk
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Registered: Jan 15, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 4805
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Review Date: Apr 10, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $150.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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optics, price
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Cons:
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slow, noisy AF
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I got this lens based on the many glowing recommendations in the forum. I have not been disappointed, for the price this is a fantastic lens. It produces nice, sharp images and is a good low light lens. The downside is the AF can be a little slow, especially trying to shoot action in very low light. It's definitely worth adding to your collection.
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Apr 10, 2006
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beezlebub
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Registered: May 22, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 12
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Review Date: Mar 15, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Just bought this MK1 50mm 1.8 on ebay with a filter after 2 months of the MK11 model and 3 faulty switches, Its probably 15 years old, its in mint condition and the build quality is streets ahead of the new MK11 lens. Akthough I am not yet sure but it does seem to be sharper than the MK11. Buy one if you haven't already my MK11 is on the way back to the dealer for the third time!!!
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Cons:
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Non I can see, its a little noisy but that really isn't the slightest problem.
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Mar 15, 2006
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bch12
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Registered: Sep 16, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 13
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Review Date: Mar 14, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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I am trying to decide between this lens and the 50mm f/1.4. In response to the last post about price, I found this lens on amazon.com for $70.24 USD. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007E7JU/sr=8-1/qid=1142357343/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-6720877-5724722?%5Fencoding=UTF8">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007E7JU/sr=8-1/qid=1142357343/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-6720877-5724722?%5Fencoding=UTF8</a>
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Mar 14, 2006
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keith_g_wagner
Offline
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Registered: Mar 7, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 8
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Review Date: Mar 4, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $125.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Build quality, image quality great at all settings, extremely shallow depth of field at or near wide open is very artistic and makes the subject stand out very nicely from the background.
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Cons:
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Out of manufacture.
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First, despite the review header on this thread, do not think for one second that you are going to get this lens for the supposed "average" price of about $90.00. If you do, you are buying a lens that is in pretty sorry shape, or from somebody who does not know what they are selling. This lens actually sells for about $120 (if you are lucky) to about $160 (if you just want one, now). Shop for a good price, but don't drive yourself crazy trying to find one for FM's "average" price. You won't find it unless there is something significantly wrong with the lens or the seller. or both. Pay the going rate, and feel good that you have one very, very nice lens (approaching L quality, IMHO) for a relatively inexpensive investment.
I shopped for a long time, and bought one that was being sold
as a part of a lot of camera goods (filters, extension tubes,
other miscellaneous stuff). My estimated actual purchase price for the lens (after selling all the other stuff off) is $125, and I feel lucky to have gotten it for that.
I agree with all other very positive reviewers here, and would only add these comment: this lens is particularly good with digital EOS cameras like the rebels, D10, D20, etc., for two reasons. First, At 800 ISO or higher, it is possible to use this lens in good room lighting without any flash and get a fair number of keepers (not all). Certainly far more that even the far more expensive EFS 17-85mm IS lens (which I also own), despite its image stabilization capabilities, and with a much more artistic depth of field (blurred backgrounds that make the subject "pop" out). Second, due to these cameras' 1.6x crop factor, this, lens operates at exact magnification. Try it: mount the lens, look through the camera and then open your other eye -- it's as if the camera is not there. The image in your eyepiece and without the camera are practically the same size and distance.
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Mar 4, 2006
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tKoetting
Offline
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Registered: Sep 29, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 656
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Review Date: Feb 10, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $140.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Excellent portrait lens on a 1.6x crop body. Great value.
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Cons:
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Focus motor like a dentist drill. Wicked CA wide open.
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I got a Mark I version on eBay, then added a 58mm step ring and mounted the hood from an 85/1.8USM. Overall I'm pleased. Unlike the newer mkII version, this one actually has an Manual Focus ring which comes in handy. My copy is useable from f2 up. As sharp as any lens made at f8.
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Feb 10, 2006
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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102
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203804
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Feb 22, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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94% of reviewers
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$101.18
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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7.71
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9.42
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9.0
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