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simon_nz
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Registered: Jan 23, 2006
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 17
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Review Date: Sep 26, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Low price, OOF highlights, sharpness, weight,
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Cons:
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Awkward AF/MF switch, extends a long way at 1:1
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Superb lens, very sharp, a joy to use, the AF/MF switch is a bit of a pain but you get use to it.
Everybody has told me getting used to a macro lens takes a bit of work, but I have found this lens to be tremendous. Would recommend it highly, disappointed i didn't buy it earlier
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 Sep 26, 2007
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ghamden
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Registered: Aug 10, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 81
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Review Date: Sep 4, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $400.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent Lens for Macro and Potrait
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Cons:
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None
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Superb Lens Don't le tthe low price fool you I use this lens on a Nikon D80 excellent IQ
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Sep 4, 2007
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MichaelBarkley
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Registered: Aug 17, 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 351
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Review Date: Aug 17, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharpness
1:1 Macro
FAB Bokeh
contrast
f2.8
light
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Cons:
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some focus hunting
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The best lens I own, without a doubt.
This will take the most stunningly sharp images you ever did see!
It will focus hunt somewhat, use the limiter when not shooting macro.
Its light, but feels sturdy.
See below image - this is a shot I made, I am certain better photographers will get better results.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/realmofspeed/DSC_9038.jpg
If you want to shoot macro or portraits, there is no other option IMO.
Mike
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Aug 17, 2007
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Chris Dana
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Registered: Jun 28, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 19
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Review Date: Aug 14, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $259.22
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Easy to focus (when switched to manual), weight, sharpness of photos, good bokeh, excellent price
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Cons:
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hunts in low light.
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I bought mine used a couple of months ago and it's been a absolute joy to use. The few problems I've had were all user-related. This lens doesn't leave my camera for very long anymore. Might be a bit much for an average walk-around, but as a macro it's absolutely amazing.
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Aug 14, 2007
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phili1
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Registered: Dec 12, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 2790
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Review Date: Jul 12, 2007
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Recommend? |
Price paid: $399.00
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Pros:
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Very Sharp/good focus/good feel/ easy to operate.
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Cons:
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A little noisy/sometimes hunts but not objectionable
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For some reason my post did not appear.
I bought this lens for my portrait business and found it was a great Macro as well. I wanted a lens around 90 to 110 mm for facial distortion reduction. A lens smaller then 90mm has a tendency to make noses look longer. Anyway, I was interested in Canons 24 to 105 but in asking several pros, they thought it was a little soft. Sigmas 105 for some reason do not like canon cameras, so after reading reviews and seeing pictures I opted for the Tamron 90mm lens. My first pictures are sharper then my Canon 700 to 200L and my Tamron 28 to 75mm Lenses. My Macros as far as I am concerned are awsome ( althought I would prefer a Macro in the 150 to 180 range) and I am having fun with it.
If you want a good double duty lens this is the one.
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Jul 12, 2007
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phili1
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Registered: Dec 12, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 2790
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Review Date: Jul 12, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very Sharp, easy to use, Solid feel, Easy switch from auto to manusl focus. No filter required as lens is recessed.
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Cons:
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A little noisy but not objectionable/ hunts once in a while other wise locks on.
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I have been looking for a good portrait lens for my work and have used Canon's 70-200 and Tamrons 28 to 75 lenses, Tamrons winning in sharpness up close. I needed a lens around 90 to 110mm as they lessen feature exageration. I talked to and evaluated comments from some very good photographers about Canons 24 to 105 being a little soft, and Sigmas 105 not quiet up to par, so I was limited. I need a a Macro lens as well and would have prefered a 150 or 180, so I tried Tamrons 90mm F 2.8 DI Macro and was excited at the results I had gotten. Today I used it for my portraits and just down loaded the photos to light room to work on and found that they are very sharp and have reduced the exageration on noses and ears etc. It has performed like an L lens and I would recommend it to anyone. I have some macro shots on my web site that you can look at and in a week will post a portrait from it.
http://www.pbase.com/phili1/g3_macro&page=2
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Jul 12, 2007
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Shiva Shankar
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Registered: May 2, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 116
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Review Date: May 31, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Wonderful bokeh, fast under low light, glass buried deep inside so no flare issues, excellent portrait, awesome price
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Cons:
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Cant really think of any
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Exceptional OOF blur and the lens is very sharp (although not as much as its cousin 17-50 tamron). The details within focus is excellent. Build quality is solid, without exceptional. Does not come with a tripod mount (I dont think it is required) like the picture illustrated here (in fact I think this is a picture of Tamron 200-500). It has focus limiter if needed. Excellent macro lens all-in-all and very highly recommended. A difference of just 4cm reach when compared to Sigma 150mm (which I feel is quite insignificant).
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May 31, 2007
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Hans im Glueck
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Registered: Dec 7, 2006
Location: Germany
Posts: 17
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Review Date: May 30, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Excellent picture quality,very sharp low price
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Cons:
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Built quality could be better ( looks, feels and sounds like plastic ).
Bokeh is mediocre.
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Excellent macro-lens for the money. I recommend it
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May 30, 2007
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Louis Otto
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Registered: May 25, 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 25, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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SHARP, Recessed lens is its own lens shade, price
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Cons:
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Noisy AF, extending barrel, deceptive apertures
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This lens is as sharp as they say it is, truly. There are a few issues with this, it reaches its peak at fairly too wide an aperture, which is uncommon for macro lenses, but I find that at f/11 its still sharp edge to edge and perfect.
The bokeh is outstanding, 9 blades really do make the difference. Background blur is creamy and smooth, better than expected.
Autofocus is slow, and sometimes hunts a little. But that's common for macro lenses. It's also pretty noisy, and at only 90mm, sometimes that scares your subject away.
I do like the manual/auto focus mechanism, I find it so much quicker than fiddling to find a little switch.
Also, the aperture of the lens is considered a f/2.8, and at infinity focus it is, but as you close in to 1:1 reproduction, the aperture stops down to f/5.6. So at 1:1 you will shoot at a max aperture of f/5.6. So if you were considering using this lens with a 2x teleconverter, it may just end up being f/11 max at 1:1 (not entirely sure about this one, someone else will have to elaborate)
Don't let the negatives put you down though, honestly this is in my opinion the best macro lens I've used and I would honestly put it right beside the 105 VR Nikkor in quality.
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May 25, 2007
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Marc Mondry
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Registered: Apr 26, 2007
Location: N/A
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 17, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Price, image sharpness, color reproduction, capable of remarkable bokeh, useful AF/manual focus clutch mechanism, light weight
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Cons:
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Build quality is poor compared to other lenses, but this is compensated somewhat by the weight of the lens, loud, slow autofocus that searches in low light
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I love this lens. It is the only non-Canon L series lens in my bag, but is the one that is mounted on my camera the most.
Positively, the quality of images it produces is excellent--the colors are brilliantly reproduced and true to the subject; it is capable of fantastic background blur; and images are tack sharp at all aperture settings. Image quality, for the price, cannot be beaten.
Negatively, the autofocus is loud and slow (compared to Canon's USM lenses) and it has a tendency to hunt, particularly in low light and close macro mode. The build quality is also not top of the line.
Still, regardless of price the positives far outweigh the negatives. Given the price, this lens is one of the best out there in my opinion.
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May 17, 2007
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Rahul Rangan
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Registered: Jan 8, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 134
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Review Date: Mar 12, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Ridiculously sharp, cool and accessible AF/MF switch, light, small, reccessed front element.
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Cons:
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AF is VERY loud and slow. feels very 'plasticky' but hey, for the weight i can't complain.
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My first macro lens and I am VERY happy with it. The only problem I have is the loud and slow AF. The handy AF/MF switch helps though. Just take it as best as you can in MF, then switch to AF and let it fine tune the shot. It's a GREAT lens and I'm so happy I bought it.
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Mar 12, 2007
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_Mike_D
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Registered: Nov 27, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Jan 27, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very sharp, descent wide open performance, very useful focal length
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Cons:
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doesn't feel like a $450 lens. I find the dual focus system to be more annoying than useful.
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This is probably my most used lens. I do use it for macro shooting occasionally, but I find myself wanting to use it for everything that will fit in the frame. It is a superb lens at a good price.
The build quality isn't quite as good as the Sigma 105mm macro, but I find the 90mm focal length to be more useful. Also, it is lighter than the Sigma, which is a good thing.
Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this lens to anyone looking for a ~100mm lens (macro or otherwise.)
Pictures I have taken with this lens:
http://www.one-blind-eye.com/index.php?x=browse&category=19
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Jan 27, 2007
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Chris Langer
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Sep 4, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 2293
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Review Date: Dec 28, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $550.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, Light,
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Cons:
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Very nice lens for the price. I bought this because of all the great reviews that are posted here. If you buy this you get an inexpensive but GREAT quality lens that produces amazing pictures. The lens even performs better on the D200.. I see a difference between my D50 and D200.. Very good macro lens for beginner or expert!
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Dec 28, 2006
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hris Towerton
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Registered: Oct 25, 2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Oct 28, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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1:1 Macro, F2.8, Portrait suitability
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Cons:
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Lens extends when focusing, Auto focus disengage on the lens requires my Pentax *ist D body to be switched to manual as well.
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These were the pre-purchase reasons I personally decided to buy this lens:
· I wanted a lens with good close focusing ability.
· It was well priced when compared with the Sigma AF 105mm F2.8 EX Macro, around 1/3 cheaper.
· With only basic kit, I had decided to upgrade to middle-of-the-road zoom lenses. Image quality was OK with these lenses, but I wanted to buy at least one good prime lens for portraits. This 90mm lens was a better match when cropped on my Pentax *istD, coming in at 135mm, where as the Sigma is closer to 160mm.
· It cast a full frame image circle (making it more future proof and able to be shared with my film based camera).
· It had a manually selectable aperture ring (backwards compatible with my old SLR).
· It has a non-rotating front element, making it more filter friendly.
My assessment after 12 months of use:
THIS LENS IS A PEACH! Mine is a “Di” version (Digitally Integrated, meaning that it has extra coatings to reduce internal reflections from the sensor). Pretty much every positive observation made by reviewers about this lens is true. It is terrific for portraits, with sharp images that still somehow retain a lovely “feel” and good bokeh. This is the best lens in my bag. Shooting on the same day under the same conditions, changing lenses on the same body, results from this lens are easily recognisable.
Its 1:1 macro ability delivers great outcomes. The best photo in my collection belongs to this lens, it is of a bee, hand held with a hot shoe flash. Finding the “sweet” spot when manual focusing can be a problem on some lenses, particularly where close focusing may impede natural light, but again this lens does an exceptional job; that said it can be a little frustrating when very close using a tripod, as the lens barrel extends out when focusing.
Build quality is fine, it is “plasticky” but on my budget, so is every other lens in my possession. Its external indicators are clear and the brushed gold markings look classy. The lens cap holds and releases well, much less likely to come off in my bag than some other designs. The manual focus ring is smooth but as a consequence of the large “sweet” spot discussed above, it takes an eternity to get from macro to infinity. A “Limiting” switch on the side of the lens remedies this when auto focusing. One frustration (at least on my Pentax *istD) is that the focus ring is designed to disengage from AF to allow quick manual override, but manual focus cannot be achieved unless my Pentax body itself is taken off AF. The front element is recessed around 50mm into the lens, protecting it and negating the need to use a lens hood for flare control.
CONCLUSSION
I am generally reluctant to emphatically endorse any one particular product, preferring people weigh up their own needs and suitability, but with this lens I take exception. If you are looking for a non-dedicated macro lens of this focal length, THIS IS THE LENS FOR YOU!
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Oct 28, 2006
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nautilass
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Registered: Mar 30, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Oct 7, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Super sharp, great colour
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Cons:
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None
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Beautiful lens, it is sharper than my Canon 70-200mm L. Of course the build is not as robust but for the price I'm not complaining. Highly recomend it.
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Oct 7, 2006
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Eyal Friedman
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Registered: Sep 24, 2006
Location: Israel
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Oct 1, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very sharp, even at 2.8, accurate AF, good colors.
I use it for macro and portraits.
IMO, the best macro lens around 100 FL
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Cons:
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Build quality is average
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Oct 1, 2006
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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52
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181417
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Aug 27, 2012
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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94% of reviewers
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$433.27
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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8.47
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9.47
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9.4
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