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Belg
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Registered: Apr 14, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Jul 20, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Light, Sharp, Fast, Cheap, Small
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Cons:
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1.4-2.0 is a little fuzzy, but more of a "dreamy" fuzzy than bad image quality
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GO BUY NOW.
I really don't care if you are looking for this range lens or not. You will end up making excuses to use this lens. It is that awesome. You've not really played with depth of field(dof) untill you've gone from 1.4 - 22 on the same subject. It makes you creative and drives you to take more photos. 1.4 isn't exactly crisp, nor is 16 and narrower. That's normal. But 2.8-8 is better than Zeus.
Build quality is nothing to scoff at either. It's not L quality, but it certainly will hold its own. One of the first things I noticed was how nice the focus ring is. It's wide and feels good to the touch. The ring rotates half a turn around the lens making it very easy to get the right focus, even at 1.4. Speaking of 1.4, the viewfinder is wonderfully bright, and since 1.4 has such a short dof (quarter of an inch), focusing is very very easy. It's also a pretty small lens, which makes people flinch less when you point it at them.
Some will say that the Canon 50 1.8 is just as good. I say they're wrong for a couple of reasons. If you don't have the money, get the 1.8, but if you do you should get the 1.4.
This is why:
1. This lens is built *much* better.
2. Though only by half a stop, it's faster, and becomes sharper earlier.
3. USM is important. The other one is usable, but you'll like this more.
4. 8 aperture blades instead of 5. out of focus highlights look much better, and boke is smoother in general.
5. the filter ring size is 58mm instead of 52, so if you end up buying more prime lenses you can share polarizers etc.
This is a wonderful lens, but for all my talk, seeing is believing.
http://www.deviantart.com/view/36627706/
This is by and far my favorite lens.
I've used my 20D with the Canon EF 24-85, EF-S 17-85, and EF 50 1.8, and I'd chose the 50 1.4 over all of them in a heartbeat.
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 Jul 20, 2006
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vin14
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Registered: Jun 28, 2006
Location: Ireland
Posts: 233
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Review Date: Jul 13, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $315.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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image quality, wide aperture, size, weight,
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Cons:
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purple fringing in areas of extreme contrast wide opin. strong vignetting wide open
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This lens is better than I'd expected. It's sharp even at f1.4, the AF is fast and it's built well. The main negative is some purple fringing in areas of extreme contrast. It also has strong vignetting wide open (on FF body). This can be easily fixed in post and by f2 this is virtually gone.
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Jul 13, 2006
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ray123
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Registered: Jun 3, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 11
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Review Date: Jul 2, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp! a must have for low light photograhpy.
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Cons:
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AF hunt a little in low light.
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Love it along with 85mm f1.8 in my bag.
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Jul 2, 2006
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bocaminus
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Registered: Apr 19, 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 486
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Review Date: Jun 22, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Solid built, fast AF
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Cons:
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None so far
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Got this lens two days ago (used). Awesome performance, great value for money. I would probably think twice before buying it brand new (compared to plastic fantastic f1.8). It's really sharp and clear.... very good in low light, perfect for portraits. I found it quite useful even shooting with maximum 1.4 aperture, although the shots are millimeters shallow. If you can get it used, go and buy it because you won't be disappointed.
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Jun 22, 2006
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LgnAdams
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Registered: May 27, 2006
Location: N/A
Posts: 219
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Review Date: Jun 20, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $275.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Decent sharpness at wide open, Incredible sharpness at f/2.8. Light weight, inconspicous, and did I mention a fast little monster?
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Cons:
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Not as solid as my "L" lenses. I wish Canon had built this as an L, it would have been invincible.
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Just got done with my first portrait shoot with this little monster and I am raving with joy at the sharpness. I shot at f2.8 and the pictures are downright amazing. Very happy with this lens, I just need to stop giggling like a young boy while I'm going about in dark rooms getting lovely shots with ISO 100. f1.4 may be a little soft, but the quality it does provide is more than enough.
I just wish its build was a bit more robust.
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Jun 20, 2006
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Areta
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Registered: Feb 19, 2005
Location: Poland
Posts: 334
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Review Date: Jun 19, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $350.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, fast and affordable, nice hood
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Cons:
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AF could be faster
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I have bought this lens for 1D2 and I am very happy with it. It is not very sharp below f2, but it is acceptable especialy when you are close to your subject. It is extremally sharp form 2.8 upwards.
f1.4 is very fast, there is big differance compare to 85/1.8 or 50/1.8.
It is a cheap way to buy into f1.4.
After some negative comments I have read I am positively surprised with this lens. It is worth upgrading from 50/1.8 if you are able to appreciate the speed.
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Jun 19, 2006
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mmyye
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Registered: Jun 17, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jun 17, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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very nice lens just bought it from amazon, the quality of build is lots better than the kit lens. very sharp, FTM. price is acceptable. Made In Japan.
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Cons:
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focus is not as fast as i thought
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Jun 17, 2006
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Amsterdam
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Registered: Jun 16, 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Jun 16, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Cheap, high resolution and contrast
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Cons:
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Soft untill F2.8, slow AF, some flare
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Must have lens on a full frame DSLR, ideal for trips and streetphotography. Its not a very good low light lens: lots of CA, softness, but stopped down to 2.8 it'll give u good results.
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Jun 16, 2006
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juberisk2
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Registered: Sep 16, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 380
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Review Date: Jun 10, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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fast, small, decent value
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Cons:
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soft until f/2.5, a little focus hunting in low light
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admittedly, i use this fun lens quite often, especially for snapshots of friends and family, but i find myself wishing it had the sharpness and color saturation of my 85/1.8. for this reason, i tend to shy away from using this camera when I'm more "serious" about shooting. on several tests i've run, the color, contrast, and sharpness of the 85 is noticeably better wide open until f/4, which is basically the aperture range i enjoy for using my primes. if i could rate it about "8.791" I would, so I'll give it a "9."
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Jun 10, 2006
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crenshaw
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Registered: Apr 19, 2006
Location: Philippines
Posts: 23
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Review Date: Jun 10, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Value for money. Great for low light situations.
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Cons:
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None so far.
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Got it second hand, quite happy with it. Shots are very clear, nice bokeh.
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Jun 10, 2006
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masgrada
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Registered: Sep 14, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 164
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Review Date: Jun 7, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Cheap! Small, 1.4.
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Cons:
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Nowhere near L in 1.4 to 2.0
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Not much more can be said about the lens.
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Jun 7, 2006
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mirages
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Apr 3, 2006
Location: N/A
Posts: 299
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Review Date: Jun 1, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Accurate rendition of image seen.
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Cons:
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Loose ring.
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Nice little gem. For low light and street walking, just a fine little unobtrusive lens. Very accurate at repeating what the human eye sees within its range. Build is the weakness, but we all already know that. For now its the best game in town for this range for Canon.
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Jun 1, 2006
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keithallenlaw
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Registered: Feb 23, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 98
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Review Date: May 30, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $325.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great performer. Good build. Nice for portraits on a a 1.6 crop. Very good
value. This is a must have for the price.
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Cons:
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Nope, none from me.
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Even though this is my first prime I can tell the difference straight away compared to my other two zooms. I bought this lens for
my 30D to fill the gap between my 17-40 and 70-200. This is a
fun lens. Great for low light situations though the the DOF gets really shallow. That depends on your distance and focal plain.
Like others have said before and I agree, this lens doesn't start
to really sing until f/2.8. I use it mainly for family portrait and
candid shots. Complaints? Nope, not from me. Great bargin.
For the price and the weight, a must have to keep in your bag.
Example
1/4000s f/2.2 at 50.0mm iso100
http://www.pbase.com/keithallenlaw/image/60354848
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May 30, 2006
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ontime
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Registered: Oct 27, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1993
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Review Date: May 28, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $270.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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On the cheap side for high-quality, f/1.4 of course, color, contrast
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Cons:
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AF speed so-so, very thin DOF @ large aperatures (duh), hood separate, etc etc
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Everything's been said. Good lens.
To the reviewer below: I've spent every penny with B&H since I've gotten into the DSLR world (includes 5 lenses, 1 camera body + accessories over 4 separate orders) and it has been worth it. Quick delivery (shipping to Hawaii and Indiana), decent pricing (not the cheapest on the 'net but I'll pay for the service), and their website is easy to use and well-designed. UPS has also been amazing, through B&H easy to track my packages and all that.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
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May 28, 2006
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johnastovall
Offline
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Registered: Apr 7, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1332
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Review Date: May 27, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $309.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sharp Good images after f/2.0. Very sharp at f/8.0
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Cons:
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So cheaply built and loose, I hate to use it. Not ever the build quality of the 85mm f/1.8. Because of that it stays in my bag most of the time.
But it's Canon's fastest 50mm so it's the only game in town.
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If Canon made a 50mm L at 1.4 or 1.2 I would dump this in a New York Second. But until they do we are stuck with this thing if we want a fast 50mm for full frame.
The Optics are a great value but the cheap loose build really detracts from them.
The worst built Canon lens I own.
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May 27, 2006
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Namjahn
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Registered: May 10, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4
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Review Date: May 26, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very fast. Light weight and easy to carry.
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Cons:
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It hunts alot more than I expected from a lens this fast. But nonetheless, very fun and IQ is amazing.
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I've had it a few weeks now to play around with it and experiment. It's a little narrower than I'd like on my 1.6 but definitely forces me to come up with creative/different ways to compose. It's just awesome indoors and I find it amazing for close up portraiture and just as a walkaround lens in general. I've also shot some great city-night landscapes that came out incredibly sharp as well.
From all the reviews I've read, I expected the AF to be alot faster than what I've found it is actually capable of. But it's good enough, and I don't use AF too much anyhow.
The only complaint I have about my whole experience with this lens is the vendor I initially bought it from. I don't know if mine was an isolated inicident, but Beach Camera/Fed ex gave me horrible service. My lens came in two weeks late (I payed for 1-2 day priority shipping) and it came to me with the lens wrapped in bubble wrap with no factory packaging and it was completely hashed and broken. The focus ring was bent and couldn't even move and the glass was scratched. I can't believe that fedex actually sent it to me in that condition. It then took me another week of email correspondance to get my refund. Beach camera is literally unreachable by phone for their lines are always busy.
B&H however, was extremely punctual and well-priced.
Overall, I recommend this to anyone and everyone because of its size, affordability and great image quality.
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May 26, 2006
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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380
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1138919
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May 8, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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92% of reviewers
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$319.59
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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7.94
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8.72
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8.9
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