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mark petri
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Registered: Oct 25, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1005
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Review Date: May 2, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,050.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharpness, size, focal length coverage.
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Cons:
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none.
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The equal of the 24-70's IQ, but less size and weight. Equates to a superb lens, perhaps the perfect walkaround companion for your body.
I don't consider the f4 a negative when comparative shopping as you gain IS (vs. the 24-70) and weigh the pros and cons prior to buying, not afterward.
I owned and liked the 24-70 quite a bit, but sold it soon after I got to try out the 24-105 and haven't looked back once. Highly recommended for a zoom.
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 May 2, 2007
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Stunnaz
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Registered: Apr 10, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 1192
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Review Date: Apr 22, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp images, very useful focal range for general purposes, "L" quality build.
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Cons:
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None.
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I've been using this lens for the past 4 months. The image quality is excellent... very sharp... many of my friends have told me my pictures look very "professional" after I started using this lens. The build quality is "L" standard, and because this is one of the newer models that Canon introduced, it is weather and dust proof (not all L lenses are).
This is the lens that I take when I travel with only one lens. It is very versatile, and its size (670g) is much smaller/lighter than the 24-70mm 2.8L (950g). The focal range of this lens (38-168mm) is very similar to a typical point-and-shoot camera when used on a 1.6 cropped DSLR such as the Rebel XTi. If you're a new DSLR user, switching to this lens from a point-and-shoot should be an easy transition (if you can afford the price).
I recently took this lens to Disneyland, and it performed wonderfully. Both day and night shots came out sharp, and it wasn't too much of a hassle to lug around. On rides like the Space Mountain, I kept the camera in my backpack and placed it under my legs, it was not a problem at all.
The image-stabilization inside this lens is one of the newer generations and provides 3-stops of compensation. This is a major improvement over the 1st generation IS found on the consumer grade 28-135mm lens. Also, the dust-proof build quality makes this lens a better long-term investment than the 28-135mm, as the 28-135mm is famous for sucking in dust.
I can't say enough good things about this lens. If you are tired of your "kit" lens and don't mind spending a little more on lens, this is an excellent choice. Don't go for a mediocre zoom lens knowing you will upgrade in a year or two. Get the lens you want now and have "professional looking" pictures with no regrets. Some people say that "noobies" shouldn't shoot with L lenses because it's a waste, but trust me, I was a newbie 4 months ago and saw a huge difference in the quality of my images after switching to this lens. Now that I've learned more about DSLR photography I appreciate this lens even more. This is a lens I can see myself using for many years and through many generations of DSLR body upgrades. I'm glad I decided to spend more on glass and save on body. Lenses, especially "L" lenses, hold their value very well but camera bodies depreciate in value quickly.
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Apr 22, 2007
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haraldis
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Registered: Apr 10, 2007
Location: Finland
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Apr 10, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Image quality, colors, contrast, IS, solid construction.
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Cons:
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Weight, chromatic abborations at at 24-40 mm at the image border at wide open aperture.
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I have also Tamron 28-75, but feel it too short and not so wide to fill the gap between my 10-22 and 70-300 IS. This is perfect add, I think.
Not expected so high CAs at the wide-end. OK, little more raw working.
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Apr 10, 2007
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Richard Bate
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Registered: Mar 27, 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Apr 8, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Excellent "general purpose" zoom range, fantastically sharp between 35-85mm, corner sharpness, compatibility with 580EX flashgun (ETTL II covers 24-105mm), contrast, superb image stabilisation, constant aperture, reasonably lightweight and certainly portable, comes with a nice little lens-bag and hood. Seems well-sealed.
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Cons:
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I can't criticise this product, but there is vignetting on full-frame DSLRs at F4 at 24mm, noticeable barrel distortion below 30mm and softness above 100mm at F5.6 and below. F4 with IS is probably not as good as F2.8 but we have to get real here - this lens is portable.
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I used to shoot on a 10D with a 28-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM and when I upgraded to a 5D I was somewhat disappointed with the way the lens performed. The colour rendition remained excellent but you can crop further with more pixels and what I remembered as being sharp was now looking fuzzy. It was also looking very soft towards the edges. Not bad generally but when I needed the detail it wasn't there.
I decided that I would buy my first "L" lens as the 5D is notorious for exposing the limitations of a lot of lenses, especially zooms. (The same could be said of my experiences with the 1D and 1DS cameras).
I had the choice of a 24-70mm F2.8L or this lens and after comparing the sizes (the 24-70mm is big) and taking a few test-shots with both, decided that this lens was marginally better for what I was going to use it for. I made that decision just over six months ago and I think I made the right one.
Outdoors, this lens is a revelation. For town, architechture and landscape photography I rarely use anything else. With the image stabilisation it is possible to take photographs on reasonably dull winter days and if you bump the ISO up (arrogant 5D user - "Noise? What is that?") you can shoot at dusk or even brightly lit streets at night.
It is also possible to do fairly decent medium telephoto and macro work due to the fact that the image can be cropped a lot due to the sharpness.
This lens is not suited for indoor photography without flash, unless shooting in very brightly lit areas or with inanimate subjects. However, it is excellent when used with a 580EX flash at weddings and parties.
In short, this lens is the best compromise for most commonly-encountered situations. For about 35% of my work I'd choose this lens first and foremost, for 25% of it I can get away with using it (and travelling lighter!) - unsurprisingly I have it attached to my 5D more often than not. If you were to purchase this lens I think you'd probably find you did the same thing.
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Apr 8, 2007
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riversen
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Registered: Apr 7, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Apr 2, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,060.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Wow and very usable for many family and requested scenarios. I really enjoy this lens, as it is crystal clear and a solid performer.
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Cons:
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Sticks out a bit (not a biggie), not weather resistent (would like it for the price), on 3 stop IS (would like the new 4 stop one... if possible)
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I use it a lot and it works wonderfully. Crystal clear shots at all lengths. IS works wonderfully and allows for nice low light shots (of course, it is not as fast as the 24-70, but I normally shot slow moving performers in those lighting conditions).
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Apr 2, 2007
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darktiger
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Registered: Jun 28, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 138
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Review Date: Mar 24, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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IS, Perfect range for me on a 30D, Sharp with good color and contrast
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Cons:
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Not a 2.8
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I love this lens. After having trouble selecting between the 24-70 or the 24-105, I chose the 24-105 just for the IS. Suits my type of shooting. Places like museums, churches that do not allow flash IS is perfect. Not even a 2.8 is fast enough for some of these lighting situations. Plus this lens is light, so traveling with it is great. This with the 10-22 is a perfect combo for me...
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Mar 24, 2007
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dsterrito
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Registered: Feb 20, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 227
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Review Date: Mar 24, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,029.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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IS, Contrast, Sharpness, Fast focus, Build Quality, Lightweight
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Cons:
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Nothing that bothers me
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I got rid of a 28-70L and a 24-70L because of the weight of these lenses. The 24-105 IS is the one I have been looking for. It is fast enough for pretty much all my shoots. The contrast and colors are everything that I could hope for.
Unless I am shooting action, this is THE lens on my camera all the tiime.
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Mar 24, 2007
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Seth Tower
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Registered: Oct 9, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 3751
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Review Date: Mar 21, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Outstanding sharpness. Built like a tank. The magic of IS.
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Cons:
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Expensive for an f/4
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This lens rocks! I upgraded from my beloved 28-135 IS and I couldn't be happier. This lens is a leap above the 28-135 in every aspect. For the 30D, there is no better walkaround zoom lens.
I really wish that Canon would make a much larger hood for use on an APC camera; the little hood doesn't do much to block stray light, though does a fine job of protecting the glass.
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Mar 21, 2007
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pc168
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Registered: Mar 9, 2007
Location: China
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Mar 20, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very good sharpness even wide open. Very high build quality. The highest grade of walk-around EF lens in the market so far.
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Cons:
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Negligible
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Bought this lens in Apr 06 and it has been over 90% of the time attached to my 350D. Excellent walk-around lens. Very effective IS. Very good sharpness across the whole zoom range even wide open. Color is great. For instance, its 24mm is comparable to 24mm prime.
At 105mm, the resolution drops a bit (still good) when wide open but improves a lot when stop down to f5.6. Totally not an issue.
I would expect to keep it for years.
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Mar 20, 2007
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temalibero
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Registered: Sep 18, 2005
Location: Italy
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Mar 18, 2007
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Recommend? |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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Sharp, excellent quality, very fast USM, IS.
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Cons:
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None
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Excellent general purpose zoom for 20D.
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Mar 18, 2007
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radiodenver
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Registered: Apr 4, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 490
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Review Date: Mar 14, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Good general purpose lens, not too heavy, IS works great, sharp
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Cons:
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None
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I purchased this lens as a general lens for my 5D. When you look at the available lenses in this focal range, this lens sits at the top of the hill. The wide zoom range makes it a great walk around/general use lens. The IS works very well for hand held shots and the L quality build makes it rugged. It isn't the perfect lens though. It does show a little vignetting on the full frame up to about f5 below 50mm. One could also wish for a little more arperture, but I really can't complain too much...I didn't buy it as a portrait lens. On the 30D, it is simply outstanding in every regard.
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Mar 14, 2007
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Matt Graves
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Registered: Jan 13, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1720
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Review Date: Mar 7, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharp images straight out of the camera. Great focal length on a 30D.
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Cons:
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It is f4, but I knew that when I purchased it so I cannot really discount the lens for that.
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I have had the lens now for about a month and have taken roughly 2000 shots with it. I have found that my style of shooting has changed somewhat beecause I am getting a higher keeper rate. Part of that is that I was always testing the limits of light with my 70-200f4L and 17-40f4L lenses. The IS has really allowed me to start taking more ambient lit photo's. It is a great lens for using at parties, where you might want to get a good shot of someone without being in their face (17-40) or being in the other room (70-200).
I tossed around getting this lens or the 24-70 f2.8 USM. The extra 35mm at the long end was what made the decision easier for me, as I felt I wanted it. I might try the 24-70 sometime, but for now this lens is awesome.
I would recommend it to anyone as their first "nice" L lens.
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Mar 7, 2007
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Bruce Sawle
Online
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Registered: Sep 26, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 3976
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Review Date: Mar 6, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,200.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Size, weight,and Contrast
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Cons:
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None
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I love this lens it is the perfect walkaround lens it combines a smaller size than the 24-70L with equal sharpness.
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Mar 6, 2007
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asabet
Offline
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Registered: Sep 13, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 447
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Review Date: Feb 19, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $800.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Focal length range, sharpness, color, contrast, build quality, image stabilization, size, weight.
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Cons:
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Barrel distortion, speed (compared with 24-70L). Bokeh is good but not great.
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I got this lens used at a great price (2 months old and pristine). It is my most used lens on the 5D for all the reasons I listed above. It is sharp wide open throughout the focal length range and is unmatched for versatility. Highly recommended!
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Feb 19, 2007
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ReneMurea
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Registered: Aug 23, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 1312
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Review Date: Feb 18, 2007
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Recommend? |
Price paid: $890.00
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Pros:
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Sharpness, color, build quality. I love almost everything about this lens
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Cons:
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No f/1.2. :)
Doesn't go below 10mm and above 500.
It is not pink.
Ops, I already knew all this when I bought the lens so no surprise here.
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nt
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Feb 18, 2007
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Justin D
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Registered: Sep 8, 2006
Location: Germany
Posts: 787
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Review Date: Feb 16, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,000.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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IS, Perfect range for me on a 30D, Sharp with good colour and contrast
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Cons:
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Bad bokeh
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This lens is a solid all purpose lens. Under the right conditions, it takes awesome shots, though it doesn't do as well as some of my other lenses in less than ideal conditions. There are times when it blows me away and times when I'm a little disappointed that it's not doing all the work for me.
The bokeh is pretty bad - it looks a little like motion blur (even at 1/1000s), which to me makes some of my pictures look like they are taken at slow shutter speeds rather than having out of focus subjects. If you can get a bit of distance between your focal plane and the OOF areas, it isn't so noticeable - it's only when something is not right OOF (though that's always the case to some extent).
The range was perfect for a travel lens for me on a 1.6x camera. I had a 10-22 and 70-200 f4 IS with me for 3 months and I would certainly not hesitate to leave them at home next time.
It stands up well in terms of build quality.
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Feb 16, 2007
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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509
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861012
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May 10, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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86% of reviewers
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$1,518.30
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.49
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8.02
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9.0
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