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rbraun
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Registered: Sep 10, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 332
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Review Date: Dec 14, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,200.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Fabulous image quality, clarity and color rendition. Smooth OOF areas a.k.a. Bokeh
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Cons:
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Big, manual focus only works with shutter button partially depressed
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1. Slow AF. Not for me. AF is adequate for my needs.
2. Weight. This is a big lens. Compared to leica 90mm Summicron this lens is a giant, but it does wear on a Canon body well. I would say the weight of Canon L glass is only a problem if you carry more than one of them in your camera bag. It gets heavy pretty quickly.
3. Usage. I love to use this lens everywhere.
I used it in shooting hockey games
<br>
<img src="http://www.widereach.net/rodina/images/portfolio/faceoff.jpg">
I used it to shoot in low light on the street
<br>
<img src="http://www.widereach.net/rodina/images/portfolio/onthephone.jpg">
I used it to shoot portraits.
<br>
<img src="http://www.widereach.net/rodina/images/2005/yveta102005.2.jpg">
4. Care. There is a lot of dollars invested in this lens. Pamper it.
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 Dec 14, 2005
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gorim
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Registered: Dec 4, 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 7
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Review Date: Dec 10, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Fabulous bokeh, contrasts, and color. Pulls in the light.
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Cons:
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Sure it focuses slow like everyone says, but not enough to be a problem
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Rather than repeat all of the good things everyone else has said, I will focus on my opinions of the negatives everyone else has said. This is based on my experience of using it as a primary walk-around lens for the past 2 months.
1. Slow AF. Yes, its true, but I found it is not much slower than my 50/1.8, and honestly, it hasn't been a terrible issue for me. I frequently shoot moving targets and my OOF rate is about 2/3. Frequent pre-focusing helps alot. AI Focus can help too.
2. Weight. Yes, its heavy, but its also not as bad as most people make it out to be. Its a short lens, so the weight is close to the camera body, so it is actually not so difficult to hand-hold and keep steady, especially compared to longer lens. The way the lens frame narrows towards the rear makes hand-placement for holding rather convenient. I once walked around an event for 6 hours with this mounted on a 350D w/grip and 580EX all around my neck. No problems (but you need a comfortable neck strap!).
3. Usage. Many will say this one is best used in a portrait studio where it can be safe and secure on a tripod. Bollocks. There is no disagreement that this lens may have little equal in that setting, but the idea that it should be held captive within, rather than allowed the freedom to go out, is sad. It can do so much more. In my case, this stays on my 20D as my primary walk-around candid lens. I now prefer it over my 35D and 135D. Granted, one must accept the challenge of the slow AF and razor DOF wide-open, but the results are worth it.
4. Care. It does require a bit more conscious thought. Canon strongly recommends it be set to infinity for storage so that the lens elements are fully retracted. The rear element is quite flush to the metal mount, making it high risk for scratching if carelessly handled while attaching/removing from the camera body. Not a bad practice to have anyhow.
Overall, I have been extremely happy with this lens.
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Dec 10, 2005
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Vinny Viper
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Registered: Dec 8, 2005
Location: N/A
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Dec 8, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Beautiful Images - Fantastic Blur Capability - Build Quality - Sharpness - Colour - Hand Held Indoor Shots (Club's Concerts & Gigs) - THE Twilight Lens
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Cons:
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Slow Focus after using 400 F2.8 L IS USM & 70-200 F2.8 L IS USM
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If I had to choose one lens to use always the 85 1.2 L USM would be it.
This lens is simply stunning.
Don't just sit there reading this... go buy one for yourself and discover why this lens is addictive!
My Great Dane even lets me take shots of him with this Lens...
So to sum up... Nigh on Perfect.
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Dec 8, 2005
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Daniel Buck
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Registered: Jan 12, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3458
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Review Date: Dec 4, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,499.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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optical quality, solid feeling lens
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Cons:
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for some, the price and weight
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good lens, but not as "magical" as the internet has made it to be. And the focusing is not as slow as the internet has made it to be. Focusing is slower than all of my other lenses, but it has not been a problem.
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Dec 4, 2005
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dave_in_gva
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Registered: Nov 24, 2005
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 27
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Review Date: Nov 24, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Detail, bokeh, contrast and colour saturation, focal length
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Cons:
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Price, weight. Some will find focusing problematic.
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This lens is capable of providing stunning resolution, combined with exceptional colour and contrast.
If you can afford it you will not be disappointed from a final image quality perspective.
That said, vignetting at the very largest apertures (say 2 and lower) is visible, albeit easily corrected and not easy to detect in some images. Focusing for some will take getting used to as others have noted and is of course more of an issue at the wide end. Some will find the weight a problem although I do not.
With those realities in mind what you are left with is simply a very high quality optic.
Some images made with this lens that reveal it's capacity for detail extraction:
http://www.pbase.com/david_meddings/image/51444136/original
http://www.pbase.com/david_meddings/image/51444137/original
http://www.pbase.com/david_meddings/image/51442327/original
At F1.2 the effects from extremely shallow depth of field and a superb bokeh can produce very particular effects:
http://www.pbase.com/david_meddings/image/51632893/original
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Nov 24, 2005
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JohntheMackem
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Registered: Sep 28, 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Nov 3, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Razor sharp, faster auto-focusing than expected (even in low light), lovely smooth fly-by-wire manual focusing. Beautifully made. It even looks awesome when mounted on the camera!
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Cons:
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Nothing - it's the finest lens I've ever owned and worth every penny
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Just got this lens and only taken a few shots so far. Firstly, it focuses faster than a lot of reviews suggest - it's certainly quick enough for me, especially on the 1D II. Manual focusing is lovely, smooth as silk and better than expected. However, the 45 point focusing a bit of a hinderence especially close up and I'm only certain I've nailed the focus when using a single central focusing point - honestly the DOF is THAT shallow! However, when you Do nail it, this lens is sharp enough to cut yourself with and makes my other L lenses seem second rate, even my beloved 70-200 f2.8 IS is put to shame! It's so sharp that if you intend to get any closer than a half-length portrait, you had better use very soft light or be prepared to spend a lot of time in Photoshop - it picks up every pore and every skin blemish! Goodness knows what it could do on a 1DS II!
The colours it produces are wonderful and it's fun to use as the DOF and bokeh are unreal. I spent months deciding whether or not to buy this and now that I have I'm having the most fun with my photography than I have since I was a kid. If you're considering this lens, do yourself a favour and buy it!
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Nov 3, 2005
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Sharmy
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Registered: Nov 3, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Nov 3, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image quality, BOKEH
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Cons:
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Not dust and water sealed. Does not transmit distance information to camera for ETTL II flash use.
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A truely remarkable lens. Out of this world BOKEH - you won't believe it until you see it. It really does open up a whole new world of photography to you.
Focus speed - fine with 1DMK2 - remember, focusing element has so much work to do.
Weight - fine. One expects a quality lens to be heavy.
As much as I like my other L series lenses, this has quickly become my favorite.
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Nov 3, 2005
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wongwai
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Registered: Sep 16, 2003
Location: China
Posts: 55
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Oct 31, 2005
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Emre
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Registered: Sep 9, 2005
Location: Turkey
Posts: 20
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Review Date: Oct 28, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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did anybody use this lens with eos350d and elan 7ne?
if so were u satisfied
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Oct 28, 2005
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Sneakyracer
Online
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Registered: Mar 24, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 1713
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Review Date: Oct 26, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,500.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Image Quality [sharpness, color, contrast, bokeh], this is it, one of the best lenses made.
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Cons:
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Some purple fringing at wide appertures can be seen in extreme highlights [shiny objects]
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This is it, one of the best lenses made. Optically is excellent except for the purple fringing wide open in point highlights. Dont know if its an issue with digital sensor but its there and can be bothersome on an an otherwise spectacular piece of glass. [btw, the 85mm f1.8 was way worse]
Subjectively it renders images with a nice "look" to them. In another league from other lenses.
I read a LOT of comments/reviews before buying. One concern was focus speed, well when I got the lens it isnt nearly as bad as most people said it was, in fact, it focuses quite nicely.
Also, I expected it to be a tad soft at f1.2, OMG!! it isn't. Ive used it mostly at f1.2~1.6 and sharpness is excellent. Focus accuracy has been very good with 1D mk2.
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Oct 26, 2005
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maximage
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Registered: Jan 24, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 96
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Review Date: Oct 17, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,495.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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sharpness, weight (good balancing on pro bodies), amazing background blur ability. super-bright view through viewfinder is addictive - F2.8 zooms look dark like hell compared to it. Great build quality
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Cons:
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price (but large aperture is never cheap). lens front extends during focusing, although not much.
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Literally a 'canon ball', this thing's diameter is even larger than that of big zooms like 70-200IS or 100-400IS. But that's what it takes to make a bright lens like this. At F1.2 it's already plenty sharp. Many people said its aF is very slow. It's slower than the faster IF or RF designs such as 135/2 or modern zooms, but it's very useable. It's made to be slow yet accurate, as the DOF at F1.2 becomes so shallow. A focus limiter would definitely boost AF performance. Need to be careful when you mount the lens as the rear element flush with the metal mount. Image is tack sharp with silky background. Has to be seen to be believed. Worth every yen...
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Oct 17, 2005
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mauriceramirez
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Registered: Jul 16, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 2905
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Review Date: Oct 12, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,500.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Size and weight make for a nice feel handholding w/1d2. Incredible low-light work opens up. Really "personalized" type of portrait look. Beats the 70-200 in every way and it's not even that obnoxious color. Compact enough to fit well in a hipbag.
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Cons:
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Hood turns on lens. AF is too slow for fast-moving subjects. Mounting needs to be done rather carefully. Manual focusing takes some getting used to as the lens locks up w/o power.
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Wow. This lens settles *all* of my switching regrets. And my old EF 85mm f1.8 is not even close to it in sharpness and especially contrast and flare. So I don't see any need for it, the 135L, or the 70-200IS L at all now. On the 1d2 it's not even that slow of AF. And the rubbery build really compliments the body. It's not a fair comparison, but I prefer using this lens over every other Canon lens, even the 35L and the 16-35L, because I can do so much more with it for overall every day usage.
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Oct 12, 2005
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Ed te Pas
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Registered: May 23, 2003
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 876
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Review Date: Sep 20, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,400.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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My most creative lense
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Cons:
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none
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You get what you are paying for. This is my most fav. lens to get isolated shot, when doing candids. I'm using 2 cams and this one is always on 1 of them.
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Sep 20, 2005
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Anden
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Registered: Jun 21, 2004
Location: Sweden
Posts: 6468
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Review Date: Sep 8, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Fast!!! and sharp. Fantastic colors and contrast.
The bokeh is amazing. Smooth and creamy.
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Cons:
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Heavy (adds stability though). Slower focus than the 85 1.8.
Price maybe? No it is worth every dollar.
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I´ve had 2 85 1.8 and also a 135L for portraits.
They are not in the same league when it comes to lowlight-shooting.
It is a huge difference between 135L @ 2.0 and 85 @ 1.2.
The added weight also adds stability. I use mine around 1/50th and get good results. Had a hard time using the 135L under 1/160th.
Stopped down to 2.0-2.5 the amazing color and contrast starts to show. Sharpness is good to very good wide open. The contrast is a little lower.
I love this canonball. It is the last lens I will part with.
This lens + 5D and 35L, thats all I need.
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Sep 8, 2005
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Brent Ward
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Registered: Jan 22, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 3422
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Review Date: Sep 6, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,300.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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This lens lets you shoot images that are just not possible with a normal lens.
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Cons:
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Autofocus is sluggish, but is still usable.
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Sep 6, 2005
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Thouse
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Registered: Aug 3, 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 751
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Review Date: Aug 30, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,175.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Optics are out of this world; build is typical L; light-sucking ability is unreal; colour and contrast are superb......I can go on and on and on with how great this lens is!!
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Cons:
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None for me!!
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Having had the very good 'cheaper' cousin (85F1,8), I found that with my DRebel, I just wasn't using this focal length all that much. Once I switched to a 1D, 85mm suddenly seemed to work much better for me. I also decided that I am a prime person so my dream trio of primes are 35L, 85L, and 135L. I picked up a great condition used 85L and was immediately drawn to the heftiness of this lens!! It is quite a chunk of glass. I find that while the AF is slightly slower than the f1,8 version, it doesn't bother me at all! The quality just exhudes from this lens.......contrast and colour are the best I have seen (and yes, I have owned a 135L). People often describe shots taken with this lens as magical and once you start using it, you quickly realize what they mean. It is as good as you read about..........
The one thing I must mention with the 85L is that there is a learning curve in getting consistantly good shots with the very narrow DoF wide open and even stopped down a bit. I am still in the learning mode but that is half the fun! It is a fun lens to learn and when you do get a great result, it is well worth the expense. Highly highly recommended!!
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Aug 30, 2005
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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124
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236523
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Mar 3, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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95% of reviewers
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$1,381.10
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.70
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8.53
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9.5
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