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rickz
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Registered: May 31, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Jul 28, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharp, bright, and light, with fast USM focusing. An excellent value.
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Cons:
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Chromatic aberration at the widest apertures, but cleans up easily.
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Smaller and FAR LESS costly than the admirable 85/1.2, the 85/1.8 is a perfect value. In the three years I've owned this lens, it's been my top portrait glass. At receptions, it's usually on the 20D when the 40D is wearing the 17-55/2.8. Its sharpness and bokeh have elicited "ooooos" and "aaaaas" from my customers. That's good enough for me. :-)
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 Jul 28, 2009
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matnen
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Registered: Dec 13, 2008
Location: Ukraine
Posts: 104
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Review Date: Jul 15, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Compact.Sharp.USM.Perfect colors.Nice 'bokeh'.
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Cons:
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none yet
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Wonderful lens for portrait shots.Sharp.Lightweight.Good bokeh.Accurate AF.Natural colors.Clear images.Good companion for 50 1,4. This lens lives on my XTi.Well balanced on Rebel-like bodies.
Happy with this lens
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Jul 15, 2009
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Enche Tjin
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Registered: Jun 14, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jun 17, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $400.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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compact, good built quality, sharp, good color and contrast, excellent for portrait
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Cons:
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not sharp at f/1.8
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Canon 85mm f/1.8 is probably the best value Canon lens. The quality of the image is very good, big aperture allow low light hand held shot and create a shallow depth of field. The auto focus is quiet and very fast.
Build quality of this lens is very good, feels very solid and definitely a step up from kit lens. It is relatively short and light weight compared to general purpose lens (3.0" x 2.8", 15.0 oz. / 75.0 x 71.5mm, 425g).
Application of this lens will be portrait, indoor sport (basketball, volleyball), art performance and candid photography.
* Wide open at f/1.8, this lens is soft but create a very nice 'bokeh' great for girls portraits.
* at f/2.8, the center of the image is very sharp, my favorite setting for general portraits and sports.
* at f/4 and above, the image is very sharp edge to edge, especially f/8 where you get the maximum sharpness.
There is nothing that I can complain about this lens at this price point because it has very good built quality, excellent in low light especially freezing motion, and awesome for portraits. It worth every penny. I recommend this lens in addition to your general purpose kit lens.
Please visit my blog www.radiantlite.com for sample photos and video tour
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Jun 17, 2009
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hashin
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Registered: Jun 3, 2009
Location: India
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jun 3, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharpness, Contrast, Fast AF
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Cons:
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Nil
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I upgraded from my kit lens 18-55mm lens to this superb lens. It hasn't come of my camera body since.
Images are super sharp. Absolutely no post processing required.
The only drawback is that i sometimes find it too long for my taste.
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Jun 3, 2009
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netminder0
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Registered: Apr 1, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 780
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Review Date: May 30, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very good IQ, very good contrast, good/fast autofocus, lightweight/small, cheap, very good value
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Cons:
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None
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This is a wonderful lens. Pretty much everything good about it is listed above. It is a very good value. For the price you pay, it is a very good lens. Sure it isn't the best 85mm lens available from Canon, but for the money, it may be.
Any further questions, just shoot me a PM.
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May 30, 2009
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philbinley
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Jun 30, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 760
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Review Date: May 14, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $275.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Size-f/1.8-bokeh-excellent IQ-high value to cost ratio!
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Cons:
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None @ this price!
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I have been using this lens for right around a year now, and decided it was time to upgrade since I was starting to get some paid work now. I was pretty much just wanting to upgrade for the creative aspects of the shallow DOF of the 85mm f/1.2L. It wasn't because I was unhappy with the 85mm f/1.8. When I got the 85 L I couldn't believe the size of this thing, so I slapped it on and went...wow, I don't get it ??? There was no improvement in IQ, matter of fact, the 85 1.8, probably because of it's size and speed, had more keepers! Bokeh was better in my opinion coming out of the 85 1.8! There was zero improvement in IQ! That right folks...I said zero improvement in IQ! So I sent the monster back and have not looked back since. So if your on the fence about this lens, don't be. Just buy it and enjoy all the extra change in your pocket to buy more lenses 
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May 14, 2009
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ttriolo
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Registered: May 24, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 1
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Review Date: May 12, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $355.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Incredible value, excellent bokeh, decent build quality for the price, quick focus.
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Cons:
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Nothing that I can think of, except the hood could be a bit beefier.
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For months I lusted after the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L lens. I needed that focal length mainly for portraits on the 5D. I had a 70-200 f/4 which fulfilled the focal length requirement, but I wanted something brighter, smaller and something that would give me beautiful bokeh, something which I wasn't getting from the 70-200. You may be asking, if I wanted something lighter, why was I looking at the 85mm 1.2L? Admittedly, it is not a lightweight, and while it may be shorter, it may not be much lighter, if any. The cost was another sobering factor. I didn't know if I could justify $1800 for a lens that I might not use all that much since I'm not primarily a portrait photographer. Even when I had the chance to get a like-new one for $300 less at a photo flea-market, I had reason to hesitate. That's when I started to look at the 1.8 version. Up to that point, I had only purchased L glass and I didn't want to deviate from that practice, especially for a prime lens, but when I began to read the extremely favorable reviews on this site, I had to take a hard look at the 1.8. Factoring in the cost, approximately 1/5th that of the 1.2, I just had to go for it. Initially, I tried to do even better, by finding a good deal on eBay. There are lots of 85mm f/1.8 lenses on eBay, but a lot of folks are looking for one too. If your winning bid is $25 less than retail, consider yourself lucky. That being the case, I went ahead and just bought a new one from B&H. The first results have been terrific and while the 1.2L lens may have the edge on wide-open sharpness, I don't think it justifies the cost, not for me anyway.
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May 12, 2009
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Sayeret18
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Apr 1, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 597
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Review Date: Apr 23, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Price, f1.8, size, balance between cost/performance
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Cons:
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Color/contrast of my copy definitely "consumer lens" quality.
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This is a good lens, but it is not (at least to my eyes) a great lens. I've used it primarily for indoor sports and found it to be quite sharp, with decently fast focus. It is sharp (expected from a prime) but I've found color and contrast to be more similar to the 28-105 f3.5 - 4.5 than to my 70-200 f4IS or 135L.
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Apr 23, 2009
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JRKO
Offline
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Registered: Jan 13, 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Apr 1, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Very sharp - lightweight - price for an f1.8
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Cons:
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A bit too long for my liking making framing harder
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Great value lens but found it just a little too long even of a FF body. Loved the sharpness and limited DOF.
The Bokeh if very soft but I can't get around the distance I have to work at for a full length portrait shot. This made controlling the subject position/pose a bit harder than I am comfortable with. I can do head shots at 200mm but prefer to be closer.
Not bad for low light work though. Have Sigma 50mm f1.4 now so will be selling this.
http://jrko.zenfolio.com/p777028168/h14f24def#h14f24def
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Apr 1, 2009
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wassphoto
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Registered: Mar 27, 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 27
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Review Date: Mar 27, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $355.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Very sharp even at 1.8. Fast abnd very quiet AF. FTM. Good build quality
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Cons:
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Bokeh fringing at wide apertures is clearly visible and could be annoying. AF could be hit and miss sometimes at f1.8.
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Half an hour after I got this lens I started thinking of sending it back. I was testing its focus and it was front focusing. I was able to fix this with the microadjustement on the 50D but then ironically it stopped doing this after a short while and had to bring the microadjustement on the camera back to 0.
The purple fringing that shows in the oof part is sometimes annoying. Stopping down the lens to f4 will make the fringing almost totally disappear.
On the positive side, the lens is super sharp even at 1.8 and has nice contrast. The bokeh is not to die for but it is not bad either.
I already have the 70-200 f4 L and I got this one for low light indoor conditions. In terms of shaprness, the 85mm is on par with the L lens at least in the center. But everything else it is not comparable to the L lens (contrast, bokeh, presence of CA, etc).
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Mar 27, 2009
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Badmono
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Registered: Mar 10, 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Mar 19, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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CHeap - cheap -cheap - great IQ and bokeh - fast focussing when it works!!
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Cons:
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I've had problems with the AF drive motor [twice] so reliability ain't up to normal 'L' primes IMO
No Lens hood provided - why, they only cost a couple of bucks on Ebay??
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If I hadn't had the AF DRIVE PROBLEMS i'D RATE THIS LENS A 10 - HOWEVER the poor build means it only gets 5.
IQ is fabulous - and the lens is as sharp as an 'L' prime from F2.8.
Contrast is wonderful and AF is Very fast when it works, perhaps I was unlucky with my lens.
Compared to the F1.2 'L' 85mm the lens is a real bargain, and one every Canon user should have in the bag.
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Mar 19, 2009
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marcaris
Offline
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Registered: Feb 20, 2009
Location: Canada
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Mar 14, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Very Sharp, Very Good Colours and Contrast
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Cons:
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No Image Stabilization
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Mar 14, 2009
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stargazer78
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Registered: Jan 18, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 350
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Review Date: Feb 20, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $350.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very nice bokeh; USM and FTM; Small & lightweight; One of the best lenses for the money;
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Cons:
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The optional hood isn't particularly nice.
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[ Reviewed on an EOS 5D Mark II and Rebel XTi]
Good build quality. The lens is small & lightweight, balances very well on both a Rebel-sized body, and on an 5D body as well. Features ring USM and Full Time Manual Focusing, two very important features in a prime lens. USM is quick and responsive, very silent. There's some play in the focus ring, but otherwise FTM is perfect.
When I first got the lens (originally with the Rebel XTi), I felt it was a bit soft when shooting wide open @ f1.8. Turns out it was back focusing a little. One trip to Canon's Service center made all the difference. The lens is razor sharp in the center, even when shooting wide open. There's a slight loss of contrast when shooting wide open, but it's not a big deal.
However, the lens doesn't really comes into its own until it's mounted on a full frame body. The EF 85 f1.8 is an ok lens for a Rebel, but it is downright gorgeous on a 5DII. The bokeh is beautiful, and the ability to isolate subjects with shallow DoF is amazing. I even like the vignetting effect on full frame --- I often leave it uncorrected because IMHO it adds some mystique to the photos. I'd say that 90% of my shots with this lens are done at an aperture of f2.2 or larger. It's that good.
In my opinion, the 85 f1.8 is one of the best bargains in Canon's lineup. I'd have a hard time finding another lens that offers USM, FTM, a very large aperture, and excellent bokeh all for only $350. For that reason, I rate this lens a 10.
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Feb 20, 2009
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oajlu
Offline
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Registered: Nov 19, 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 170
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Review Date: Jan 30, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $550.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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sharp, no distortion, fast speed, solid build.
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Cons:
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no IS and hood is not included
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Jan 30, 2009
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Starday
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Registered: Jan 22, 2009
Location: Finland
Posts: 0
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Jan 25, 2009
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eanderson123
Offline
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Registered: Nov 21, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 186
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Review Date: Jan 17, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $350.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Light Fast Sharp Great Color
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Cons:
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None for me
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This lens loves my 5D. Perfect for head shots. If all you have are zooms this is the perfect 1st prime to cut your teeth on.
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Jan 17, 2009
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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307
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462334
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Feb 14, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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95% of reviewers
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$349.50
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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8.92
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9.46
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9.4
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