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John Black
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Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jul 14, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3657
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Review Date: Sep 10, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $725.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Superb image quality, great weight & size & balance.
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Cons:
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Ever since I sold my Zeiss 100/2 Planar, I've been obssessed in finding a replacement. The Zeiss (IMHO) is as good as Canon's legendary 200L F1.8. I sold the Zeiss because I wanted AF and normal metering. As replacements I've tried: Canon 100/2, Canon 70-200L F2.8 and Canon 200l F2.8 II. None of those came close to the Zeiss.
However, the 135L... It may be better than the Zeiss! Edge to edge sharpness on the 1Ds2, great micro contrast and the color is very nice. The lens is light and has great balance, so handheld use is very natural (the Canon 200 F2.8 L was alittle nose-heavy and lens shake was a problem for me).
I guess there are 100 posts above saying how great this lens is, so no reason to write what has already been said. This a great lens and performs wonderfully on FF.
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 Sep 10, 2005
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jabomano
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Registered: Dec 26, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 99
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Review Date: Sep 5, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $750.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Everything about this lens is imcredible, From the focus to the tack sharp images.
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Cons:
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zip, nada
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On my 1Ds, with my studio lights and a pretty lady this lens/camera combo is unbeatable. This image is an extreme crop.
http://www.pbase.com/image/48793337.jpg
Ray
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Sep 5, 2005
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dhphoto
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Registered: Feb 15, 2003
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 8780
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Review Date: Sep 5, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,000.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Fast maximum aperture, good quick focusing, sharp from f 4.5 down, not too expensive for an 'L' lens. Nice manual focus ring & decent big hood included.
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Cons:
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Not that great at full aperture or until f 4.5, still need contrast 'adjustment' on digital. Silly lenshood fitting - not strong enough (not the only Canon lens with this issue !).
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A very good lens, but not the 'astonishing' performer I had hoped for. Much lighter and obvously faster than my 70-200 2.8L but optically not really that different. Not quite as good at or near wide open as I'd been led to believe and therefore much the same as the 70-200 when stopped down. I previously had the 135 F2 FD series lens, which was just as good if not slightly better - perhaps the lead free glass now used?
I'm not absolutely sure I will keep it. Shame, the reviews are just *so* good I had hoped for a tiny bit more.
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Sep 5, 2005
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Edwingoh
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Registered: Aug 19, 2005
Location: China
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Aug 21, 2005
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Recommend? |
Price paid: $890.00
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Pros:
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Really sharp @ F2, Color, Contrast are very good ! Bokeh....very good lens
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Cons:
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None
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After i use 3 weeks, The lens is really sharp and color and contrast are really good.. The Bokeh is very good....same as my 85mm F1.2L. Very sharp even Wide open....The autofocus is very fast. This is one of the best canon prime Lens....really nice.
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Aug 21, 2005
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Edwingoh
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Registered: Aug 19, 2005
Location: China
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Aug 19, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $890.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Really Sharp...even wide open, Light weight ! I have 85mm 1.2 & this lens....really good !!
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Cons:
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none
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Just brought the lens 2 weeks....after shoot around 200 shots....found out the lens is really sharp....even at F2, just like my 85mm 1.2, autofocus is very fast....very good Prime lens of Canon. I like it so much.....
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Aug 19, 2005
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coffeeshakes
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Mar 12, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 459
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Review Date: Aug 18, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Color, contrast & sharpness. Balances perfectly with 1 series body. Bokeh.
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Cons:
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No weather sealing, cost.
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Not much to say that others already have not. I wish it was sealed so I could use it in snowstorms. Pricy but worth it. Love the size on my 1D.
Good light, a pretty girl, a 1Ds, and this. Can't get better!
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Aug 18, 2005
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jcmedeiros
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Registered: Jun 30, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 744
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Review Date: Aug 16, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Light, razor sharp and very fast.
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Cons:
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None.
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There's not much to say other than this is one fine lens. The Only my 300mm f/4.0L can compare to the razor sharp images produced by this jewel. With the aperture wide open the brokeh is phenomenal.
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Aug 16, 2005
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kriskent
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Registered: Aug 4, 2005
Location: Philippines
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Aug 11, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Everything
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Cons:
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Nothing
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nuff said hehehe
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Aug 11, 2005
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Duane E
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Registered: Jul 6, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Jul 24, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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f/2, Sharp, sharp, sharp, L-glass quality, Oh yeah, it's sharp!
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Cons:
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None at all.
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The perfect portrait lens, bar none!!!! Probably one of the best lenses ever made. The pictures this thing produces are breathtaking!!
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Jul 24, 2005
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sebhoff
Offline
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Registered: Apr 3, 2004
Location: Germany
Posts: 70
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Review Date: Jun 28, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $865.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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fast and accurate focus, sharpness, colour, bokeh, bokeh and bokeh.
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Cons:
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none found yet
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I bought this lens over a month ago and I'm still amazed at the pictures it allows me to take. I've hardly taken it off my camera for the last few weeks - although this of course means that I shoot a lot of low-light portraits at the moment. ;-) Size and weight feel "just right" on my 20D - unless I add my 420EX, which does make the whole combo a bit heavier than I like it to be.
I'm very demanding when it comes to focus accuracy and this lens hasn't let me down yet - it seems to work perfectly on my 20D. Also, while I regularly postprocess many of my other shots, I very often find that the pictures taken with my 135/2 hardly require any further work.
If you like to shoot portraits, you will not regret forking out the money for this!
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Jun 28, 2005
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KP82
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Registered: Jun 22, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jun 22, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent sharpness even wide open; Great color, contrast and bokeh; Very good build quality; More stealth(compared to those white tele L's)
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Cons:
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A little long for portraits on a 1.6x body
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I use this lens not only for portraits, but also for shooting animals in the zoo and indoor sports. Top notch image quality, never regret buying this baby. The only other lens which I can think of to be better is 200/f1.8L, unfortunately Canon no longer sells it.
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Jun 22, 2005
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mfoto
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Sep 18, 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 2240
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Review Date: Jun 19, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $960.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Solid Contruction, sharp, fast f/2, light weight
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Cons:
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Perhaps not as as sharp as I thought it would have been at f/2
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If you hang here at FM for too long there is a good chance you will end up with this lens. Too many photographers just keeps showing great results obtained with it. I would like to think it's not just the lens. You do need to know what you are doing.
The 135L has a perfect weight balance with my 20D. I tried the 70-200 2.8L IS but found is just too bulky and cumbersome to lug around with my 20D. I do have the 70-200 4L but found I needed the two extra stops in many situations. The ability to throw the background out of focus is the other real strong point with the 135L as it produces a very pleasant looking bokeh. I've only had the lens for three weeks but I do find I use it whenever can over the 70-200 4L.
My favorite FOV is probably closer to the 85 range on my 20D so I got the 135L very much with the future in mind where I see myself getting a 1.3x crop camera or even full frame depending on what the future might bring.
The lens is not as sharp as thought it would have been at f/2 but I haven't done any brick wall studies on this. I find I get really good results and a pleasant look around f/2.5-f/2.8. It might just the very shallow DOF playing tricks with me to this point. I've had great looking f/2 shots as well so take this comment with a grain of salt.
You can follow my 135L progress and results here:
http://www.pbase.com/mfoto/135
NB. now just tell your wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend that this lens is a 'must have' :-)
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Jun 19, 2005
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jazzy17
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Apr 3, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 102
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Review Date: Jun 10, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Solid, substantial build. Discreet size and colour. Picture contrast, colour, sharpness is stunning. Compatability with Canon extenders.
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Cons:
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None.
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Had this lens for 2 days. I was expecting something special but not this fantastic. I thought it would not fair as well as my other smaller focal range primes with from f1.4 in low light at high ISO but I was VERY wrong. The pictures ooze quality indoors, low light or outdoors. Bokeh is good. Focussing is good even with the Canon 1.4x tc with no major degradation of picture quality.
This lens has made me re-consider buying the Canon 70-200 IS in the future - my monopod and tripod will be my IS! I'm holding onto this lens and not letting go. It will be on my 20D this weekend for a commissioned shoot at a 2 day music festival for those candids.
Everything else that is great has already been said.
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Jun 10, 2005
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Morgra
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Registered: Oct 12, 2004
Location: Denmark
Posts: 45
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Review Date: Jun 8, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,400.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharpness. Build quality. Weight. Bokeh. Color. Fast autofocus.
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Cons:
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No moistureresistense. Vignetting.
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I am very pleased with the imagequality of this lens. The aperture 2.0 is great for throwing the backgrund out of focus.
The bokeh is very smooth and buttery. Color, sharpness and autofocus are very good. My only complaint is that it vignets quite bad when i shoot wide open. This can easily be correted in PS, but i think a lens at this price should not have this problem.
Recommended.
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Jun 8, 2005
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Gorham
Offline
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Registered: Jun 2, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 1
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Review Date: May 18, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp images, neutral color, fast focusing, quiet USM motor, good weight balance.
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Cons:
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None
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This is one of the most wonderful lenses I've ever seen! Sorry to wax poetic but when I first got it (and ever since), when I look into the lens from the "business" end, I am awed by the clear, deep stillness of the elements. This is a beautifully crafted imaging instrument and one of only two I can say that about in all my stable of glass.
With each DSLR multiplier, this lens has what seems to be a slightly different use. I like it for sports from above - balcony or catwalk if it's not too high (in which case you'll not find me there anyway!).
I'm not sure I could justify it based on use but I do like owing it and when the setting is right, it produces truly excellent results.
I think I'm glad Canon hasn't made all their primes like this one. I'd be bankrupt!
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May 18, 2005
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Big Mick
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 8, 2005
Location: N/A
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 13, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Put it on my 10D and never took it off.
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Cons:
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IS would be nice.
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Wish I would have bought this lens sooner. This lens and a 1.4TC makes a nice small 300 mm f2.8 for a digital camera.
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May 13, 2005
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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382
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503243
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Apr 30, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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96% of reviewers
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$1,301.92
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.80
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9.40
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9.9
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