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jmauro
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Registered: Sep 19, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 1038
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Review Date: Oct 8, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,149.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Fast dead silent AF, VERY sharp, IS
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Cons:
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Only f/4, very limited indoor ability
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Purchased this lens a few weeks ago with high hopes, and thankfully it came through for me. Great telephoto lens for the photographer who cannot afford the expensive f/2.8's out there. Built in hood works very well, once extended, rotate it to lock and there are no issues at all!
Lighter than a 70-200 f/2.8L, but still not exactly 'walk around weight'.
This is my first L and IS lens, and it has made me a firm believer in both!
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 Oct 8, 2005
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ptnik
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Registered: Oct 5, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Oct 5, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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small and light, super sharp, IS, very usuable lens.
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Cons:
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none
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I use this 9 out of ten times and I USE THE 300 F2.8 only once in ten times. Its lighter just as sharp...well my clients cannot tell the diferrence...and its handholdeable ALL day long.
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Oct 5, 2005
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maximage
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Registered: Jan 24, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 95
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Review Date: Oct 1, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,150.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great image quality. Fast AF. IS works very well. Light weight compared to 2.8 version. Built-in hood very handy.
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Cons:
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Tripod ring is not very smooth. Doesn't have markings on lens body to align the lens with tripod ring.
Lens' white color screams 'expensive photo gear come and get me'.
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The 'Big gun' for those who don't want to carry 6+ lbs or don't want to spend $4k. A great performer. Image is sharp and contrasty. Not a 'dog' like some websites called it at all. works very well with 1.4X TC as well. IS is very effective. Got tack sharp photos handheld at 1/30s.
Wish it has the updated IS so it can be used on tripod. IS has a louder (not really loud) noise than new IS lenses. Not weather sealed. Tripod ring isn't very smooth. Doesn't have markings on the body to align the tripod ring.
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Oct 1, 2005
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Perdu
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Registered: Aug 1, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1657
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Review Date: Sep 26, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Color, contrast, bokeh, ergomonics, IS, F4, 4.9 foot (1.5m) focusing
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Cons:
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Not a zoom, AF can hunt if you are going from macro to distance
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I have owned this lens for four weeks. If I can, I will update the review in several months.
This lens does a bit of everything:
- close wildlife
- large macro
- sports
- candid portrature
The ergomonics of this lens are very good:
- 2.6lbs
- not nose heavy, good balance on my 10D
- easy to hand hold
- huge focusing ring
- built in metal hood (saves space, lets you put on filters)
It has excellent contrast, color and Bokeh, and it's sharp. Metering is very good with my 10D.
What I like most about this lens is the IS combined with its ergomonics make it very easy to get good photo's out of this lens without having to work at it.
AF is fast, but would be faster on a pro body. AF can get confused becuase of the huge focusing range. I take no chances and pre-focus. I've missed a few shots because my last shot was close in and the shot I want is much further away. No big deal, but be aware of it.
The 100-400L is more versitle, the 400 f5.6 has faster AF and is said to be sharper, but there's something about this lens. For starters it's F4. For a prime, its a great all rounder and creates excellent results.
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Sep 26, 2005
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konkrete
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Registered: Aug 9, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Sep 13, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Price, image stabilization, excellent optics, relatively light weight, sure-footed focus, close focus capability...superb overall value.
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Cons:
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Slightly noisy first generation image stabilization. Not a 2.8...but it's not that much of an issue with the IS and low noise digital sensors.
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I love this lens. Crisp, detailed images with very good color and contrast. Image stabilization makes good hand held shots possible. I just did a hummingbird series and it would have been quite difficult to accomplish without the IS.
Another great aspect of this lens is that it doubles as a near macro lens. You can focus at under 5 feet.
Highly recommended and one of the best values out there.
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Sep 13, 2005
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tanglefoot47
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Registered: Oct 12, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 14726
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Review Date: Aug 27, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Fast AF, SUPER sharp, IS, fairly inexpensive for such a great lens. Love the white, very well built and love the built in hood. Best of all it works great with the Canon 1.4 II still sharp as a tack with great color and contrast.
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Cons:
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Non except it is a little noisy but we all know that
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I just bought this lens about a month and a half ago and of all my L lenses I have owned it is the best. That includes my 70-200 f/2.8 and the 100-400 IS I sold awhile back. I would highly recommend this lens
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Aug 27, 2005
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ollram
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Registered: Oct 21, 2004
Location: Estonia
Posts: 921
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Review Date: Aug 27, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,150.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Solid, decent price, 'white"
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Cons:
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no
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A great lens at affordable price! Get it new or used!
Crisp photos! Great to be used with 1.4x extender as well
i used to have the EF 75-300 f4-5.6 IS, well its like comparing day with night!
recommended
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Aug 27, 2005
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euro
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Registered: Sep 5, 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 1131
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Review Date: Jul 28, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharp, quick af, decent price
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Cons:
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no is, f/4
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overall this is a solid lens. I borowed this lens to shoot some baseball and i am pretty impressed. AF is quiet and fast, lens hood helps when its bright out. I didnt notice any lens flare either. The only downside is its f/4 and no IS which can effect how your pictures come out when your hand holding in places that arent well lit. Other then that there really is nothing to complain about this lens is super sharp and i think a pretty good price when you consider what you get. I definately recommend this lens to any photo enthusist that doesnt have the money for pro equipment.
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Jul 28, 2005
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mblome
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Registered: Oct 10, 2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 70
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Review Date: Jul 25, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharp wide open, SUPER sharp by 5.6, lens hood, awesome semi macro
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Cons:
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Auto focus isnt as good as the 400 5.6
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It is the flexibility of this lens that amazes me... having an amazing 300 F4 IS prime...and a very good 420 5.6 with TC... and a lense that is competent for semi-macro work...all in a small package... i have shot football, surfing, wildlife, flowers people.... this lens is a one man band
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
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Jul 25, 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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Sharp, L-glass quality, built in hood, IS, price is a bargain!
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Cons:
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NONE AT ALL!
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Great lens at a good price! Very, very sharp and works great with the 1.4X converter. IS is very useful for handheld shots. This lens exceeds my expectations, what a great bargain for a 300mm prime, and it's a Canon!!!!
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Jul 24, 2005
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Peter Kirk
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Registered: Sep 25, 2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 303
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Review Date: Jul 15, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Small, Light, sharp as sharp can be, beautiful bokeh, very nice colour rendition, IS
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Cons:
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apart from the slight noise from the IS, this lens is perfect in every way.
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I just sold both my Canon300f2.8L and my Sigma120-300f2.8,
Normally I would miss the extra stop, howeverwith the great high iso performance of modern day DLSR's not an issue. The lens is just as sharp as its big brother, almost half its size and weight....which makes this lens very usuable and handholdable. I cannot fault this lens it is absolutely superb. Birds, sports, fashion...the list goes on.
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Jul 15, 2005
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dmc5
Offline
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Registered: Feb 12, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Jun 13, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Excellent macro capability, sharp, good IS, fast autofocus
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Cons:
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Seemed a little less sharp with the 1.4x on the 20D, but perhaps an artifact of handholding at 420mm effective.
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I was quite taken aback by the first class macro abilities of this lens, I wasn't really expecting it. A couple of close-ups from its first weekend at http://dmc5.com/pacifictreefrog.jpg and http://dmc5.com/blueishcrab.jpg, both f/8 ISO 200 handheld IS & AF on, 1/160s for the frog, and 1/250s for the crab. Poor images that same day came from trying to take pictures of an offshore kelp bed's wildlife with the 1.4x that a 1200mm would have had trouble with - a long lens it's not.
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Jun 13, 2005
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Dajon
Offline
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Registered: Jun 8, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Jun 8, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Outstanding optics! great build quality and IS works great!
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Cons:
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tripod collar does not come off while lens is mounted on camera
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I love this lens!!!!!!!! I was able to borrow the non-IS 300f4L for 2 weeks before i got this lens and i thought the regular non IS 300f4L was good...well the IS version is better! I found the optical quality to be the same with the non IS version and the IS version except the IS version focuses down to 1.5M (4.9 feet) for great close ups of flowers etc. Also image stabilization works great and focusing is very fast. The IS does make some small buzzing nioses when its on but its not enough to scare away birds etc..
ive used a few 300f4 type lenses and i find the wieght and size to be average for this kind of lens. I thought long and hard between this one and the 100-400L but for me the fixed 300mm won me over.
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Jun 8, 2005
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CurtPick
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Nov 21, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3260
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Review Date: Jun 3, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, Sharp, did I mention sharp ? Color and Contrast is like noting I have ever experienced. Semi Light weight. Fast ! Very exciting lens !
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Cons:
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Non as of yet
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What can I say. I being a veteren of several Zoom lenses and always seeking out the best bang for the buck I think I just found it. This thing is amazing. The color, sharpness, and contrast make this one a no brainer ! I shot several shots once I recieved this gem and I can't go wrong ! The only drawback I could possibly see is that its a fixed focal length ( prime lens ), butr I can not see how they could ever get a lens to be so sharp if were anything but a prime. For an f/4 lens I was stunned at the accuaracy of focus, and simpy put, amazing results I am getting from this wonderful piece of glass. Now I just purchased the 1.4x, which the 20D gives me a 420mm zoom. Guess what, no noticeable picture degradation. People , if you hear any one thing I say hear this.
This lens , for the price is without a doubt the best piece of glass I have ever owned when it come to long focal length.
YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED !
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Jun 3, 2005
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mikegreenslade
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Registered: Apr 6, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 20, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Incredibly Sharp, IS, Not too heavy, Pull-out-Lens-Hood, fast focusing.
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Cons:
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Nothing
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I have now owned this lens for 5wks, find it incredibly sharp and quick focusing with my 20D. A nice pullout lens hood aswell. Its my first IS lens and to be honest I dont find this function noisy, infact when I'm shooting I forget its ON. I use both 1 & 2 settings no problem. I have used this lens mainly to cover sports-Rugby and Cricket, which can be viewed on my website. I use a 1.4xTC with this lens if I need to get to 420mm. I handhold with the tripod bracket in the palm of my hand very comfortable, for 2-4hrs at a time(occasionably resting my hands of course:-) I almost went for the 100-400mm L IS but chose this lens as I read it was sharper-being a prime. I highly recomend this lens.
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May 20, 2005
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Thang
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jan 25, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 8078
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Review Date: Apr 30, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, light and compact
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Cons:
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IS is a little noisy
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Just picked up this lens to supplement my 600 prime. This lens is amazing. It's as sharp as its bigger brother, the 300 f/2.8. AF is fast and quiet. Images from this lens is stunning. My only "complaint" about it is the IS is a little noisy when it kicks in. Other than that, the lens is superb. Here are some test shots taken with it this morning:
http://www.pbase.com/tnt_imaging/image/42765976/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/tnt_imaging/image/42765975/original.jpg
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Apr 30, 2005
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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169
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313873
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May 15, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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97% of reviewers
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$1,060.26
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.71
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9.15
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9.6
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