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Fatal Sweets
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Registered: Nov 5, 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Nov 5, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $350.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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very light and small.
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Cons:
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Slow on focus
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very nice little toy, the colour are great. Also clear focusing and IQ.
can use as marco and portrait shoot.
Over all LOVE it.
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 Nov 5, 2009
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Cadaver
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Registered: Dec 2, 2008
Location: N/A
Posts: 23
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Review Date: Jul 9, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $170.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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small, light, sharp, very nice bokeh
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Cons:
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no complaints
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This lens has decent sharpness wide open. Once at 3.2 it is VERY sharp. Easy to use, small and fun. The cost of the new and used ones are real bargains. I don't think many folks know how sharp a lens this is, plus it a macro. I know it doesn't go down to 1:1, but for most macro uses, its certainly enough. The bokeh is better than I thought it would be, which is great for portraits. But mainly its just a great everyday walkaround lens.
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Jul 9, 2009
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slide
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Registered: Jan 31, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 15
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Review Date: May 24, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $239.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Good quality overall. Light weight, easy to use.
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Cons:
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If you are used to USM lenses, this focuses less quickly and with more noise. It's better than most other non-USM's though.
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Perhaps quality varies from sample to sample with this lens as it seems to others. My one seems to be a very good one. From the first time I tried this lens, I was surprised almost to the point of being shocked at how good it was compared to what I was expecting from a roughly $200 new cost lens. I've not seen the quality of this lens exceeded in any lens costing anywhere near it.
The lens is decently sharp at 2,5 and once at 4,0, it's terrific all the way up. I have successfully used this in macro shots as well as general 50 mm use on my FF camera.
If given a choice between saving some money and the f 1.8, I'd go with this lens. If it was between this and the f 1.4, it'd depend upon my choice of low light or macro. I also think my example is better than the f 1.4 I had for a loan a while back.
Personally I'm very pleased with this lens. As my new 5d2 can shoot high ISO's well unheard of only a short time ago, the roughly 1.4 stops from here to the f 1.4 isn't relevant to my needs where the macro is of great use.
Of course, if you can have it all, then the 100 mm or 200 mm macros with the 1.2 are the way to go. For us, who are on a budget, this lens does a heck of a lot.
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May 24, 2009
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photo1a
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Registered: Feb 4, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 307
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Review Date: Aug 9, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $250.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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I have had this lens for more than two years and have used it for macro, portrait and landscape. I use it more for portraits than I do for marcro, and am very happy with it. It is tack sharp and gives good color rendition.
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Cons:
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Noisy when focusing, slow to focus.
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This is a good utility lens at 50mm. It is good for macro, although I get better results using other prime lenses with extension tubes. I use this lens more for portraits and landscapes. If you want to travel light, and 50mm works for you, this lens is versatile. It is very sharp and has good IQ. The build is OK, but not robust.
The drawbacks to the lens are its slow focus, and the inability to go from close focus to distance focus quickly. For example, if I focus on something very close, then want to focus on something at a distance, I must focus on some intermediate object -- typically my hand -- to get the lens "started" on the way to a distant focus. The lens is not quick focusing, so it would not be good for action pictures.
Overall, for stationary objects, I think that this is a very good lens for the price.
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Aug 9, 2008
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bighead88
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Registered: Feb 13, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 28
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Review Date: Feb 23, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $250.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharpness, fast focus, great Macro (for a 1:2-half life size), focus to infinity. light, metal mount, cheapo, don't have to buy hood...
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Cons:
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noisy, slow when shoot macro mode,
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it will satisfy your need for Macro shots, the ring feel very losen when use in AF. I use it with my 20D and I might use it as a walkaround-in- the park for a while.
till I save more $$ for the 100 macro 1:1 life size
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Feb 23, 2008
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bogatyr
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Registered: Aug 10, 2003
Location: Norway
Posts: 588
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Review Date: Feb 3, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $250.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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The contrast, color rendition and sharpness are all on an exquisitely high level in this lens.
The "old"design makes it possible to actually focus to infinity when using manual focus, something which is a lottery with USM lenses.
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Cons:
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None.
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This build quality of this lens is very good, and way better than the 50mm 1.8 which cannot be recommended because of its plastic mount. Its build is also better than that of the 50mm 1.4 USM because the latter does not have proper USM, but Micro USM which uses small gears that wear out and is prone to breakage if subject to falls and blows. In contrast, the AFD (Arc Form Drive) motor of the 50mm 2.5 is more durable, and the mount is of sturdy metal.
I feel that the Canon EF 50mm 2.5 Compact Macro is underestimated. Apart from the 50/1.2 L which I have not tried at the time of this writing it is simply Canon's best 50 mm lens, and it may well be superior to the 1.2 version for all I know. After all it is optimized for flatness of field and high sharpness, even if it lacks the extreme speed of 1.2.
Its optical performance, which is first rate, makes the 50/2.5 Compact Macro a brilliant choice for the photography of artwork like paintings, drawings, sculpture and everything you can imagine. I use it to take pictures of Sonja Bunes' art, and I simply feel happiness when she tells me how other artists marvel at the quality with which the images of her art is presented.
Of course it is also a top-notch lens for various forms of nature photography, both macro and other types of photo.
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Feb 3, 2008
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a.rivard
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Registered: Apr 13, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Sep 3, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $230.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp; versatile close focus; economical.
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Cons:
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none, except for users who may require the instant gratification of perfect auto-focus.
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Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro:
I would recommend it as an economical first choice for a 50mm. I have found it superior to the EF 50mm f1.8 & at f2.5 not much slower. A versatile, reasonably durable lens, to be sure not as rugged as an L.
Colour character is excellent - natural - is a very good description.
Versatile close focus capability.
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Sep 3, 2007
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Peter Kirk
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Registered: Sep 25, 2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 290
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Review Date: Sep 1, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $220.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Absolutely amazing contrast and colour control.
The sharpness of this beauty is also superb.
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Cons:
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Non USM motor, non 1:1, barrel extends.
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They say that you get what you pay for, but in this case, you get a lot more than you bargined for....its worth every cent.
Sharp, compact, CHEAP, only in price.
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Sep 1, 2007
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Joshua June
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Registered: May 14, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Aug 28, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $170.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharpness, nuances of focusing, performance in good lighting, Macro capabilities
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Cons:
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... at $170 I'm not sure I can complain about a very very slightly slower focus.
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I actually sold off my MK I 50mm 1.8 after getting this guy. Why? because its zoom is faster, more accurate and clarity is close enough were I cannot tell a difference in sharpness, and I can get closer by far to my subjects and get accurate focusing in lower lighting then the standard 50mm.
Something I should also note: This lens has the finest tuning focus dial on any lens I have ever owned, it practically can be turned 3 full times around just for focusing as opposed to most zooms that only give you 90-270 degrees of rotation. This allows extremely fine tune adjustment of focus subject.
Also, any wash out of color or bokeh, I drop it 1/3 a stop, this gives me those deep colors, IF NEEDED I photo shop my image a little lighter or more saturation, I really prefer this lens over the nifty fifty.
I own an Xti, and am on a mission to try every Canon lens new and discontinued.
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Aug 28, 2007
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Dinkar Singh
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Registered: Aug 25, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Aug 25, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $230.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, fantastic colors
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Cons:
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Slow focussing
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Amazing color. Tack sharp images. Some of my best photos have been taken with this lens.
My only gripe with the lens is that focussing can be somewhat slow, and the build quality is so-so. But that's what keeps the price down. If you care primarily about image quality this lens is a real steal.
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Aug 25, 2007
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CS Ong
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Registered: Mar 29, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 20
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Review Date: Jun 26, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $160.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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tact sharp, cheap
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Cons:
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noisy AF, slow at low light, color not as saturated as L, but hey this is not an L!
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Bought this lens used from ebay for only about $160 with shipping. Used it to shoot my kid, and some general macro (non-life size) shots.
So far the sharpness is comparable to the Carl Zeiss lenses I own, however the color rendition and saturation is a little wash out compared to the CZ lenses and L lenses. Buy hey this is only a $160 lens and the sharpness just blows me away.
Definitely value for money, and a keeper!
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Jun 26, 2007
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rossmehan
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Registered: Apr 9, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Apr 25, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $210.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Cheap, decent autofocus, excellent contrast, color, and sharpness at all focus distances
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Cons:
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None for the money
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I had to give my 2-cents on this lens--BUY IT! Really sharp and contrasty. Excellent lens for the money. I bought it to replace my 50 f1.8 as a normal lens (which is a decent lens in itself) because I wanted a little more sharpnness and was not expecting the high image quality I got. Canon sometimes shines with their non-"L" lenses, and this is definitely one of them. Macro works great too. Not the greatest build, but at this price it's disposable if damaged!
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Apr 25, 2007
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