Canon Rebel T2i DSLR
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Review Date: Jan 21, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $799.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image quality
Improved ergonomics
small and light,but sturdy
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Cons:
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cost
fps
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Best small body available.
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Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
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Review Date: Dec 10, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $950.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp,sharp,sharp!
Lightweight
Outstanding build
Great IS
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Cons:
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None I can think of......well,wish it came in black.
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Simply is the best zoom lens I have tried.Very sharp wide open at all FLs.Not much heavier than the 70-300 IS.Takes teleconverters well (f/5.6 @ 280mm is still sharp).
Typically great "L" build.Internal focus.Great image stabilisation.
Is great on the higher mp bodies (7D,5DII,etc.).
Can't recommend it more highly!
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Tamron AF 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF)
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Review Date: Dec 10, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Range
Price
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Cons:
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Soft at longer FLs
Slow AF
No IS
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I bought this after owning a Tamron 28-200 LD years ago...partly on the basis of a couple of reviews.I was disappointed in it.The AF was not very good(main problem).In decent light it was adequate.In anything approaching low light,it hunted a LOT.
I also felt the lens was too soft,especially at FLs over about 135mm.
I ended up selling it and getting the Tamron 18-270mm VC.It's a better lens and the VC is outstanding.It's AF is better and the optics are improved from the "250".
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Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
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Review Date: Nov 13, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $375.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very sharp
Inexpensive
Lightweight
Good build
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Cons:
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Older IS,but still works very well
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A real hidden gem of a lens.Much,much beter than it has any right to be.
Sharper than the new "best in class" Tamron 70-300mm VC.
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Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM
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Review Date: Jul 13, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $400.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Bets UWA for the price
VERY wide compared to 12mm on 1.6 crop
Excellent build
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Cons:
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none
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This is the only non-Canon lens that I currently own.It's fantastic,especially at it's price.
I'd love to have the wider 8-16mm Sigma,but the price prevents that.
This lens is sharp,contrasty,great color,comes with a lens hood at a bargain basement price.
To be fair,I have seen some copies with decenterin issues(have seen 8-16mm Sigmas with the same).My advice is to buy from a dealer with a good return policy.When you get a good copy,you will be amazed!
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Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
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Review Date: Jan 12, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Range is excellent...especially on FF.Good IS.Well built compared to the new plastic lenses.Good color/contrast and sharp.Excellent lens for $300!
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Cons:
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Size/weight
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Excellent value in a nice walk-around lens.
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Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
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Review Date: Jan 1, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $229.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharp
cheap
VERY light
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Cons:
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none at this price!
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Canon finally is buiding worthy consumer lenses at bargain basement prices.This lens is terrific.
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Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
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Review Date: Jan 1, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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WAY better than old non-IS
Excellent IS
sharp(shockingly good).
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Cons:
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plastic build feels cheap(but is very adequate).
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Just a terrific lens for a "kit" lens.A best buy.It is a huge improvement over the older kit lens.The IS is superb.I think it's a best buy and Canon finally has built an very good,inexpensive consumer lens.
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Canon EOS Rebel XSi (450D)
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Review Date: Jan 1, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $500.00
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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small size
price is dropping....now a reasonable buy
good image quality
12mp...good for cropping
18-55 IS is a nice kit lens
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Cons:
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noise at 800,1600
needs a real auto iso
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I bought this camera to supplement my 40D and let my wife have a small dslr.Overall,the camera is better than the 400D it replaces.But the noise was much worse than I expected.And the gain in resolution from 10mp is less than I anticipated.Canon continues to produce cams with excellent IQ....at the expense of some very important features.The lack of a decent auto iso is baffling.
My 40D is enough better than the 450D,that I was not using the smaller body cam.And that tells it all(the 40D was $700 used....the 450D was $500 used).The 40D has better PQ,lower noise,better ergonomics(esp. the 2 wheels).
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Canon EOS 40D
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Review Date: Nov 4, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Operating speed
Image quality
Ergonomics
Value....best in dslr market!
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Cons:
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Would love to have the newer style lcd as on 50D,but it's still got a great 3" lcd(a very minor neg.)
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I traded my 30D for this camera(+$175).I didn't expect much of an upgrade.Was I ever wrong.It's IQ is better than the 30D with no added noise at iso 800 and up.The menu system is better,the custom modes are a great addition as is the iso in the viewfinder and lcds.The shutter is much quieter.The camera feels better in hand.
I thought LiveView was a gimmic,but I'm enjoying it.This is a well-made,user-friendly,inexpensive camera that is WAYYY better than the 30D.I'm so glad I went ahead and got it and passed on the 50D.
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Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
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Review Date: Feb 14, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,600.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp
IS is great
One of the best lenses $$ can buy!
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Cons:
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weight(but no heavier than comparables)
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One of the truly great lenses available.It's PQ,build,etc are all state-of-the-art.I had the f4 and went to the 2.8IS-a great move up.Shooting anything from sports to weddings to portraits on a 30D is superb.Highest recommendation.
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Nikon D300
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Review Date: Jan 11, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Great feature set
Very well built
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Cons:
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Still sacrifices detail with Nikon's heavy-handed noise reduction.Price is too high for a crop cam with this IQ(It's not bad,but still not to Canon standard at is 800 and up).
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I bought this camera with great expectations.I liked it except for the IQ.Nikon has opted to use heavy noise reduction at the cost of resolution(esp.in jpeg-which I shoot a lot of).The AF is not up to pro standards as was suggested.
The lens adjustment is great...all dslrs need this.Frankly,I was disappointed and went back to a used Canon 30D which produces better images.I prefer Canon ergonomics,too.
I'll wait until the next round of crop cameras come out to upgrade.If this cam was $1400,it would be easier to justify.
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Canon EOS Rebel XTi (400D)
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Review Date: Jan 11, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $800.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent IQ
Great ergonomics
Good price
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Cons:
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None
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Best entry level dslr on the market and I tried ALL the major players.Plus you use the Canon lens system.Really nice camera.
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Canon EOS 30D
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Review Date: Jan 11, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $750.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great ergonomics
Well constucted-good"feel"
Excellent high ISO performance
Excellent image quality
Great dslr for the $$$
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Cons:
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lcd slightly off in color
ISO not visible "full time" in lcd
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Went from a Panasonic FZ20 to a Canon 350D to a Canon 400D to this 30D.The 30D is a lot more camera than the others.Much more of a "Pro" quality build and feel.Excellent performer and competes well with any crop camera on the market.The 2-wheel system is simple and efficient.I love it!Definitely a best buy.
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Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
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Review Date: Dec 28, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,002.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Typical "L" lens attributes:
Beautiful color
Sharp
IS is wonderful
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Cons:
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none yet
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This is my most used lens.I have a 70-200 F2.8 IS L,and think IS is the only way to go.I'm so glad I got this lens instead of the 24-70 f2.8 L.It seemed a little heavy at first,but I'm accustomed to the weight already.I'll not repeat all the stuff everyone else has written.Suffice it to say that I'm in love with this lens.Very highly recommended!
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Canon EF 28-105 F/3.5-4.5 II USM
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Review Date: Nov 18, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $150.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Performance
Low cost
Focusing ability
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Cons:
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Not quite an L
Wish it was wider
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When I got my XT,I got a body only.I had researched the net for a good walk-around lens for the purpose of learning to use the camera.With some reservations about focus issues,I bought a new 18-125mm Sigma.It was fairly sharp,but suffered from focus problems.It was noisy(no big deal),but worse,focused erratically.
So I went to Wolfe and compared it directly with the 28-135 and 28-105 f3.5/4.5 Canon lenses.These two lenses were both excellent focusers.And in the store,I took many photos with all 3 lenses.Both Canons were sharper than the Sigma.Other than the little extra reach and the IS,I thought the 28-105 was a better lens.So I sold the Sigma and bought a used 28-105.I wish I had known about this little gem from the start.It focused dead-on and instantly.It was sharper than the Sigma at all comparable focal lengths.It is compact,light enough,well built,has the "real"USM motor anf full-time manual focus....and definitely is a price bargain.It's my main lens.
I recently got an "L"(70-200f4) and now know what a really excellent lens can do.That makes me want the new 24-105 L.But at $1250???It will take a lot of convincing as capable as the 28-105 is.
Bottom line is that this lens is wayyyy underappreciated.I guess that's because it has been around a good while.This lens is.IMO,the best price/performance consumer lens that Canon makes.Very highly recommended.
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