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Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
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Review Date: Dec 11, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,650.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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classic tele zoom range, sharp images, near-perfect bokeh, IS that works
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Cons:
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size, weight & paint job that pushed me into primes - akward design on control buttons that frequently get moved to wrong positions
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For me, this lens replaced a like-spec Nikkor for wedding work. After a season, I grew to hate it. It's big, it's heavy, and the controls switches frequently get moved out of position, making you miss fast shots (Canon had changed AF/MF, Focus Limit, and IS controls to a flat design on newer zooms). Last on the gripe list ... the paint job. A white lens looks silly when you're covering a wedding. Subjects know the very second this lens gets pointed towards them - so much for subtle.
Optically, it's hard to fault. Sharp & with great bokeh. The IS is a shot saver.
I moved to 85 & 135 primes - they focus faster ... especially in marginal conditions
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Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
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Review Date: Jul 7, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $699.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Really fun to use - great build - flair resistant - low distortion
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Cons:
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f4.5 on the long end is an issue
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This is a wonderful lens and a good value. Distortion is low, but super wide images can be soft (which I expected). My only real frustration is f4.5
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Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
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Review Date: Jul 7, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $899.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Reference-level build, sharp images, wonderful colors, fast focus
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Cons:
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none
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In almost 30 years of owning nice camera gear by Olympus, Nikon, Mamiya, Fuji and Canon, this is the only lens I've ever owned with no negative aspects of any kind. A must have. I think I gush for this item because at around 900USD, it's an astounding value as well.
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Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
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Review Date: Jul 7, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $389.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Excellent build, sharp images, fast focus
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Cons:
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Wicked CA wide open, lack of close focusing ability is a real drawback
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This is one of Canon's best lens values. A joy to use except for noticeable CA at f1.8 and an always surprising minimum focus spec.
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Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM
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Review Date: Jun 19, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,179.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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It's difficult to image better overall image quality for this price.
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Cons:
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Feels a bit cheap. Stiff zoom ring and strong cat urine smell out of the box. Wicked flare issue, particularly with indoor spot lights of any size.
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My copy arrived with a very stiff zoom ring and powerful odor. After several days of airing out and exercising the zoom ring, it was ready for action. The image quality is exactly was I was hoping for, with the exception of nasty flair spots when shooting around indoor spot lights (stages, DJ set-up, etc). I also had flair issues with the Nikkor 17-55's I've used in the past.
On the positive side, it's very sharp and focuses very quickly. The f2.8 and IS have obvious advantages. Do not regret the purchase.
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