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Canon EOS 1D Mark III
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Review Date: Sep 21, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $4,500.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very good ISO to 3200 and decent @ 6400. AF works great on my camera and improved IQ over the 2 and 2N. One touch to change ISO.
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Cons:
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I am not crazy about the live view or print button. I also wish the camera had functions similar to the 5D.
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This is a very good product. I have great experience with af and ISO to 3200. It is however, evolutionary, not revolutionary. It has great build and a great feel. The improved ISO and IQ over the 2 and 2N make it a worthwhile investment. It will be interesting to see how the IQ hold up to the 5D replacement next year.
Overall, a very good performer.
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Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM
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Review Date: Jul 23, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,164.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great macro with wonderful sharpness and color
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Cons:
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Not so quick to focus, but hey it is a macro and mf is what I normally use
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Great macro and a step up from the 100 2.8 from Canon. I really enjoy using this for product work as well as macro work. It is a bit slow to focus, but it is a macro and has great sharpness, color, saturation and fore and background blur. It is simply the best macro which I have used.
It is wonderful for small product work and I love this lens for what it is. The results can be stunning! Excellent build and I prefer the working distance esp w/ ff. If you want the best in a macro, this is it.
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Canon EF 20-35mm f/2.8L
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Review Date: Mar 19, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $425.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Very well built, excellent IQ, quick AF and low cost for a lens this good.
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Cons:
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No USM not a huge range for an L zoom, but still great for the money.
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Great lens for the money. I had nearly given up on WA lenses from Canon. The 14mm fixed focal is just OK and for the money should be better, the 17-35 was a bit soft for me and the 16-35 while overall quite good was not as sharp on the 5D as I would like for a 1K plus product. The 17-40 is good for the money, but f4 just was not cutting it for me.
Before I gave up on Canon, I tried this on a whim. Price was right and I could sell it for little or no loss. I have been pleasently suprised. I find it to be quite sharp corner to corner on a ff body and a great on a 1.3 and 1.6 bodies. I love this little lens, a true jewel and sharp and contrasty images. The AF is pretty quick, but a bit noisy. For the money, tough to beat. Sure I would love it if it was a 16 or 17 wide, however, 20 is much wider than my 24-70 and just a good little piece of glass. Build is great also. I am nuts about mine.
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Canon EF 200mm f/1.8L USM
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Review Date: Aug 2, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $3,000.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Amazing sharpness and back and foreground blur. True color and wonderful indoors or in poorly lit venues. Still able to hand hold for short period of time.
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Cons:
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Awkward on mono wo Wimberley or RSS. Nearly impossible to go unrecognized.
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What a great lens. I have been using 70-200IS and 135 for night and indoor sports. They were doing a very good job with image quality, esp if the venue was pretty well lit. This lens takes image quality, sharpness, color and blur to a new level. It is also very quick to focus. The image quality difference is amazing @ wider apertures and still there @ f4 and f5.6.
Tightly cropped portrait head shots that I used to shoot with the 70-200 are much improved with this lens. For portraits, I have even done H&S and 3/4 (PWs come in handy) Great image quality and clients enjoy the perspective slimming them down.
I have heard and read about this lens for a long time and now that I have had the opportunity to use it, it is truly a most amazing lens. I am truly spoiled by the frames shot with this lens. If I had to choose between the 70-200IS and this lens, it would be no contest, despite the excellent image quality of the 70-200IS and the convenience of the zoom and wonderful abilities of the IS, this lens is so fantastic that I would put up with the added aggrivation of constantly moving my feet to capture the awe-inspiring images this lens will create.
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Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM
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Review Date: Apr 26, 2006
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Recommend? |
Price paid: $1,200.00
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Pros:
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Absolutely magnificent in the studio and available/minimal light portraiture, and stunning results in environmental portraiture Excellent build, very solid feel Decent results with proper attention for indoor sports
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Cons:
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What a crappy hood, slow, however not horribly slow AF
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This lens is a true enigma. I love it and hate it. After aquiring a second copy and comparing the 2 and also owning the 1.8, I have the following to add to my original review. I am nuts about the light gathering abilities of this lens, the solid build, but most amazed at what can be accomplished with simple available light/reflector indoors and the buttery, creamy BG blur in environmental portraiture. The results are truly stunning. What I am not so fond of is the slow, and yet not terribly slow AF and the hunting this lens does in low light. I also find more contrast in the 1.8. Having said that, if this lens is used properly in portraiture, the results are staggering. As time goes by and I go back to the old "zone focusing" I used in my Nikon FM2 days, I get great results in sports, with more hits than misses and blur less bothersome than the 1.8. But, patience and persistence are keys to these results.
In the correct setting, using its tremendous strengths and minimizing its weaknesses, a phenomenal performer.
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Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
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Review Date: Apr 25, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,728.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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IS, quick autofocus, good all-arounder
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Cons:
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a bit pricey, image quality
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After spending time shooting over 1k+ images on this lens with a 5D and 20D, I hav mixed emotions about this lens. The image quality is a tad inferior to my 70-200 2,8 w/o the IS. The IS is incredibly useful for me in wedding, event and any indoor assignment I book. The image quality is still very good, and as I prviously mentioned is not quite up to the 70-200 non-IS version and is truly inferior to my 85L, 135L and 200 2.8L. Having said that, having one lens cover the entire range and the added 2 stops with the IS, it is an amazing product. I typically have one 5D with this lens and one with either the 85L or 135L and get the best stuff with one of the primes. However, I cannot get it all with a fixed focal, so having this lens has let me get the shot, and getting a shot, although inferior, is far better than not getting it at all. So, I love having it, but prefer the primes.......So an 8 is a fair rating for this zoom...
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Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
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Review Date: Apr 3, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $350.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Tremendous price/quality ratio. A great portrait and interior sports lens. Very good contrast and color.
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Cons:
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Mine copy gets sharp @ 2.5 or better, decent @ 2.0. Hood does not come with, and it is pretty crappy.
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A very good performer and maybe the best bargain in Canon's fixed focal line-up. It works well as a portrait lens and perhaps better as a sports lens for interior gyms, fields and pools. Hard to believe the price/performance ratio. My 85L does give slightly better 3D pop and blur and the L is my preference as a portrait lens. This lens focuses faster, and might have a bit better contrast. Color is impressive on both models.
It is a bit mind-numbing, considering the price, that the comparison is as close. Mind you, the L would be my choice for portrait work, but this lens is so good for the money, it is a must have.
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Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
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Review Date: Apr 3, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $900.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent, buttery smooth foreground and background blur. Tremendous and true color. Very good sharpness at and near wide open and fantastic at 4 and 5.6. A truly great head/shoulders portrait lens on a full frame as well as a fantastic tele for indoor or outdoor sports applications on a 1.3x or 1.6x body.
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Cons:
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Difficult to be critical, but it would be even better if it were a smidge faster; f1.8. Can I get a truly solid hood, my 24mm TSE has one.
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What an absolute gem of a lens. While others have mentioned and rightfully so, the sharpness of this lens, sharpness is not its most empressive feature. The brutally honest rendition of color and buttery smooth fore and background blur, set this fixed focal tele in a class by itself.
I have been at this art nearly 20 years, and while I love the world of digital, I have been mostly unimpressed with lens build and image quality, since putting down my finicky old Blad and 80 Planar and CZeiss portrait lenses.
However, I now have found a lens with more that reasonable build and truly impressive image quality. To those of you who are relatively new to this hobby or profession, sharpness is being attained by zooms by not only Canon and Nikon, but also third party types, the Sigmas and Tamrons. True, brutally honest color, is a criterion that splits the great and merely good. This lens has the color right. It also gives great blur, lesser lenses give good to poor blur.
This is a great FF head/shoulders portrait lens and on a 1.3x or especially a 1.6x body is a wonderful head only portrait lens and a great performer as an indoor sports lens.
A truly wonderful lens for less that a grand.
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Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L
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Review Date: Apr 3, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Solidly built, excellent image quality. A necessity for architcture photography.
Great for straightening landscapes and for being creative and having some fun too.
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Cons:
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Long learning curve, there are better options for 24mm if you do not need tilt/shift criteria. Knobs a bit small for us large hands types.
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This lens is a must for interior architecture photography, also a great asset for exterior photography too. This lens has tremendous possibilities, and a long a yet fun learning curve. Excellent image quality, and the ability to straighten or purposely "bend" buildings mountains, trees, columns and houses, make this a true little gem in my bag. Best on a full frame, but respectable on 1.3x and 1.6x bodies. This lens and a little learning has allowed me to book real estate and design firms. It is also fun for landscape photography too. While I have used it as a plain old 24mm, there are better options available for simple wide angle shots. All in all well-built, a ton of fun, and a great way to add to your professionalism wrt architecture photography. A winner.
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Canon EOS 5D
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Review Date: Mar 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $3,200.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Tremendous image quality, especially in RAW, full frame sensor, low noise at high ISOs
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Cons:
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How bout a little build quality for 3K+
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Great little camera and why this Nikon guy of more than a decade of collecting lenses and bodies switched to Canon. Love the low noise at high ISO, spot on color and full frame sensor. Would love to see better build quality for money and more than 3 fps, but you cannot have it all even at this price point. Superior, film like DOF with sensor make this a no-brainer for anyone serious about selling images. I know when I go to an event that I will come back with quality images, even without looking at the 2.5" LCD. A truly grat performer and solid value.
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Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
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Review Date: Mar 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great image quality and fun with macro.
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Cons:
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Is it possible to be too sharp?
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Funn little lens, great color, nice BG and FG blur for portraits, but could there be a lens that is too sharp. When I use for portraits am spending too much time in PS softening the face. Excellent color saturation and just a fun little lens to play with in both macro and portraits. Have used on my 20D with 1.4 tele for an effective 2 and a quarter ( actually 224mm) with solid to outstanding results. This one is fun to have in your bag.
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Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM
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Review Date: Mar 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Truly great portrait lens with a few anomolies.
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Cons:
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Can I get quick focus or any focus in low light for a grand and a half?
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Superb build quality and great in studio, but on the street, I prefer its little bro' the 1.8. Very solidly built, great color decent contrast and an outstanding portrait lens. I have been unhappy with performance with indoor sports. It focuses too slow and missed shots, but in the studio.........what a gem.
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Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
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Review Date: Mar 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Nice little lens. Great for the money.
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Cons:
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How about a little buile quality and not much quality below 2 aperture.....
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Great little lens for the money. Tremendous for what it is. Great for those just learning photography, much better image quality that any kit or $300 zoom. It also teaches you to be creative and use your feet, instead of zooming in and out. When you do image is really outstanding on an absolute basis and obscenely good for the buck. If I were on a desert island with only one body and one lens, this would be the lens. Having said that I would been happy to spend twice as much and had a better build quality and image quality with lens wide open.
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Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye
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Review Date: Mar 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Decent build quality and quick autofocus. It is just fun fun fun.
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Cons:
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Distortion at the extremes, but cropping is easy in PS.
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Great little gem, love using this at wedding for froup in front of church, or recetion hall. Also great for audience reaction and other fun moments. No filter protection, so gotta be careful with this one. Great in the correct application.
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Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
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Review Date: Mar 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent performer, quick autofocus and solid image quality.
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Cons:
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Hood quality, can I get it sealed; it is an L lens?
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Very solid performer and good price perfomance ratio make this my favorite zoom telephoto. Better image quality tham IS version, 2 less elements in this version. It also gives very good results with 1.4 tele. I really enjoy using this lens and while my 200 2.8 gives ever so slightly better results, it cannot become a 70 with the flip of the wrist. Just wish it were sealed and would love a more solid hood. Overall a champ.
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Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
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Review Date: Mar 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,150.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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A great lens, very sharp, tremendous color, and good range. An excellent wedding and group/full length portrait lens. Solid build, quick autofocus. An overall excellent performer.
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Cons:
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Smidge heavy, need to be careful with autofocus and hood could be more solid.
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Love this lens. A great performer and worthy of my 5D full frame. Great wedding/Bar/Bat Mitzvah and event lens. It focuses quickly even in low light situations and continues to impress me with its consistent performance. Color is excellent, beating the third party lenses in this category and the improvement from the 28-70 is significant, in quality of images and quite a bit wider. BG and FG blur is exceptional. I am spoiled bu this lens. Would love a bit more reach, but I will just move my feet until Canon makes an upgrade. Tremendous performer
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