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663 days ago

Review Icon Mezo reviewed Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR in Camera Lenses:
The Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XS is a great lens with stunning image quality and a fixed aperture at 2.8.

The build quality is very decent, but the lens isn't very light.
2.8 is a large aperture, it is fixed throughout the range, which is great for handheld photos and low light situations. I didn't need image stabilisation (vibration resistance or VR) but there is another copy of the same lens that comes with VR. This aperture gives you the shallow depth of field you need in many photos such as portraits (making the background blurry).

The 2.8 gives a nice bokeh and images are reasonably sharp at this aperture.

The reason I bought this lens is because I wasn't satisfied with the kit lens (18-55) which felt cheap, of bad quality and a narrow aperture. I use the Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 as a general lens for everyday shooting whether it is portraits, landscape, nature, indoors, weddings, etc.

The lens is an ideal replacement of the kit lens and a very good upgrade for beginners, the image quality is absolutely great and the price is fine.

The range (focal length) is versatile enough for the purposes of standard and everyday shots but doesn't offer much zooming power.

The auto-focus is fast and not very noisy. The zoom ring rotates to the opposite direction of Canon lenses. The lens also comes with a hood.
There is a version of this lens for each of Canon and Nikon cameras.

So, to summarize :
Advantages: Build quality, image quality, wide aperture and price.
Disadvantages: heavy, would be fantastic if the range extended to 70mm.

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772 days ago

Review Icon hgw139 reviewed Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens in Camera Lenses:
18-200mm Canon lens, it's what you expect from the biggest company.

I was very surprised when I got it out of the box, it is a lot heavier than expected, which brings along the problem when you have the lens about halfway and look down or up than it opens or closes under it's own weight which is a problem some times but you are likely to be holding the lens anyway. It seems a very pricey lens but you get canons brilliant Image Stabilization (IS) and for a zoom lens it's vital that you have IS especially when using the full zoom. The auto focus is as good as any other lens. it has a very smooth action when zooming in and out which is probably too good and one of the reason it opens under its own weight. It does have a lock to stop the lens opening in your bag but it only holds it at the minimum 18mm. You can tell from just holding it the build quality is excellent.

I am probably being a bit picky I would strongly recommend, brilliant piece of equipment.

Advantages: Build quality, Image Stabilization, good range of length so know need to change lenses.
Disadvantages: Weight, movement in the lens because of weight, price.

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780 days ago

Review Icon slambuzz reviewed Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Lens in Camera Lenses:
great lenses but its price are not encouraging for a beginner photographer

7 gma

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852 days ago

Review Icon yackers1 reviewed Canon 50mm f1.8II camera lens in Camera Lenses:
Review: Canon 50mm f1.8II camera lens in Camera Lenses

The Canon 50mm f1.8II camera lens, of "nifty fifty" as it is affectionately known is an absolute gem of a lens. It is a prime, i.e. has a fixed focal length, 50mm lens which means if you want the subject bigger or smaller in the frame you have to physically move.

The build quality of this lens is not brilliant. It has a plastic body and feels quite cheap and nasty, but then given the low price tag this is forgivable. If you end up breaking this lens it is so cheap you can simply go and buy another one, although I have to say that I have owned this lens for over three years now and I have never had any problems with mine. Providing you look after the lens you should have no problems whatsoever.

The Canon 50mm f1.8 has a large maximum aperture making it ideal for hand hold shooting situations in low light levels. The large apertue makes it easy to isolate the subject and turn the background all blurry. The bokeh, i.e. out of focus background, can only be described as creamy, which is spot on. The image quality of this lens is fantastic with little flaring or fringing and spot on colours. Images shot at 1.8 can be a little soft, but then no lens is at its best when wide open. Stop the lens down a bit, even by a third of a stop, and the image quality increases and subjects become tack sharp.

The Canon 50mm F.18II takes a bit of getting used to to get the most out of it so don't write it off as a useless lens until you have owned and used it a bit. Once you do get the lens technique mastered you will be amazed by the images this lens is capable of capturing.

The 50mm length makes this an ideal portrait lens for cropped sensor SLR cameras. Being light and unobtrusive this lens is also an ideal walk about lens, although you will still need to take a longer zoom for situations where you want to get a bit closer to the action.

Because the Canon 50mm f1.8II is so cheap, so good in low light situations, capable of capturing some great images and is a nice focal length it makes an ideal first upgrade lens for the kit lens supplied with your camera. It is a lens that all amateur photographers should have in their kit bag.Read More Read Less


I like - the price, the image quality, the smooth creamy bokeh, the maximum aperture

I don't like - the poor build quality. It feels more like a toy than some serious photographic kit

I would highly recommend this lens because it is possible to take some amazing images that more highly priced lenses would struggle to capture. This lens offers great value for money and is an absolute steal.

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860 days ago

Review Icon yackers1 reviewed Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras in Camera Lenses:
Super zoom lenses are a must have accessory for wildlife and sports photography, however they are not cheap. The Canon EF100 - 400mm lens is the best lens for keen wildlife and sports photographers on a budget. This is not to say this lens is cheap, as it is well over $1,000 however it costs four or five times less than the ideal lens so it does reperesnet great value for money.

This lens is bullet proof. It is durable, solid and very well made. Some people think the push-pull zoom action sucks in the dust, but I have never experienced this problem in the three years I have owned the EF100 - 400mm. Like all Canon L series super zooms this lens has a white body, which often attracts unwanted attention. In addition, the sheer size of this lens makes it impossible to conceal. It is a huge lens, but this is forgivable given the focal range.

The EF100 - 400mm is a lovely lens to use. The autofocus feature is fast, almost silent and very quick to get a lock on the subject. The maximum aperture is f4.5 so it does struggle in low light conditions. Many would argue that f4.5 is not wide enough, but super zooms with wider maximum apertures become exceptionally expensive.

The image quality of this lens is amazing, just as you would expect from a professional Canon lens. The 4 stop image stabilisation technology is very useful when trying to get pin sharp hand held shots.

The EF100 - 400mm is supplied with a carry case and lens hood, both of which are very useful. The filter size is 77mm, so the filters are at the expensive end. This needs to be considered when buying this lens.

Overall this is a fantastic lens and one that I cannot recommend enough. The 100mm - 400mm focal range is simply excellent and allows the photographer to get in nice and close or pull further back and get more in the frame as required. This is a heavy lens and you will find your arms ache at the end of a day taking hand held shots so a monopod is definitely required. So if you want a sports and wildlife lens but do not have a several thousand dollar budget at your disposal check out the Canon EF100 - 400mm, you won't be disappointed.

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932 days ago

Review Icon toericmartino reviewed 300mm F4 Prime in Camera Lenses:
Ding Ding! this is one of the last stops a middle class amateur photographer can make before blowing his savings on a five or ten thousand dollar lens. This is the most crisp and clear lens I've ever laid my hands on. It's not a speed demon at F4 but it is a superior quality lens. Priced between 1,100 and 1,300 USD, a little saving up can help you get off a lot of the cheaper long lenses. This is a prime lens, so you need to do more walking but the results are worth it. Use your new found leg muscles to run away from the burning pile of tamron and sigma zoom lenses you gleefully left behind.

I prefer nikon, but I'm not married to it - it is bank. Until I cross 300mm or more, then its worth waiting. I tried two other sigma and tamron lenses before finally deciding I'd save for the nikon. They just CANT compare.

This lens is worth it.

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1138 days ago

Review Icon GnarlyNeon reviewed Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DL-M Motorized DG Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens with Built-in Motor Drive for Nikon SLR Cameras Including D40, D40X, D60 in Camera Lenses:
I shoot with a Nikon and this was the first lens I bought(Aside from the default lens, obviously).

This lens has fantastic zooming and Macro settings. I can easily switch from Auto to Manual and yes, okay, it makes noise when it focuses. But no one standing around me is going to care about a little noise coming from the big black thing. It's not loud to people that don't have their face directly behind the camera.

The auto-focusing isn't as fast or, sometimes, precise as my default lens but it does the job. Most of the time I can get it to focus automatically after a bit of moving things around. And if that fails, there IS manual. I've noticed that the lens is prone to some nasty glares from the sun, but with a hood, that problem is solved.

It's capable of creating some amazing images. It captures so much detail and color, I think I'm actually working with something that cost me twice as much as my camera. It's very reliable. Sharp, crystal clear images are no problem for this lens.

The one and only problem I have with this camera - the reason I gave it four stars instead of five - was the shakiness. When you're zoomed in anywhere between 200-300(My best guess is that it starts at 200), any and all shaking is maximized. And because it doesn't have any reduction for this, most of your images will turn out blurry without the help of a tripod. Someone said this wasn't a problem, but it really can be. Even with the fastest shutter speed I can set my camera to in the best of situations, it can still turn out blurry. I've only had a few chances to use my tripod with this lens, but so far my best 200mm+ pictures have been with the tripod.

It's a good lens and like I said, it's very reliable. With a nice tripod on hand, this could produce some great work. Even though the vibrations can be a problem, I'd recommend this for other photographers.

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1333 days ago

Review Icon LaithamHaddad reviewed Kenko 3X Teleplus PRO 300 DG Teleconverter For Nikon AF in Miscellaneous Lenses:
Laitham Haddad Review of the Kenko 3X Teleplus PRO 300 DG Teleconverter for Nikon AF:

In order to avoid dishing out a substantial amount of money on a powerful telephoto lens, I went ahead and purchased the $200 Kenko 3X teleconverter to give my Nikon Nikkor 70-300VR 4.5-5.6 lens a major boost when used on my Nikon D90 digital camera(turning a 300mm lens in to a 900+ mm lens). Circulating reviews of this teleconverter--and any 3X teleconverter, for that matter--suggest that it is a totally useless and non functional piece of equipment due to the "dramatic" loss of light that is inherent with larger teleconverters. Contrary to negative review, I have found this piece of equipment to be very usable; I've even been able to get some outstanding handheld shots.

Thoughts and Suggestions:

-This device works exceptionally well in good lighting.

-Do not expect phenomenal results if your goal is to capture extremely fast moving objects, though this is possible in good lighting (especially when using a faster lens). This teleconverter is an ideal piece of equipment for someone looking to get closer to a slower moving or still object.

-One thing to keep in mind is that autofocus will be lost in using a 4.5-5.6 lens like the nikkor 70-300, while it may be available when using a faster 2.8 lens (the Kenko 3X for Nikon has "DG" technology which allows signaling between the lens and body).

-To obtain the clearest of pictures, use a tripod, self timer (2-5 seconds), and "shooting delay mode" (option d10 for the Nikon D90)in order to avoid all possible camera shake when using slower shutter speeds; the need to do these things will become greater in poorer lighting conditions.

-In all possible circumstances, avoid using 3200 ISO in order to prevent "noise." In sunlight, I've been able to get outstanding handheld shots with 1/100-1/300 shutter speed coupled with an ISO as low as 200-300 (and this is with use on a 4.5-5.6 lens).


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1515 days ago

Review Icon C.L.D. reviewed Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Lens in Camera Lenses:
I love this lens! The VR really makes a difference. Admirable sharpness, especially for the price.

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1646 days ago

Review Icon PhotographerandITCoordinator reviewed Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras in Camera Lenses:
What's there to say? It's a Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS lens!!! Shipping with a tripod ring, lens hood, and case, it is a simply outstanding, tack sharp Canon "L" lens; moreover, the Image Stabilization provides a two-stop-plus difference when hand-holding. Those features and its outstanding performance make it one of Canon's most desired lenses -- and my personal experience with it has been excellent.

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Votes on this review: 3 Helpful / 0 Funny / 1 Agree / 0 Disagree

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