The Photocrati Blog

Tamrac Adventure 9 Review Round-Up

It’s a backpack big enough to hold a 17-inch MacBook Pro. It’s a camera bag big enough to hold a photojournalist’s basic kit, including digital SLR, three pro zooms (16-35mm f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8, and 70-200 f/2.8), strobe, CF cards, spare batteries, and a few filters. It’s even a daypack big enough for a fleece jacket and some lunch. A three-in-one bag that won’t set you back a fortune — what more could a college photographer want? An iPod headphone pass-through? Sorry, but Tamrac had to skip that convenience in order to keep the Adventure 9 weatherproof. READ FULL REVIEW AT POPPHOTO

If you own or have used this bag, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this bag from Amazon: Tamrac Adventure 9 Photo/Computer Backpack

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Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 USM L EF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone:

The performance of the Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8 USM L came as a surprise because its optical quality exceeded the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L (two samples tested). The lens doesn’t really show any significant flaws – the resolution figures are very high and distortions and especially vignetting are very low. The degree of CAs is pretty decent for a zoom in this range. The build quality is very good with only the reverse zoom extension as a minor downside. However, similar to its successor the zoom range is not all that attractive on APS-C DSLRs (45-112mm). For most it’ll make more sense to have a deeper look at the 17-40mm f/4L when looking for a high quality standard zoom. While not tested in this scope it is probably a valid assumption that the EF 28-70mm f/2.8 USM L will surely find many happy full frame users becuase it simply remains a great lens! READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6D AF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Thom Hogan

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance. This lens produces good results when stopped down. At f/8 and f/11, especially at the 80mm end, the lens produces sharp, contrasty images from edge to edge. Given the low price of this lens, the performance is actually pretty remarkable. Even distortion is minimal, though still clearly visible at 200mm. There is no focus distance scale, and obviously, no depth of field information. Softness at the extremes. Avoid the widest and smallest apertures and you’ll get sharp, contrasty results, though. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 II EX DC HSM APO Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon:…

Lowepro Toploader 75 AW Review Round-Up

Sometimes choosing a digital SLR is easier than choosing the camera bag to carry it in. The camera case I selected for my primary use bag is the Lowepro Toploader 75 AW. It is a high quality case that fits my needs very well. ? ?I like the ease of use a toploader case provides. I can throw the case over my shoulder and go. I have full and easy access to everything without putting the case down. The “AW” designation of the Lowepro Toploader 75 AW indicates “All Weather”. Lowepro includes a rain coat that pulls out of a pouch underneath to provide water protection. The case by itself could be called weather-resistant (not water proof), but the AW rain coat adds to this protection. ? ?Basically, the Lowepro Toploader 75 AW is a great all-around top-loading camera case. READ FULL REVIEW AT DIGITAL PICTURE

If you own or have used this bag, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this bag at Amazon: Lowepro Toploader 75 AW – Holster bag ( for camera ) – ballistic nylon, TXP ripstop – gray, black

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Canon EOS 1000D Rebel XS Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this camera, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this camera from Amazon: Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)

Digital Photography Review

The 1000D does just about everything it needs to do, and everything it does, it does well. It can produce great images at any of its ISO settings and, viewed as a whole, makes a great first DSLR. Canon seems to have gently toned-down the specification so that it rates slightly less well in all the metrics that appear on shop shelf tags – pixel count, continuous shooting speed, number of AF points and screen size. The only one of these to have any real impact on the user experience is the continuous shooting speed, which has been pruned back a little far. The 1000D doesn’t stand out from the competition as much as previous models. It’s certainly a safe bet and one of the most consistent offerings in the sector . . . its all-round competence, excellent high ISO performance and class-leading image quality will win it a lot of friends. READ FULL REVIEW (more…)

Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8D AF Zoom-Nikkor Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8D AF Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Ken Rockwell

Want a screaming bargain on a fast professional midrange zoom? Get one of these while you still can. They went out of production in 2006. Previously I’ve questioned the utility of any lens which can only zoom 40% either way from 50mm, and is far bigger, slower and more expensive than any fixed 50mm lens, but I’ve become more open minded in my old age. For those of you who need to zoom instead of move forward and back, this is a great lens. READ FULL REVIEW

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Canon 17-35mm f/2.8 USM L EF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Find more information and user reviews on Amazon: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens (NOTE: Links to the II version)

Photo Zone:

During my days with this lens I was actually quite fond of the performance of the Canon EF 17-35mm f/2.8 USM L but I usually limited the usage to focal lengths beyond 20mm. A good idea also confirmed by the MTF tests which showed a quite poor border resolution at 17mm. However, in the 20-35mm range the performance is very good and comparable to what we’ve seen from modern Canon ultra-wide zooms. Same goes for the other image characteristics. The barrel distortions are very pronounced towards the wide end of the zoom range but pretty decent otherwise. Typical for most full frame lenses vignetting is no big issue on an APS-C DSLR. CAs are quite high but about average for a lens in this class. All-in-all the lens had its time but there’re better alternatives available today. … READ FULL REVIEW

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Canon 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 II EF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone:

The Canon EF 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 II is one of the little known secrets and more than that it ´s also available at very low prices on the used market (< 100 bucks at eBay). The lens is certainly not flawless especially regarding its mechanical qualities. However, the resolution figures are highly impressive and the other optical characteristics are at least on a decent level. On the downside the range of the lens isn ´t all that sexy anymore on APS-C DSLRs. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 100-300mm f/4 EX HSM DG AF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 100-300mm f/4 EX HSM DG is one of the most impressive Sigma lenses tested to date. It is able to deliver a near-flawless performance with great resolution figures, low vignetting, low distortions, low CAs and a very decent bokeh (albeit slightly underdeveloped regarding the moderate max. aperture unless your main subject is fairly close). It works reasonably well with the Sigma AF 1.4x DG EX converter but there’s no free lunch here for obvious reasons. The Sigma is quite a monster of a lens but the combination of speed and focal length range simply takes its toll regarding size and weight requirements. The build quality is exceptionally high and combined with the snappy AF it was a joy to use the lens in the field. READ FULL REVIEW

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