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Ken Rockwell:
The Canon EF 70-210mm f/4 is sharp and works great. The optics are as good as similar current lenses in actual use, although it’s soft at f/4 and 210mm. The reason to pay more for the newest lenses are features like Image Stabilization, not optical quality. READ FULL REVIEW
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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens for EOS Digital SLR Rebel XT, XTI, 20D & 30D Digital Cameras
In lens land there’s no such thing as a free lunch and the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II is an example for that. Under controlled conditions (stopping down two stops at 18mm) the lens can provide very decent results – certainly more than enough for casual users who are the target group anyway. However, technically the resolution is mediocre all-in-all and at 18mm @ f/3.5 it’s downright poor. Distortions and vignetting are very high at the wide-end but no big issue at the tele end. The construction quality is soso at best. In its price range there’re few alternatives in Canon EOS mount and they probably aren’t better either. However, serious users looking for a good quality lens should save a little longer and look elsewhere. READ FULL REVIEW
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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
In terms of optical performance the Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM is about in line with other consumer grade tele zoom lenses. The resolution figures are excellent and 100mm but unsurprisingly tMORE’s a penalty at longer focal length specifically at 300mm @ f/5.6. At 200mm and more so at 300mm you should stop down a little to lift the resolution and contrast level. Distortions and vignetting are usually nothing to worry about whereas CAs are a significant although largely correctable weakness at 200mm and 300mm. On the positive side the tested sample showed a very good center (lens alignment) which is quite rare for a lens in this class. The mechanical quality is a step up from the typical kit zoom – this is most obvious in the IF (internal focusing) design and the very fast ring-type USM drive. Unless you can afford the (substantially better) EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 USM IS the EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM is a remains good choice in the sub-300€/US$ tele zoom lens league. Just don’t expect any wonders at longer focal lengths. READ FULL REVIEW
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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens
There were a few moments when I considered not to publish the results due to “political correctness” because to date it was a quite absurd thought that such a cheap, or better “affordable”, lens can perform this good and I’m sure that some will not believe the findings even though they’re supported by the published field images. Anyway, the resolution capabilities of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is nothing short of amazing. Its resolution characteristic is similar to the (much higher priced) EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS at comparable aperture settings, quite a bit better than the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS and naturally vastly improved over its non-IS predecessor! The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is certainly a value king, priced below 200€/US$, which is a good match for the resolution potential of the current generation of Canon’s APS-C DSLRs. READ FULL REVIEW
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Photo Zone:
The Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6 L can still convince optically with very high resoltion figures, low distortions and quite low vignetting (on APS-C). However, mechanically the lens is totally outdated and clearly substandard compared to current Canon L lenses. In fact most of today’s consumer zooms are better in this respect. If you cannot afford the new EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 USM IS the ancient EF 100-300mm f/5.6 L remains still worth a serious thought regarding its much lower price tag on the used market and it still puts most other xx-300mm zoom lenses to shame specifically regarding contrast. READ FULL REVIEW
If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. (more…)
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 20-35mm f/2.8 L may be old, even ancient by consumer electronics standards but it’s still capable to deliver high quality images specifically regarding resolution and low vignetting (on APS-C DSLRs) whereas distortions, field curvature and CAs are a little on the high side. Thanks to L-grade build quality it feels very solid but expect that time has taken its toll from a ~15 years old lens. If you can find a sample in decent condition it is still worth a deeper look but remember that it is probably beyond repair in case of malfunctions due to rare spare parts. READ FULL REVIEW
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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Photo Zone:
It is a little difficult to find a verdict for the Canon EF 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM. The lens is capable to deliver a very high resolution which surely originates in the rather conservative zoom ratio. However, at the wide-end it suffers from very pronounced residual aberrations so you may run into situations where you cannot exploit the potential of the lens. If you ´re primarily shooting landscapes with rather long focus distance settings this will not be much of an issue but for at closer settings you should either choose a small aperture (f/11) or do at least a depth-of-field preview check. Other than that the lens performed according to its class. The zoom range isn ´t all that attractive on APS-C DSLRs but it may be worth a look for 1.3x or FF DSLRs (not tested in this scope). READ FULL REVIEW
Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 USM L is a very harmonic package combining exceptional build quality with an excellent and very even optical performance throughout the range. Adding an EF 1.4x II only results is a slight loss of quality which is remarkable for such a slow speed zoom. And even better the price tag of this lens is amazingly low for what it offers … or to be precise: what it can offer. Unfortunately the quality of the two tested samples varied quite a bit which is a little disappointing especially regarding the L designation. So if you can get a good one the EF 70-200mm f/4 USM L can be highly recommended! READ FULL REVIEW
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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Digital Picture:
The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Lens is a relatively small, very light and very cheap lens for this focal length range. The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Lens is really cheap. Usually you get what you pay for – unfortunately this is the case with the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Lens. Build quality of the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Lens is mediocre (and this may be a generous rating). Lightness is the benefit, but you won’t find smooth zoom and focus rings. I wouldn’t want to subject the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Lens to a lot of abuse as I doubt it would survive. Image quality from the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Lens is also mediocre. READ FULL REVIEW