Digital SLR Reviews Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Manual Focus’

Canon EF S 10 22mm f 3 5 4 5 USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLRs

This exciting new zoom lens provides ultra wide-angle coverage to the EOS 20D and Digital Rebel SLR Digital-camera systems. Equivalent to a 16-35mm zoom, it offers excellent performance and optics designed from the ground-up for digital SLR use. Three Aspherical lens elements, plus a Super-UD element, assure image quality. Its ring-type USM means fast and silent AF along with full-time manual focus. It focuses as close as 9.5 inches. Circular aperture design — natural highlights, even stopped down two stops Electronic diaphragm — manually-set apertures stay constant from f/4.5 thru f/22 EF-S lens mount — exclusively for EOS 20D and Digital Rebel bodies Focal length 10 – 22 mm / 35 mm FOV 16 – 35 mm equivalent Construction – 13 elements in 10 groups Diaphragm – 6 blades Maximum aperture F3.5 – F4.5 / Minmum aperture F22 – F27 Closest focus 0.24 m Max magnification 0.17x (at 22 mm) AF actuator USM with full-time manual focus Filter diameter – 77 mm (accepts 77mm optional filters) Unit Dimensions – 83.5 x 89.8 mm (diameter x length) / Weight – 385 g

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Blown away…
I read a lot of reviews about this lens before making a purchase of my own. The 2 things I liked the most about what I read were the claims that Canon appeared to be using “L” glass, or near-”L” glass in this lens, and of course the main feature of having an ultra-wide angle capability with a 1.6 APS-C camera like my EOS 50D. I can say now after some field testing that this lens gets a 5-out-of-5 stars on both of these accounts.

Crisp focus and tack sharp images seem to be trivial to achieve with this quiet USM AF lens. I found the best 50D lens micro adjustment on my camera to be +3, but also found +0 to be quite acceptable, using the LCD monitor/moire pattern tuning technique at both ends of the zoom range. What REALLY tooted my horn however was the new found capability to take shots that were simply not achieveable before with my 28mm lens. Whole rooms in the house became one-shot deals, as opposed to the cumbersome image stitching technique. Groups of people near by – no problem getting them all into 1 shot. Landscape challenges – a snap without having to back up and up some more, and still wind up stitching multiple images together. Of course, everything written about straight-line distortion at the 10mm end of the zoom is true, but not to an excess, and in my opinion is MORE than offset by the capability to simply “get the shot all at once”. An indoor 6 story atrium that previously took 6 stitched photo’s to capture – now easily captured in 1 shot.

Focus was achieveable at a tiny bit over 4″ from the front of the lens. No IS on this lens, which I missed while trying some low-light shots (I kept waiting for IS to kick in out of habit, since all my other lenses are blessed with this feature), but this is only a concern on extreme close-up’s, which is not generally what you’d use this lens for anyway.

The lens has an AF/MF switch of course, and is only usable on certain camera’s that are compatible with EF-S type lenses (there is tons of online info about that to be read elsewhere). The filter size is 77mm. There is a light hood available from Canon, which I don’t own yet, and I’ve read that it’s marginally beneficial for blocking light since it’s so small in order to accomodate wide angle zooming without getting in the way. I’ll still buy one and put it on for extra front-end lens protection at around $14. It’s easy to bump in to things and a lens hood makes a lot of sense for that reason alone. Anyone who’s ever bent the metal of a filter after lightly bumping in to something, and then struggled with filter removal, lens cap fitting, etc., will know just what I mean.

I took some test shots with the built-in flash, and the 10-22mm lens does block the lower 5-10% portion of the picture at wider angle zooms. I was able to compensate for this in most shots by pointing the camera downward a bit more. Still, I’d recommend an external flash when using this lens, to take care of this interference and of course to get far superior bounce flash shots. There was no issue with the lens blocking any output from a camera mounted EX flash.

No lens creep on this lens. The overall lens length does not change with zooming. The zoom ring is snug, but turns smoothly, as does the focus ring, which can be turned after AF’ing for any fine tuning of the focus. The subject end of the lens does NOT TURN when zooming, which is great for circular polarizers and other filters that need to stay oriented. The lens length is 4″ (with a UV filter attached) from the front of the lens to the camera body face.

At first I thought this lens might be a specialty lens that I would only use when I needed whole room shots or was met with other wide angle challenges, but with an effective 35mm range on an APS-C camera, the quality of this glass makes it a candidate for a lot more uses as well, enabling quick access with a twist of the zoom ring to any action that comes in “close”, or to capture 2 subjects that are not conveniently side-by-side, as is sometimes the case with candid photo’s.

I have to admit that I’m writing this review after taking less than 300 photo’s with this lens, but the image quality and jaw dropping access to amazingly wide “views” that I’ve never had the ability to capture in one shot with a dSLR compelled me to brag “now” about this lens. If I encounter anything noteworthy after taking some more test shots under various conditions, I’ll amend this post.

In all honesty, it’s hard to imagine anyone who has ever been challenged by a wide angle shot not immediately falling in love with this gem once they get in to the field with it. Five star thumbs up on this one. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLRs

5 Stars Can’t beat the pictures this lens takes
bottom line, this lens takes amazing pictures you just can’t get with any other lens for this camera. Worth every penny.

5 Stars Love this lens! Surprised!
I bought this as a birthday gift for my husband, because he had requested it. I have never been much interested in wide-angle lenses–to me, long telephotos were the ones I lusted for. This lens has changed my mind. It opens up new worlds of photos that I had never thought about!

The quality seems great, as usual with Canon lenses. It’s small and relatively lightweight. The pictures look good to me–I don’t have the chops to evaluate them in a technical way, but the color rendition and sharpness look good.

5 Stars Excellent “L Lens” Optics – Very fun, enjoyable, high quality lens
First of all, this lens is an absolute blast to use. If you’ve never shot a full frame camera with a wide-angle lens, you’re in for a treat. Sitting on a chair I can easily see my knees as I look straight ahead with the lens – its just silly.

The optics are spectacular. I was skeptical too, but taking some test photos, they are very, very sharp – comparable or better than my 24-105L and 100-400L (still can’t beat the 70-200, sorry).

The build quality is good… but not great. Take this comment with a grain of salt. Besides my 60mm macro, i’ve only owned and used “L” lenses over the last year – so my expectations as far as build quality go, are high.

There is definitely distortion (i forget if its pincushion or barrel), most noticably at the widest focal lengths when the focus is near (less than 30 feet away). Its definitely not severe distortion, or even distracting. If you look for it, you will find it though. That being said, this isn’t really a problem when you are taking pictures of landscapes, buildings etc. In fact, this lens does a better job of keeping buildings/rooms looking natural in terms of perspective (think about how your pictures have leaning buildings in them usually – this lens is good at fixing that).

For the price (its not terrible but not cheap), I would have liked to see a metal body (of course it won’t be without “L” designation) and a lens hood (something they don’t include outside of “L” lenses). But for the price, its definitely still of good value as it is just that sharp and that much fun to use.

Bottom line…. if you only use a crop camera (not full frame) you will absolutely love this lens if you ever wish you could get more in the frame than your current lens. The image quality is worth it alone… but seriously, its a REALLY fun lens!

4 Stars Amazing lens for 1.6 crop sensor
It’s been reviewed to death here and elsewhere so not much to add from me. Amazingly wide, very good contrast and color, nice details also. The only thing to pick on is the plastic look and feel but it is also the plastic that makes this lens so light and portable.

I know this has nothing to do with the product, but I want to add my comments about Amazon. The packaging seems to be getting worse these days, may be they are going green and using less plastic air/bubble to pack but it does not make you feel good when a 700 dollars lens come bouncing in a box with no impact cushion. Having said that, I would have to say Amazon provides the best customer service/support among other merchants that I buy from, I can always buy from Amazon with confidence because I know they would do anything within reason to make my purchase satisfactory. I buy my gear from a few other online merchants too due to availability but their exchange/return policy is nowhere near what Amazon would do for you.

Buy/More Info

Sigma 18 250mm f 3 5 6 3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

The Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM lens incorporates Sigma’s original anti-shake compensation
function, with a 13.8 times zoom ratio. For cameras that have anti-shake function in the camera body, this
lens’s Hybrid Optical Stabilizer provides not only anti-shake function for the camera body compensation,
but also the function to compensate the image shaking in the view finder. Incorporating four Special Low Dispersion glass elements
and three Aspherical lens elements provides excellent image quality throughout the entire zoom range.
This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 17.7 inches (45cm) at all focal lengths and a maximum
magnification of 1:3.4 reproduction ratio, making it ideal for close-up photography. An inner focusing
system also eliminates front lens rotation, making it suitable for use with circular polarizing filters and the
supplied petal-type hood. The super multi layer coating helps to reduce the ghost in the backlight
photography.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Best bang for your buck
Very minimal nuance with my Canon L lens if you ever notice it at all. No wonder this is the Best Entry Level Lens: Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM and has a TIPA award for 2009. Quick AF and razor sharp pics!!!! Anyone now can become a playboy photographer.

4 Stars Excellent but slightly heavy
I bought this lens before a recent trip to Australia. I’ve been using the 18-55mm that came with my EOS and a Canon 22-200mm. The 18-55mm suits 80% of my needs normally but I find that I use the telephoto a lot when traveling. So this lens replaces them both. I still brought the 18-55mm with me but 90% of the time I had the Sigma on the camera. It worked very well. The zoom is smooth and the autofocus worked well. The few times I needed to use manual focus I found the focus ring fell right at hand and worked well. I took 2000 pictures in a variety of conditions and the images look great. It was especially handy for wildlife shots.

One downside is that it’s a relatively slow lens (f-stop). I can’t really call it a complaint because I knew what I was getting and a faster lens is quite a bit more expensive. The 10% of the time I used the 18-55mm lens was in low-light situations where f/3.5 just wasn’t cutting it.

The image stabilization seems to work well. I have not tried any comparisons with it on or off yet–I left it on the entire trip. However I did take several hundred pictures during a whale watch cruise. The seas were rough and the boat was moving and I was at maximum zoom taking photos of whales breeching. Everything worked a treat. Of course some were blurry but most were razor sharp.

The only ‘complaint’ is that the lens is heavy. There’s a lot of glass in it, so that’s understandable, but it gets to be a pain in the neck (literally) after a while. I’ll be looking for a better strap next. When carrying the camera, the lens ends up hanging down. After a while it loosened up enough that it would extend on its own. I started using the zoom lock and have begun to build up the muscle memory to unlock it when I bring the camera into position. Unfortunately, the lock button is very close to the autofocus button and on several occasions I flipped that while trying to lock or unlock the lens. Not a big deal, though.

Overall I’m very happy with the lens and the pictures it took and the price was quite reasonable.

5 Stars Great All-In-One SLR lens
We got the Sigma 18-250mm lens for our Nikon D40 and it works great without any problems. It is a great all-in-one lens that can go wide and zoom pretty far in, has optical stabilization features, and even has a zoom lock function that isn’t even on Nikon’s current 18-200mm lens (the replacement model has one, though). Focusing does not rotate or extend the barrel of the lens so it won’t throw off polarizing filters or accidentally hit objects that are close to the lens like when taking pictures through a window. While its visual quality won’t match that of the more expensive Nikon lenses, you do get more bang for your buck and you probably won’t even notice the difference. The only drawbacks I see with using this lens are that it is a little on the heavy side, and that its length will create a shadow when using your SLR’s built-in flash at the widest focal length, but zooming in to at least 24mm or using an external flash will solve that problem. The f/6.3 aperture at maximum zoom might also cause problems for some, but it’s a compromise you have to live with given this lens’ price.

2 Stars Poor All-In-One lens…
The reason I bought this Sigma 18-250mm are probably like most people. I want to replace two lenses I have (18~70mm + 70~210mm) and the Nikon is cost too much. Amazon had this one for Nikon mount priced $509 last month, so I decided to give it a try. After two weeks of ownership, I am disappointed and sending it back. This is my second Sigma lenses. My first one is Sigma 30mm f1.4 which I like it, but this Sigma 18~250mm OS, just cannot serve the purpose.

What I like about this lens:

1. It’s much cheaper than Nikon one and have huge focus range.

2. Solid built and it is “Made in Japan”.

3. Optical Stabilizer does work.

4. Fast auto focus.

5. NO zoom lens creep.

What I don’t like about this lens:

1. Images are not sharp at all. I’ve compare it to my more than 10-years-old Nikkor (70-210mm f/4.5-5.6), it’s not even close.

2. It focuses fast, but I do find it somehow backward focus every now an then.

3. Less contrast and the color are not very saturated.

4. The pop-up flash would cast a shadow at 18~24mm even without the len hood on it.

5. The AF stuck few times. I have to switch the AF button to fix it.

I don’t care much about the weight, HSM and distortion since I have hand strap and shoot more people than buildings. The sharpness is what I care the most. This lens is also useless indoor. I’ve trid turn on the OS, increase the ISO to 800, but none of the images come out what I expected. There are not that many reviews on this lens yet. The one I found is at [...]. The author had it compare to Nikon 18-200mm VR very thoroughly. He was impressive about this Sigma, but I think he return it after owning it for 6 weeks. It works fine on tripod for comparison, but not that great in real application.

While it is not sharp enough for outdoor shots, and useless indoor, I see no reason for keeping it. Others’ reviews are “Great all-in-one…”. I would say “Poor All-In-One lens”.

4 Stars Great everyday lens
This is a great everyday lens. Two lenses in one. I get great clear shots. The only negative I have about this lens is lens creep. It is bad. Any downward angle when using a tripod, it slides. It does not hold its position. Maybe this is true with all lenses of this size, I don’t know. But if it is then I think that is a major flaw that companies can work to fix. Because of the lens creep I give a 4 star rating and not 5 star. I do recommend this lens if lens creep is ok with you.

Buy/More Info

Canon EF 17 40mm f 4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

A new and affordable L-series ultra-wide-angle zoom lens that’s ideal for both film and digital SLRs. Superior optics are assured by the use of three aspherical lens elements, in addition to a Super UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) glass element. Optical coatings are optimized for use with digital cameras. This lens focuses as close as 11 inches (0.28m), and offers both Canon’s full-time manual focus and a powerful ring-type USM for fast and silent AF. It has a constant f/4 maximum aperture, and offers the choice of screw-in 77mm filters or a holder in the rear of the lens for up to three gel filters. Finally, it offers weather-resistant construction similar to other high-end L-series lenses.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Moved me to another level….
This lens is a must for those looking to shoot at another level. It is FANTASTIC!!! Thank you so much for your prompt delivery of the produce. It arrived in excellent condition, just as promised!

2 Stars Same image quality as kit lens!!!
Reading the reviews, why do you all sound like sales people? What is in it for you if I buy or not??

I have been using my kit lens EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 IS on my Rebel Xsi. I was looking for a lens that would give my pictures that punch/pop sharpness even when viewed in my LCD.

I decided to try an L series lens…took a bunch of tests various conditions…anylized in PS…NO DIFFERENCE IN SHARPNESS/IMAGE QUALITY! Went back to store and salesman couldn’t explain.

The IS in kit lens actually made it sharper when shooting handheld indoors!The L was blurry.

The construction of L is certainly better, but image quality wise…the same.

Is there a lens that will produce a better quality image than the kit lens?

Prove it. The sample pics posted with each lens do not convince me.

Is there some one else in the same situation who has found the solution?

5 Stars Incredible Lens
My boyfriend recently purchased the Canon 17-40mm as an awesome gift to me. It is my first “L” lens. I have a Canon Digital Rebel XTi (a 1.6x crop body) so this lens is pretty wide, but not ultra wide. It is a great walk-around lens, and it nicely compliments a crop camera body, though you won’t get the effect of an actual ultra wide. If you want the linear distortion or super panoramas that UWA lenses can deliver, you may want to consider Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM or perhaps the Tokina AT-X116PRDXC AT-X PRO DX 11-16mm. The build quality is incredible, much more durable than my Canon 85mm 1.8 and 28-135mm. I love this lens!

5 Stars Canon EF 17-40mmf/4L
This will be one on my prize Canon Lenses,it truly lives up to my expectations of an “L” lens for two reasons,build and Function.

I don’t really use the long end of this lens because for me the super wide 17mm view on a full frame camera is what this lens is all about. And boy does it deliver.

2 Stars It’s going back!
I orderd this lens a few days ago and I am not keeping it. Here is my review

Pros:

* Solid build quality

* Fast and quiet autofocus

* Well controlled Barrel Distortion even at 17mm.

Cons:

* After testing this lens for 2 hours. 95% of the pictures were comming out dark with some indoor pictures having dark corners even with my flash on. Picture taken at 2pm on a bright sunny day were dark and colors were dull!!!

*My other L lens EF 70-200 f 4 (from 4 years ago) takes amazing picture compared to this one.

Conclusion

I think this is quality assurance issue. We are in bad economical times and Canon is getting cheap.

Now I have to spend $20 to send it back…I am thinking that I am much better off walking into a store and paying the extra bucks and test the lens before buying it…or get a used one from 4 to 5 years ago. In otherwords treat any lens produced in the last 2 years like a Sigma lens test it before you buy it

Buy/More Info

Hoodman H EyeN22S HoodEYE for Nikon Square 22mm SLR Line

HoodEYE is a camera eyecup which easily replaces your digital SLR camera’s rubber eyepiece for improved viewfinder optics. Blocks light for easier viewing

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Good Gadget
I always have issues taking picture outside.. Too much light, so I went and research and got this product.. It works really good on. So I recommend you guys get one for your camera too… Its worth the buy..

4 Stars Great light blocker – made to stay
I use my D300 with a scope in long distance shots requiring manual focus and in macro photography, which also is often manual focus. Being able to block out the ambient light while setting up focus is really key and this eye cup does a good job of that. It gets four stars from me because the installation is a bit of a wrestle. This has an extra little tab the stock eye piece does not. I felt like I was going to break it, when I was installing it and I can only imagine the same feeling if I were to try to remove it – for example to use a right angle viewer, which I also use occasionally. The extra tab keeps it solidly in place, but a sliding tab might have been a better option on a plastic part that has so little room to work to begin with.

5 Stars Great option for your camera….
I’m using the HoodEye on my Nikon D40 Digital camera and really enjoy how clear and bright everything is in the view finder. No more cupping my left hand around the upper part of the camera and face to see the information displayed in the view finder under bright sun conditions. This is what I ordered, a little expensive but worth every penny. ASIN: B001UGNKQE

Item model number: H-EyeN22S. Really a great option. I am happy with the product and impressed with the quick delivery and packaging. You can be sure I will be ordering more items from Amazon with confidence.

5 Stars Great Eye cup
I purchased this for a boat trip to San Diego. Bright summer light reflecting off of the water, bright sun overhead. The cup really fits well and blocks out all outside light.

Very comfortable, very easy to use, fits both left and right hand users, great addition to your camera.

A must have for anyone who shoots outside!

5 Stars Nikon Eye Hood
Very comfortable, pushing the eye hood around my eye, instead of pushing the camera against my nose.

Buy/More Info

Opteka T Mount Adapter for Canon EOS Rebel T1i XS XSi XTi XT 50D 40D 30D 20D 5D 1Ds and Mark II SLR Digital Cameras

An accessory ring available in Canon EOS mount which converts the lens mount of your SLR camera to a T-Mount. The compatible Opteka T-Mount System makes it possible to use most any single lens reflex camera in combination with various front camera attachments such as telescopes, mirror lenses, slide duplicators…etc. The T-Mount is a metal connector that screws onto the compatible front attachment and allows this combination to be coupled to the Canon SLR camera lens mount.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Exactly as Described
This product arrived promptly and was exactly as described. I wanted a Canon t-mount for using a couple of mirror-lens telephoto/spotting scopes that I have, and this perfectly fills the bill. Thanks.

5 Stars just what you’d expect
Its a simple T-mount ring, nothing fancy, I use it to mount a mirror lens to my 40d. its all metal construction, and seems to be built to last. For the price I don’t think it can be beat. I would recommend this product to a friend.

5 Stars Works well
Well made, tight fit on Canon XS Digital SLR. Used to mount camera on telescopes using T-Adapter.

4 Stars tmount
thank you for the fast response and sending it out right away. I’m very pleased with the product.

5 Stars Does exactly what it should
The Opteka T-mount adapter for Eos does exactly what it says it does. It allows you to use telescopes or mirror lenses on your Eos camera. Even though it says for digitals, it works just as well on older film Canon Eos series cameras.

Just in case you don’t know, the t-mount won’t pass any electrical information to the lens for stopping down the aperture, or auto focusing. Luckily the lens I used it with has a fixed f8 aperture and manual focus so no worries.

Good build quality, simple, really hard to go wrong with this one. Just make sure you tighten it down properly if not you’ll lose infinity focus. If you need it, this will take care of ya.

Used with a Solignor 500mm mirror lens, mounted on a Digital Rebel Xt, and an Elan IIe. Worked perfect with both.

Buy/More Info