I had owned Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) for about a year and I have discovered that the standard lens that it came with was rather limited in terms of what sorts of shots I was able to take, especially when it came to taking pictures of distant object. I was not willing to spend too much money on any of the higher end professional or prosumer lenses. I needed something that would take decent photographs under the normal shooting condition, something comparable to the performance of the standard lens. I also wanted image stabilization, as I had come to appreciate how important it was for making low-blur shots. This Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II telephoto zoom lens fit that description perfectly, and over the time I've owned iy it has met or exceeded all of my expectations.

The lens, as can be expected, shoots good high-zoom pictures, especially in broad daylight. The image stabilization greatly helps in lower light condition as it eliminates a lot of the blur. However, I have not had much success with using this lens at night, even with really long exposure while using a tripod and a remote control. In my experience I got the best result when using this lens for shooting (relatively) nearby objects at high zoom. This would give me a really large contrast and the pictures that I got that way are among some of the best I ever shot.

This is also a fairly heavy lens, especially if you are not used to interchangeable lenses, so you need to plan in advance if you are going to use at a particular shooting situation or not. I discovered that it just fits perfectly in my regular sized DSL camera bag. Also, if you are using more than one lens at the shooting session be very careful when exchanging the lenses. I recommend always trying to find a flat surface on which you can lay down any one lens at a time.

Whether you are interested in taking close-ups of distant objects or creating some interesting artistic effects, this is a perfect lens to invest into after you've gotten used to taking pictures with SLR cameras.

More Detail : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0056E49MK/tipfla-20

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Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

Once upon a time the 50 mm lens was THE standard camera lens and was THE optical benchmark by which manufacturers were judged and compared. Although the basic lens focus has now shifted (at least at the low to mid amateur level) to zooms - you can still benefit from years of research and development that went into designing the 50 mm lens and this here lens may be the best lens, dollar for dollar, that you can ever buy. The question is can you afford not to own this lens?

Years of development have brought us a lens that has a fast aperture of 1.8 - far faster than any consumer zoom lens - and that is sharp as a filed tack. Be forewarned about the sharpness . . . if you are taking pictures of people, this lens is unyielding in its sharpness and may well surprise you and your subjects whose every blemish is captured. The lens has a fabulously shallow depth of field if you want to use the 1.8 aperture to blow out a background. This lens is also ridiculously inexpensive. It is not USM - so it is a little loud. It does not have a moving focus scale. For the money though - this is heaven.

As to the build quality - yes, it is plastic. No, it's not built like the Rock of Gibraltar. If you are going to give this lens extensive use as your everyday lens and you shoot a lot, it may not hold up all that well as one reviewer suggests. However, I've now had this lens and used it fairly regularly (although not as the primary lens) for about 8 years and it is still in great condition. In my mind, spend the $$ on this first before you go and drop $330 on the 50mm 1.4 USM lens and I think you'll find it gets the job done nicely and that the extra $250 on the 1.4 may not be worth the difference in build (major difference), speed (minor difference) and image quality (minor difference).

More Detail : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00007E7JU/tipfla-20

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Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

No it's not especially if you take into account its intended users. If you use a Canon digital SLR and are satisfied with the kit lens (18-55) then buying this lens can be the perfect next step for you. Practically speaking, you will be able to increase your zoom reach to the point where you can A) photograph birds in moderately distant trees, B) be able to zoom in on the other side of a valley and frame something of your interest. Those are just two examples. One thing you will NOT be able to do effectively with this lens, however, is to take sport shots with it. How so? Consider some of the following weakness:

*At 300mm zoom range the highest aperture is limited to 5.6 (You will have to use very slow shutter speed to snap fast action shots; remember the inverse relation between aperture and shutter speed.)

*The lens size/weight combination makes it hard to hold steady when attached to a camera like the Rebel XT

*Slow and often inaccurate auto focus (I just don't understand why Canon makes a USM version of this lens for $20 more, but never includes it in the triple rebate program)

*Chromatic aberration is significant in high contrast lighting like in full sun (if you do not know what Chromatic aberration means search the term online or check out my review of the Canon 28mm 2.8 on Amazon, but to summarize, it would be a discoloration at the fringes of objects in your picture)

Those kinds of weakness will limit your ability to use this lens in all sorts of other situations/circumstances. As a practical rule to follow, if the lighting is less than ideal this lens will give you a hard time. Meaning, it will be possible to use it, but you may get too many blurry images because of shake from slow shutter speeds. As for what are ideal lighting conditions? That would be full sun with few or no clouds and with the light bathing your subject/object from the front or the side.

So is this lens that bad? Not really, as with many other lenses, when the lens is coupled with a good camera it still out performs most Point and Shoot cameras. Plus it provides results at par or slightly below the kit lens (18-55). So if you are satisfied with your kit lens, which provides you with a zoom range comparable to 3X zoom (55/18= 3), why not add another lens that will expand your zoom range by another 4X (300/75=4)? Nothing wrong with expanding your horizon!

PS. TWO MORE POINTS ABOUT USING THIS LENS: First, if you're confident you can handhold this lens at slow shutter speeds (I know I can't) then the low maximum aperture shouldn't be a major problem. Second, if you're fine shooting at high ISO (more like 400 or 800) then again the low maximum aperture shouldn't be a problem. The nice thing about photography is that you can do one thing in so many ways, so don't be afraid to explore with this lens!

More Detail : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004THD0/tipfla-20

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

The short version:

Pros:

The optical quality is great, the speed is terrific, and it compares well to the 70-200mm lens that people like to say blows this out of the water (I believe they are wrong - but we will get into that later) and finally, the price cannot be beaten. Buy it.

Cons:

No hood, extends as it zooms, and the quality of the picture in low light situation lessens a little.

The long version:

I am writing this in simple terms. I found several, several reviews on this lens but they were all in technical terms and leaves you scratching your head a little. So, if you are like me maybe this review will help you.

I bought this lens a couple months ago from US1Photo.com (check these guys out. They regularly have significant sales and terrific customer service). I use this lens with a Canon 40D.

I take several types and styles of pictures so I needed a lens that would do the best job at several things and have a very affordable price (right at or less than $1,000). I looked through new, used, third party (Tamron, Sigma, etc) lenses, and read too many reviews and looked at too many images to count, and spent four hours in a photography store playing with lenses before I decided to spend money and take advantage of this lens. All in all I spent about a week's worth of time in research and testing before I bought this lens.

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Edit:

Okay, so amazon won't let me put a link here. This is how you find me.

~Go to Flickr

~Then type in a "/" then "photos" then "/" and last type in "gman_five0"

And that should take you there.

---

Test of comment #1:

~The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM does not track moving objects very well and the farther to the end of the zoom the slower the tracking.

(Flickr Gallery page 2)

This, I have found, to be completely wrong. I have used the lens at several sporting events and found that it tracks rather nicely. I was able to track every step of a base-runner from first base to second, slide, and recovery after the play without losing ONE shot.

To see what I am talking about check out my gallery on Flickr. The older ones are NOT done with this lens or camera and taken, actually, several years ago. I will reference the pictures in question.

Safe, Got There By a Mile, Breaking Up That Double Play (please note that as time goes on from the date that this was posted the pictures may have been re-moved). Also, "Safe" was used instead of another shot taken at the same time and angle with a 70-200mm IS lens.

To take these shots I used "AI focus" and the "H" settings on my camera for quicker tracking and the H settings for about 6 frames per second.

Test of Comment #2:

~The 200-300mm range is nice in theory, but a tack-sharp photo from the 70-200mm f/4L at 200mm is going to look better cropped than a 300mm full-frame photo from this lens.

Again, I found this to be wrong. Though I have no actual "full sized" picture for this if you comment back with an email address then we can arrange a viewing of one. Otherwise, take my word for it, I own several lenses and this one stacks up well.

(Ref Flickr Gallery)

The pictures from the Dance Theater and Tashina were all taken at the 200-300mm focus lengths. Again, they are not full sized because of photo pirates, but if you email me we can see about full sized shots.

Test of Comment #3:

~The IS motor is loud

I do not know what these people are talking about, but if you call that loud...

On the other hand, I have heard (once), the sound of the IS motor, but if you are not listening for it you will not even notice it.

Things I have found about the lens:

If you spend some time with the lens will be one of your best friends. It is a great lens especially for people on a budget (like me). To take the best pictures you cannot just twist it on and go to shooting. Take the time to LEARN about the lens (change shutter speeds, ISO settings, aperture, white balances, etc) and it will show you where it shines - just like the L series lenses and the 70-200mm IS.

This lens has a solid make and feels like it will last forever. Then again, as you zoom the lens does extend and is plastic. So, watch out if you are doing sports. You may get it knocked off. It did well for me, though. Extending while zooming makes putting a hood on the lens a bit (very little; so little that you cannot tell) awkward and it looks kinda goofy.

I like the lens because it is not as bulky as the 70-200mm lens and it is extremely mobile. It is as quick as some other lenses, not as quick as some, and quicker than others. It will give you great quality pictures. It does have its limits, however: in low light situations not being able to take it back a couple stops and get a wider aperture will not give you the same shot as a 70-200mm. Then again, like I said, it doesn't drop to that f/2.8 and does not cost all that money. This has been the single drawback for me about the lens.

I use this lens for portraits (Tashina, Samantha), for sports (see gallery), and music (Shawn Pander - See Gallery). So, it's pretty versatile. I have yet to use with it flash, but that is because I simply do not like to use flash. I have yet to use it in a studio setting, but when I do I will amend this review and add a couple of those pictures as well.

This lens comes highly recommended from me. I am not a big time, highly paid, or well known photographer. I just like to shoot and like what I shoot to be of the best quality that I can have AND afford at the time. So, if you are like me and cannot spend the needed $1,500 - $1,700 on a 70-200mm IS lens then spend your money on this lens. You will not be sorry for it.

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On another note, comments are welcome. This is my first ever review on here so let me know if there anything else that you would like to know about and I will do my best to answer the question in the most plain terms as possible.

More Detail : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007Y794O/tipfla-20

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

Once upon a time the 50 mm lens was THE standard camera lens and was THE optical benchmark by which manufacturers were judged and compared. Although the basic lens focus has now shifted (at least at the low to mid amateur level) to zooms - you can still benefit from years of research and development that went into designing the 50 mm lens and this here lens may be the best lens, dollar for dollar, that you can ever buy. The question is can you afford not to own this lens?

Years of development have brought us a lens that has a fast aperture of 1.8 - far faster than any consumer zoom lens - and that is sharp as a filed tack. Be forewarned about the sharpness . . . if you are taking pictures of people, this lens is unyielding in its sharpness and may well surprise you and your subjects whose every blemish is captured. The lens has a fabulously shallow depth of field if you want to use the 1.8 aperture to blow out a background. This lens is also ridiculously inexpensive. It is not USM - so it is a little loud. It does not have a moving focus scale. For the money though - this is heaven.

As to the build quality - yes, it is plastic. No, it's not built like the Rock of Gibraltar. If you are going to give this lens extensive use as your everyday lens and you shoot a lot, it may not hold up all that well as one reviewer suggests. However, I've now had this lens and used it fairly regularly (although not as the primary lens) for about 8 years and it is still in great condition. In my mind, spend the $$ on this first before you go and drop $330 on the 50mm 1.4 USM lens and I think you'll find it gets the job done nicely and that the extra $250 on the 1.4 may not be worth the difference in build (major difference), speed (minor difference) and image quality (minor difference).

More Detail : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00007E7JU/tipfla-20

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

I am new to photography, having bought a decent crop sensor camera a little over a year ago. Recently after having taken basic courses in composition and exposure, I decided to start upgrading my lenses. I first bought the 50mm 1.8. Returned it because all my pictures, though showing as focused in the lens came out blurry on the frame. Not much, but enough to bother me. I then bought a 24 to 105mm f4L. Absolutely love it. Cannot believe what a difference it made in my photography.
After doing more searching and learning, I decided next to buy a macro. For crop sensor cameras, this lens is highly regarded. Shortly after recieving it, I can definitly see why. It is built like an L lens. The images taken with it are increadably sharp. I can use this for portrait work, video, and macro. The auto focus is usm, so very fast and accurate. I took some hand held tests with my kids, and got one shot of my son's eye from the side, with 3 lashes in the middle in focus and the rest totally blurred. I took a shot of my daughters eye straight on, and it was so sharp that you could see me perfectly in her reflection.
I then took some tests with a dandilion, tripod, and external hand held flash, and just got some amazing results. From a few inches away, stopped down all the way to f32, the bud was just exploding with bright sparkles from the floret seeds surrounding it. The bud itself had more detail than I ever knew existed.
Detail that was impossible for me to see with the naked eye. I now have this lens on my camera more than the beautiful L lens I bought just a few months ago. Everything I see I look at with potential for future pics with this lens. Discarded electrical wire, sunglasses, leaves, chain, rusty nails, ect..... Trust me, this lens will open up a whole new world of photographic opportunity for you. Im having a lot of fun.
There are a couple of accessories that I believe are really important to help bring out the most for this lens. One is an external flash, and the other is some kind of ettl remote trigger. I bought a pixel king just because I hate cords, but I am sure a cord would work just fine. Having the ability to play with the direction and distance of light to your subject is very important in macro photography. Little adjustments in camera angle and light can make huge differences in the contrast and focus point of your final image.
Have fun!

More Detail : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007WK8KS/tipfla-20


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Canon EF 28mm f/2.8

The 28/2.8 is like the Rodney Dangerfield of Canon lenses. He don't get no respect! Honestly, it would be easy to pass this lens up and buy something else. The design is ancient (circa early 1990s), is "only" F2.8, it doesn't have USM, and while 28mm is wide angle, it's not *that* wide angle.

So what does this lens have going for it? It's cheap, it's small, and it covers a full frame. If you've got an APS-C camera, there are better choices (mostly zooms), and if you're looking for razor sharp pictures corner to corner on your 1Ds mark III, there are better choices.

In the days of pocket sized cameras with 47x zoom lenses, this little prime lens seems almost quaint. However if you're looking for a small, cheap, simplistic lens for your full frame camera (digital or film), this guy won't take up much space in your bag and is still a great choice.

More Review : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006I53T/tipfla-20
 
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