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.

---

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.

---

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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Canon EF 24mm f/2.8

I was on the lookout for a good-quality autofocus wide angle lens for my Canon 5D MkII, and this seemed to be the best option. Canon's telephoto lenses are generally superb and they make some good zooms, but the company has traditionally had trouble with the wider focal lengths. I can't justify the expense of a 24-70mm f/2.8 or the 24mm f/1.4, and the 17-40mm and 16-35mm seem either underwhelming or too specialised for what they are. The 28-135mm didn't appeal to me, ditto the 20-35mm f/3.4-4.5, the 24-85mm didn't impress me when I owned a copy. The non-L wide primes include the 20mm f/2.8, which no-one seems to like; the 35mm f/2, which lots of people like but doesn't seem great in the full-frame corners; the 28mm f/2.8, which I have tried and hated, and the 28mm f/1.8, which doesn't appeal to me at all. The 24mm f/2.8 seemed to be the dark horse, based on the tests I have seen, and so I found one cheap and snapped it up.

It is surprisingly good. Not excellent, but sufficient. I already have a very good 24mm, an old Olympus 24mm f/2.8 that I use with an adapter, and although Canon's lens isn't quite as sharp it's more practical to use, on account of it having autofocus and an automatic aperture. I don't have to keep checking live view when I focus closer than infinity. I like the 24mm focal length, and with a 5D MkII I can always crop down to something approximating 35mm without too much loss of resolution.

Physically it's a solid unit that doesn't rotate or extend. It doesn't feel weak and I have subsequently thrust it into bags and taken it out and about without breaking it. The autofocus is buzzy but the focus travel is very short, so it's not a problem. The manual focus ring is dire and I have only used it when shooting video. Canon gives you front and rear caps but no hood, the meanies.

Optically it's close to very good. At f/8, f/11 it's sharp across the frame almost but not quite into the extreme corners, far better than the 28mm f/2.8 that I briefly owned. There is CA, but DPP will correct this. There is some barrel distortion, but it's not very noticeable and not offensive, and this is one thing the lens has over the 24-105mm f/4 (the other being that it's much smaller and lighter - in the end I went on holiday with this lens and a 50mm, and the combination was smaller and faster than the 24-105mm). Vignetting exists and is inescapable on a 5D MkII, this is the major optical weakness. At f/2.8 it remains sharp in the centre. The background blur is busy and it's not really a bokeh-licious lens. You, sir, are no 24mm f/1.4.

Drawbacks? The very extreme outer corners are always mushy but, having said that, outside the world of Carl Zeiss every wide angle lens seems to have this problem. On an APS-C camera it would be sharp but redundant, because your kit lens is probably just as sharp and also wider and it has image stabilisation. The other problem is the price, which is too high. If Canon reworked the lens, added USM, sharpened it up a bit more, they could justify this price, but I suspect they will simply discontinue it in favour of the 24mm f/1.4. Which is a shame, because it is otherwise a bit of a hidden gem.

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Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro

The 100 f/2.8 macro is very sharp, even for general shooting, so it works great for portraits, too. When I'm not using a zoom, this is my walkaround lens for people, relatively tight scenes and even indoor sports. Think of it as a great lens that also shoots macro than the other way around. Hard to beat that versatility at the price.

But it comes into its own at close distances. If you've never had a macro lens, you'll run around shooting everything in sight because everything looks new from a macro perspective.

Canon has several macro lenses. I prefer the 100 mm over shorter lenses because I don't have to get quite as close to that bee or wasp. The 180 mm gives you even more distance from your subject, more background blur and amazing sharpness. But it's much more expensive and in most cases you'll need a tripod, and I shoot a lot of improptu macros as I'm hiking.

For extreme closeups with larger-than-life images, there's the MP-E 65. It goes up to 5X, compared to the 100mm's 1X, but you lose autofocus with this lens. In fact, you set your magnification and then move the camera until the object is in focus! As you get beyond about 2X, the viewfinder gets fairly dark. If you're doing still life macro work, it's amazing. I'll probably get one someday for shooting my mineral colletion.

One thing to keep in mind with any macro is that because of the close distances, you're often in lower light conditions. Althought it's fairly pricey, I'm using the MT-24 EX, which lets you adjust the direction of the twin flashes. The MR-14EX ring light is a couple hundred dollars cheaper but will produce a slightly flatter image. And you can always use one of the standard flashes, though the closeness of your subject may cause some odd shadows.

More Detail : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004XOM3/tipfla-20
 
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Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

I am an amateur photograher and was looking for a lens to capture sports pictures of my kids that are in a gym with low light and fast action. If that's what you're looking for then look no further, this is the lens for you. I was struggleing with my current lens that only went to an f4 - 5.6. After much reading and asking questions I was told it wasn't necessarily my camera but the speed of my lens. This was the only lens that was somewhat within my price range.

This lens takes great pictures, you will not be dissappointed. Any bad pictures are because I'm still learning what settings to set the camera at and to stop moving causing some pictures to blur. I know the lens is good because when I set everything right the pictures look outstanding. It took some getting use to because I always used a zoom lens. So some basketball pictures I was actually too close to the action. With more experience I'll know exactly where I want to set up to be within the 85mm range. I use this camera for basketball and volleyball.

More Detail : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00007GQLU/tipfla-20
 
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Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

Exceptional images are definitely not the exception with this lightweight, affordable, L–class ultra-wide zoom.
I must admit that, when I first purchased this lens, I expected it to see limited use. I had only occasional need for an ultra-wide so, exercising great fiscal responsibility, I chose this model over Canon’s 1-stop faster, 3-times pricier 16-35mm f/2.8L. Since I would mostly use the lens for the occasional landscape or architecture shot—two disciplines requiring good depth-of-field—I wasn’t too concerned about the f/4 aperture. I would, in most cases, be using it at f/8- f/11 and, as I already mentioned, it wasn’t like I was going to use this lens all that much, anyway…
Yeah, right. In 2008, I took more photos with the lens I “wasn’t going to use much” than with all my other lenses combined.
What I didn’t know, when I purchased this glass, was that the bulk of my 2008 photographic income would come from landscape and architecture work — two areas that, until 6 months ago, were only hobbies for me. Instantly, this lens rose from “novelty” to “bread and butter” status, and not once did I ever think, “I wish I had purchased the 16-35.”  In fact, it was quite the opposite — spending a summer climbing mountains and hiking many rugged and steep trails made me appreciate every ounce I didn’t have in my backpack, and the 17-40 is one of the lightest lenses in my kit. Stopped down and mounted on a tripod, this lens is both an architecture and landscape-capturing machine. Handheld at f/4, it’s still surprisingly terrific, though a little softer in the corners than I would like. On the new breed of 21+ megapixel bodies, cropping away unwanted width (or softness) actually becomes a feasible alternative to swapping lenses. Never before has “thriftiness” actually worked out so well for me.

Sample Images

The following are just a few photos shot with this lens:



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Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM

I am not a professional photographer, or make living with taking pictures. I am just a person who loves to take pictures & enjoys good pictures. And, I know how expensive this lens is, and YES, I am very aware of "Back Focusing" issue with this lens that others worry. I have been using this lens for 3 weeks now, and have been experiencing good & bad about this lens. (I believe "back focusing" issue was way too much inflated.) I have EOS 5D, and wanted to take full advantage of FF factor, and this was why I took a plunge instead of getting acclaimed 35MM or 85MM.

Good:
Picture quality - from f1.2 thru f2.8, the lens works superbly. AF is fast & faster compared to 50mm 1.4. Above f2.8, the pictures become a touch soft, but it exceeded my expectation. In low light condition, this lens is virtually unbeatable.
Weight & Feel - Anoth factor that sold me to this lens is its overall feel. Very balanced & well weighted. And, its build quality is good.

Bad:
Back Focus - Yes, it does back focus in very (very) close distance. Within 20 inches, you may experience back focusing more than half of the time. (Others say within 30 inches or so, but I never experienced more than 20 inches far.) I asked myself how many times (in reality), I would try taking pictures within such distance.
Cost - Yes, this is expensive lens. 4 times more than very good 50mm 1.4.

I love to take portraits (especially for my new born baby) , and this was my main reason that I upgraded from 50mm 1.4 to 50mm 1.2. I would recommend this lens if you are into portraits. If you want more than what I am into, you may be disappointed. Did I make a good investment? Yes, I believe I did.

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Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM

If there is one thing in this universe that is more rare than gold, it is a positive review of this particular lens. Now I don't know if I just got lucky and got a good sample. But this has been a GREAT lens for me. Sharpness is actually REALLY good. Now one of the BIG complaints of this lens is poor edge sharpness. But I have not found this to be a severe problem - especially when stopped down somewhat. And, since a lens of this focal length is more likely to be used for scenics or arcitectural use than action shots, this isn't the end of the world.

But there is more going for this lens than sharpness. Distortions are VERY low for a lens of this focal length. You are NOT going to get anything nearly as good from a zoom. Also, color saturation and contrast are EXCELLENT - FAR better than, say, an EF-S 17-85mm lens. Colors REALLY come alive with this lens compared to most zooms. And chromatic aberrations are all but non-existant.

Construction also seems to be solid on my lens. The materials seem to be of good quality. The focus ring doesn't wobble much. And nothing external actually extends during focusing. This last fact is a REAL plus in outdoor environments, since an extending element creates low pressure in the lens (which can suck in dusty air).

I really have only two complaints about this lens. One it the price, which is somewhat on the high side. I personally got mine used for less. But $400+ is kind of alot to pay for a consumer grade lens. On the other hand, price is maybe not too bad, given the good overall quality of this lens. My other complaint is vignetting at large apertures. Simply put, vignetting is VERY noticeable at f/2.8 - even on an APS-C camera. I can only imagine how it might look on a full-frame camera. In fact, the vignetting makes this lens virtually unusable at f/2.8 in many situations. Of course, this gets better when you stop the lens down. At f/4, vignetting is no longer a problem. But the fact that f/2.8 is not nearly as usable as it could be is somewhat of a downer.

Of course, much like the edge sharpness issue, this is not the end of the world. And at the end of the day, you can still take some REALLY good pictures with this lens.

More Detail : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00007GQLT/tipfla-20

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Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

What can I say? Yes, it's a bit expensive. And yes, it weighs about a ton. But the quality of this lens is absolutely great. If you own a DSLR like the D30, D60 or 10D this lense effectively becomes a 25.6-56 mm zoom. Which is great since there aren't that many high quality moderate wide-angle lenses available for these DSLR's. If used on a 1Ds or a film SLR then the 16-35 suddenly becomes the stuff that dreams are made of. This is one hell of a lens! If you are planning to buy a wide-angle zoom lens for your EOS camera and are considering the purchase of a non-Canon lens, don't do it! I used a few of those before buying the 16-35 f/2.8L USM and regretted it almost from day one. Yes, they are cheaper, but if you're serious about photography in the long run you'll end up buying the real thing anyway. So better wait and save up a litlle longer.

Pros:
1) With the 1.6x crop factor of my 20D this is really a 24 to 56mm lens. This makes it quite a bit less of a wide angle and more of a midrange lens. Consequently, it stays on my camera all the time and covers most of my daily needs. I bought this lens fully expecting it to be 24 to 56 as I wanted it to be multi purpose and at 24mm its still pretty wide.

2) I try to avoid flash as much as possible given the type of photography I do and at f/2.8 I can take some great ambient light pictures that I would not be able to do otherwise

3) At f/2.8, I can also blow the backgrounds and foregrounds out of focus. The out of focus areas are gorgeously buttery and the blokeh is very nice given the 7 blades of the shutter.

4) The color saturation is like nothing I've ever seen before except with my 70-200mm Canon "L". I was literally floored at some baby pictures I took where the colors were in two words "mind blowing". I knew the color would be great but "WOW!" With Photoshop CS2 I can "fake" saturation but its just not quite the same as the color that came out of this lens straight out of the box. Zero photoshop touchup needed.

5) Its sharp! This lens takes some amazingly sharp pictures into what I would classify as amazing. I've received numerous positive comments on the sharpness of this lens. I've tried looking at the edges to see if there's any CA or less sharpness and couldn't really find any. Maybe on a full size sensor you can tell more but I couldn't really on a 20D. I do notice that the plane of focus at f/2.8 is narrow (which is good) and I have to make sure that everything I want in focus is. The blokeh is very buttery at f/2.8. I like it quite a bit.

6) Its built like a tank. Black metal shell. Metal EF mount. Smooth manual focusing. Sturdy recessed switches. The red stripe catches the eye of photographers who know....easy to strike up conversations and learn.

7) It was surprisingly smaller and lighter than I thought it would be. About half the size of my 70-200mm Canon "L". I was expecting it to be bigger and am much happier that it wasn't. Its on my camera all the time and not a chore to carry around at all. Unless you're a very petite person.

8) Internal focusing. So the lens size doesn't change in size or turn when focusing. This is very useful when you put filters on or when you're focusing in close.

9) USM Motor. Its whisper quiet and it focuses super fast. Faster than my 70-200mm....something I'd expect but wow its fast and silent.

10) It focuses pretty close 12 inches or so. You can get close to your subject. Its not a macro lens but you can get some dramatic wide angle shots with its close focusing.

11) Its TTL2 so works very nice with my 580EX flash.

12) EF mount will grow with you. If you upgrade your camera body to a full frame camera with an EF mount, this lens will fit your new camera and you can continue to enjoy your lens investment.

Cons:

1) On a 1.6x frame size, it doesn't get into "amazing" wide category but that's not the fault of the lens. I'm marking this down as a Con but you can take it several ways. If you want to get ultra-wide on a small frame camera, you won't with this lens (although 24mm is pretty darn wide) and about your only Canon options are the 15mm fisheye which I own and think is a great specialty lens, the 10-22mm EFS Canon, and the 14mm L. The 10-22 I hear is very good but its EFS (and won't fit the full frame cameras - less upgradable I think) and its not an L lens although for a non-L the 10-22 I hear is exceptional. The 14mm EF L will run you almost as much as this 16-35mm zoom. The 15mm EF Fisheye is wonderful but it is designed to distort and the distortion is visible on the 20D and even more so on full frame cameras and you need Photoshop to fix. On this 16-35mm L, if you want the f/2.8 and are ok with something like 24-56, then you won't find better for small-sensor cameras. I'm very glad I got it and, if you already have a full frame camera or upgrade at some point, you can enjoy 16mm "WOW" wide. I can only imagine the coverage I'd get on a full frame camera.

2) The hood is massive...wide but not very deep...so its a shallow hood (It has to be with the wide angle I guess). I never take it off -- it keeps stray light out and is a secondary protection for the lens. I have had zero problems with lens flare.

3) The front lens element does sink in and out inside the tube (exposed but the lens case doesn't change in size). There is no protective filter to protect that front element. I bought a UV/Haze filter ($26 from Amazon) and I highly recommend you do as well to protect your investment. With the UV/Haze filter, the lens is very self contained.

4) Oh the cost....my oh my. Expensive as heck. Cost as much as my camera body --- worth every penny. If its any consolation, these lenses are very hard to make and they keep their value. Your camera body might drop in value as new technology arrives but this lens will hold its value if you take care of it.

Pic :






 

 


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Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L USM

Canon EF Autofocus Lenses Canon s reputation for excellence in optics has been well established for years. And with the introduction of EF lenses for the EOS, it s only getting better. EF Lenses have the largest diameter mount of any 35mm camera, which not only strengthens the whole system, but permits optical innovations never before possible. L-Series lenses have better sharpness and contrast because Canon uses aspherical elements to eliminate spherical aberrations. In addition, the L-Series telephotos use UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) glass to reduce chromatic aberration resulting in more accurate colors. A built-in Ultrasonic focusing Motor (indicated by USM) provides pro-quality AF speed with split-second accuracy. This ultra-wide-angle lens has the shortest focal length in the L-series. Element 2 is an aspherical lens to correct distortion. Other aberrations such as astigmatism are also corrected, resulting in ideal image quality. The lens has a fixed, petal-type hood and a gelatin filter holder at the rear.

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Canon EOS 5D

Here are the basics that I considered and have found out from about 9 months of ownership. Keep in mind opinions on photography equipment varies greatly by the user and what the equipment is used for so while I think the 5D is near-perfect, others might not.

While the positives and negatives seem even in number, the positives FAR outweigh the negatives. I have no regrets about my purchase.

Positives
+Full frame sensor: allows me to acheive true wide angle photographs with no crop factor
+Image size: I have had a number of large (20"x30") prints made and the results are flawless
+Ability to shoot in RAW: While the files are huge (12MB+ each), the information and options this format provides has really expanded my technical and creative abilities.
+Build quality: While I haven't tried the true Canon Pro series (1 series), the 5D is pleasantly sturdy and feels solid in my hands. I can see how some might find it too heavy, especially with an L series lens.

Negatives-
-Lens requirements: Because of the full frame sensor, the 5D brings out the best (and worst) out of the corners and edges of your lenses. You will be able to tell a lesser quality lens more easily on the 5D than on a cropped sensor lens. The obvious negative is that better lenses like the L-series are generally much more expensive ($600+)
-No flash: Not a big deal to me but I've noticed that people are surprised when they see the 5D has no flash. This doesn't matter that much since built in flashes are rarely useful in most situations.
-Dust in sensor: Make sure you get a good sensor cleaning kit shortly after getting the 5D. There are steps you can take to minimize dust like changing lenses rarely and always indoors but you will need to clean the sensor every few months depending on use. To test if you need to clean (on any DSLR), put the camera on a tripod or flat surface, point it at a white wall , focus, and shoot with a long exposure and small aperture (5+ seconds and f/16 or smaller). If there is any junk on your sensor you should see it.

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Canon EOS 50D

Upon reading my way through every review I could find about this camera I noticed that a lot of people were upset about noise levels compared to those seen in the 40D. As I was looking to buy one or the other at the time it was very important to me to see if these noise issues were in fact true or just caused by external factors. Lucky for me a good friend has a 40D and a local camera shop was nice enough to let us borrow their 50D to snap a few comparison shots. My friend and I took shot after shot using identical settings and identical lenses under a variety of situations, (low light, high speed, high light, inside, outside, dull colors and vibrant colors). We then took the pictures, compiled them on a single memory card and displayed them on my 46" 1080P HDTV. Results were very much in favor of the 50D. Shot for shot the 50D either matched or exceeded the picture quality of the 40D in all but one situation: indoors with low light and dull colors. Under that situation the 50D seemed to noise out on the constant color areas, (beige walls for example), while the 40D tended to noise out at the interface between colors, (at the boundary of a beige wall and darm crown molding for example). Both developed noise but the 50D had more.

Overall though I was very impressed with the performance of the 50D. It picked up a lot of details that the 40D didn't even come close to getting, (thanks to the 15.1MP sensor no doubt), was much better able to capture high-speed action in daylight and only produced noisy images under very particular situations.

I purchased the 50D.

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Canon EOS 40D

I was a long time owner of the Canon 10D which I quickly outgrew. Then, I upgraded to the 20D and have been using it for the past few years. I didn't think the 30D was a big enough step forward to warrant the upgrade. Going from the 20D to the 40D is a big leap forward.

Unboxing the 40D is about the same as the other two DSLRs I've owned. Manuals in both spanish and english, plus software for MAC and PC. I got the "body only" package as I already own the 28-135mm lens. That lens is just **ok.** and I really didn't want a 2nd copy. The battery is the bp511A so I can use the already charged one from my 20D. The strap is the same as the 20D. The compact flash memory is the same as well, so I didn't need to buy any new accessories to upgrade.

The first thing you will notice is the big display on the back. It's very nice compared to the one on the 20D. Although, I'm constantly afraid that my titanium rimmed glasses will scratch the screen. The screen is so much closer to the viewfinder compared to the little one on my 20D. I think I'll look for a clear film cover that will shield it.

The controls are very similar to the 20D/30D. However, they are moved around a bit. The menu structure is very different and it will take some getting used to. The first thing I thought of was my old 10D... and how simple it was just due to the sheer lack of features. The 40D has so many that it would be tough for a beginner to get used to them all. It might be good for beginners who are a bit techno challenged to buy a cheaper, used DSLR to get used to using a simple model... then sell it and upgrade.

The camera feels so much more solid than my 20D. The little motor that pops up the flash sounds really solid compared to the old 20D. Even the shutter sounds terrific. Very quick and quiet. The old 10D had a nice shutter sound as well. the 20D always sounded like thrashing metal to me. To contrast, the Nikon DSLRs have a slow sounding swish to them... this one is tight and quick. The camera feels about the same in my hand. Although the lines are smoothed out a bit compared to the 20D.

I tried out the live preview feature and found it annoying since I'm used to looking through the viewfinder. I think I would like it much more if this was my first DSLR as a conversion from a point and shoot where you typically only use a "live view." The LCD is viewable at a strong angle so the live view may be usable for when the camera must be held at odd angles away from the body... like over a stream or something. This camera is heavier than a point-and-shoot and you need your face to help you hold it steady. I found myself a bit wobbly when I was holding it out using the live-view feature. You'll need a high shutter speed to keep from getting shaky looking pictures.

So, what about picture quality?? It's a 10mp camera so the pictures are big. I have a workhorse MacPro tower and it has no problem working on the 10-12MB pictures that this camera produces (.jpg processing for now). I'm happy to say that the focus is spot on in all of my sample pictures from 4 different lenses (17-40 f/4L, 28-135 IS zoom, 50mm f/1.4, 100mm macro). The DPP software can be used to edit raw files if you choose to use it. It works pretty well and it was very speedy on my MacPro. You also get direct access to picture styles from within the computer software so you don't have to worry about setting it in camera. The pictures look very nice. The colors are very accurate. at iso100 the pictures are so nice and smooth. My 50 and 100mm lenses make the most buttery out of focus areas on this camera.

******ALERT******
as of this writing(9-2-2007), Aperture, Finder, Preview, Photoshop CS3 (ACR4.1), and iPhoto do not support raw image files from the 40D. This was the case with the 10D when I first purchased it and it took a few months for APPLE and Adobe to deliver updates. I'm sure Canon are working hard with vendors to get their updates in the works. The good news is that there are settings for RAW+.jpg so you can have both files when the software updates come through. If you don't like being on the "bleeding" edge of technology, then wait a few months before you plunk down the cash for the 40D.

***** ALERT UPDATE *****
As of 9-13-07, Adobe has released Camera Raw updated 4.2 which now supports the Canon 40D.
As of 10-26-07, Apple's Aperture and Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) support Canon 40D raw files.

Picture styles are easily accessed from a dedicated button on the camera. They allow you to make quick sets for defining different picture taking scenarios. It basically does some basic post-processing work in-camera to save time later. It worked really well. I found that pictures even up at 1600iso looked usable for every day stuff (e.g. not blown up too big.). ISO can be set in 1/3 stop increments which is new for me. having iso250 just seems weird but it's actually very handy. Gives you the ability to really tweak the settings to capture as much detail as possible in a high dynamic range image (like a sunset, or a backlit portrait without fill flash). I haven't taken side-by-side shots yet but it seems like the images are more detailed with a wider dynamic range than the 20D. Maybe this is the 14bit image processing from DigicIII at work?

The camera seems more responsive than the 20D. The menu scrolling seems faster, file writing seems about as fast (probably a faster rate but bigger file).

One of the neatest features is the custom C1, C2, and C3 dial positions. You can set these up to "remember" camera settings for quick access later on. They act like the memory buttons on luxury car seats! Very handy if you take really different kinds of shots. I go back and forth from Macro to Landscape all the time so I can quickly dial in my base set and go from there.

The vibration dust remover might be a cool feature. I can't feel the camera vibrate or hear it working, which is nice. Apparently it vibrates for 1 second whenever the camera is turned on or off. I changed this setting so that it's only triggered manually by me. I figured I could just use it when I need it rather than have it going all the time. .

Another of my favorite features is the spot meter. The 10D and 20D never had this feature. Apparently the 30D does, but this one is slightly higher weight at the center point. I tried it out and it works really well in combination with the AF point selectors.

So what do I hate about the 40D? I really hate the Auto White Balance setting for indoor shots. You want to be sure to set the camera manually when you are taking the 50millionth picture of your dog. Otherwise it'll be all yellow looking. Canon, can you fix that please?? If you set it manually it looks great.

SInce I like to do available light photography I like to use mirror lock-up. I wish there was a button for that as do many other people.
Canon finally has the iso setting in the viewfinder so we'll give Canon props for that.
My last gripe is that the display screen could have a bit higher resolution. It's nice and big but could have a denser pixel set for really checking out your work.

Overall I'm sure anyone would be happy with this camera if you are willing to spend the time to learn how to use it. If you are a beginner, don't expect to take magazine quality shots on day 1. Wait at least till day 2 :-)

I must say that Nikon did come out swinging this time. The newly announced D300 is quite the camera. It will be interesting to compare the Sony CMOS pics to those produced by Canon. Had I not had a bunch of Canon gear already I might have given up the extra dough for the Nikon. Nikon (Sony) blues and reds always seem too punchy to me but that's just my personal taste. My good friend has a Nikon D200 and his pictures are just beautiful out of that camera. The Nikon D300 has some wiz-bang features but I'm not sure I would take advantage of them... nor do I think they will directly result in better pictures. Spend the $500 bucks you'll save on a photography class and you'll have more fun, meet more people, and be taking better pictures at 3 months than if you start with a really fancy camera that you can't figure out how to use.

I'm hoping Canon has been spending some time re-inventing as Nikon have over the last couple of years. The good news is that all of these cameras take good pictures; however, you have to know how to use them. When I pick up my friends Nikon is seems all foreign to me and I feel out of my element. He makes the same comments when he uses my Canon.

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Canon EOS 30D

This camera offers a few well considered improvements over the 20D it replaces. The sensor and processor are the same so the image quality will not differ one iota, BUT an enlarged LCD monitor, spot metering, vastly improved shutter life and ISO displayed on the viewfinder are worthy improvements easily justifying the upgrade from the 20D. If one is considering an upgrade from the 10D my advice would be to definitely go for it. The 20D and 30D both have the "instant on" feature and this represents a vast improvement over the 10D. The 10D was felt by many to have focusing issues and though I did not have any significant problem with my 10D in that regard the 30D represents a substantial improvement in this area. Canon still is not offering (in this price range) a camera with eye control or 45 focusing points, BUT the nine focusing points that ARE offered are well placed and the camera focuses quickly and surely resulting in tack sharp photos.

The pictures this camera takes are simply beyond belief. Beautifully saturated, tack sharp, NO, and I mean NO noise at 400 or below and barely discernible noise all the way up to 1600 ISO. For all practical purposes 1600 ISO is an entirely usable speed resulting in fantastic pictures. What Canon has accomplished in reducing noise and increasing pixel density proves that they are, for now, the technology leader. Canon for now is doing a better job at controlling noise than Nikon though Nikon with the D200 comes pretty darn close except at 800 ISO and above.

The new flash system, ETTL II, available first on the 20D is a vast improvement over previous systems. The in camera processing results in exceptional and pleasing pictures. This camera has a fixed continuous shooting rate which was not present on the 20D. The megapixels stay constant at 8.2 million pixels. Many may be disappointed that the MP count was not increased and feel that perhaps a nominal increase to 10MP would have better justified an upgrade. Canon obviously feels that noise and other features are more important at this point than raw MP's and I would agree. The holy grail of digital photography is now dynamic range. And while this camera offers no improvement in dynamic range I think we can expect to see such improvements in future offerings from Canon and the other manufacturers.

One of the greatest things about digital photography is the ability to build a digital dark room for next to nothing. With the included Photoshop Elements you are well on your way to producing pictures that you could only have imagined in the pre-digital days. I am able to recoup pictures that I never would have considered salvageable before this camera. And while Elements is a great program and more than adequate for most needs I would recommend considering Photoshop CS2 for those who intend to plumb the depths of this hobby.

Another thing I like about Canon is the lens system which IMO is second to none. Also, Canon continues to innovate at a furious pace driving the price of these digital cameras relentlessly downward. This camera is being introduced at a lower price than either the 10D or the 20D. The 5D is plummeting in price and is approaching my "strike point" for purchase. I expect that we will see a sub $2000 10 MP camera with a full frame sensor in the next 18 months. Such are the economics of digital photography. It would seem that Moore's law is driving the prices down inexorabl.

Every function optimized for fast RAW and JPEG capture
The EOS 30D is one of the fastest cameras Canon has ever produced. Incorporating the fast operation of the EOS 20D, the 30D allows users to specify high-speed 5 frames per second (fps) or a new low-speed 3 fps continuous shooting for more controlled shooting and/or to save space on the CF card. And it can capture up to 30 JPEG and 11 RAW (or 9 RAW + JPEG) files in one burst. Whether it's the 0.15-second startup time, the high-speed mirror drive, the nearly instant 65-millisecond shutter release lag time or the predictive AF focusing at speeds up to 5.0 frames per second, the EOS 30D will amaze and delight photographers who don't want to wait for their camera when they're ready to shoot.

Shoot continuously at 3 or 5 frames per second.

Direct printing with PictBridge compatible printers
The EOS 30D lets you print beautiful photos with minimum time and effort - directly from the camera. It's compatible with Canon's SELPHY Compact Photo Printers, desktop PIXMA Photo Printers, and even third-party PictBridge-compatible printers.
EOS: The system
One of the EOS 30D's greatest advantages is the EOS system: compatibility with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses, EX-series Speedlites, and EOS accessories such as the Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E1. (Wireless file transmitter and lenses not included--must be purchased separately.) For high-speed processing of lossless RAW images and complete capture-to-print workflow management, the EOS 30D also comes with Canon's latest Digital Photo Professional software.
Battery grip
To extend the EOS 30D's 750-shot (CIPA standard) battery life and increase handling options, the camera is compatible with the BG-E2 battery grip. (Not included; must be purchased separately.) The BG-E2 takes two Lithium-Ion battery packs for up to 2,200 frames or six AA batteries in the supplied BGM-E2 battery magazine. (Shooting capacity with AA batteries is lower when compared with the Battery Pack BP-511A.) For easy vertical shooting, the BG-E2 provides additional shutter release, main dial, AE lock/FE lock, and AF point selection controls.
Software
As well as the latest Digital Photo Professional RAW image processing software, the EOS 30D comes with Canon EOS Solution Disk, containing the new EOS Utility (integrating remote capture software), plus the latest versions of ZoomBrowser/ImageBrowser and PhotoStitch.
The EOS 30D includes membership of Canon's online photo album, Canon iMAGE Gateway with 100 MB of space for image uploads and photo sharing. (Canon iMAGE Gateway is not available in all European countries.)


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Canon EOS 20D

I was a 10D user for about 1.5 years. The 10D takes great pictures so why bother upgrading right? Well, now that I have messed around with the 20D a bit it was clearly the right choice... although not totally perfect.

The useful improvements for me have been 1. Faster time from turning on the camera to taking a picture. It's virtually instantaneous. The 10D took a few seconds to get going. 2. Faster writing to the CF card. This feature is nice when you are in a hurry to take several shots and then get the pics to your computer. 3. Built-in black and white mode that allows for photo filters to be digitally applied in camera with pretty darn good results. Although I prefer to apply filters in Photoshop. 4. The taller pop-up flash works better with my 17-40mm canon lens. The 10D would leave a half circle blackout between 17-24mm due to the top of the lens blocking the flash. The taller pop-up flash shoots right over it. 5. Super low noise at ISO400 and ISO800. It's even pretty good at ISO1600. With ISO expansion on you can go to 3200 but it was pretty grainy. My 10D shows noise at 400 and above.

Things I didn't realize were going to happen: My digital workflow is a bit messed up now. I usually shoot in RAW, and I use the Macintosh OS to process images. Image capture application in MAC OS 10.3.5 does not support the raw files (now .CR2 files instead of .CRW files in the 10D). 10.3.6 update now allows image capture to recognize the .CR2 files, but it won't build previews for them. That means you have to use a file browser to manage the files. iPhoto will not read the .CR2 files. The new Camera Raw Plug-in (v2.3) for Photoshop CS supports the 20D images (but is not on the list of supported cameras.) So I now use the Photoshop CS filebrowser to look at my files and figure out which ones are good. However, I still can't build icon previews for the .CR2 files so it's a bit hard to find the pics you want in a file folder. I make contact sheets for each shoot and store them with the raw files. None of these problems exist if you shoot in any of the .JPG modes.

My top five good things and my one bad thing. I'm sure the one bad thing will go away after the camera has been out a while and becomes more popular. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone who's graduated from their Digital Rebel and is wanting more.

3-2-05 **** update: iPhoto now supports .CR2 files directly from the camera or a CF card reader. You can drag them to your photoshop icon in the doc to edit the original or you can set a preference to have the jpg preview from iPhoto open in photoshop with a double click. iPhoto, image capture, Digital photo professional, phtoshop CS, photoshop 7, photoshop elements 2, 3 still will not build icon previews viewable in the finder for .CR2 files as of this update. At least iPhoto will allow me to browse photos without having to open them in DPP.

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Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR

I am very impressed with this lens. I didn't realize just how wide-angle this lens was. At 10mm, I can stand just a few feet in front of a 13-story building, and get the whole thing in the picture, from the entrance to the top of the building.

As with all very-wide lenses, you have to be careful that you don't have people at the edges of the frame or too close to the lens, or they will appear very distorted when taking pictures at 10mm. Also note that a wide angle lens is not easy to use at first to create compelling images, as it's very easy to include too much clutter in your compositions.

PROS
- optical quality is excellent (deserves an "L" lens designation)
- uses the higher quality ring-type USM focusing
- minimum focusing distance is very close
- surprisingly lightweight
- very flare-resistant even without hood
- the only option for EOS digital cameras (Rebel, Rebel XT, 20D) to get true wide angle shots due to the smaller APS-C sensor in those cameras.

CONS
- It's expensive! But at least it is cheaper than a year ago.
- The lens is a little soft in the corners at 10mm, but is very sharp at 12mm and up.
- Canon has not formally committed to how long they will continue to make cameras and lenses using the EF-S system.
- The lens currently only works on the lower-end dSLR cameras -- the 10D, 1D, 1Ds, and 5D cameras cannot use this lens.
- The hood is not included with this lens, but it's such as ugly hood and the lens doesn't have flare problems, so I don't really think it is necessary anyway.

In 5 years when you upgrade your camera, there is a possibility that it will not support this lens. This depends on what direction Canon goes in making camera sensors:
1) continue to make cameras that use the smaller APS-C sensor, and keep improving its density to support more and more resolution. This will help keep the dSLR cameras smaller and lighter, and will necessitate making EF-S lenses the standard.
2) make the sensors match the size of a frame of 35mm film. And at the same time increase the density to yield even more resolution. Right now sensors this big are very expensive to produce.

I now think that #2 is more likely to happen. All the other lenses out there are built for a 35mm-film-sized sensor, and now that Canon has released another full-frame camera (5D) at a lower price, I'm betting that in another few years the APS-C sensor will be practically obsolete. A 5D body and 16-35 or 17-40 lens will give you better results than a 20D with this lens, but the difference in price between the two setups is a few thousand dollars right now.

The 10-22 is an excellent lens, but it will probably not hold its value as well as the Canon 16-35 and 17-40 lenses. A slightly more affordable alternative is the Sigma 10-20mm, which sounds like it nearly equals the optical quality of this lens.

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