Showing posts with label zoom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zoom. Show all posts

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Review

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
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I own the best Canon 17-55 F/2.8, but it is also heavy and expensive for risky environments like windy beaches to packed clubhouses. I need an affordable F/2.8 backup, so I bought this Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 Macro. Having read many account of sigma lens front/back focusing, I have a very low expectation for my lens. Luckily, my fear proves to be unfounded, as my 18-50mm f/2.8 macro is free from rear/front focusing.
[ Biggest Surprise ] = Fast + Silent + Reliable focusing. Even without HSM/USM motor, the AF speed is fast & comparable to my canon 17-55 f/2.8 usm in dim light. Under the same setting, my tamron 17-50 f/2.8's banshee-like micro-motor scream loudly yet failed to find focus after 1 minutes.
+ The build quality is near "L", better than my expensive Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS
+ Size is very small compare to my gigantic canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS
+ Fantastic MACRO lens on the run
[Disappointment] 18mm F/2.8 "wide open" is softer than Tamron 17-50mm.
- Canon 17-55 f/2.8 @f/2.8 is sharper than sigma 18mm @f/5.6 (no joke!)
- Field of view is closer to 18.5mm or 19mm.
Since I had previously own the tamron 17-50 f/2.8, a canon 17-85is, and a canon 18-55is, here how they compare against one another:
...................................................[ Landscape Sharpness ]
[1] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__amazing sharpess even @f/2.8 wide open
[2] Canon 18-55 IS ______ sharp corners, mild barrel distortion + ca
[3] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8____sharp "when focused", problematic AF, field curvature
[4] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8_____softer wide open than tamron, 18mm behave like 19mm
[5] Canon 17-85 IS_______strong C_A + barrel distortion, soft corners
...................................................[ Bokeh / Out of Focused Highlight ]
[1] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8____ big round circular highlight, no cat's eyed footballs
[2] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__ some cat's eyed football highlight on the edge
[3] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8___ some visible double contours highlight
[4] Canon 17-85 IS______ small f/5.6, 85 has an edge over 55mm in highlight size
[5] Canon 18-55 IS ______ small f/5.6 = smallest highlight, boring photos
...................................................[ Construction Quality ]
[1] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8____ impressive build even at such a low price
[2] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__ [tied] build should have been better for a $1000 lens
[2] Canon 17-85 IS_______[tied] exactly the same build as 17-55 f/2.8 IS
[3] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8___ decent, plasticky, not as good as others above
[4] Canon 18-55 IS ______ plastic mount, front barrel rotate makes cpl difficult
...................................................[ AF Speed in Low Light + Reliability ]
[1] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__ USM + IS + F/2.8 = ultimate
[2] Canon 17-85 IS_______USM + IS, F/5.6 seem to focus just as fast as F/2.8
[3] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8____ Silent, Fast, and Decisive AF even in low light
[4] Canon 18-55 IS ______ silent image stabilization, but louder AF
[5] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8___ loudest motor, indecisive AF in low light
-------------------------------------[ in conclusion ]-------------------------
Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 Macro is jack-of-all-trade, master of none. While tamron is sharper @17mm f/2.8 than sigma is @18mm f/2.8 "when in focused", sigma has superior AF motor that is far more reliable under any circumstance. Sigma is a pleasure to use in real life ownership, free from fousing-worrying that plagued my tamron. Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 is a combination between the reliable yet so-so IQ of canon 17-85is + tamron 17-50's superior IQ, but poor autofocusing mechanics. Highly Recommended!
$429.95 [Canon 17-85IS] poor 17mm IQ, but fantastic AF mechanic + IS
$443.41 [Tamron 17-50] great 17mm IQ, but poor AF mechanic
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
$375.00 [Sigma 18-50mc] decent 18mm IQ + fantastic AF mechanic (no BUT)
Sigma did their homework. Sig18-50 retained good quality from its competitors while shredding the bad, yet it is offer at the lowest price. Competition is wonderful, I'm very happy with my purchased

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This lens has a large aperture of f/2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, a minimum focusing distance of 20cm (7.9 ) and a maximum magnification of 1:3, making it ideal for close-up photography. Specially designed to suit the characteristics of digital SLR cameras, this lens provides a high level of optical performance.It incorporates both glass-mold and hybrid aspherical lens technology - offering superior peripheral brightness, extremely high image quality as well as a compact and lightweight construction. Special Low Dispersion (SLD) and Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) glass elements provide excellent correction of color aberrations. The super multi-layer lens coating reduces flare and ghosting, a common problem with digital cameras. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. An inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the lens particularly suitable for using the petal-type lens hood (supplied) plus circular polarizing filters.

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Kenko 1.4X PRO 300 TeleconverterDG-Canon EOS Review

Kenko 1.4X PRO 300 TeleconverterDG-Canon EOS
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This is an exceptional tele-converter for Canon EOS lenses. There are a number of tele-converters out there for current Canon SLR's and lenses (Sigma, Tamron and of-course Canon just to name a few). The Canon converters are only compatible with Çanon L series lenses and will only auto focus with apertures of F4 and larger (for 1.4X) and F2.8 and larger (for 2x). The Kenko PRO 300 has the same aperture limitations (unless some of the pins are taped) however it will work with most Canon lenses. This is definitely a quality PRO product. When used with a high quality lens (I use it pretty much exclusively with my EF70-200f4L) the IQ (image quality) is almost indistinguishable from the lens. In addition focus speed seems just as fast as the lens with out the tele-converter (assuming your lens has an F4 aperture or larger). The general consensus seems to be that the Canon converter is slightly sharper on the edges with the Kenko being equal at the center. For those shooting with a 1.6 crop camera the Kenko should be indistinguishable from the Canon for about a $100.00 less. On the plus side (other then price) the Kenko is more compact and can easily fit in you pocket and can be used with far more lenses (again, the Canon converts can only be used with L series lenses). On the down side, if your using L series lenses, is the color. The Kenko is black while most L series lenses are white (as are the Canon tele-converters). What you get with the Kenko PRO 300 is an excellent tele-converter designed for digital cameras. The elements are special coated to reduce reflections from the image sensor back into the lens. I've yet to notice any chromatic aberration or vignetting. The color and sharpness are as good as the lens you're using.
In summery, this an excellent product. Image quality (especially on a 1.6 crop camera) is about as good as it gets. It's electronic circuitry accurately passes all exif data to the camera. The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the mount between the lens and converter seems to be a little stiff though it has yet to give me problems. On the other hand the mount from the converter to the camera seems to be quite smooth.

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Kenko AF 1.5x Super High Quality Teleplus converter also has genuine Gated Array IC and is compact for light weight and easy handling. Full AF is capable with lenses having a maximum aperture of F/4.5 or brighter. (Manual focusing will be required with lenses of smaller aperture.)Placed between the camera body and lens, a teleconverter contains a set of optics that will effectively increase the focal length of a lens by a specific amount. Common magnifications are 1.4 times and 2 times, but the Kenko teleplus PRO 300 AF converter has a 3x magnification. For example, using a 2 times (2x) teleconverter will increase the focal of 300mm lens to 600mm. The Teleplus PRO 300 converters are made with high quality multi-coated optical glass supplied by Hoya Corporation, the worlds largest manufacturer of optical glass. These glass elements are designed to match the optical quality of the prime lens (even at the edges) and telephoto zoom lenses. The optical design of the elements and light path is wide enough not to cause vignetting. The PRO 300 family is designed specifically to be used with prime telephoto lenses of 100mm or above, such as, a 300 mm f/2.8 lens, and work best with telephoto lenses of 200mm to 500mm. The PRO 300 can be used with telephoto zoom lenses as well as prime lenses. However, Kenko does not recommend them for zoom lenses that have a range starting under 50 mm.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 12.1MP Digital Camera with 8x POWER Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Silver) Review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 12.1MP Digital Camera with 8x POWER Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Silver)
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I've purchased my Panasonic DMC-ZR1 still camera via Amazon just a few days ago because I needed an ultra-compact backup for may Nikon D90. When you travel there might be some situations when you are not in the mood or just can not use your DSLR. So I was looking for a small camera, which could produce high quality outdoor pictures and HD video.

I'm an advanced amateur photographer. I take pictures mostly on weekends and vacations when I prefer to have in my pocket a small but sophisticated camera which I can forget about during the day but which can take great shots when it is needed. That is why my best cameras were Sony DSC-T1, T30, and recently - T100. The latter one was nominated as the best ultra-compact in 2007, and it indeed was. But time flies and a new 16:9 wide format came to still cameras and video, which T100 did not support. So about a year ago I purchased Panasonic DMC-TZ5 and a little bit later - FZ18. I bought FZ18 because of its incredibly bright 18x super zoom lens. I believe that each of above mentioned cameras was an absolute champion in their class at that time, but now I wanted something almost as good as that but in a small package.

After doing a lot of research on Amazon.com and dpreview I've chosen ZR1. My first impression - it's a very good camera. I like a solid build quality of its metall body. There are no flimsy elements or grinding sounds while zooming or focussing. Zoom itself is very smooth both optically and mechanically. While taking stills it is very fast, however it has some inertia. While shooting video it's relatively slow, which allowes autofocus to do its job well.

What I like very much about my Sony T100 - when shooting video of a moving subject the autofocus keeps it in focus all the time by doing a very small adjustments which you can hardly admit. Many other P&S cameras either do not allow zooming on video or hunting focus most of the time. That was the issue with the original TZ5, which was significantly improved in software update ver. 1.2. From my prospective the new ZR1 has as the same great autofocus mechanism as my T100 - when you follow a moving subject or apply zoom ZR1 keeps it in focus nicely (and without producing any noticeable sound). But when you do a panorama without a central moving object - do it slowly to allow the camera to decide, which next part of your picture should be in focus. On still pictures the autofocus is very quick and precise.

The 8x zoom Leica lens is just great: very good colors fidelity, contrast, and color saturation in the entire zoom range from wide to tele. The wide 25mm (equivalent) is great, but it comes at some cost: for the distant subjects the barrel distortions and the decrease of sharpness of the peripheral areas are pretty visible, however when you shoot from a relatively close distance around 1.5-3 m it seems some special processing is involved because there is almost no any visible barrel distortions or loss of sharpness. I have to admit all three my Panasonic cameras behave the same way but for ZR1 it's more noticable because of its incredibly wide 25mm lens. If you apply a little bit zoom the resolution becomes pretty even accross the picture and with no barrel distortions. I did not perform any special stress testing but on all the pictures I've got I did not see any chromatic aberrations or vignetting in the entire zoom range. Physically you can zoom in the only 8x range but it is possible to increase it up to 15.6x for the lower 3MP picture resolution. Normally you might want that if you're taking pictures of some specific subjects like kids, birds, or animals. Just imagine - having 400mm equivalent telephoto lens in your pocket - it's just amazing, and IMHO those 3MP shots look pretty good on my 24" monitor (if you do not crop them more).

A new ZR1 has the impressive 12MP comparing to 9MP of TZ5 but on the same sensor size, and as a result - more noise. On the [...]site you could read that Panasonic did a great job by separating the entire noise into its low-frequency and high-frequency wavebands and also splitting the color and luminance noise and handling them separately. My comparative edge-to-edge testing of both ZR1 and TZ5 shots showed that ZR1 does exactly what was stated and does it pretty good. On the ZR1 picturese taken at dim light conditions the noise was remarkable less than on the TZ5's ones! However at a very-very dark conditions when the pictures become very grainy you can see that the level of noise from ZR1 is somewhat bigger, than from TZ5. Another good news is that the white balance in ZR1 is almost perfect: the night pictures taken by TZ5 and FZ18 were either colored red or had some other weird colors while ZR1 in alomst dark situations showed as the same correct white balance as if the pictures were taken at a day-light time.
If you're shooting on a bright sunny day your pictures might be too much contrasty and either shadow parts like trees can be darken to black or the blue sky or some other light areas might be completely washed out. The camera menu does not allow you to adjust the contrast directly but you can set an Intelligent Exposure mode instead. Then it constantly analyzes the scene and if it has too much contrast the camera automatically applys either slower shutter speed or higher ISO and reduces the overal contrast. I found that on ZR1 that feature is not that good as on TZ5. Another way is to switch the mode dial to "MS" or "SCN" mode and select "High Dynamic" scene. In that case camera unconditionally and remarkably decreases the overall contrast (more than in Intelligent mode) and adjusts the shutter speed or/and ISO the way that even dark areas are well exposed, and that really works well.

There are the two things which are still better on my T100 than on ZR1 or TZ5: the quality of the VGA video and the clarity of sound. However having the HD video mode you might not need VGA at all. The quality of HD video on ZR1 is as the same great as on TZ5 and the image stabilization is even slightly better. But for stills the image stabilization was much more improved, I guess more than the 2 times as they stated. On the maximum zoom in low light many of my TZ5 pictures were slightly smeared, while the ones taken by ZR1 at the same time were perfect.

I like the ZR1's menu and controls - they're similar to TZ5' and are very clear and intuitive. Plus there are some additional functions. It allows you to set some parameters manually, but do it only if you're very clear about what you're doing, otherwise let that sophisticated camera do it for you. For example: you might be taking a picture of a tree and the system sets the ISO=100 and shutter speed 1/20. But then you see a small squirell and apply the 15.6x zoom to have it big enough on your screen. As a result system might change ISO to 500 and shutter to 1/100. You might be thinking that the camera got crazy, but actually it detected that your hands are shaking too much for the big focal length you set and so the shutter speed needs to be much faster to prevent the shot to be blurred. It's intelligent mode is pretty good.

UPDATE: This ZR1 camera has an incredible display: it shows pictures at any angle and even in the direct sunlight. A while ago I was going on vacation to Cancun and I purchased a Kodak V1273 ultracompact camera because of its wide-screen stills and HD video. But when I tried to use it on the beach I was totally confused - nothing, absolutely nothing was visible on display on a sunny day! If I did not have my Sony T100 as a backup all my vacation would be completely spoiled. In the direct sunlight the image on the T100's display looks like a black-and-white reflection, but at least you can point and frame your shots and use the menu. ZR1 does even better - the picture in the direct sunlight has all the colors, just looks darker and not that contrast. On the TZ5's display if you slightly turn camera around the horizontal axis the brightness and contrast of the image is changing pretty much. On the ZR's one picture remains the same regardless of from what angle you are looking at it. It means you're not going to regret the display is not swivable as well as you will not miss the optical viewfinder because you can see the pictures even in the direct sunlight. Only one thing: it seems the palette of that display is a kind of limited and it might not show some subtle tints of colors, so don't judge colors until you see it on a good monitor.

UPDATE2: Recently I did some comparative testing of the picture quality of my ZR1 and TZ5. A side-by-side comparison has shown that the general resolution and sharpnes of the ZR1's pictures is remarkably higher than of TZ5's ones. From the detailed analysis I got an impression that around 20% of that improvement comes from higher sensor resolution (12MP verse 9MP), 30-40% because of the better noise reduction, and about 40-50% because of the stronger internal sharpening in ZR1 than that in TZ5. When I did some sharpening to my TZ5's photos using the Nero Photoshop the difference became less visible. For better understanding why the more sophisticated noise reduction might help pictures to look sharper you can think about it this way: as the same as contrast is a difference between light and dark areas, sharpness is a difference between plain areas and edges. The less a certain area has noise, the more it looks "plain", and so it more differentiates from edges making a sharper impression. Also because the original purpose of this purchase was to have a backup for my Nikon D90 I did some comparison of their HD video capabilities. Would you believe or not - ZR1 provided much better moving picture resolution than D90. Of course the ZR1's movies show some noise (as the same as any other compact P&S camera) while D90's ones don't. That noise is not...Read more›

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 Point & Shoot Digital Camera - Silver 12.1 Megapixel - 16:9 - 8x Optical Zoom - 4x Digital Zoom - 2.70

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Minolta Dimage 7Hi 5.2MP Digital Camera w/ 7x Optical Zoom Review

Minolta Dimage 7Hi  5.2MP Digital Camera w/ 7x Optical Zoom
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I've been using a variety of 35mm SLR cameras for more than three decades and I place great importance on the feel of the camera in my hand. I approached my recent purchase of a 5MP camera with some early leaning towards Nikon since I've worked with two of their CoolPix cameras. I tried to do my homework on the web and am aware of most +'s and -'s.
The hands-on experience sold me on the Minolta 7Hi. I love the fact that there is manual control, on the lens, of the zoom. I love the fact that the camera permits "DMF" or direct manual focus, which allows you to take advantage of a fast autofocus system that feels much faster than the Nikon (35mm or CoolPix), and THEN to tweak it manually with a ring on the lens. I love the fact that the LCD switches off whenever you put the camera up to your eye to use the electronic viewfinder (EVF).
About four weeks of shooting in Islamorada, Miami, and New York have only strengthened the love affair. This is one great camera. The images, both on screen and printed are gorgeous. I don't print at >=11X14 and the noise is so much better (to my eye) than my earlier digital cameras that I can not say it is a problem. The 12bit A/D and the 64MB RAM buffer in the camera are really nice additions that I think are not found in the other two 5MP choices. The UHS (ultra high speed) mode is incredible.....we're going to use that in my research laboratory in ways that I hadn't even imagined at the time I chose the camera (thanks to an adaptor from Brunel Microscopes in UK) . Finally, I think they designed the menus in a very easy to learn way. Nikon menus (880, 990, 995) always seemed a bit impenetrable to me. But, I move through all the 7Hi menus all the time and had little difficulty keeping straight how to do what where. This is a real credit to those who designed the user interface.
I've added a spare set of 4 AA 1850mAh batteries and (now that each set has been cycled 3-4 times) this will be more than enough for many hundreds of 5MP shots. I also sprang for a 49mm UV filter, a couple of high speed 256MB CF cards and am considering a firewire CF card reader. Otherwise, the bundle is complete.
My single most significant gripe is that the Minolta software crashes all the time under Mac OS X 10.2. The current Mac version is useless, while the Windows version seems OK. But, this isn't the camera's fault, presumably is something that Minolta will fix soon, and really only limits your use of RAW images. Photoshop, Canvas, or iPhoto all work fine.
This is a real camera that just happens to store the images digitally rather than on film. I'd say this camera finally delivers on the digital promise.

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Get professional results with the Minolta Dimage 7Hi, which features 5-megapixel resolution and a 7x optical zoom lens. With the Dimage 7Hi, you can control all the essential elements necessary for high-quality photography, from sharpness and exposure to color and saturation. The Dimage 7Hi incorporates features found in its sister model, the Dimage 7i, and offers further enhancements. The 7Hi comes with a built-in flash synchronization terminal, making it a versatile digital-imaging tool in the studio and on location.
Optics and Resolution The Minolta Dimage 7Hi is built around a high-precision electro-optical system designed to maximize image quality. The system contains a 5.24-megapixel, 2/3-type interline primary color CCD with 5 million effective pixels for fine high-resolution images. The pixel resolution of the CCD will produce 13-by-17-inch, 150 dpi prints on an inkjet printer.
The Dimage 7Hi's new "extra-fine" mode creates JPEG files with a compression ratio of 1/2.5. This mode not only reduces the compression ratio, but also enhances image quality with nearly lossless JPEG imaging. The extra-fine mode can also be used for commercial purposes.
The image formed on the CCD is enhanced by Minolta's exclusive CxProcess image processing technology, which optimizes sharpness, color reproduction, tonal gradation, and noise to create clear and natural images. This wide dynamic range is provided by an improved electro-optical system with a 12-bit analog to digital conversion to ensure natural color and tonal reproduction.
With a focal range of 7.2-50.8mm, the Dimage 7Hi's fast 7x zoom apochromatic (APO) lens is equivalent to a 28-200mm on a 35mm camera. In addition, the Minolta Dimage 7Hi's optical zoom lens accepts standard 49mm filters.
More Features The Dimage 7Hi incorporates direct manual focus, which can be found in professional film cameras like the award-winning Minolta Maxxum 7. It allows the focus to be fine-tuned manually, after the AF system has focused and locked on the subject.
The Dimage 7Hi has two displays for critical composition: grid and scale. The grid, usually found only in large-format view cameras, makes aligning the camera simple, via vertical or horizontal elements within the image. The grid confirms that the horizon or buildings are straight. The scale can be used in close-up photography to judge the relative proportions of the subject. The Dimage 7Hi is fitted with a 1.8-inch low-temperature high-contrast color LCD monitor.
A new built-in flash sync terminal allows the Dimage 7Hi to be connected to professional studio and location flash systems by plugging the flash's PC cord into the terminal. To capture images under varying natural and artificial lighting sources, white balance is controlled with nine settings: five presets, three customs, and one auto.
You can record audio along with still images with the voice-memo feature, which allows a 16-bit audio track of up to 15 seconds to be attached to an image after it has been captured.
Movie Mode In movie mode, the Dimage 7Hi produces digital videos in multiple creative formats, including standard QVGA (320 x 240) color movies and monochrome night movies up to 60 seconds with 16-bit audio. The night-movie mode can record movie clips under extreme low-light conditions, while the interval function can produce a series of still images taken at regular intervals, or it can combine the images into a time-lapsed movie at any image size.
Storage Images are stored on CompactFlash memory cards and the memory slot is compatible with CompactFlash Type II cards as well as Microdrives. The included 16 MB card holds approximately eight images at 2,560 x 1,920 pixel resolution.
Power, Size, and Contents The camera is powered by four NiMH rechargeable batteries, which are included along with a battery charger. At 4.6 by 3.6 by 4.4 inches and 18.5 ounces, the Dimage 7Hi is definitely not an easily pocketable point-and-shoot camera. The package includes the Dimage 7Hi camera, a 16 MB CompactFlash card, four NiMH rechargeable batteries, battery charger, neck strap, lens hood, lens cap with strap, USB and video cables, CD-ROM with Dimage Image View software and drivers, and a printed camera manual.

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Tamron AF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras Review

Tamron AF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras
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This is what it is, which is why I gave it 4 stars. It's not a professional lens, but it works perfect for everyday amateur use. Nice focal range 28-80 (equivalent 42-120). Reasonable for anything indoors or fairly close, works as a portrait lens and does well with landscapes and architecture. Great general usage lens and compact as well. The price is really remarkable. I have 8 lenses and this one gets the most use. I have it mounted to a Pentax K20D

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The Tamron AF28-80mm f3.5-f5.6 is a standard zoom lens with a wide to medium telephoto range of 28-80mm, providing great range for nature and landscape photography or snapshots and home photography. By using aspherical elements in the front optical group, Tamron reduced the total number of elements required. They also used strong, engineered plastic for the barrel, making the total lens body only 8.4 ounces. These features make this lens extremely versatile and lightweight. This model is dedicated to Pentax AF SLR cameras.

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Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC AF OS (Optical Stabilizer) Zoom Lens for Canon For Canon Rebel XT XTi 350D 400D 50D XSI XS T1I T2I 5D 10D 20D 30D 450D 1000D Includes PRO HD 3PC Filter Kit + 7 Year Lens Warranty + Flower lens Hood + 4PC Close Up Lens Kit + More Review

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC AF OS (Optical Stabilizer) Zoom Lens for Canon For Canon Rebel XT XTi 350D 400D 50D XSI XS T1I T2I 5D 10D 20D 30D 450D 1000D Includes PRO HD 3PC Filter Kit + 7 Year Lens Warranty + Flower lens Hood + 4PC Close Up Lens Kit + More
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This is the first time that I would like to give some comments in Amazon because "47th photo" just make me so happy. Before we bought this sigma lens from them, my Dad and I have been to J&R, B&H and many other shops in New York. They want to charge any tiny thing which you want. Finally, we decided to buy it online from 47th. When we got the whole kit, everybody was just so satisfied, not only the lens (it fits my Canon T2i perfectly), also so many filters, 7-year warrenty, etc. Anyway, I will keep shopping in 47th.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC AF OS (Optical Stabilizer) Zoom Lens for Canon For Canon Rebel XT XTi 350D 400D 50D XSI XS T1I T2I 5D 10D 20D 30D 450D 1000D Includes PRO HD 3PC Filter Kit + 7 Year Lens Warranty + Flower lens Hood + 4PC Close Up Lens Kit + More

We have created this Custom Package for your Digital SLR Camera. Each Accessory Package is put together with some of the most Essential Accessories for your Camera.Package Includes:Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC AF OS (Optical Stabilizer) Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Close-Up Set (+1, +2, and +4) with 10x Macro Lens Includes Carrying Pouch3PC High Definition UV, PL, FLD Professional Filter Kit5 Piece Lens Maintenance Cleaning KitMini Tripod7 Year Lens Extended WarrantyFlower Petal Lens Pro Hood

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Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM APO RF Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Review

Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM APO RF Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
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The auto focus is super quiet and reasonably fast in most situations, although mounted on my D30 it does get confused in complex lighting. This is a BIG and HEAVY lens. I use the neck strap provided with the lens, as well as the strap on the camera at the same time. Although I'm probably overcautious, I don't trust the weight of the lens hanging from the camera without extra support. Mounted on a monopod, it is well balanced although following birds in flight presents a challenge. Optically, it's truly beautiful through all f stops. It looks like it will take any abuse I can reasonably give it, being solidly constructed and manufactured to very precise tolerances. I wanted a quality super telephoto and I got one at a great price.

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The Sigma APO 50-500mm f4-6.3 EX DG HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras is a high-magnification zoom lens with a 10x zoom ratio. The advanced optical design of the lens is optimized for digital SLR cameras, and the super coating on each glass surface produces superb color rendition, while reducing flare and ghosting. This lens uses four pieces of Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass for excellent correction of color aberration throughout the entire zoom range. The Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) provides quiet high-speed AF function, as well as full-time manual focus capability. This lens also features a Zoom Lock device to eliminate "zoom creep" when the lens is tilted down. When the lens is set to the 50 millimeter focal length, it is remarkably compact and provides easy handling. The tripod mount is composed of magnesium, to minimize total weight. It is also easy to grip and carry the lens due to ergonomic design of the tripod mount. Non-rotating front lens elements, due to the rear focus mechanism, make possible the use of a custom bayonet "petal-type hood," which prevents extraneous light from degrading the image quality. This mechanism also allows the use of circular polarizing filters, since the front barrel does not rotate during focusing or zooming.

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Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG HSM II Macro Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras Review

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG HSM II Macro Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras
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At this point, almost every lens I own is a Sigma, the only exception being my Tamron 17-50 2.8 (which is a very, very solid lens). I've owned the Sigma 120-300 2.8 for a handful of days (the best lens I've used), and the Nikkor 70-200 2.8 VR. Both were returned due to the cost that I simply couldn't stomach at this point. I had read the professional reviews for this lens, and was worried about purchasing it because they weren't exactly glowing.
Well, I'm here to tell you that from what I've read, the professional reviews for this lens are spot on. That's good and bad, as anyone who's read them will know.
The good is that the autofocus in this lens is stellar. It's very fast, and is at least as fast as the Nikkor. The zoom ring and focusing rings are smooth, and the lens seems to be very well made, like all of my other Sigma lenses. Not only is the autofocus fast, it's quiet. It's really not that heavy, either, and I find it quite comfortable to use (compared to the 120-300, this thing is light as a feather, and it's weighted much better than the Nikkor). I also find the lens to be reasonably sharp through most of the zoom range, especially stopped down (as it is for most lenses, even Nikon). Yes, I did say through most of the zoom range.
The bad rears its ugly head at the long end of the zoom (which is really too bad, considering that's where you're likely to be keeping a lens such as this most of the time). At 200mm, this lens loses a lot of sharpness, and although stopping down does help a lot, it simply shouldn't be this bad. Are the photos unuseable? I wouldn't say that, and Photoshop can almost perform miracles in most cases. But what's worse than the sharpness (or lack thereof) is the chromatic abberation. There's a LOT. I mean, a LOT at 200mm. It's got the worst CA of any lens in my collection, hands down, and the worst of any lens I've used. Perhaps this is in part due to Sigma's valiant attempt to make a macro lens out of this one, and that's really the other fairly bad part about it--the macro isn't that great either.
It also needs to be taken into consideration that I'm using this lens on a Nikon D300s, which is a DX (small) sensor camera. So your results may differ should you use a full frame.
In the end, I'll be keeping this lens for a number of reasons. One is price. At a third of the cost of the Nikkor, this lens makes up some serious ground and can be forgiven quite a bit. The second is the autofocus. Wow it's fast. And accurate. Since I'm going to be using this mainly for sports, that's very important to me. And funny though it may be, the other reason is the macro. Yes, it's not great, but I still love having a lens with this zoom range that has macro capabilities. Apparently there have been major compromises to get it there, but it is what it is. I would have given it 4 stars, simply because of the cost, but in the end I decided on 3, because if Sigma want to play with the big boys, they really need to do a little better than this showing.
So in considering this lens, you need to ask yourself exactly what your needs are as a photographer, and will the advantages of this lens be enough to outweigh the disadvantages. For me, the answer is yes... but you have to make up your own mind.

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This large aperture thelephoto zoom lens has a minimum focusing distance of 100cm (39.4) and maximum magnification of 1:3.5. Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) and three ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. The super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), ensuring a quiet and high speed AF and full-time manual focusing capability. An adjustable and removable tripod collar is included as a standard component.

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Fujifilm Finepix E900 9MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom (Black) Review

Fujifilm Finepix E900 9MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom (Black)
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For really serious photography, I use a Nikon D200 with the SB800 flash. But there are some times when I just want a small, lightweight camera in my pocket, and the Fuji E900 is perfect for that. Unlike most point and shoots, the camera comes on almost instantly, and the shutter lag is close to (but not quite equal) an SLR. My biggest complaint is the lack of a hotshoe for a hardwired external flash, so I wouldn't use the E900 indoors where a heavy flash is needed. I actually would only rate the E900 at a 4.5 because of this.
The optics are as crisp as any point and shoot that I've seen. There is a bit of chromatic abberation, particularly at wide angle, but it's not too noticeable in most situations.
A huge plus is that you have full manual control of your exposures if you want to or need to do that. In my opinion, a camera has to have that feature if it's to be used for serious photography. But if you just want to point and shoot and have the camera do everything, you can do that too.
Another minor objection is that the camera uses an xD card, so I could use any of the CF or SD cards that I already have. When you buy an xD card, be sure to get an Olympus Type H card, not the slower Type M.
Overall, a really nice little camera, especially for a little over $300.


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CL) FUJI FINEPIX E900 DIGITAL CAMERA

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Sigma 28-200 f/3.5-5.6 Compact Hyper Zoom Aspherical Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Review

Sigma 28-200 f/3.5-5.6 Compact Hyper Zoom Aspherical Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
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I'm not sure why, but this lens is incredibly dark. I need to have major amounts of light to use it; the built in flash is not sufficient to light a nearby subject. I will very likely retire this lens in favor of one i can actually use.
So why not 1 star? I'm not sure if for some reason i'm missing something obvious... usually sigma rocks.

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The high-performance Sigma 28-200mm F3.5-5.6 Compact Hyper Zoom Aspherical lens is ideal for travel and action photography due to the wide range of focal lengthsfrom 28mm wide angle to 200mm telephoto. Features 2 aspherical lenses for excellent correction for all types of aberration, as well as delivering high image quality throughout the zoom range. At the 200m telephoto setting, the lens is capable of macro photography with a 1:3:8 maximum magnification. The minimum focusing distance is 48cm at all zoom settings. For use with Canon cameras.

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Tokina 2880100300M 28-80 + 100-300 Emz ii Camera Lens Kit F/ Konica Minolta Maxxum and Sony Alpha Review

Tokina 2880100300M 28-80 + 100-300 Emz ii Camera Lens Kit F/ Konica Minolta Maxxum and Sony Alpha
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The Tokina 28-80 wasn't as good in quality picture, since I have the one that came with the camera don't bother to use it, the 100-300 lens works great, good quality, for the price is unbelievable, the con is that the color is different than the camera, but at the price dont care about it.


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The Tokina EMZ 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Autofocus Macro Zoom lens covers the most popular focal length range from wide angle to mid-range telephoto. This versatile zoom has tele-macro capability for a maximum magnification ratio of 1:5.3, plus a minimum shooting distance of under 20 inches. Everything from grab shots to portraits to close-ups is possible. With an overall length of 3.2 inches and a weight of under 10 ounces, this lens is perfect for the photographer on the go. It sports a professional silver finish with a large black ribbed rubberized barrel surface and provides an easy to grip area for smooth and positive zoom control. An excellent addition to any outfit. >>> This Tokina EMZ 100-300mm f/5.6-6.7 Autofocus Zoom lens fits and provides full autofocus operation on your camera. Focus on your subject, zoom in tight for detail and catch the unexpected with this Tokina 100-300mm Autofocus Zoom Lens. The focal length range covers most of the desirable longer telephoto settings from 100mm out to a powerful 300mm, which is an excellent focal length range for sports, wildlife, and similar subjects to which you cannot easily get close. A professional silver finish with a large black ribbed rubberized barrel surface provides an easy to grip area for smooth and positive zoom control. >>> This outfit also includes a high-quality SLR camera carrying case by Aosta. This convenient slim design messenger-style gadget bag is large enough to hold a camera and 2 lenses plus accessories. It also features a zippered main compartment, a zippered outside pocket, an outside flap pocket, plus a mesh outside pocket for quick access to your most important accessories. It also features a removable foam divider for keeping your camera and lenses protected from all sides, as well as an adjustable shoulder strap.

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Pentax SMC DA* Series 50-135mm f/2.8 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Pentax and Digital SLR Cameras Review

Pentax SMC DA* Series 50-135mm f/2.8 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Pentax and Digital SLR Cameras
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After anxiously awaiting the new DA* series of lenses, I bought it the day it was released. I had to photograph the Ujena Bikini Jam in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and KNEW that I needed the benefits of a tightly sealed, weather proof lens because of the intense humidity. When I first mounted the lens to the body of my K10D (after updating the firmware of course) I was surprised at how incredibly quiet the motor is. I've never had this experience with any lens I've owned. I'm so used to the slight "whir" sound that lenses produced, it was hard for me at first to tell if it was working! The lens focuses quickly and accurately. The lens is nicely finished with nice rubber ribbing on the barrel. It accepts 67mm thread size filters. There may be a temptation to get a standard type Skylight filter. Spend the extra money for the Super Multicoated type. After all, if you spend nearly $1,000 for a lens, why would you skimp on a lower priced filter? The manual focusing mechanism turns freely after you reach the end of the focal length on either side. This is done so that you do not damage the focusing mechanism. For manual focus option, instead of setting your camera body to manual focus, the lens has a switch that allows you to switch between manual focus and auto focus without having to have your body set on manual focus. This is convenient. If the lens is hunting you can easily click over the switch with your thumb without having to remove the camera from your eye. There is no longer an aperture ring on the new digital series lenses. This is logical since all the f-stop settings are now done on the camera body. The stunning sharpness and contrast of this lens is amazing. Distortion is practically non existant and flare is tightly controlled. Make sure you have the lens hood attached to help make sure flare is not an issue. This lens makes the lower priced lenses seem inferior by comparison. This lens is made for professionals and it shows. If you are currently looking for a professional quality Pentax zoom lens, and need the high speed of a 2.8 lens for portrait or glamour photography, this is the one to get. This is an outstanding lens from Pentax. Rush out and get it!

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Designed for exclusive use with Pentax digital SLR cameras, the Pentax DA series 50-135mm telephoto zoom lens makes it easy to capture close-in sports shots or intimate wildlife photography. The lens is distinguished by its aspherical elements, special optical-glass elements, and original glass coatings, which help produce a high contrast, unmatched clarity, and edge-to-edge sharpness. The lens also boasts a tightly sealed weather- and dust-resistant housing that stands up to rainy or dusty conditions. And users will love the new SDM system, which produces smoother, quieter autofocusing using a built-in supersonic motor. Other details include a Pentax-original Quick-Shift Focus System that switches instantly to manual-focus operation, a Pentax SP coating that protects the exposed lens elements, and a focal length equivalent to 76.5-207mm in the 35mm format.

Lens mount: Pentax KAF2
Lens construction: 18 elements in 14 groups
Angle of view: 31.5 to 11.9 degrees (when used with Pentax digital SLR camera body)
Aperture control: Automatic
Minimum aperture: F22
Metering system: TTL open-aperture metering
Minimum focusing distance: 1 meter
Filter size: 67mm
Maximum magnification: 0.17x
Dimensions: 3 inches in diameter and 5.4 inches long
Weight: 24.2 ounces (without hood)


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Vivitar Multi-Coated Circular Polarizer (CPL) Glass Filter, 82mm Review

Vivitar Multi-Coated Circular Polarizer (CPL) Glass Filter, 82mm
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Really untill I saw this I forgot all about Vivitar. They make quality products. I've burned out 5 digital cameras in the past 10 years. I have vivitar slr circa 1976 that still kicking. I think this filter will be just as tough. It has a durable matte black frame. It's made of actual glass and was about a third the price of a Hoya, B+W, or Tiffen. I bought another more expensive brand to compare it to and cannot find any difference.

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The Vivitar Series 1 Multi-Coated Circular Polarizing (PL) Filter allows you to remove unwanted reflections from non-metallic surfaces such as water and glass, and they also improve color saturation, clarity and contrast. This threaded filter is often used to increase the contrast and saturation in blue skies and white clouds, for example. Vivitar's polarizing filters do not affect the overall color balance of a shot, and they will provide protection for your lens while shooting.

Vivitar Multi-Coated filters are optimized for use with digital SLR cameras, but they are also perfect for traditional 35mm SLR applications, including black and white photography.

Key Features:• For digital, video and photo • Increases contrast and color saturation• Multi-Coated filters greatly reduce lens flare and ghosting caused by reflections• Eliminates reflections from non-metallic surfaces• Protects lens from dust, moisture, fingerprints, scratches and impact• For over 70 years Vivitar has been recognized as a manufacturer of quality optics and photo accessories

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SUNPAK 035N 35mm Electronic Thyristor Auto Flash with 35-85mm Zoom Review

SUNPAK 035N 35mm Electronic Thyristor Auto Flash with 35-85mm Zoom
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I had this for years now and it still works today. I still like to shoot film and if you can get this new at a good price - I highly recommend it. AF is accurate and the thyristor recycles fast. Simple and Effective TTL!

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SUNPAK 035N, THYRISTOR AUTO FLASH WITH 35-85MM ZOOM FOR NIKON

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Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 APO EX DG Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras Review

Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 APO EX DG Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
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I must admit I did not buy this monster of a lens - it came to me the old fashion way (no it wasn't stolen) my parents purchased it for me - they have more disposable income than I. Well after having had it for a little while, there are a few things I have learned: 1. Don't unleash this beast around other photographers or anyone else for that matter unless you are a total camera snob and are trying to compensate for certain inadequacies. 2. Use a monster tripod - this beast weighs over 100 lbs.. 3. Let the lens come to ambient temperature before using. 4. Do not use it for photographing ANYTHING from the deck of your home in San Francisco - unless you want your neighbors phoning SFPD complaining that you are a voyeur - SFPD was impressed with my photos of the Palace of Fine Arts and Alcatraz. Now I wanted this lens for nature photography - this is what I do for fun. Unfortunately, I think the lens is much too large and heavy to be transported with any ease other than hiring a Sherpa.

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This ultra telephoto zoom lens offers a fast aperture of F2.8 at the 500mm focal length and F5.6 at the 1000mm. It covers widely-used focal lengths from 200mm to 500mm and has a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range. This lens can be used to create amazing image expression with various types of photography such as astrophotography, portraits, wildlife, sports. SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass and three ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction for all type of aberrations. The super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting and provides high image quality from the extremely large aperture. The lens hood, designed exclusively for this lens, blocks out extraneous light. A 72mm filter can be inserted at the rear of the lens, and a circular polarizing filter can be used in situ thanks to the ingenious internal rotation mechanism. The dedicated Li-ion battery BP-21 is used to power the zooming and AF operation. This battery is built in the lens barrel. For the convenience of the photographer, focusing distances and focal lengths can be viewed on the lens' built-in LCD panel.

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Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras Review

Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras
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I own both Canon gear (Canon 40D) and Nikon gear (D40). Since Nikon is my cheaper lighter gear, I am not to invest a lot of $$$ into it. While D40 is light and cheap, it is an excellent camera which I use all the time for many reasons. I needed a tele lens to compliment my kit 18-55 lens (which is excellent in itself and gets great reviews). I was between Tamron 70-300 and Sigma 70-300 APO since Nikon's 70-300 is 4 times more expensive than Tamron and Sigma. After reading tons of reviews and playing with both Tamron and Sigma, I chose Tamron and I am very happy I did. There are several versions of Tamron's 70-300, however this one is the latest, 2008 version, which autofocuses on D40, 40X and 60. This lens is remarkable for the amount it is sold for. I've taken many great photos with it on vacation and around town. It is also very compact and light. While it is not an ideal lens to shoot Birds in Flight (neither is D40 with its 2.5 fps) due to its slow autofocusing mechanism, it is great for general photos and portraits. As you can see from samples I even took some bee shots with it. I took a star because of slow autofocusing, but hey, you are paying $130 for it, realize it. I recommend this lens over Sigma for budget shooters who want 300 tele, but don't want to pay $450 Nikon wants for its version. I am happy with it

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The Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Autofocus Lens is a compact, light-weight, ultra-tele zoom which covers the 70mm to 300mm telephoto range and produces photographs of exceptional image quality. It is ideal for taking pictures at a distance particularly when the subject is difficult to approach such as in nature and wildlife photography as well as at sporting and theatrical events. The Tamron 70-300mm also excels at portraiture and allows you to isolate the subject from the background for eye-catching, dramatic portraits. This versatile zoom has superb macro capability with a magnification of 1:2 enabling 1/2 life-size close-up shots of flowers, insects, and other objects that normally would require the use of a specially designed macro lens. This new lens is made with the Tamron Di (Digitally Integrated) design which uses an optical system with improved multi-coatings designed to function with Digital SLR Cameras as well as Film SLR Cameras. Tamron also incorporates LD (Low Dispersion) glass in this lens to correct chromatic aberration, resulting in clear, sharp, and beautifully vivid images.

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Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DG IF Macro Aspherical Lens for Pentax and Samsung SLR Cameras Review

Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DG IF Macro Aspherical Lens for Pentax and Samsung SLR Cameras
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It is what you would expect for a lens in this price range. It is a perfect everyday lens especially well suited to photograph outdoor events where there is close and far action. It is made of light plastic which makes it easy to carry but I would not want to drop it - especially when extended to 300mm. Overall I am very satisfied with my purchase.
The focus speed is slower than my D50's kit lens and it is also noisyer, but not annoying. The only odd fuction is the manual focus; the internal gears do not disengage so you feel the gears whirring as you turn the focus ring, it feels a bit rough. The Nikon model of this lens does not have a manual focus switch on the lens, you have to use the camera body switch.
A bonus with this lens is that is does good macro photography. I was able to get sharp shots of flowers at close range with totally blurred backgrouds.
The lens needs a lot of light but 300mm is not very practical indoors so it is perfect for outdoor daytime photos. With the hotshoe flash the lens performs very well indoors.
The zooming action is a bit quick for my liking. Just a half turn of the barrel and you go from 28 to 300! You need a gentle touch to get just the right focal length.
I bought this lens instead of the Nikon 70-300 G. The 28-300 is a more useful range but you sacrifice speed (6.3 instead of 5.4 max aperture at 300mm). The Sigma is lighter and at least half an inch shorter than the Nikon at the smallest focal length. The Nikon had smoother zooming and faster focus.

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28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 DG Compact Aspherical Macro Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF

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