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

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)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

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

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.

Click here for more information about Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Canon 15x50 Image Stabilization All Weather Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)These binoculars are spectacular. Point them at Jupiter and you see a bright dot wandering around in the field of view. Press the image stabilization switch and the planet and its moons instantly become visible. While they can't subtract all movement they do get rid of the little shakes that make hand held viewing so difficult. 15x is enough magnification that Saturn is obviously not round.
A complaint about earier versions of the Canon IS line was that your finger went to sleep holding the IS switch down. Now you can press it briefly to turn on the IS circuitry which will automatically shut off in 5 minutes. If you press and hold the switch it shuts off as soon as you release it.
I haven't had my pair long enough to comment on battery life but do see a problem changing them when they are mounted on a tripod. Unlike most binoculars where the tripod mounting is at the objective end where the two barrels rotate on the Canons it is at the bottom of the binocular near the center of the tubes which don't rotate. And the battery compartment is just in front of it so you can't get to it if the binoculars are on a tripod of have a quick release plate attached.
Since the lens barrels don't rotate intra-ocular distance is adjusted by actually moving the oculars. They are kind of stiff but that is good because they stay in place once you get them set.
The tripod mount is lower than the highest part of the lens barrels so if you have a big quick release plate like that of the Manfrotto (Bogen) 410 geared head (highly recommended) it presses against the bottom of the barrels and not the flat between them.
For some reason Canon doesn't seem to fell that the objective lenses need any protection as they don't ship lens covers for them. They do provide lens covers for the oculars but they pop off a lot because the eye cups are so soft. It looks like you need something like 69mm lens caps. They don't tell you in the manual but Canon sales says they are threaded to accept 58mm filters so you can buy solar filters for them.
I can use the binoculars with my glasses on due to the 15 mm eye relief but it is really easier to use them without the glasses.
They are heavy, ~2,5#, but if you support them on the heels of your hands very stable.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon 15x50 Image Stabilization All Weather Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries

With its wide 50mm objective lenses and high magnification,these rugged, all-weather Canon Image Stabilizer binoculars are destined to set a new and higher benchmark for image brightness, clarity and ergonomic design.
Leave your tripod at home when you use the new Canon 15x50 binoculars. Canon has once again made its world-renowned optical image stabilizer more convenient to use on this all-weather binocular. With a push of a button, bumpy images are stabilized instantly for maximum viewing. Multicoated ultralow dispersion (UD) objective elements add contrast, clarity, and color fidelity. Housed in a rugged, water-resistant, and slip-free rubber body, these binoculars can be used in rain or shine, whether in a football stadium or on the high seas. Stargazing is also possible with these versatile binoculars. The 15x50 is greatly improved over the previous model, with a larger 50mm objective lens, more convenient operation of the optical image stabilizer, and optional antifog eyepieces. Two AA batteries power the device. Also included in the package are a case, neck strap, and eyepiece covers.
Image Stabilization and More With any high magnification binoculars, most users will experience frustrating image shake. Unless fixed to a tripod, image shake can render high magnification binoculars useless. Canon's IS technology is remarkably effective at eliminating this problem and is widely used by the television industry with Canon's professional broadcast quality video recording equipment. A special VAP (Vari-Angle Prism) corrective IS system sits between the objective lens group and the porro prism on each side of the binoculars. Within thousandths of a second of the binoculars being moved from their optical axis by vibrations, a detection system activates the IS mechanism. The VAP shape alters to refract or 'bend' the light path by precisely the right amount, thus fully compensating for the vibration. It is this essentially immediate response that effectively suppresses image shake.
Super Spectra Coating A number of optical factors affect the brightness of an image, including the amount of incidental light that is reflected by the lens. An uncoated lens will refelect away as much as 8% of the incidentail light, significantly dimming the image. Canon's Super Spectra Coating prevents that reflection.
What do the numbers mean? 15x50? 8x25? The two numbers used to describe any pair of binoculars are their magnification — 8x, 12x, 15x and so on — and the diameter of their objective lenses — 25mm, 36mm, 50mm, and so on. The larger the first number is, the larger the object will appear to be in the objective lens. For instance, if you use a 10x lens and look at an object that is 100 yards away, it appears to be the same size as an object located just 10 yards away. The second number, the size of the objective lens, is important because the larger the objective lens, the more light it can admit for brighter, more detailed images, and the better suited they will be for lowlight situations. A look inside

Get 43% OFF

Click here for more information about Canon 15x50 Image Stabilization All Weather Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries

10 Products Kit For The Nikon D5000, D3000 Digital SLR Cameras Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)You get what you pay for here! The super wide fisheye lens was in seperate pieces in the crushed box on delivery. The retaining ring on front will not stay screwed on and the lens shade is loose and rattles. The cleaning kit supplies look like they came from a toy store, The only decent looking items were the filters. Over-all, I am very disappointed with the purchase and would not recommend it to anyone.

Click Here to see more reviews about: 10 Products Kit For The Nikon D5000, D3000 Digital SLR Cameras

Kit Includes: * 1) .42x Macro Fisheye Lens -An essential tool for extreme sports and dramatic action shooters. The .42x Ultra Wide Angle Fisheye Converter Lens increases the versatility of your existing lens to provide breathtaking ultra wide angle views. And it's so easy to use! Additionally the built-in detachable macro lens allows you to take extreme high resolution close-up shots! * 2) 0.5x Digital Wide Angle Macro Lens - When you've run out of room and your back's against the wall and you just can't seem to squeeze everything you want in the shot, just put on this wide angle lens attachment to get it all in the picture. The Wide Angle Lens's detachable Macro Lens enables you to photograph small objects up close. Great for jewelry, coins, stamps, flowers, and more.* 3) 2x Digital Telephoto Lens - When your digital camera can't get you quite close enough to the action, this 2x telephoto accessory lens will bring the action twice as close to you. This is the ideal lens attachment for sports fans and parents whose kids play sports.* 4) 3 Piece Filter Kit - Lens filters are translucent pieces of glass placed in front of a camera lens to alter or adjust the light entering the camera, and more importantly to protect the camera lens. This is a combination of the three essential filters no photographer should be without.* 5) 6-Piece Cleaning Kit - This contains hurricane blower, lens cleaning tissues, lens cloth, lens cleaning liquid, blower brush and cotton swabs * 6) Lens Pen - The perfect cleaning tool safe for all camera lenses* 7) Deluxe Camera Case - Protect your valuable camera investment* 8) Full Size Tripod - Tripod with Carrying Case* 9) CapKeeper Lens Cap Strap - Never lose your cap again!* 10) DB ROTH Micro Fiber Cleaning Cloth - Eliminate dust and smudges

Click here for more information about 10 Products Kit For The Nikon D5000, D3000 Digital SLR Cameras

Canon G12 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8 inch Vari-Angle LCD Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)So I owned a G11 - and for whatever reason sold it a few months back. I have since tried the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 and Samsung TL500. This whole time I was searching for something better than the G-series - I only found it with the GF1 - but it is too large to be a compact.
I only give this camera 4 stars instead of 5 for the following reasons.
1. External Speedlite control - you still need a "Master" unit like a 580EX II or Canon STE2 to control external Speedlites. Canon should get off their butt in this area to compete with the new Nikon P7000. I almost considered going the Nikon route just to have that feature built in. Canon - start paying attention to what David Hobby says.
2. The screen is only 460K resolution. The Nikon mentioned above is 960K. The Samsung TL500 I mentioned above sports a beautiful AMOLED screen that knocks this one out of the park.
3. The pathetic optical viewfinder. You are catering to those people that say a camera MUST have one of these - stop it. You are wasting space with something so awful that even a disposable camera does better. I would rather have a higher resolution bigger screen (or a smaller camera) than this awful piece of warped tunnel-vision.
4. The rear control wheel is too small - enlarge it so it feels more like one of your DSLRs.
5. While the lens is gorgeously sharp (I mean competing with some of my L-lenses sharp) - f/2.8 to f/4.5 is slow.
6. The lens needs to be wider - 24mm f/2 (or even f/1.8 in the Samsung) equiv is the primary reason I tried the LX5 and TL500 before going back to Canon.
7. No microphone input for video recording.
8. Just too big and bulky - slim it down (but do NOT remove the articulating display).
So 8 knocks like that might sound like a big deal - but believe me when I say this - the camera is phenomenal.
Image quality is outstanding - I have had to process my RAW files with their converter (typically use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 - but even with their converter image quality is second to none in the compact world. I actually prefer to do product shots with a G-Series than my usual 5D2 kit due to the flexibility and increased depth of field. The lens is magnificently sharp. HD video results look pretty good - but not stellar. It'll do in a pinch - but its no camcorder replacement.
Operation speed is very very good. I have read a few posts saying that focusing speed is vastly improved from the G11 - I haven't found that to be the case but none-the-less its pretty good.
Construction quality is pretty good - but I don't like the rough textured finish as much as the smooth finish on the G11 - it somehow makes it feel cheaper.
Controls are absolutely second to none. Dedicated EV and ISO dials are wonderful. The new front control dial is great. The rear dial however could use a bit of an extension - hard to operate quickly with my fat thumb. The whole camera is a little fat - slim it down and kill the awful optical viewfinder. Would like a dedicated movie button like pretty much all of its competitors. The articulating display is fantastic - PLEASE include this whenever you update the 5D.
Value for the money is mostly good - but if you are like me and need on-camera control of external flashes add a whopping $200+ for the ST-E2.
All in all a fantastic camera - even if it is a minimal update to the G11.
Why I picked it over LX5 > See my LX5 review - but I didn't particularly like that camera. Biggest reason would the articulating display followed by the awful screen resolution when composing on the LX5.
Why I picked it over the TL500 > I couldn't get the TL500 to trigger external strobes using radio triggers - that plus the lens is MUCH sharper on the Canon. I must have a bad copy of the TL500 as finding a sharp photo in my 50+ test shots is pretty hard.
Why I picked it over the S95 > Hotshoe and articulating display. If the S95 had those it would win hands down.
Why I picked it over the P7000 > Articulating display is about it here if you don't take into account I already own several Canon Speedlites.
Why I picked it over the GF1 or EP1 > Size + Nikon P7000 comments.
Hope you found my review helpful - if so please click the link below!
Edit 30 days in: I would add one more negative - once you lock focus in video to start recording - that focus cannot be changed after the fact - disappointed in that.
Also - I dropped mine this morning =( from 4ft onto concrete. Surprised that everything still works great and as expected it got marred up and one corner's metal is a little bent - but it still works which is impressive.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon G12 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8 inch Vari-Angle LCD

Canon PowerShot G12 10 Megapixel Compact Camera - 6.10 mm-30.50 mm 4342B001 Digital Cameras

Get 12% OFF

Click here for more information about Canon G12 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8 inch Vari-Angle LCD

Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera with 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF VR Nikkor Zoom Lens Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Well, I finally got my D700 and have had it for about a week now so I wanted to put up some initial impressions of the pros and cons from an experienced amateur's perspective (been taking photos for almost 15 years now, but I wouldn't consider myself in any way a professional).
From the pro side:
I am VERY pleased with the full-frame CCD. Before this camera, I had the D100 and was happy with it, but always was a bit annoyed that my Nikon lenses were converted by the different size of the CCD. Now that I'm back to 35mm, I feel like the SLR acts a lot more like my old N90s. My favorite lens, the 85mm 1.4 produces astoundingly beautiful shots with increadibly shallow depth of field. I'm in heaven.
On the whole, the features I've used so far have been quite impressive. At normal ISOs the quality is just outstanding. I don't think I've ever seen digital pictures with this level of detail period. This said, what really impressed me was the 6400 ISO. I've played around with a number of digital cameras over the years and I don't think I've ever seen a camera that can produce the kinds of low-light images that the D700 does. The noise is so unbeleavably low that I am just floored.
I've been using a 16gb Sandisk Extreme memory card and have been very impressed with the write-speed of the camera. On RAW quality imaged, I can get 800+ shots to the memory card and the transfer rate to the computer is excellent considering the size of the files. Shooting speed is also excellent. I do mostly portraits, but when I do candids I do find myself shooting multiple shots in succession and the D700 performs wonderfully. It does make me curious as to how much faster the D3 is, but I can't imagine it being that much faster.
Some minor gripes (I would discount 1/2 star for these if I could, but rather than rating the camera at a 4, I'm giving it a 5 because I am very happy with it).
1. The live-view is somewhat odd in the way that it works. I was hoping that the camera would lift the mirror and then basically become like an average point-and-shoot. It doesn't really work that way and frankly, makes me appreciate the view-finder all the more. The instructions to get the live-view to work are somewhat complex (it isn't just a switch, you also have to go into menus, make selections, and then depress the shutter button half-way each time you take a picture in order to activate the live-view every time). It is a nice option for when you can't look through the viewfinder easily, but definitely not for all-the-time-use.
2. Software compatibility has some quirks. It seems to me that my Cannon worked with XP and Photoshop right out of the box, whereas with this camera I had to go to Nikon's website and download Codecs in order to get my computer to recognize RAW images... also... why does Nikon insist on calling RAW images NEF files? Seems to add a layer of complexity that is just unecessary. Another odd thing is a note on Photoshop's (Adobe's) website which tries to let consumers know that Nikon and Adobe are "comitted to working together" but actually seems to have the opposite effect given the tinkering that is necessary in order to get NEF files recognized. That said, now that I've got it all set up properly, it works fine and I'm very happy.
Summary: Seems to pack all the bang of the D3, but at a nice savings. Definitely not cheap, but you get what you pay for and it is very nice to be putting my Nikon lenses to good use. Picture detail and quality is through the roof, impressive low-light sensitivity. Full-frame CCD is awesome. Camera feels great in the hand, solid construction, good menus, dials, buttons, etc. all feel great.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera with 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

The Nikon D700 SLR Digital Camera brings professional imaging with a full frame image sensor to a lightweight yet durable camera body. It features the exclusive 12.1 Megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, measuring 23.9 x 36mm, which is nearly identical to the size of a 35mm film frame - thereby eliminating any significant crop factor or focal length multiplier.

Click here for more information about Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera with 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF VR Nikkor Zoom Lens