Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the first non-Canon lens I've purchased and the Sigma 17-70/2.8-4.5 DC surprised the hell me with its fine performance. Zoom range, speed, resolution, low Chromatic Abberation, fast/sure autofocus speed and solid build quality make this lens stand head and shoulders above the typical cheap Canon kit lens such as the terrible Canon EF 18-55/4.5-5.6. Plus the Sigma has 1:2.3 macro capabilities with very sharp results...AMAZING! I've read more and more reviews all over the Internet on this Sigma lens that praise its qualities. This lens will compete with Canon lenses costing two and 3 times as much (EF 17-40, EF 18-50/2.8, EF 16-35/2.8). The Sigma 17-70 is constructed with one SLD low-dispersion glass element which is responsible for its excellent lack of Chromatic Aberation. At this price I never expected that kind of quality. Highly recommended!

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Designed for Canon digital SLR cameras, the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 macro lens performs superbly even in relatively low light conditions, such as indoors or at dusk. The lens incorporates an inner focusing system that provides a fast autofocus speed while also preventing the front of the lens from rotating. This makes it particularly suitable for use with circular polarizing filters and petal-shaped lens hoods. The lens is also equipped with a zoom lock switch that eliminates "zoom creep" during transportation. And thanks to the special low dispersion (SLD) element and two aspherical elements, the lens corrects for all types of aberrations and produces a high level of optical performance throughout the entire zoom range. Other features include a minimum focusing distance of 7.9 inches, a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.3, and a multilayer lens coating that reduces flare and ghosting. All Sigma lenses carry a one-year warranty.
Specifications
Focal length: 17-70mm
Maximum aperture: f/2.8-4.5
Lens construction: 15 elements in 12 groups
Angle of view: 72.4 to 20.2 degrees (Sigma SD format)
Number of diaphragm blades: 7
Minimum aperture: f/22
Minimum focusing distance: 7.9 inches
Maximum magnification: 1:2.3
Filter size: 72mm
Corresponding AF mounts: Canon
Dimensions: 3.1 inches in diameter and 3.2 inches long
Weight: 16.0 ounces
Warranty: 1 year

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Tokina AT-X 100mm f/2.8 PRO D Macro Lens for Canon EOS Digital and Film Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)I have used Tokina lenses for several years and they have always been more than satisfactory. Tokinas are built like tanks, with solid metal alloy bodies that make Canon's top of the line L-series lenses look cheap in comparison. This makes them rather heavy, but I don't find them uncomfortable.
This 100mm f/2.8 macro lens is a great value. The differences between it and the more expensive Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens (non-IS version) are minor at best; most significantly, the Tokina extends when focusing, whereas the Canon does not. At the short distances often involved in macrophotography (focusing on objects only a few inches away), extending the lens can be a minor annoyance, requiring you to pull the camera back a bit to keep the framing consistent, but you get used to it. (Competing lenses from Sigma and Tamron also extend while focusing.)
I have the Tokina mounted on a Canon 5D Mark II at the moment and it's doing a great job. Auto-focus is accurate, if somewhat slow compared to Canon's macro lens, but with the AF limit enabled this disadvantage is mitigated. The images it produces are razor-sharp, with good color and contrast, whether the subject is a bug a few inches away or distant buildings.
All in all, I'm happy with this lens. It's a solid, reliable product from a company with a long track record of producing high-quality lenses, and in value-for-money terms it's the best deal in its class.
Update, February 2010: If you want to use this lens with a Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite or Canon MT-24EX Macro Twin Lite, you will need a step-up ring. These flashes are designed to mount on the end of Canon's original 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, which takes 58mm filters rather than the 55mm filters the Tokina uses. I am using the Kenko 55mm Step-Up Ring to 58mm and I find that the MR-14EX stays in place reliably as long as nothing bumps into it. And if you want to just leave the step-up ring on the lens at all times, then you'll need to replace the Tokina's lens cap with a 58mm one to fit the step-up ring.

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Tokina AT-X 100 PRO D lens for digital and film SLR cameras.The AT-X M100 PRO D is a new macro lens capable of life-sized (1:1) reproduction at 11.8 in. (30 cm). The lens' multi-coating have been re-engineered to match the highly reflective silicon based CCD and CMOS sensors in today's digital SLR cameras, while the optics still give full coverage and excellent sharpness on 35mm film.The AT-X M100 PRO D also has a very convenient focus limiter switch that can lock the focus out of the closes focus making it focus faster when used as a moderate telephoto or portrait lens.Other features of the AT-X M100 PRO D are:Tokina One Touch Focus Clutch Mechanism for fast easy switching between manual and Auto focus.55mm non-rotating filter thread for use with macro ring flashes and special effects filters.

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Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a Nikon D200 body and both Sigma APO 70-300 as well as Nikon 70-300 (non-ED) lenses. I tested both these lenses at f4 and f10 apartures and at 70mm, 200mm and 300mm focal lengths. The camera was on a tripod, mirror lockup was used and tripod/camera were not moved at all during lens changes for perfect apples-to-apples comparison. Identical sources of ambient light and identical flash settings were used for both lenses. Here are my conclusions:
It was very difficult to determine which lens was sharper between the two even when blown up to large picture sizes. The colors on the pictures taken by Sigma were a little bit more appealing but again only when looked at under lot of scrutiny. The depth of field on Sigma was shallower at f4 vs the Nikon which is both good (for portraits) and bad (for non-portrait pictures). Sigma always produced brighter pictures compared to Nikon lens but that can be compensated by always over-exposing the Nikon. I can say safely that a picture taken by the Nikon with one stop higher exposure is comparable to the picture taken by Sigma with Sigma winning by a very small margin only and in terms of color richness only when the pictures are blown up to large sizes.
When you switch the Sigma to macro mode it sort of becomes an apples-to-oranges comparison since the Nikon does not have a macro mode. To make it a fair test I used Nikon's published lowest focusing distance for both Nikon and Sigma lenses and switched the Sigma to macro mode. Sigma was slightly better than Nikon again when put under lot of scrutiny.
CONCLUSION:
I was absolutely thrilled with the closeups that the Sigma took that the Nikon could never have taken since Nikon does not have the macro mode. If taking closeups or macro pictures is not a goal for you, Sigma is only marginally better than Nikon so whether you spend the extra $50 for the Sigma APO or not is up to you. Happy shooting...

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The Sigma APO 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras is a telephoto zoom lens with tele-macro functionality. Optimized for digital cameras, this high-performance lens has two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements in the front lens group and one in the rear lens group. It is able to shoot with maximum magnification 1:2 at the focal length of 300 millimeters. It's the ideal lens for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range. The multi-layer lens coating and lens design reduce flare and ghosting, which is a common problem with digital cameras, and it also creates an optimum color balance through the entire zoom range. High optical performance is demonstrated throughout the entire zoom range. The lens features a switch that converts the lens to macro photography at focal lengths between 200 millimeters and 300 millimeters, with a minimum focusing distance of 37.4 inches. In normal mode the minimum focusing distance is 59.1 inches at all zoom settings.

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Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR ZL Di LD Aspherical (IF) for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)I have never bought a non-Canon lens because I just love the look, feel, and optical quality of the Canon line particularly the L series lenses. But I kept reading glowing reviews about this lens. On multiple websites. So, I went out and took a look.
First impression: the build quality is not as good as a Canon L series lens. Duh! It costs about 1/4 as much for goodness sake. This is a plastic lens - not metal. But I must admit that the build quality was pretty darn good. Better, I think, than the Sigma lenses I've seen. Fit and finish was very nice and tight. I'd give the build quality a 4/5. Not bad. I figured I could live with it.
Next, I put the lens on my camera. I'd read reviews complaining about the speed of the focusing. It may not be quite as quick as my 200 f2.8 L series lens but it was pretty darn good and for my purposes, plenty fast. A 4.5/5
I'd read reviews complaining about the noise and the fact that the AF was not USM. I thought the AF worked very quietly. Not at all distracting and barely discernable. Noise - not an issue.
Then, I took pictures with the lens and I was absolutely floored! How in the world did Tamron manage to produce a lens that performed so well optically for such a reasonable price?! Beautiful contrast, excellent resolution, gorgeous colors, and extremely sharp, particularly above f2.8. But, f2.8 is very good as well.
Obviously the first comparison that comes to mind is between this lens and the Canon 24-70 f2.8 L. I would say, I kid you not, that this lens is in every respect optically the equal of the Canon or better than the Canon. I could not believe it.
I tested this lens directly against a brand new copy of the Canon 24-70 f2.8L. Method: I tested both lenses on a tripod @ F 2.8 and 8.0 @ 28mm 50mm and 70mm. Target limestone wall 9.5 feet parallel to the sensor plane. Remote release employed. No mirror lockup. Center and all four corners were evaluated to my naked eye on a monitor using 100% crops. Both lenses were new copies received within the last 7 days.
The limestone wall lent itself perfectly to evaluating sharpness and subtle contrast and color rendition. There was enormous detail present in the wall with subtle colorations present.
Findings:
28MM F8: Tamron definitely sharper in the center and corners
28MM F2.8: Tamron definitely sharper in the center and corners 50MM F8: Tamron slightly sharper in the center and very slightly sharper in corners
50MM F2.8: Tamron slightly sharper in center and equal in corners.
70MM F2.8: Canon sharper in center and at corners. Incidentally noted was inability of Tamron to focus as sharply as I was able to achieve with manual focusing.
70MM F8: Tamron sharper in center with Canon slightly sharper in corners.
Some have said that there is less flare with the Canon, but if you use the lens hood that should not be a problem. I didn't notice excessive flare in my copy.
Admittedly there is significant copy to copy variation in both the Canon and the Tamron, but my findings convinced me that at 1/4 the price, and with the Tamron weighing 1 pound less than the Canon that the Tamron was the lens for me. Optically 5/5!!
I cannot recommend this lens highly enough. It is the first non-Canon lens I have owned and I am thrilled.

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SO) 28-75MM F2.8 XR DI F/CANON

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NIKON 14mm f/2.8D ED AF Ultra Wide-Angle Nikkor Lens Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an absolutely fantastic lens - light for its size, and fast focusing too (not that you often need fast focus for wide-angle shots, that is). Quite simply, once you get used to Nikon speed of focusing, even very marginally lower speeds of Canon feel like an eternity.
If you are even considering buying this product, you know very well already what it is and what it does. I just wanted to emphasize the AF speed and clear markings which, in my view, are better than on comparable products from other manufacturers.

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Includes NIKON's built-in CPU and distance signal features / Also features A-M switch / Built-in flower shaped lens hood

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Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Black Gold Special Edition (Body Only) Review

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(More customer reviews)Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens If you are going to go for it, go for the GOLD. This camera will blow you away! The photos I took on my trip to Berlin are Gallery worth. You can't go wrong with this just under Pro camera. Sharp deep rich color photographs that will hold your heart forever. Thumbs up.. BRAVO

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The compact Nikon D60 delivers breathtaking picture quality and the versatile handling of a D-SLR, yet is incredibly compact, easy and fun to use. The Nikon D60 Black Gold Edition has a Gold Theme coloring system. The box has a label "Black Gold Edition" on it. The neck trap now has "Gold Edition" label. The camera strap lugs are shiny golden color. The shutter button is now soft gold color. The mode dial has gold icons and the D60 badge is a soft colored gold.2.5-Inch, 230,000-Dot Color LCD Monitor with 170-Degree Wide-Angle Viewing Fast Startup and Split-Second Shutter Response Shoot Continuously at up to 3 Frames per Second ISO Sensitivity -100 - 3200 Active Dust Reduction System with Airflow Control Easy Operation with Intuitive Controls 8 Digital-Vari Program Automatic Shooting Modes Exposure Modes -Manual (M), Shutter-Priority Auto (S), Digital Vari-Program, Aperture-Priority Auto (A), Programmed Auto (P)Advanced HELP Menu System with Assist Images Nikon 3D Color Matrix Metering II -Delivers instantly and precisely determine exposures for each scene, even in challenging lighting conditions Built-in Speedlight with i-TTL Automatic Flash Control Fast, Accurate 3-Area Autofocus In-Camera Image Editing and Enhanced Retouch Menu Stop motion video -Creates a stop-motion animation from a sequence of images for added creative fun to your pictures Viewfinder -Eye-level penta-prism mirror single-lens reflex viewfinder Viewfinder Frame Coverage -Approx. 95% Focusing Screen -Type B BriteView Clear Matte screen Mark VLens Mount -Nikon F bayonet mount Compatible Lenses -AF-S and AF-I NIKKOR, Type G or D AF NIKKOR Battery Type -Rechargeable Battery EN-EL9 Dimensions (W x H x D) -126 x 94 x 64mm (5.0 x 3.7 x 2.5 inch) Weight -1.1 lbs Uses DX-series lenses

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