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Aug

Product Review : Canon EOS 70D DSLR Camera with 18-135mm STM f/3.5-5.6 Lens

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: 135mm, camera lens, Canon DSLR, Canon EOS 70D DSLR Camera with 18-135mm STM f/3.5-5.6 Lens, DSLR camera, EOS 7D, Product Review

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Canon EOS 70D DSLR Camera with 18-55mm STM f/3.5-5.6 Lens is a camera that features a 20 megapixel sensor and a Digic 5+ processor. Purchased with the EF-S 18- STM f/3.5-5.6 lens the user will have an everyday versatile lens with near-silent operation with reduced camera shake.

The Canon EOS 70D is a great mid-range camera with a strong processor to provide excellent shooting in a variety of shooting conditions. The Dual Pixel CMOS AF provides two photodiodes for an advanced focusing system giving the 70D smooth operation and ultra-quick focusing power.

The 1,040,000 dot 3” touch screen combined with the Digic Processor makes moving through menus very intuitive and easy. Like mobile phones you can use the screen for AF focusing or finely controlling selected focus points. Wi-Fi compatibility makes uploading pictures a breeze and remote wireless control a joy.

The 19 Point All Cross-Type AF System in the 70D makes finding your mark super quick and it is programmable or easily changed via a conveniently located button near the shutter. The processor also makes it possible to use the High Dynamic Range option to create beautiful HDR photos in camera reducing post processing.

The 70D is beginner friendly with pre-set features standard in many point and shoot cameras such as landscape, portrait, night and more modes therefore it automatically chooses light options, shutter speeds and ISO for beautiful looking pictures. It is also designed for professional offering many custom settings based on user preference. Best of all it offers both RAW and JPEG formats for the user to choose.

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens provides a 35mm focal length giving a nice range of perspectives. It is designed with an STM motor that is nearly silent in operation with steady and smooth controls with an optical image stabilization system to reduce camera shake. This lens also includes four shutter speeds to help in low light conditions and contains one PMO aspherical lens and one ultra-low dispersion element to reduce chromatic aberrations throughout the entire focal range. As with all Canon lenses, the EF-S 18-135 includes Canon’s optimized lens coatings to reduce flare and ghosting in intense light situations.

Combined the 70D and the EF-S 18-135mm lens create a great ever day combo to be used across a wide variety of situations. The pair is great for making HD 1080p video especially when filming with the Movie Servo AF mode with auto-focusing to keep your video smooth and clean.

The quality of performance is excellent for both the 70D and the EF-S 18-135mm lens. Colors are Canon bright, crisp and clear. Fringing is virtually non-existent and most likely only noticeable to pixel peepers in the magenta range in low focal point shots. Barrel distortion is not noticeable at any focal length neither is pincushion distortion at the higher end and the combination of technology between the camera and the lens make for excellent photos all the way around. This is a great mid-range everyday camera for both beginners and pros.

Set your price on a Canon 70D with the EF-S 18-135 lens on Greentoe.com

Aug

Review : Sigma 24-35mm F/2 DG HSM ART Lens

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: Art Lens, Art Lens Review, Canon, lens, lens review, nikon, Sigma, Sigma 24-35mm F/2 DG HSM ART Lens, Sigma lens, Sigma review

Comments: No

At the end of July 2015 the eagerly awaited Sigma 24-35mm F/2 DG HSM Art Lens will be released. This lens will be offered for Nikon, Canon and Sigma lens mounts and is compatible with Sigma’s mount swapping service. What has photographers chomping to get their hands on this lens it will be the first constant aperture f/2.0 zoom lens designed for the DSLR full frame cameras, meaning in plain English you will get three prime lenses in one with this unique innovation.

There is no need to swap lenses with the Sigma 23-35mm F/2 as you will have a 24mm, 28mm and 35mm all in one lens. Those who have been lucky enough to give it a trial run report it is solidly built with excellent sharpness all in one single zoom lens.

Sigma has been knocking it out of the park with their Global Vision Art-series lenses and the Sigma 24-35 F/2 is definitely a home run. This lens produces crisp images and at F/2.0 the only reported issue is a little softening around the edges that clears up as you stop down with a sweet spot sitting at F/4.0 to 5.6 providing ultra-crisp images.

There is very little chromatic aberration and only minor fringing can be seen in the outside corner of the frame. The Sigma 24-35mm F/2 has some vignetting in full frame at f/2.0 but tapers off as you stop down. Barrel distortion was detected which wasn’t surprising considering the wide-angle lens but it is well controlled throughout the focal length with the distortion most noticeable at 24mm focal length. The distortion is well under the 1% average and improves with the longer focal lengths to almost zero barrel distortion.

Physically the Sigma 24-35mm F/2 DG is well built with Sigma’s Thermally Stable Composite material, matte black finish and well gripped focus and zoom rings. This lens is quite hefty because of being so solidly built weighing out at slightly over two pounds. This makes the lens heavy on the camera with 18 lenses in 13 groups with 9-bladed circular aperture diaphragm, a single flurite like glass element , seven SLD elements and at least one aspherical lens but it is a shorter lens so it isn’t overly awkward or unbalanced.

Sigma continued with their Hyper Sonic Motor drive in the 24-35mm F/2 providing the quick and quiet autofocus. The AF motor is virtually silent and you can feel it more than hear it working. Naturally there is the standard manual focusing with distance scale and an AF/MF switch right on the barrel and 90 degrees of rotation on the manual focus ring.

The early reviews are good for the Sigma 24-35mm F/2 DG SHM Art Lens. Those lucky enough to have tested this full-frame three in one lens are excited about the build quality but also the outstanding performance with only slight barrel distortion, vignetting and limited chromatic aberration that most people wouldn’t notice but in testing it was pixel scoped. It will be a big hit when it hits the stores at the end of the month.

Set your price on the Sigma 24-35mm F/2 DG HSM ART Lens with Greentoe here.

Aug

Review : Samung JS9000 Series 65″-Class 4K SUHD Smart 3D Curved LED TV

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: 3D TV, Curved TV, Flatscreen, LED, Product Review, Samsung, Samsung JS9000 Series 65” Class 4k SUHD Smart 3D Curved LED TV, Samsung TV review, Smart TV, TV, TV review

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Technology is changing the way that you do many things, but it is dramatically improving the way that you can watch television. The days of low quality images on your big screen can be a thing of the past. I have been looking for a smart TV for a few years, but none have been the exact specifications that I’ve been searching for. When I first purchased the Samsung JS9000 Series 65” Class 4k SUHD Smart 3D Curved LED TV I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I quickly became enthralled with this smart TV.

Not only is it from one of the best brands, but it also offers affordability that other options can’t match. It is the perfect blend of the latest features with functionality that most TV users are looking for. This Samsung smart TV is designed to be easy to use, but also offer high image quality that customers are looking for.

Specifications

This smart TV offers an ATSC video system and is 3D. 3D is a huge capability for smart TV’s and is one of the features that sold me on this model. It offers 60W power and stereo quality sound with a built-in subwoofer. It has built-in WiFi and a built-in Octa-Core Processor. It even comes with a pair of 3D glassed.

Easy Internet

Having the ability to search online using your TV, is a huge benefit. I wasn’t sure how easy this model would be to use online, but was pleasantly surprised with the easy interface. The Samsung JS9000 is very easy to use online. It has a built-in internet browser that allows you to search and use some of the most popular apps through your smart TV. It simply makes things easier for you. I was able to search Facebook and watch all of my favorite YouTube clips with ease. This is what most customers are looking for in a Smart TV, and this version is designed to make browsing online simpler and faster than ever. The built-in Octa-Core processor is the highest quality available.

Image Quality

Beyond being easy to use, the Samsung JS9000 features optimal image quality. It is 3D and comes with a pair of 3D glasses that allows you to watch your favorite movies, shows and online clips in the #D. The image quality is designed to be superior.

Motion Control

This smart TV also features clear motion control rate that is 240. This allows you to use built-in motion control features with ease. You can choose your favorite apps and play games by just moving your hand. This makes everything so much simpler. I found that the motion control was easy to use and accurate.

Final Verdict

If you are looking for a smart TV that is high quality, but also affordable, the Samsung JS9000 is the perfect option. It is a 3D smart LED TV with all of the latest features that you are looking for.

Set your price and get a great deal on the JS9000 Series 65″-Class 4K SUHD Smart 3D Curved LED TV here.

Aug

Review : Canon 5DS R

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: 50 megapixel, 50 mpx, 5DS R, Canon 5DS R, Canon Camera, Canon review, DSLR camera, DSLR review

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The Canon 5DS R is one of two new cameras launched by Canon offering a whopping 50 megapixel sensor in their full frame DSLR line. The 5DS is the other model and the difference between the two is the 5DS R has a self-cancelling filter and the 5DS has an optical low-pass filter. Canon stepped up their game in rolling out these new models with many new features and exceptional picture quality.

Along with the mega 50 MPs, Canon included 5 frames per second continuous shooting, ISO up to 6400 with extension to 12,800, 61 point AF module with 150k pixel metering, 30 and 19.6 crop modes, 1080/30p video, dual Digic 6 processors and M and S Raw down sampled formats.

The object Canon was trying to reach was for the shooter to get the maximum possible resolution out of the camera. They focused on stability with a reinforced tripod socket, a motorized mirror system and a revised mirror lock-up mode that can be programmed to delay the shutter opening for the exposure and the mirror being raised allowing for the shortest possible delay as the mirror vibration calms while maximizing the sharpness.

The 5DS R offers the same video capabilities as the 5DS with 1080 video quality. The one feature on the 5DS R is the intervalometer function that allows you take some great time lapse shots that can be combined in camera to make a video. As far as video goes, other than time-lapse there is nothing to write home about and it is better to get a dedicated video camera if that is what you want.

Physically this camera is identical to its sister the 5DS with a 3.2 inch rear LCD tiltable screen with a 100% viewfinder. It weighs the same at 1.86 pounds without the battery. This pixel peeper’s dream camera comes with an LP-E6N battery that holds more charge than the older LP-E6 batteries. The LP-E6 battery is interchangeable but gets fewer pictures per run than the LP-E6N.

The 5DS R comes with the flicker synchronization feature that shoots through flickering light by timing the lighting to the shutter release. This is an exceptional feature for nature photographers especially in situations like trees where the light shimmers through the leaves.

Pixel peepers will be pleased with the fine detail picture control that uses in-camera sharpening that lowers contrast to get super fine detail without blowing out the contrast or having it over sharp. Missing from this series is the automatic distortion control. It can be done by converting to JPEG individually but it can’t be done on the fly. Despite the hefty price tag it is missing a Wi-Fi connection, GPS and lacks a built in flash.

The performance of the 5DS R has Canon lovers and pixel peepers drooling. The clarity even at high ISO is exceptional with little to no noise in the higher ISO range with sharpness from edge to edge across all shooting settings. The only place the 5DS R is lacking is in action shots. They are still extremely good but other DSLRs do much better with action. Overall it is one of the best full frame DSLRs on the market and well worth the money for a professional photographer.

Set your price and get the best deal on a new Canon 5DS R Camera here.

Aug

Review : GoPro Hero4 Session

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: GoPro, GoPro Hero4 Session, Point of View Camera, POV camera, Product Review, Session

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GoPro has built a name for being tough cameras that go anywhere and take fantastic pictures. The Hero4 Session was released in the beginning of July 2015 brining a new model to the Point of View camera market.

Not much has changed in the style of GoPro. They are kind of clunky boxes that can be difficult to mount on helmets or surf boards. GoPro broke the clunky mold by making the Hero4 Session a cube. As with GoPro the Session is water proof and is small enough to be unobtrusive when mounted.

Other than being cube shaped, the Session is 1.5 inches and weighs 2.6 ounces. It is water proof as is up to 33 feet without any other special housing. It is 50% smaller than the Hero4 Black or Silver. The Session shoots stills at 8MP with 10fps bursts, 1080 video at 60 and 30 fps and WVGA at 120 fps.

The Session comes with two frame mounts, one being a standard upright mount and the second one for mounting flush against a surface. GoPro also designed the Session to be positioned inside the frame in any direction so you don’t need the triple joint hinge mount anymore.

The audio is also improved even in the waterproof casing with two mics that the Session switches between depending on the audio conditions such as wind. The battery life has also been improved over the previous models but has a lag on startup of about 5 seconds before it is actually taking video.

As for the quality of pictures some things seem to have been lost in the new cube redesign. The Session is lacking in both sharpness and color quality. It is lacking the ability to switch settings like the Hero4 Silver, has a fixed battery that can’t be swapped making long outings like a 4 day hike undoable. It is as though GoPro went backwards in technology with the rebuild instead of incorporating the Silver technology into the new shape of the Session.

Due to the slim downed menu options you will need a smart phone to get the most benefit out of the Session. The app is free to download and you simply pair it to your camera. You will get a live feed from the camera on the phone and can make adjustments via the phone app. The downside is once you start rolling the live feed is no longer available.

The Session does have setting for pixel and frames per shot in video and the camera has the choice for time-lapse, burst or single shot modes. It also features a QuickCapture mode which allows you to capture candid and unexpended scenes.

Overall it performs well but compared to the previous models, it is lacking and there is a lot of noise in poorly lit scenes. The Session is geared more to the casual adventurer rather than the pros. It is simplified for easy use like a point and shoot but with the natural state of water proof up to 33 feet without the case. The pros would be better off sticking with the Hero4 Silver or Black with their many features.

Set your price and get the best deal on the GoPro Hero4 Session here.

Aug

Review : Sony Alpha a7II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: Camera, camera body, Mirrorless Camera, Sony, Sony Alpha a7II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

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The Sony Alpha a7II Mirrorless Digital Camera is a full frame mirrorless camera meaning the size is much smaller with the new technology yet still full frame. As technology advances the DSLR is now facing competition from the likes of the Mark II featuring the first and only 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization for a full frame.

Olympus was a leader in the mirrorless technology and Sony invested in Olympus in 2012 and used the knowledge obtained in the partnership to create the remarkable Alpha a7II. The 5-axis stabilization compensates for pitch, yaw, roll as well as vertical and horizontal movement. This system is designed for optimal use with the Optical Steady Shot built into Sony A and E-mount lenses but alone the stabilization provides plenty of support to avoid blurry shooting.

The physical stature of the camera is impressive weighing in at 1.22 pounds with a 3” tilting LCD screen. The body is 5 inches by 3.8 by 2.4 which is quite small for any full frame camera. The physical body is made of a two-part magnesium alloy that is moisture and dust resistant with weather seals on the control dials and buttons. It also has a textured finish compared to the smooth finish of the other A-7 models, increasing the grip. As for the memory card, the Alpha a7II can take SDXC, SDHC, SD, memory Stick PRO Duo (High Speed), Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo and Memory Stick XC-HG Duo giving the user plenty of options for storage.

The a7II shoes in both JPEG, RAW and has video capabilities of AVCHD ver.2.0, MPEG-4, SAVC S and Dolby Digital sound. It shoots at a whopping 24 megapixel at 6000 x 4000 with a 5 frames per second speed. As for the memory card, the Alpha a7II can take SDXC, SDHC, SD, memory Stick PRO Duo (High Speed), Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo and Memory Stick XC-HG Duo giving the user plenty of options for storage.

There are numerous features on the Sony Alpha A7II to customize allowing the user to customize it for a user’s shooting style especially with the additional C2 custom function button located on the top deck allowing for up to 56 function assignments or custom settings.

When it comes to the quality of the photos, the Alpha a7II is impressive and has had massive success in the professional realm. The images are crisp with spot on colors with the camera leaning toward warmer tones especially indoors. High ISO shots with the in-camera noise reduction system are really good especially in RAW.

The autofocus works quickly and accurately especially on higher contrast items. The focusing speed slides a little on less well lit subjects. It performs well in high speed sports action situations but is better suited for other genres of photography but still has an excellent buffering capacity for rapid shooting.

Overall the Sony Alpha a7II Mirrorless Digital Camera is an improvement over the predecessor with a more ergonomic and sturdy body, more customizable functions and the amazing 5-axis stabilization system. The quality of the photos are superb with excellent AF and rapid firing in many different situations.

Save big and name your price on the Sony a7II Alpha Mirrorless Camera.

Jun

Product Review : Sony Alpha a7S Mirrorless Digital Camera

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: camera reviews, Digital Camera, Mirrorless Camera, Product Reviews, Sony, Sony Alpha a7S Mirrorless Digital Camera

Comments: No

The Sony Alpha a7S Mirrorless Digital Camera is a full frame sensor mirrorless camera making it the smallest and lightest full frame camera with interchangeable lenses in the world. The Alpha A7S is a 24.3 megapixel camera with embedded phase-detect AF that takes the weight out of the mirrored DSLRs without losing the exacting quality.

The A7S resembles the old school 35mm film cameras. Simple in design but solidly built the body measures 5 inches long by 3 ¾ inches high with an amazing 2 15/16^th inch thick. It weighs in with battery and card at 1pound 1 ounce. Sony stepped up to the plate with the A7 line making it Wi-Fi compatible with almost any operating system. It shoots at 5 frames per second with shutter speeds of 1/8000^th of a second to 30 seconds with an ISO range of 100-409,600. It comes with both auto and manual focus. The LCD is a nice 3’ tiltable design that is easy to see even in the harshest of light. One beauty of the A7S is the ability to accept almost any lens with a third-party adaptor. It will easily take the old but true manual focus lenses as well as all the new lenses available.

The highly customizable internal menu system is logical and easy to navigate if not slightly overwhelming in the sheer number of functions, 46 in total and settings. The external dials and settings are extremely convenient therefore using the internal menu is not often needed.

It is repeated over and over that the A7S is not suitable for fast action shooting and performs best for stills or moderate action shots like an animal running versus a soccer ball zipping across a field. Another common complaint is the noise of the shutter more than likely not suitable in quiet environments. The A7 is an E-mount with a full frame sensor and the E-mount lenses don’t work well unless in crop mode and can cause vignetting thus using the lens adapter and other lenses makes for a better option.

The image quality of the Sony Alpha a7S Mirrorless Digital Camera is excellent. The details are sharp, nice colors and accurate exposure. The kit lens is more of a problem than the camera and it is suggested to use your own lenses and disregard the kit one. There are reports of losing skin tone and detail on portraits but it is not enough to not shoot portraits with the A7S. The A7S performs well in low light up to the 1600 ISO range. Beyond that noise creeps in. The onboard noise reduction also is lacking and better to be handled in post processing.

Overall the Sony Alpha a7S Mirrorless Digital Camera has an extremely excellent image quality, a dazzling array of functions and settings, a top-notch view finder, Wi-Fi capabilities and is adaptable for a wide variety of lenses. On the down side, the kit lens is not on par with the camera itself, the battery life is quite short lived requiring a second battery, it is not great with high speed action shots and the shutter is noisy. It is a great field camera for the weight, size and technology.

Make an offer on a new Sony Alpha a7S now.

Jun

Product Review : Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: camera accessories, Camera review, Canon Reviews, Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT, flash control, flash photography, flash review, radio flash, wedding photography

Comments: No

The Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT is a radio controlled camera flash that collided with the 21^st century to bring high-tech to lighting. It has onboard a 2.4GHz radio trigger operating system used primarily by wedding and portrait photographers giving them full remote command of the flash.

Physically the flash weighs in at a hefty 18.7 oz. and measures in at 3.3”x5.6”x4.9”. It is powered by 4 AA batteries with an optional external battery pack holding 8-AA batteries for and additional $150.00. The flash automatically goes into standby mode after 90 seconds to conserve battery life and comes back to life when you hit the shutter button. It has a flip-down diffuser for smaller lenses, manual power mode, wireless optical and radio control and programmable lights and colors that can be seen from a distance to help determine if all systems are operating. It is compatible with all Canon cameras.

The Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT is capable of managing up to 15 flashes in groups of 5 and can actually trigger up to 15 different cameras via the remote! The size of the flash makes it quite bulky to be used on top of your camera but it can be done even with the extra pound of weight. This flash is designed more for stand-alone functions and professionals who need and can use small battery powered and remote controlled flashes such as wedding photographers.

While well powered and able to perform flash after flash with a zippy 2.5 second recovery, it is susceptible to overheating as many flashes are but it does have the programmable lighting to warn of this situation. It is quite silent in its operation and doesn’t jump or vibrate when fired. The brightness of the flash doesn’t diminish with repetitive use or low battery.

The bounce of the flash, the ability to bounce the light of other things such as ceilings and walls, is 0 to 90 degrees up, -7 degrees down, -180 degrees to the left and +90 degrees to the right. The Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT provides plenty of light in bounce situations.

The radio portion of the flash is rated to 100 feet with 2.405-2.475 GHz, 15 channels, 10,000 wireless ID’s to be combined with other photographers and not get confused, 5 group settings and the batteries will run up to 9 hours if you use the flash as a “commander” without the flash firing. Using the flash significantly reduces battery life.

The biggest complaint of the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT is the poorly designed LCD screen. It is very tiny and jammed with information making it hard to program and harder to read.

Overall the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT is an excellent professional flash best used as a stand-alone versus camera mounted due to the weight. The radio control is outstanding and very beneficial to wedding photographers who have lighting assistants to help set it up or multiple units. At $499.00 MSRP these are great for professionals but other models exist that fit on camera better like the Canon 430EX II that do an almost equally good job.

Save big on a Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT.

Jun

Product Review : Fujifilm X100T Digital Camera

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: Camera review, Digital Camera, face recognition, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X100T Digital Camera, Product Reviews

Comments: No

The Fujifilm X100T Digital Camera is the bomb of fixed lens digital cameras! Sharp, clear, intelligent, super silent and ease of use make this an everyday camera for even the best photographers. Besides the photo quality, the Fujifilm gets such rave reviews because it is able to handle any light situation intuitively.

Physically the camera is a simple square design with a few dials and a view finder but don’t let that fool you the Fujifilm X100T Digital Camera is as well-built if not better than the Leica M240 priced 5 times more than this Fujifilm! It has a two shutter system comprised of an electronic leaf and a fully and completely silent electronic shutter that can be toggled on or off. The camera is a hefty 15.24 ounces with the battery primarily due to the quality of construction with a metal caps on both top and bottom and it measures 2.9 inches high by 5 inches long and 2.1 inches thick.

The Fujifilm X100T Digital Camera has autofocus, real-time face recognition that functions extremely well even with the subject partially obscured. Included is a self-timer, frame rate selection, video, fixed and a programmable ISO, light meter and a view finder in addition to an rear LCD. There is a built in flash and a hot shoe for external flashes but you will find they are not needed.

Fujifilm offers additional accessory lenses for the X100DT but due to the outstanding performance you will find little need for additional lenses unless you are after a very specific look. The lens is dynamic in all photos with excellent sharpness and a soft bokeh, background blur. There is no discernable distortion, barrel blur or pincushion to be found even on very straight lines.

One of the biggest selling points of the Fujifilm X100T Digital Camera is its ability to take amazing pictures in any lighting. Compared to the big DSLR cameras the X100T can decipher all the various lighting situations and automatically adjust and shoot the picture, whereas a DSLR requires fill flash and lots of fidgeting in the same circumstances.

The macro shots of the X100T are stupendous with clarity virtually unseen in other cameras even without the Macro mode in use. There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference with the mode on or off and some distortion is seen at f/2 but clears at f/4.

There are no image stabilization or vibration reduction systems on board and that keeps the camera a manageable size but it isn’t needed either with the super-fast lens, f/2 aperture and crisp high ISO’s. The wi-fi feature is limited to Fuji’s own apps so you have to download their app to your phone or computer in order to get the full benefit of this feature.

The Fujifilm X100T Digital Camera is simply an awesome camera on all fronts. The quality of construction with the almost all metal body and dials to the supreme face recognition feature to the amazing range of light in which it takes excellent photos makes this a standard camera for any photographer as a grab and go, photos of life kind of camera.

Save big on a Fujifilm X100T Digital Camera: https://www.greentoe.com/Fujifilm_X100T6

Jun

Product Review : Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: Autofocu, Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens, Canon lens, lens review, Product Review

Comments: No

The Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens is considered a medium telephoto prime lens. In plain terms it is a lens that is stationary and unable to zoom represented by the single 8

Physically this is a lightweight compact lens weighing about 425 grams, less than a pound. The outer barrel is comprised of plastic with a black rubber focus grip ring. It includes an Autofocus (FM) Manual Focus (MF) slider switch to flip between the two. It measures 2.9” x 2.86” making it quite compact. The 58mm ring accommodates filters.

The lens itself performs excellently for the size and price of $370.00. The center sharpness is very good at f/1.8 the widest setting but the sweet spot of this lens is at the f/5.6 range where clarity from edge to edge is most pronounced. The falloff, diminishment of light on from the center of the frame to the edges, also stands up to the tests with minimal darkening or falloff detected even at f/1.8.

Distortion is virtually non-existent in the Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens. Color fringe, the halo of color around objects especially on the edges of frames, is also non-existent. There are a few reports of barrel distortion, a slight curve to lines, but it is extremely minute and easily corrected in post processing.

Flares and ghosts, are the spots and flares seen when there is strong background lighting like the sun and the Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens performs extremely well in this arena even at f/1.8. Naturally it performs better with smaller stops like f/5.6.

The center sharpness at all stops is gorgeous with beautiful bokeh, background blur, with large f-stops. The auto-focusing is typical of Canon technology with lightening quick focus capabilities. The lens can focus faster than the human eye. The lens does not have IS or image stabilization but doesn’t really need one due to the rapid focus.

Although the Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens has been in the Canon offerings since 1992, it still retains extreme quality. The f/1.8 works really well but overall the performance improves by stopping down at least one stop. The faults are minimal but to a discerning eye, things like barrel blur will be noticed at f/1.8. Overall this lens is ideal for portraiture with sharp center focus and beautiful bokeh. It has enough flexibility to not be limited to portraiture and can be used for much more. The size, performance and price make this an excellent prime lens to have on hand at every shoot.

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