All posts tagged lens

You are here: Home / All posts tagged lens

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.

May

Product Review : Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: Canon, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, lens, telephoto

Comments: No

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens is the bomb in the telephoto class of lenses. This hefty lens weighs in at 3.3 pounds and is 7.8 by 3.5 inches without the tripod collar. This is a stationary glass lens meaning it doesn’t telescope out or moves when focusing or zooming, it is done internally. Externally it has two rubber grip rings with the zoom ring being closest to the base or the camera. It is marked with 70, 100, 135 and 200 mm. The second rubber grip is for manual focus. Due to the hefty weight of this lens it works best used on a tripod.

This Canon lens uses an ultrasonic motor to operate. Externally there are several switches and tweeks that can be made. A limiter switch allows you to choose between full or limited focus range from 2.5 meters to infinity. A stabilizer switch is included that can be enabled or change the mode between one and two. The difference is one is for stationary shots while two is designed for motion shots like sports activity.

All this tech talk needs to be broken down to layman terms. A 70-200mm lens gives you the same amount of lens filling experience if an object is 15 feet away (this is the 70mm) or 150 feet away (200 mm). These are the numbers you are looking for when choosing a zoom lens to determine length and quality of the zoom feature.

The f/2.8 refers to F-Stop, a feature of how much light a lens allows into the camera. It is like the opening of an eye, the smaller the number the wider the eye opens and the higher the number the eye is more squinted. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens excels in this arena with the f/2.8. The ability to let in a lot of light allows for sharp clear pics even when fully zoomed. An added bonus to the Canon EF 70-200mm is the sweet bokeh, or photographer talk for background blur. It keeps the subject crisp with a delightful blur that if so sought in photography.

The optical performance of the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens exquisite at all ranges with only a slight barrel distortion at 70mm. This gives straight lines a bit of a curve which is not noticeable in action shots but in landscapes or architectural shots where lines are critical you will notice the wobble but it is easily corrected in post processing. This was the only minor complaint about this lens.

This is a lens that becomes a workhorse of a professional photographer for its short and zoom telephoto range. The MSRP of this lens is as hefty as the lens itself at $2,499.00. Those who make a living with their photos won’t hesitate to spend this money because it is worth every penny in the crispness side to side and top to bottom in the entire frame throughout the entire zoom range.

Set your price on a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens here: https://www.greentoe.com/CanonEF70-200mmf-2-8LTelephotoZoom

May

Product Review : Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: Art Lens, camera reviews, Canon DSLR, Canon lens, lens, lens reviews, Photography, Sigma 50mm

Comments: No

Overview

Although larger and more expensive than similar lenses, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens is a perfectly servicable lens suited for art applications and shooting scenarios where more manual precision may be required. At the time of its release, it was considered one of the better auto-focus 50mm prime lenses on the market.

This lens produces great images with refined sharpness, minimal abnormalities and very little distortion. It’s also great to use if shooting out of focus backgrounds, thanks to the elements that work hard in its camera. Its multifaceted lens elements help it output content most expect of Sigma lenses.

Features At A Glance

Compatible with Canon EF cameras
Aperture Range: f/1.4 to f/16
Measures 3.36 inches by 3.93 inches, weighs 1.79 pounds
One Molded Glass + Three Special Low Dispersion Aspherical Elements
Compatible with 35mm and Full-Frame Digital Sensor formats
Focal Length: 50 mm
Refined Auto-Focus allows more accurate auto-focus
Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces glare and ghosting

Key Characteristics

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens is compatible with Canon EF cameras. This standard length lens is specifically designed for high optical performance by utilizing its refined components.

The lens possesses a large 85.4mm diameter with a floating system that helps correct vignetting, ensuring peripheral brightness is maintained within images.

This Sigma lens is constructed using Thermally Stable Composite material and traditional metal, affording this lens better precision and versatility in all sorts of temperatures.

Its 9-blade circular diaphragm helps the camera produce great-looking out of focus images.

Lens includes a brass bayonet mount for better accuracy and durability.

Key Features

Four elements comprise this lens’ image refinement system – one molded glass aspherical element and three Special Low Dispersion glass elements. All components help reduce the appearance of sagittal coma flare and chromatic abnormalities, producing high quality image quality and sharpness as a result.

Lens elements have been treated with a Super Multi Coating, which helps reduce glare and ghosting, producing better high quality color fidelity and contrast.

The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens Hyper Sonic AF Motor features a highly optimized Auto-Focus algorithm. As a result, the lens produces a smooth, fast and silent auto-focus performance. AF Motor also features a full time manual focus control for fine precision through turning the lens’ focus ring when needed.

Fully compatible with optional Sigma USB Dock to fine tune lens characteristics and also updating its firmware.

Pros

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens is specifically designed for high optical performance by utilizing its refined components. Best suited for shooting art-related scenarios, due to its optical performance.
One molded glass aspherical element and three Special Low Dispersion glass elements do a lot of the lifting work in producing high quality images, along with the lens’ other essentials. They help reduce image abnormalities and produce high quality image quality and sharpness as a result.
Large 85.4mm diameter lens with floating system maintains peripheral brightness within images.
Thermally Stable Composite material and traditional metal affords this lens better precision and versatility in all sorts of temperatures.
The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens Hyper Sonic AF Motor produces a smooth, fast and silent auto-focus performance. AF Motor also features a full time manual focus control allow for fine precision.

Cons

The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens doesn’t have finely tuned image stabilization when compared to competitors. Chromatic abnormalities may crop up in images at certain settings.
The lens isn’t reinforced against the elements like competitors, so it may be tricky to use in different environments.
This Sigma lens is heavier and more expensive than similar lens of its class.

Why Should You Buy Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF?

The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens is a great lens for certain applications, most notably art-related applications. It’s not, however, the best lens for situations where a lot of dust or moisture may be, since it’s not weatherproof. Users of full frame cameras will enjoy this lens simply because it possesses a decent aperture range that outputs very sharp images. For its price, it’s a great alternative to similar cameras of its class.

Make an offer

Apr

Product Review : Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Lens

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: camera lens, lens, nikon, nikon af-s nikkor 85mm, nikon lens, Photo, Photography, telephoto, zoom

Comments: No

Overview

Its inexpensive price and Nikon quality are two reasons why many experts recommend this compact telephoto lens. The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Lens does everything you would expect a sub-$600 lens to do… and more.

As a part of Nikon’s f/1.8G prime lens series, this lens outperforms the competition at its price range. Its optimized f/1.8 aperture helps it excel at shooting still images and high definition video in various shooting scenarios, specifically those in low light.

You’re going to get a lot of use out of this lens, especially if you’re an avid photographer, beginner or burgeoning professional. Its auto-focus system makes shooting sessions less of a hassle—and there’s even a seamless manual auto-focus system if you need more precision.

Features At A Glance

Nikon F Mount Lens/FX Format lens
Aperture Range: f/1.8 to f/16
Measures 3.1 inches by 2.9 inches, weighs 12.35 ounces
Compatible with Nikon FX, Nikon DX + 35mm/Full-Frame Digital Sensor formats
Focal Length: 127.5mm
Silent Wave Motor AF System products fast and silent auto-focus
Super Integrated Lens Coating reduces glare and improves colors

Key Characteristics

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Lens is fast, inexpensive and probably the best compact FX-format telephoto lens available in its class. This lens’ fast f/1.8 aperture helps it excel at shooting still images and high definition video in low light.

Lens is produced with Nikon Super Integrated Coating, which helps significantly improve light transmission, color consistency and reduces flare.

Its 7-blade circular diaphragm helps the camera produce great-looking out of focus images when set at wider aperture settings.

This 85mm prime lens mount expands to about 127mm when mounted to a DX-format DSLR camera.

Key Features

Silent Wave Motor Auto-Focus technology with Internal Focus system produces fast and silent auto-focus, which doesn’t change lens length. The motor uses ultrasonic vibrations, instead of the usual gear system, to help focus the lens, producing smooth, accurate and silent auto-focus when in use.

Its internal optical processes, as a result, only utilize the non-extending lens barrel’s interior. This is why the lens is compact and lightweight in construction, better suited for close focusing distances.

Precise manual focusing is available through adjusting the lens’ focus ring. Its M/A mode switch easily overrides Auto-Focus system with no lag.

Pros

Fast, inexpensive and compact FX-format telephoto lens with a fast f/1.8 aperture that excels at shooting HD video and stills video in low light.

Nikon Super Integrated Coating helps improve light transmission, color consistency and reduces flare.

Its 7-blade circular diaphragm helps the camera produce great-looking out of focus images when set at wider aperture settings.

Ultrasonic Silent Wave Motor Auto-Focus technology with Internal Focus system produces smooth, accurate and silent auto-focus when in use.

The lens is compact and lightweight in construction, better suited for close focusing distances. Precise manual focusing is available through adjusting the lens’ focus ring and easily overrides Auto-Focus system with no lag.

Cons

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Lens doesn’t have finely tuned image stabilization when compared to competitors. Auto-focusing issues may occur in certain shooting scenarios. up in images at certain settings.

The lens lacks enough range to shoot long distance subjects. It’s also limited in shooting scenarios where close focus is required.

Why Should You Buy Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Lens?

If you want an inexpensive mid-range telephoto lens for shooting portraits and other scenarios, this lens is great for that. Its internal elements make for a finely tuned lens that probably won’t be coming off your camera anytime soon. It’s not the best lens for all scenarios, but it performs incredibly well in most.

Those who are just getting serious about photography will definitely be doing themselves a favor by making this lens their first choice.

Make an offer