Excellent first telephoto lens.

Advantages: Light in weight for its size; ultra-fast focussing
Disadvantages: Faster lenses exist (at a price!); zoom range a modest x3

...I used one of these lenses on a 35mm camera for many years and now use it on my Canon 20D. It is light in weight, and, fitted with the essential but pricey lens hood, produces sharp, flare-free photos throughout the zoom range. It is easy to handle and allows manual focussing WITHOUT moving any switches to disengage the motor. In addition, the lens focusses so quickly as to be near-instantaneous and is also completely silent. The maximum aperature varies from a slow 4 to 5.6, which limits its use in dim lighting conditions, such as in a church or theatre. This is the price for the light weight design - a wider front glass makes a for a heavier, and far more costly, lens. The front of teh lens has a 58mm screw thread, allowing for teh easy attachment of a UV filter, which I would regard as essential to protect the front element...

happydadtoo 24.10.2006 · Read review
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Review of Canon telephoto zoom lens - 100 mm - 300 mm F/4.5-5.6

A must have lens for any photographer

Advantages: A lens for all photographers
Disadvantages: none

...This is a great lens and will suite most amateur photographers needs. The detail and sharpness even at full zoom is fantastic even when hand held. The lens itself is light but feels very ruggedly built and is constructed of high quality glass which you would normally only find in more expensive lenses. Tamron have produced a lens that is not going to break the bank to buy and is not going to give you aches and pains carrying it around all day. I took some shots of a jackdaw in the distance and the sharpness of the image it captured was far more than i was expecting. It comes complete with a close up setting which although some would say it is not true macro it does give you the option to get a close up shot. Which is more than good enough for what i need. I have taken this in my camera bag for an all day nature walk i had planed...

falcon1959 12.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Tamron A17 - telephoto zoom lens - 70 mm - 300 mm F/4.0-5.6

Great 2nd Lens

Advantages: Fast Focus, well built, reliable excellent performance all round
Disadvantages: Heavy, you will need a tripod

...As you may be gathering, I have been investing in camera stuff recently... This is the 2nd lens I bought for my camera which is excellent. It takes very good and sharp pictures all the way through and is not prone to glare, possibly due to the very large hood it comes with! The operation of the lens is very simple and fits on both the Sony a-mount as well as the Konica Minolta mount. Zooming is done through a large in the middle and if you are focusing manually it is through a front ring. Again there is no distance indicator for the focus ring but that is only useful for nerds as you will not be able to focus and measure distance at the same time unless you want to get a tape out to check! The longest zoom is at 300mm. Now bear in mind that digital SLR cameras have a "crop" factor in the majority of cases and the Sony a-100 has...

jtamagnini 21.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of Sony SAL75300 - telephoto zoom lens - 75 mm - 300 mm F/4.5-5.6

Great affordable lens, but make sure you get it with VR!

Advantages: Excellent lens with many features. VR gives sharp shots even at long focal lengths. Smooth focus.
Disadvantages: For the price, none that I can think of. I am happy that I brought one.

...If you are looking for a starter telephoto lens for your Nikon dSLR then look no further. This 55-200mm lens is ideal for wildlife or sports shots (equivalent to 90-300mm zoom because of 1.5x conversion factor), or other outdoor activities. Now the version I have is the AF-S IF-ED VR one, which basically means it has a quiet auto focus motor built in, internal focusing (meaning the thread you attach filters to will not twist), superior optics and vibration reduction. This makes it especially feature packed for its price, and VR is very helpful at the longer focal lengths. Basically with VR you can use this lens hand-held and at long focal lengths, but still get sharp shots. You can also shoot in dimmer light as you can get away with a slower shutter speed. This makes it a perfect lens for a beginner or enthusiast. Lens optics are...

RossUK1 22.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Nikon Zoom-Nikkor telephoto zoom lens - 55 mm - 200 mm F/4.0-5.6

I am so glad I bought this lens.

Advantages: Larege aperture, high quality glass, cheaper than Canon.
Disadvantages: It's still a big, pricey lens.

...one of these lenses, no matter what, it was just one of those 'I want one' items for me. I chose this particular lens with a couple of photogaphic tasks in mind- I had been doing more indoor sport coverage, and the lens I had been using (Canon 75-300mm Image Stabiliser) didn't really have the large aperture, or fast focusing to keep up with my sport of choice (fencing), so I made my decision, and looked around for a large aperture zoom. The second reason that spurred me into getting the big zoom was yacht racing. I have a friend with a small boat that he built, and is currently marketing, and I was asked to get involved with the project and take some photographs. While I was doing this, I slowly realised that yacht racing could be another useful photo opportunity, and I needed a high quality piece of glass for the long distance shots...

Nige7Whit 15.10.2002 · Read review
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Review of Sigma EX telephoto zoom lens - 70 mm - 200 mm F/2.8

Canon Lens

Advantages: Lightweight
Disadvantages: None

...This is a good quality lens that offers good value for money. It's a great lens for any canon enthusiast and incorporates plenty of features that I would highly recommend. This really is a wonderful piece of kit that should go well with many accessories because it really looks good. After using this product for a few months I have not so far come up against any reliability issues but only time will tell. I therefore would recommend the product. However, always think carefully as to whether you actually really need something before you buy it. We buy so many things nowadays that we don't really need. Product Features * Product Description: Canon EF telephoto zoom lens - 70 mm - 300 mm * Lens System: Telephoto zoom lens * Mounting Type: Canon EF * Lens Aperture: F/4.0-5.6 * Focal Length: 70 mm - 300 mm...

Nazuku 13.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Canon EF zoom lens - 70 mm - 300 mm F/4.0-5.6

Nikkor 18-200mm VR zoom lens user review

Advantages: great zoom range, good build quality, image stabilization, universal
Disadvantages: maximum apertures only average, high price

...down - which is a good thing in my book since it prevents most of the accidental bumps it might otherwise receive. The lens has a metal mount and plastic construction, it feels sturdy and stable in hand. The zoom mechanish is of good quality, uses a double trombone design and when fully extended, the lens almost doubles its length. There is almost no wobble in the barrel when full extended. Lens front does not rotate when focussing or zooming. The filter thread is 72mm and a bayonet type shade is supplied in the box. The zoom ring is located on the front half of the lens body, it is moderately stiff, with no uneven movement on my sample (I have heard of uneven zoom rings on other people's lenses though). There is some lens creep - when pointing the lens straight up or down with the barrel partly extended, the barrel will slowly creep...

matipp 23.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Nikon Zoom-Nikkor zoom lens - 18 mm - 200 mm F/3.5-5.6

The Canon 10-20mm EF-S lens, perfect for landscapes.

Advantages: Excellent quality pictures, Useful wide angle range. Good build quality.
Disadvantages: No lens hood, Not compatible with all EOS cameras

..., and with its USM motor it is very quiet in use. There is no image stabilizer on this lens, but unlike telephoto lenses there is little need for it on a wide-angle lens, as camera shake is not usually a problem in daylight or flash operation, camera shake would occur in low light situations, such as in night shots when you would need to use a slow shutter speed, but you would want to use a tripod in those circumstances anyway. All movements of the elements in this lens whilst focusing and zooming are internal, so the lens does not extend causing a difference in handling. What is it like to use? When I first got this lens I was amazed at the wide field of view especially at the 10mm end of the focal range, when you look through the viewfinder at a nearby object, it looks very small and far away, when out in the country you can get...

Markh5682 30.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Canon EF wide-angle zoom lens - 10 mm - 22 mm F/3.5-4.5

Canon EF-S 18-55mm Zoom Lens

Advantages: Cheap and light
Disadvantages: Grainy photo quality, low zoom

...I recently purchased a sweet Canon 400D/XTi Rebel from Amazon.co.uk (£45 cashback!) and this standard zoom lens (Canon EF-S 18-55mm) came with it. As far as I know, you cannot purchase the Canon EF-S 18-5mm on it's own, as it's designed specifically to be sold with the 400D/XTi Rebel package. I'm sure you can pick up a cheap one on eBay though (probably removed from a kit package, or being sold due to an upgrade from kit package). I've seen the EF-S 18-55mm sell for around £25-£35 at undamaged/rarely used condition on eBay, which is quite cheap! I obviously chose the kit lens package with my 400D/XTi Rebel as it only adds about £40 in the price difference, and I couldn't afford a new lens at that time. Before I start reviewing the actual lens, I'd like to say that is is a kit lens. It doesn't have a great built quality...

ferocity 14.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Canon EF-S zoom lens - 18 mm - 55 mm F/3.5-5.6

The nikon 70-200mm F2.8 VR, top-of-the-line

Advantages: Beautiful bokeh, tack-sharp, vibration reduction, easy to use, many useful accessories
Disadvantages: heavy, expensive, slight vignetting, prone to flaring

...In 2004 I bought the Nikkor 70-200 VR for my trip to Southern and Western Africa. The lens offers professional build quality, image stabilisation and a very useful zoomrange . Most importantly, images come out razorsharp, with brilliantly soft bokeh. ---Background--- In the 90's, Canon introduced a number of innovations in their lenses, becoming a very compelling buy compared to the more traditional Nikon systems. For instance, from 1995 they offered image stabilisation in their lenses, suddenly opening up a whole world of possibilities for photographers. Using image stabilisation, it became possible to use a lens at slower shutterspeeds, as the lens automatically would correct minor vibrations. It took Nikon a number of years, until 2001 to be exact, to respond with their own version of this technology. The first lens to contain...

hetvuurtje 24.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Nikon Zoom-Nikkor telephoto zoom lens - 70 mm - 200 mm F/2.8