Canon 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro MP-E Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

PopPhoto:

For the hardcore macro shooters, the Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro is one heck of a lens. It is a sharp, well built lens and it is matched by no other lens on the market. It is the only stand-alone consumer lens capable of going from life-size to five times life-size magnification. While there are other ways shoot beyond life-size magnification, it is tough to compete with the convenience and unbelievable magnification range of the MP-E 65mm. The MP-E 65mm is not a starter lens by any stretch but if you have experience with macro and are looking to expand your horizons, this lens comes highly recommended. READ FULL REVIEW

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Canon 50mm f/1.8 II EF Review Round-Up

canon-ef-50mm-f18-iiGet information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

Photo Zone:

At the beginning of this review I stated that the 50mm f/1.8 II is the cheapest lens in the Canon line. Cheap really refers to the price tag only because for a price below 100 EUR you get a light-weight, high performing lens. So most affordable may be a better wording here. Naturally you can’t expect wonders regarding build quality for this price but the compromises work out better here than with the cheapo kit zooms. The 50mm f/1.4 USM may be a tad better at large aperture settings and surely regarding build quality but at quite hefty extra costs. If you’re on a budget the 50mm f/1.8 II is a good alternative here. It may also be interesting to check out the used market for a EF 50mm f/1.8 (I) which features the same good optical formula but combined with a better construction. It’s not really surprising that the old lens tends to sell at higher prices on the used market than the “new” mk II though. READ FULL REVIEW

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Canon 200mm f/2L IS USM EF Review Round-Up

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If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM Telephoto Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

SLR Gear:

The 200mm Æ’/2L IS USM is definitely a lens designed for the ”where price is no object” crowd. Tack-sharp, with no visible chromatic aberration or distortion, the only issue (if it is indeed an issue) would be some corner shading when shot wide-open on a full-frame body. But for the ”style” of image that it produces: sharp subjects with creamy, dreamy out-of-focus backgrounds, the 200mm Æ’/2L IS USM is a lens that will consistently exceed expectations. READ FULL REVIEW

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Canon 50mm f/1.0L USM EF Review Round-Up

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If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

PopPhoto:

If you absolutely need what an f/1.0 50mm can deliver, this lens will provide it. Whether it’s the extra-creamy defocused backgrounds created by ultra shallow depth of field, or handholdable shutter speeds in dismal light, or extended flash range, Canon’s 50mm f/1.0 won’t disappoint. These benefits come at a price, however. Only you can decide whether the unique look this lens can provide is worth the price you pay in weight, sharpness, AF speed, and dollars. READ FULL REVIEW

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Canon 50mm f/1.2 USM L EF Review Round-Up

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If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone:

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 USM L is a specialty lens for those requiring the maximum in depth-of-field capabilities. At large apertures the lens produces the beautiful, buttery bokeh which can be expected from such a lens. Technically the resolution results are very good to excellent but not really superior to its cheaper cousin – the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM. The center performance is generally stellar but the borders can ´t quite follow although they remain easily in very good territory beyond f/1.2. The vignetting is quite high at maximum aperture and CAs are unusually pronounced for a fix-focal. The build quality of the lens is exceptional and the AF speed is very fast for such a lens. READ FULL REVIEW

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Canon 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye EF Review Round-Up

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If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone:

Fisheye lenses are a matter of taste and the type of distortions limits its scope to special effects. Other than that the Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye is a very decent performer with high resolution figures and good construction quality (apart from the cap design). However, there ´re some question marks whether the APS-C format doesn ´t destroy most of the fisheye effect. On a 1.3x and full frame DSLR the lens will make more sense in this respect. READ FULL REVIEW

Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

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Canon 100mm f/2.8 USM macro EF Review Round-Up

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If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone:

The old EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens had a superb reputation but Canon managed to keep up the performance of the USM successor despite of the introduction of a true IF design allowing to keep a constant lens length throughout the focus range. Mechanically this is a drastic improvement due to the absence of any moving outer parts that could suck in dust or wear out more easily. On top of that the USM implementation in this lens is excellent – compared to conventional macro lenses in this range it is a speed daemon here and a near silent one. Optically the lens resides on a very high level with little to nothing to be desired. HIGHLY recommended! READ FULL REVIEW

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Canon 85mm f/1.8 USM EF Review Round-up

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If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone:

With the exception of purple fringing in harsh contrast situations the lens performed extremely well. If you’re looking for a near-perfect portrait lens – well, stop here – you’ve found it! Naturally the lens has also a life beyond portraits. It’s also nice for compressed landscape shots and all aspects where you need to separate your main subject from the background by using a very large aperture. The silky smooth bokeh (background blur) is a nice extra here. And the good news is: the lens is also very affordable at just 350EUR. READ FULL REVIEW

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Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS USM EF Review Round-Up

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If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

SLR Gear:

Optically, the 300mm Æ’/2.8L IS produces extremely sharp images, almost free from chromatic aberration, distortion and corner shading. This is most evident when used on a sub-frame sensor body and larger apertures over smaller. On a full-frame sensor body, the lens is almost as good, though corner shading is a bit more evident at Æ’/2.8 and sharpness, while very impressive, is never ”tack-sharp” across the frame. It’s been said before in other reviews, but is worth saying again – it doesn’t get much better than this. For the focal length achieved, Canon has really worked wonders with this lens, which offers excellent performance not only optically but with all the options available to really optimize the photographer’s shooting performance. …When you’re looking to drop several thousand dollars on a lens, you want to be sure you’re buying the right one. The most we can offer is if you settle on the 300mm Æ’/2.8L IS, your only regret will be that you didn’t buy it sooner. READ FULL REVIEW

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