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Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Zoom Lens
by aligibbs
This is one of the cheapest L series lenses that Canon has in its lineup- a snip at about £500. The L classification that Canon uses is for its Pro set of lenses- these are for the professionals and are build for that purpose. With a UV filter on the end, this lens is weather sealed, which means it should be able to put up with anything ... that is thrown at it. Can be used on full frame cameras like the 5d (&mark2) and 1d series, which means the wide 17mm means its perfect for landscape photographers. On the other hand, if this is used with a crop sensor body (the xxD or xxxD series) then this will make the lens a 27mm - 64mm. Not so useful for the landscape photographer- but perfect for the average walkabout lens. The weight has been kept down on this lens, so you shouldn't feel it too much walking around. The only downside is the rather disappointing F/4.0- but really you can't have everything.
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Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens
by boredindunoon
100mm and similar macro lens are ideal for dipping into the world on the small side. They allow you to capture macro shots without having to get as close to your subject as you would have to with lesser 50mm lens. They are therefore ideal for taking detailed and sharp photographs of bugs and insects as well as other nature photography. ... Despite the name however they are not confined to only macro photography. They can also be very useful for portraiture as a larger aperture allows you to isolate your subject in perfect clarity while having the background blurred.
As a semi-professional photographer I'm perfect happy with my current camera and lens, however one of the greatest advantages of knowing a lot of other photographers is that I often get the chance to try out their equipment and lens. This was the case with this Canon lens, as one of my friends treated himself to an upgrade and naturally I 'volunteered' to try it out.
In terms of picture quality the Canon can't be faulted as time after time it produce razor sharp and vibrant images with the perfect level of contrast. It's quick to respond and the autofocus is very fast. It's also worth noting that the auto focus mode got it spot on in every shot I tried, allowing for minimal fuss and having to spend time composing the photo manually (while it does give you a manual option should you desire it.) You would never have to worry about chromatic aberration, or lens distortion with this Canon, and it seems capable of capturing exactly what I wanted in it's first attempt.
The build quality is excellent and while the lens only comes with a one year warranty I imagine that it could easily withstand some harsh conditions. Though the lens is a bit bulky and not the lightest lens I've held I quickly became accustomed to it.
The autofocus motor is almost silent in operation again making the lens ideal for photographing bugs without disturbing them.
I was surprised to find that the lens performed so well in low light conditions, even without using a flash ring, noise on images were minimal (shooting in RAW mode).
The biggest disappointment was the lack of an image stabilizer in the lens. My own Nikon 105mm macro wasn't much more expensive than this lens and comes with vibration reduction (as well as having a nano crystal coating). To be honest I missed having the option to use it should I need to.
However, overall as a macro lens it does exactly what it's designed to do and it does it well.
The current cost of this lens on Amazon.co.uk is £439.95, several retailers come in at slightly different prices and my friend was able to buy this on ebay for only £411.00 (including postage) so it is advisable to shop around to find the best buy.
I personally find this Canon lens to be a bit on the expensive side considering the lack of image stabilization. There are more expensive macro lens on the market, but at the same time there are significantly cheaper lens such as the Tamron SP AF 90mm Di Macro, which comes in at only £325. The Tamron seems to get a lot of glowing reviews on a number of sites, so I would recommend investigation all possibilities before splashing out.
(I'm a reviewer on Amazon, and some my reviews are copied from there to dooyoo. Please feel free to check out my Amazon profile under my real name of Mr Andrew M Kerr.)
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Canon EF 75-300mm f4/5.6 USM MK3
by rabidbadger
I have read several positive reviews about the Canon 75-300mm USM III lens but I don't share other people's enthusiasm because it is not nearly as sharp as I would expect from a Canon lens.
Of course, compared to the Canon L Series lenses, this is an incredibly inexpensive item and, in its defence, I do find that my Canon EOS ... 50D, with it's jam-packed 15mp APS-C sensor, is very difficult to marry up with a lense to get the most out of it (unless you are prepared to spend thousands).
At the close end of the focal range, the picture is crisp and sharp but unfortunately this tails off quite noticeably as the lens is extended (as does the auto-focus accuracy) and I have even taken to focusing the lens manually when it is at full extent, using the camera's magnified live-view to ensure crisp results. It is also a little slow at the long end and, an anything but a sunny day, I have to compensate by boosting the ISO (which I am loathe to do).
On the plus side, the lens feels well-built but is not so heavy that it needs its own tripod mount. The auto-focus is fast and quiet, and the adjustment rings feel solid - and I have not noticed any "creeping" of the extendable section while the camera is being carried around. I also find that the camera and lens feel quite balanced together.
I have a feeling that this lens would be much better suited to a lower-resolution model (or a full-frame camera) than to the tiny pixels on my 50D - and, having reviewed a lot of photographic equipment, you could argue that I am much more fussy than the average man-in-the-street - but I would be tempted to look at the available alternatives before committing to buy.
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