I bought a cheap lens last week and for the money it isn't bad. Using it with my 5DMK II - I've shot some decent photos like this one but there are some obvious differences between good glass and the rinky dink stuff.
Autofocus on the cheap, Canon EF 50mm F/1.8, is slow and very noisy. Focusing manually is difficult because there's nowhere to grab. I've noticed lots of ghosting and lens flare - take a look at the photo below for an example. .
I just sold my EF 24-105mm IS USM on eBay and I've spent a little time thinking about which lens I'm going to replace it with. I've decided to get the Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS USM ... which is about $600 cheaper in the USA than it is here in Japan. I know... that's crazy! Looks like Amazon.com is the best price online.
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5 Responses to “Lens Flare” Leave a reply ›
Assuming that it's the L lens you are getting: Doesn't the minimum focus distance of 39.4 inches bother you? That's a whole meter!
Must get more lenses!!
Billy,
I love the blog and have been following if for a while now. I would like to offer some lens suggestions as it seems that you are following the same path as I have with photography. First off, are you using a cropped sensor on your camera or a full frame? If so, then the Canon EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS is a great lens for the dollar, or in your case... yen. On a 1.6x crop, if offers about a 24-70 mm field of coverage, but with the built in Image stabilization for low light. Fantastic. If you have any questions, feel free to ask as I may be thousands of miles away, I am still willing to answer.
- Matt
Matt, Thanks for reading the blog, I'm glad you likey. I'm shooting with the 5D MKII, full frame. I've heard full frame vs. cropped frame arguments but I wasn't quite sure what . I found this link http://tinyurl.com/b3u4w8 which summed it up nicely.
Now that I've got a nice long lens, (picked up the doubler too), I'm in the market for something wide and flexible. My buddy owns the 24-70 mm and he likes it. I've seen him using it on several gigs.
If you want something wide and flexible (I can hear people snickering now) you should check out the EF 16-25 f2.8 II. It is insane, in quality of images and price. On the other hand, if you really want to work with some depth of field stuff, look into more prime lenses. I have worked with the 24mm f 1.4L II and was blown away with the results. It really depends on the type of photography you are looking to do. As for the crop vs. full frame argument.. there are merits in both. For wild life, sports, or street candids, a crop is great, for studio work and landscapes, you can't beat the full frame. Best of luck and I look forward to seeing more of your work.