ben_jamin

bought my 70-200 2.8L IS brand new and it came with few dust particles on the front elements, after using it for a month I got few more tiny lints/dust....I learn to ignore them. my 17-55 IS is even worst, it's a dust pump!

I have one on the 30D and would never take it off, I need the extra battery capacity ;-)

How many people here use the EF-S Canon 17-55mm 2.8 IS and how do you like yours

so far?

thanks for all the great answers....learn something everyday ;-)

I keep hearing people said the Canon Autofocus will only work below F5.6, I'm a

bit confused...does that mean if I set the f-stop of my 70-200 to F8 or F11

then the Autofocus accuracy is pretty much gone? I should stick with using

F2.8~F5.6 for Autofocus to work properly right? by the way I'm using it on the

Canon 30D.

 

I also heard the Canon 30D will activate the special AF sensor when it detected

faster lenses >F2.8, so in this case....if I stop down my 50 1.4 lens to F5.6,

does that mean those 'special sensors' will be turned off automatically? LOL

70-200 IS will serve you very well, since you said you'll be shooting ceremonies and receptions, then by all mean get the 50 f1.8 too...it's only 79 bucks, it WILL come in VERY handy in low light condition when needed. I don't know if you do this for a living or hobby, if "I" was doing this for a living then I would get all primes, the 35 F1.4L to cover the low end such as group shot, 50 F1.4 for midrange, and either 85 F1.2L II or 135 F2L to cover the longer range, like candid or head and shoulder shot, yup...that's exactly what I would do ;-)

Dan,

 

He said "mostly", but NOT solely or all. which mean he will be using it for something else, see my above replies.

By the way, if you're looking for a lens to do ONLY portraiture on a tripod, and have no intention to handhold or use it for anything else, then save yourself a bunch of money by getting the 85mm F1.8 along with the 50mm F1.4 instead, if money is no issue then get the new 85mm 1.2L II, they're the very best portraiture lens Canon ever made.

Get the IS, if you can't afford it now...then save up longer and wait for it, the Image Stabilizer is amazing and worth every single peny, go try it out at the local store and compare it to the non-IS, shoot something in 150~200mm range and be ready see the IS do its magic when you half press the shutter. I bought my 70-200 IS mostly for portraiture, and love it!

 

Check out my 70-200 IS gallery, all taken handheld!

http://www.pbase.com/ben805/70_200is

like someone said, before you returning it, test that lens on a tripod first, use stationary stuff like a doll or puppet in well lit area, put a can of soda or something next to your main object slightly infront and behind, take a few shots ON the tripod and post back some result, if they're still soft like that...then don't bother, ship it straight back to where you bought it from.

<p>I tested both 1.8 and 1.4 at the camera shop, the 1.8 was having a hard time focusing, it kept hunting back and forth, while the 1.4 focus speed was MUCH faster and dead on accurate, needless to say I walked out with the 1.4. Here's a few pictures I took with the Canon 30D and 50 1.4 lens, all handheld without flash:</p>

 

<p>iso 100 F1.4 wide opened:

<img src="http://i.pbase.com/o4/21/662221/1/59483217.IMG_1286.jpg"></p>

 

<p>iso 100 F1.4 wide opened:

<img src="http://i.pbase.com/o4/21/662221/1/59482481.IMG_0499.jpg"></p>

 

<p>iso 100 F1.8

<img src="http://i.pbase.com/o4/21/662221/1/59601935.IMG_1050.jpg"></p>

 

<p>iso 100 F2.0

<img src="http://i.pbase.com/o4/21/662221/1/59484108.IMG_0434.jpg"></p>

 

<p>iso 400 F2.8

<img src="http://i.pbase.com/o4/21/662221/1/59855083.IMG_1843_resize.JPG"><p/>

 

<p>iso 100 f4

<img src="http://i.pbase.com/o4/21/662221/1/59483754.IMG_1306.jpg"></p>

I don't know what camera you are using but straight out of the camera without any post processing they should NOT be that soft, 1/1000s should be fast enough to freeze action and stop camera shake unless you yank it violently, I think your copy is either front or back focus, they're way too soft and pretty bad....even kit lens are sharper than that at wide opened!

Neil, thanks for the reply.....I left the Sharpness as default, it was 3 in DPP software, I don't think the picture style sharpness on camera work when I chose RAW. I just had my wife do the modeling for me again so I can take some more pictures with the 50 1.4 lens to compare to, will post some results once I'm done converting them to jpg. ;-)

<p>Ok...I have some initial results, this is my first L glass so I do not know what you would consider sharp or not sharp, comment and critiques are very welcome, please check them here:</p>

 

http://www.pbase.com/ben805/70_200is

 

<p>All these are taken with the 580EX flash indoor earlier, had to trouble my wife to dressed up for me to test my new toys LOL I took the same shot at F2.8, F4, and F5.6, some position with only F2.8 and F4, I use the Omnibounch difuser then bounch off the ceiling. Shot them in RAW, and use the DPP to convert to JPG, the only thing being adjusted to the original pictures are 1)Brightness, and 2)change picture style from Standard to Neutral. All images I uploaded to pbase gallery are 50% cropped, with 85% compression to save webspace so image quality might not look as sharp as the original one, here's a few examples, all of them handheld at F2.8 wide opened:</p>

 

 

<p><img src="http://i.pbase.com/o4/21/662221/1/60038127.IMG_2240_f2.8.JPG"></p>

 

<p><img src="http://i.pbase.com/o4/21/662221/1/60038138.IMG_2270_f2.8.JPG"></p>

 

<p><img src="http://i.pbase.com/o4/21/662221/1/60038135.IMG_2259_f2.8.JPG"></p>

thanks for all the replies, I'd received the package today and still trying to test the lens and flash light, will post some results later but so far I LOVE this lens, everything are brand spanking new as I do not see any finger prints or anything, BUT...I found about two pieces of dust inside the front elements, they're pin head size.... aren't these 2.8IS lenses suppose to be dust free? and should I be concern?

 

 

As for the 4GB card, normally I shoot about 500~600 per session, with the 2GB as backup they should be enough for one day shooting ;-)

I can't believe I just dropped a bunch of money to get the 70-200

F2.8IS today, have anybody regrets getting this lens? here's a list of

stuff I bought from bhphoto:

 

70-200mm f/2.8L IS $1599,

B+W multicoated UV $79.95,

1.4x II TC $284.95,

580EX flash $359,

Sto-fen Omnibounch $16.95,

4GB Sandisk Extreme II $214.00

 

Total: $2580.00 (Ouch!)

 

 

With the PSMAR code I save $100 on the zoom lens, and $20 on the

flash, I had them overnight the equipment so I can't wait to get them

tomorrow LOL I'll be using this zoom lens primarily for candid photo,

my 2 1/2yr daughter is quite energetic and I hope with this lens and

the 580EX flash I can capture some special moments both indoor and

outdoor, I'm not sure if the 1.4x II TC is worth getting but I wanted

the extra reach just incase I needed it. I shoot everything in RAW so

the addition of 4GB card should help as well. Here is what I have at

the moment:

 

Canon 30D,

BG-E2 grip,

2GB Sandisk Extreme II,

50 1.4 lens,

18-55 kit lens,

Kenko extension tube sets,

 

When the 17-55 f2.8 IS lens hit the street I'll be getting it to cover

the wide range as well.

Don't know what the deal is, I just bought a brand new 30D with

serial# 05, did a quick f22 sensor test and found a bunch of dots

everywhere, found a piece of black color looking thing inside the

viewfinder....looks like plastic shaving or something, and the mirror

also got a layer of junk on it! I did a search here and saw someone

recommended to use a NEW shrink wrap cover the q-tip to clean it, well

I handle the shrink wrap with care and didn't touch the part where it

wrapped around the q-tip, I then dip the q-tip softly onto the corner

of the sensor with very light pressure but almost cr*p my pants when I

saw it left a coat of patch on the sensor, this shrink wrap trick is a

BAD IDEA so DO NOT even try it! luckily I have some lenses cleaning

solution and use another new q-tip to clean up the patch, then blew

off remaining dust with canned air from few inches away (airDr's

Blasts Away Dust - Moisture-Free) that I bought from BESTBUY for $15 -

two cans pack. I'm really anal about those shadow looking dot on the

F22 test, and I want a perfectly clean result, so it took me almost an

hour and about 20 q-tips to get the last dust out of the sensor.

 

The mirror is easier to clean, use a microfiber cloth with lenses

solution to gently wipe off the oily stuff. The viewfinder was a bit

challenging, had to take out 4 screws and lifted the back cover(with

LCD and all buttons on it) about 3~4mm off, and aim the moisture-free

canned air toward the viewfinder to blew off that piece of black

plastic shaving, this piece is very tiny so I guess this is the left

over from assembly line or whatever, and found its way up there during

shipment. Basically it took me about 2 hours to do all this and I'm

glad I did, now this camera is sparkling clean inside and out and the

F22 test result is perfect! LOL

try 85mm 1.2L ;-)

yup, what Richard said....your friend is using a higher speed CF card that's why it's faster, as for the weight it could just be your imagination unless you can varify it with a scale....

I'll use it to shoot mostly family picture, children and grandkids

both indoor and outdoor. My friend suggested to get the cheaper 4L,

it's lighter and smaller and probably more portable, he said in low

light condition just bump up the ISO or use the speedlite flash, what

do you think? should I save a bit more to get the 2.8L (non IS) due

to the extra stop that is useful in low light condition? Sorry if

my question sound stupid....

Sheldon and Ken

 

 

I'm still learning this internet and puter stuff, maybe I should of ask my grandkids to do the search for me but what's with your attitude anyway? I was only asking for a simple yes and no answer and the comment you made about not showing effort is uncall for, if I could find the answer I wouldn't of bother to post the stupid question, it's morons like you two that really discourage old farts like us from getting on the internet, especially forums! you both can just shove it!

I'm going to take advantage of the rebate and get the Canon 20D along

with the 17-40L lense, found them at newegg and bhphoto but are they

authorized to sell Canon stuff? if they aren't then I'll look

elsewhere so I can get the rebates.

I'd just checked out the 50mm 1.4 vs 1.8 at (http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/ef50/), base on that review and the lens survey on other sites, I think it's safe to say that I probably would shell out the extra money for the additional micro USM and better bokeh. Sorry for the stupid question but what's the deal with zoom at the feet thing though? is this technique accurate or reliable though? :-)

Pat, I just noticed that you're from the DC area, so did you get all your equipments online or did you get them through local camera store? it would be nice if I can check them out or even test some of these lenses in person. I'm willing to wait and save up the money for some good lens(such as the 24-70), but I think for the type of shooting I do, it's more sensible to save the money for additional equipments I'll also need (flash, BG-ED3, and 1~2GB card), so as suggested I'll get the 17-40 + 50 prime for now, then down the road I can add a 70-200 4L to complete the setup. I hope you guys know that I value every single advice that you've given me, and I greatly appreciated it.

So, the 17-40 4L + 50 1.8(or 1.4) is a cheaper and more practical combo than getting a single 24-70 2.8L?