Canon Lens Review
Get more from your digital SLR camera with a full range of compatible lenses from Canon. Enjoy breathtaking optical performance with the Canon lens. Choose wide, telephoto, zoom and macro lenses to suit your creative vision.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
Old Faithful Servant
A traditional story builds up expectations, but Canon shows that they can meet, and provides an excellent portrait lens for the money.
At the time of writing Canon produces three different lenses with a focal length of 50mm. On paper, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is located in the middle of the three, both in terms of performance, maximum aperture and price - and therefore it felt like a good choice for a test.
Construction quality is quite ok for the price, and superior to the plastic-like feeling you get from the cheaper cousin. The lens fits all Canon digital SLR cameras, even those with full-frame sensor. For the vast majority, ie those with an APS-C sensor in the camera, the effective focal length is going to be 80mm, making it an excellent lens for portrait photos.
Image Quality
Even the maximum aperture of f/1.4 speaks for portrait photo because it enables shooting with a very short depth of field. Large aperture at an affordable price is a bit of a recipe for optical blur and soft images. This is also the case here. At maximum aperture of the pictures are definitely too soft, particularly towards the edges. We can perhaps forgive this, as many are looking for a slightly softer grade of portrait photos, and you will get more optimal results, you can obviously decrease the aperture a couple of notches. The lens does not suffer from any significant distortion, which is not surprising considering that it has a fixed focal length.Something we regard as very important for a portrait lens, is how the Bokeh (the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur) looks. There are cases where the lens does not produce very soft-focused backgrounds, but we are quite satisfied. Even if we adjust the aperture on the lens down, the background blur is made up of round, soft shapes that only in the worst case, get some hard edges.
Conclusion
The optical quality is excellent for the money, but if we are pushing the lens to the extreme we get - not unexpectedly - not perfect results. Although some users may have views on the performance at full aperture, others will almost see the deviation as aesthetically appropriate and positive. Evenly over the Bokeh is good and the lens decreases the focus of backgrounds, even very close to your subject, and this at a good price. Thumbs up.Facts
| Focal Length: | 50 mm (equivalent to 80 mm) |
| Aperture: | Maximum f/1.4. Minimum f/22 |
| Minimum focusing distance: | 45 cm |
| Image Stabilization: | No |
| Autofocus Motor: | Yes |
| Weight: | 290 grams |
Plus
Hardly any distortion
Bright
Minus
Soft focus with a completely open aperture
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Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Securing Long Shots
With built-in image stabilization in the top class, there are no major problems related to the use of the entire zoom range for this long-ranging lens.
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is relatively large and heavily. Not surprising considering that it is a super zoom with built-in autofocus motor, and image stabilization. A fairly complete lens!
We perceive the lens as well-built in solid plastic. At the top of the lens to the left, we find the small switch to turn auto focus and image stabilization on or off. Under the lens there is a zoom lock you can use when you carry the camera over your shoulder, when the gravity pull the lens to its full length. Good
Image Quality
Optical error is a side effect that is difficult to avoid when you squeeze in as much detail in a single lens. Photos taken with a focal length of 200mm are plagued by the purple color wrapping around contours and smaller details. However, we find no major problems with the visible color wrapping on images taken at the longest focal length. Unfortunately, it is much worse at the shorter focal lengths, and at 18mm it is clear. Although the lens has good wide-angle focal length, it is not optimal on the subject with many straight lines, such as architecture where straight lines will have a clear distortion. The lens has a more powerful distortion at 18mm than the camera's standard lens — a clear example that one must give up some quality for an all-in-one lens. The built-in image stabilization impresses greatly. Are you steady on your hands or you can support yourself against something, there are not many pictures that need to be discarded - even in low light.The Bokeh - the aesthetic quality of the blur behind the focus point — is consistently good, even at smaller apertures, both in terms of general character and roundness in the background blurring.
Conclusion
The lens has a loud and not exactly fast autofocus motor, and we find optical errors or distortion at most focal lengths. The worst is actually the distortion at short focal lengths, which is a disappointment, even compared with the 18-55 mm lens that comes with Canon's cheaper SLR cameras today. If you know what you give in to, and the images can be adjusted afterwards, you get, however, very much photo freedom for the money - in a single lens and with very good image stabilization.Facts
| Focal Length: | 18-200mm (29-320mm with APS-C) |
| Aperture: | Maximum f/3.5-5.6. Minimum f/22-36 |
| Minimum focusing distance: | 45 cm |
| Image Stabilization: | Yes |
| Autofocus Motor: | Yes |
| Weight: | 600 grams |
Plus
Solid focal length range
Zoom Lock
Built-in Image Stabilizer
Minus
Powerful line distortion at short focal lengths
******
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Built For the Professional
Canon will now be releasing the successor to the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM - a popular telephoto zoom lens in the L-series - with a new design and improved image stabilization.
In addition to the internal optical system has been rebuilt, the lens has also undergone a structural development as direct result of feedback from users.
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM has a redesigned optical system that consists of 23 elements in 19 groups, with a fluorite element of high performance is central to the objective path, combined with five UD elements (low Dispersion). This update will reduce the chromatic aberration.
Canon has also improved the internal image stabilization, which gives the equivalent of four steps faster shutter speed than the older optics. The new model has a USM autofocus motor of the ring type and an optimized autofocus algorithm that will do auto focus faster and quieter.
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM has a redesigned optical system that consists of 23 elements in 19 groups, with a fluorite element of high performance is central to the objective path, combined with five UD elements (low Dispersion). This update will reduce the chromatic aberration.
Canon has also improved the internal image stabilization, which gives the equivalent of four steps faster shutter speed than the older optics. The new model has a USM autofocus motor of the ring type and an optimized autofocus algorithm that will do auto focus faster and quieter.
Conclusion
For those who want to get closer to the action, Canon have cut down the sequel to the closest focusing distance of 1.2 meters (compared to 1.4 meters in the older version). It has also been some changes to the exterior — the thickness of the protruding parts and switches has been reduced, which provides a defense against you press the switch by mistake. The rubber focusing grip has been made wider and has received a fine patterned grooving to make it easier to focus manually.Facts
| Focal Length: | 70-200mm |
| Aperture: | Maximum f/2.8. Minimum f/32 |
| Minimum focusing distance: | 1,2 m |
| Image Stabilization: | Yes |
| Autofocus Motor: | Yes |
| Weight: | 1490 grams |
Plus
Ultra Low Dispersion
8 Blade Aperture
Built-in Image Stabilizer
High build quality
Minus
There is no zoom ring lock switch
