Andy Bright
2nd in command
Registered: August 2002
Location: Herts
Posts: 6397
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Review Date: Sun January 28, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $2,400.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, blindingly fast AF,
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Cons:
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Cost, but there is a lot to these lenses
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Purchased, after my switch to Canon, to act as a replacement for the Nikon 300mm f2.8 VR and to used as a walk around lens in combination with teleconverters.
Not particularly heavy as 300mm f2.8 lenses go, though I would advise replacing the supplied Canon strap for a Neoprene type.
All the normal features of the Canon professional telephoto lenses are present.
3 AF Focus range limits are available, the 2.5 metres - infinity (full) setting allows the lens to focus from minimum distance to infinity. Then the 2.5 metres - 6.4 metres and finally 6.4 metres to infinity. Basically, if your target is expected within a known distance from you, it speeds up autofocus if the lens is not hunting through its entire range to get a lock-on.
It is a fulll time manual lens, which means you can use the manual focus ring at any time.
Two I.S. mode 1 controls movement vertically and horizontally, mode 2 just counteracts vertical movement... so as to allow you to pan along with a subject without the I.S. system trying to compensate.
Lastly in this panel is the focus preset functions. Basically, you can set a focus distance on the lens, press set and you can recall this distance at any time via the twist ring (the ring with the serrated edge) just in front of the focus ring. It is a handy feature if you are likely to be shooting at 2 vastly different distances. I would prefer it if focus recall was an option on the 4 focus lock buttons and in a really ideal world, a focus recall button would be situated far closer to the camera body, or indeed controlled via the camera itself, as some lens functions are on the Canon 1Ds MkII.
In use this lens is awesome in AF speed, even with a 1.4x teleconverter. With a 2x teleconverter, the AF speed is still as fast as many bare lenses, it is still rapid. AF is almost silent in operation.
Results from the bare lens are very sharp, even wide open. With a 1.4x teleconverter, virtually nothing is lost in image quality, stopping down makes for marginally improved images. With a 2x attached, the results are still remarkable though stopping down is certainly preferrable.
Even using stacked 1.4x and 2x teleconverters can produce acceptable results, though very much a method for desperation and manual focus is recommended even with a 1Ds camera body.
More detailed review and photos here
http://www.digiscoped.com/canon300mm.html
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www.Digiscoped.com
also, if you're particularly bored, try www.andybright.com - mediocre aviation photography
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