Posts tagged ·Image Stabilization·...

February 4, 2010 4:18 am

Canon LP E6 Battery Pack for Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR

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Canon LP E6 Battery Pack for Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR




compatible with select Canon digital SLR cameras * rated at 7.2V, 1800mAh * no “memory effect” — may be partially charged without reducing battery capacity * compatible with Canon LC-E6 battery charger *

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars just a battery that does what it should
WAY too expensive for what it is: just a rechargeable battery that is worth about $5. Canon should be proud of themselves for EXTREME price gouging. They could charge $10 for this item, make a huge profit doing so, and not alienate their customers.

The electrical capacity is ok, but not great. And the “smart” feature is slightly better than useless. Yes, it is nice to see how much charge is remaining, but that feature is not worth the $50+ that Canon robs you for.

I tried a generic battery for about $10 (including its own charger), but that battery was physically slightly too big and it jammed in the camera and had to be pried out. This Canon battery fits properly, so I’m stuck buying Canon batteries until I can find a generic that fits.

5 Stars One just isn’t enough…
For anyone who thinks this battery is expensive, I say “You must be new to digital photography!”. Ever since I got a camcorder a decade ago, then later started using little digital cameras, and now finally the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, battery power has been an issue. Gone are the days of mechanical SLR’s with little button batteries for the meter!

Today’s electronic image-making devices use major power. Without a good battery, you have nothing but a brick. I have developed a habit of having plenty of power available. I purchased the battery grip so I could put two batteries in the camera, and have the AA-battery clip in reserve. I want to take pictures not drive tent stakes with my brick!

These batteries provide plenty of power to shoot. But as the manual warns, the more you review your images, the more you use Image Stabilization; the more you auto-focus, the faster the batteries will drain. And if it’s cold outside…. You want to have power to spare if you’re serious about making images. These are the batteries you want. Don’t fool yourself into saving a couple dollars on a generic battery – you will not get a real savings. They don’t provide as many charge cycles and they don’t report their status as well. It’s not worth the savings!

5 Stars Buy Canon or go home!
Buy this Canon brand battery for you 5D Mark ll. It’s worth the price for the battery info feature of your Mark ll. Go Canon or go home!

5 Stars Great product
Great product from Canon. Very satisfied.

Canon LP-E6 Battery Pack for Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR

5 Stars good and high quality battery for reasonable price
I bought this one for ~$60 on amazon. It’s a bargain already since its original price (last year) was $120 and up. This is a high quality, high capacity battery with some integrated information chip (which show you the history of battery, recharge, no. of shots taken, etc.). It’s not something luxury – just a “nice to have” feature.

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February 2, 2010 3:51 pm

Nikon 18 105mm f 3 5 5 6 AF S DX VR ED Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

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Nikon 18 105mm f 3 5 5 6 AF S DX VR ED Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras




This 5.8x zoom, designed exclusively for use with Nikon’s DX-format, features Nikon’s VR image stabilization and is perfect for portraits and action. The wide-ratio 5.8x zoom
Compact, versatile and ideal for a broad range of shooting situations, ranging from interiors and landscapes to beautiful portraits–a perfect everyday zoom. Vibration Reduction is engineered specifically for each VR NIKKOR lens and enables handheld shooting at up to 3 shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible, assuring dramatically sharper images.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Super People Shooting Lens
If I know I’m going to be shooting people, you know, a wedding, bar mitzvah, baptism, birthday party, especially one with children and clowns, then this is the lens I use. If I take both bodies, I’ll have a wide angle on the other one, so I can get good group shots inside. The 16-85mm range of the camera translates to 24-127mm in real world photography and that’ll give you good wide angle shots and allow you some pretty good closeups from across the room or yard, plus the 80 to 120mm range is perfect for portraits.

This lens isn’t all that expensive and you’re buying better than excellent optics, Nikon quality (the build on this lens is as good as you’ll find on any lens made today) and VR that works (it’s almost like going a couple stops lower).

You might wonder why I’d opt for this lens for people shooting events over the very nice Nikon 18-200mm or the Tamron 18-270mm, well this lens weighs less, focuses faster, takes sharper photos and I’ve never ever wished I’d had a longer lens at an event, well once, when I shot a wedding in Huntington Beach. It was a beach side condo and there was some good surf action going on, great waves, but that had nothing to do with the wedding.

If you want a longer range than the kit lens, this could be a good walkabout lens and there have been days when I’ve used it for that, though I prefer the more compact Nikon 18-55mm for everyday use and one of the above mentioned wide to long telephotos for vacations. Still if you shoot a lot of people or are planning to, you’ll find this lens will serve you well.

5 Stars A great upgrade and overall excellent lens
I want to say that when I first got this lens for Christmas I was utterly disappointed, not because it wasn’t a good lens, but I had my heart set on a prime lens. Well, I pushed my sadness aside and mounted it on my D60. The first thing I noticed about it was the size, it was significantly larger in every way possible over the 18-55mm kit lens that came with the D60. The only thing that didn’t change was the f-stop. It was sort of heavy mounted on the D60′s tiny body but that is something that is easily overcome. The picture quality and the overall use of the lens is where it started to win me over.

I was shooting inside all day with f/3.5, ISO 800 and shutter speed of 1/6 of a second. The pictures came out crisp and clear with the aid of the vibration reduction, whereas my 18-55mm would be a hit-or-miss. I found it great that I could go from shooting wide angle shots to mid-range telephoto shots without having to switch between lenses. I began to see a difference between the quality of my old 18-55mm and the 18-105mm. The 18-105 is the older brother of the 18-55mm kit lens, and it is more useful/ The focusing ring on the lens can override the auto focus. If you are someone in my situation with a three point AF D60, then this comes in handy considering that the focus isn’t always where you want it to be. The feel of the lens was different. It felt like it was made of plastic and rubber on the outside, which isn’t bad and doesn’t inhibit the ability of the lens to do its job, it just feels sort of cheap if you are obsessed with having the best built thing possible. The feeling of cheapness, isn’t something to be concerned about, so long as you realize that the lens is meant for picture taking and not groping. The sheer portability of the lens doesn’t seem to be an issue, it is just bulkier then the 18-55mm, especially on the puny D60.

The lens is the kind you want to have if you enjoy having versatility in your range but don’t want to put more money towards the 18-200mm lens. I look forward to using this lens a lot more and seeing what it can do. Like everything else, it’s flaws are just something that the user will have to learn to overcome. But if you are looking at buying D40, D60 or D5000 I strongly suggest buying the bodies only and buying this lens.

5 Stars Bought this for a short vacation
I originally got a 18-55mm lens with my Nikon camera and decided to buy the 55-200 as my second lens but found that changing out the lenses was a hassle. When I decided to take a short vacation that was about 2000 miles away, I didn’t want to deal with carrying the different lenses around so I bought the 18-105mm. It was one of the best things I ever did. I almost feel like it is the only lens needed for general photography. I chose this particular one because the customer reviews were so good. All my photos with this lens are wonderful. They look professional and that is the point when you buy a good lens from Nikon.

5 Stars Great all-purpose at the right price
Seems like everyone recommends the 18-200 mm VR lens, but at a cost of over $600-700!

Instead, this lens for about half the cost will cover most of the useful range of the 18-200. The VR works great on this lens, especially at 105 where the lens performs admirably.

A very good upgrade to a kit lens with more versatility, a more solid feel and VR to make your telephoto shots much better.

5 Stars My perfect lens
I had been looking for the perfect lens for portraits. This lens covers the exact zoom length I need, while retaining the wide angle.

I was nervous about getting a refurbished camera lens. No problems at all. In fact, you would never even know it’s a refurb.

It’s not a “fast” lens. But, you won’t get a fast lens with VR. That’s ok. It’s easy to make up the difference with shutter speed. And for doing photos in a church, where it’s rude to use a flash, it opens up enough. Again, shutter speed helps there. Plus, shooting in RAW makes all the difference in the world.

Lenses are personal. Just do your research, and figure out what you need.

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January 22, 2010 9:05 pm

Sony Alpha A330Y 10 2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot INSIDE Image Stabilization and 18 55mm and 55 200mm Lenses

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Sony Alpha A330Y 10 2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot INSIDE Image Stabilization and 18 55mm and 55 200mm Lenses




10.2-megapixel effective recording * APS-C-size CCD image sensor (23.6 x 15.8 mm) * DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Sony zoom lens (35mm equivalent focal length: 27-82.5mm) * 3X optical zoom (approximate) * DT 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Sony zoom lens (35mm equivalent focal length: 82-300mm) * 3.6X optical zoom (approximate) * built-in sensor-shift SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization (provides image stabilization with all attached lenses) * 2-11/16″ tilt-screen LCD with live view mode for composing shots on-screen in real-time * optical SLR viewfinder (with diopter adjustment) * Eye-Start

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January 16, 2010 6:38 pm

Canon EF S 15 85mm f 3 5 5 6 IS USM UD Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

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Canon EF S 15 85mm f 3 5 5 6 IS USM UD Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras




EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM extra wide-angle to telephoto zoom lens with 35mm equivalent of 24-136mm * compatible with Canon APS-C format digital SLR cameras * Image Stabilization allows in-focus shots with longer exposure times (up to four stops slower shutter speed) * ring-type Ultrasonic Motor for fast, silent autofocus * available full-time manual focusing (automatically overrides autofocus) * minimum focus distance: approximately 14 inches * lens is 3-7/8″ long, 3-1/4″ in diameter *

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Good walkaround lens
I bought this lens to make it one of two lenses to walk around, being the other one the Canon EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS USM.

This lens has a good color saturation, sharp image quality and fast Autofocus. the 85mm focal length is very useful to zoom at something without having to carry your longer zoom around. I use this lens mostly at day time, and the 17-55mm F2.8 is my inside-night time lens, although I can stretch the IS and make good pictures in low light.

After having lenses from Tamron and one Sigma, I can really say that Canon is the best way to go if you aren’t in a tight budget.

4 Stars Excelllent Lens, Heavy
I bought this lens because I had dropped my Cannon Rebel XSi and damaged the lens that came with the original camera kit. I am an amateur. This lens is easy to use, hardy, takes pictures very quickly and gives me great close-ups. It does definitely add more weight to the camera.

5 Stars Fantastic Walk-around for APS-C dSLRs
I was one of the early fans of this lens, and to my knowledge, one of the first guys to get their hands on one and play with it, from the moment I held this lens, I knew she was a winner

Lets start with the build quality, its fantastic, ok its not quite L-level, but it is considerably better than the old 17-55 f/2.8 IS I owned, as in its put together much better, the build is similar to a midrange Nikon lens [Such as the 16-85 VR] which is a good thing, the zoom and focus rings both operate smoothly, but are also reassuringly firm, there is a slight bit of zoom creep between 24-35 I’ve found, but nothing major to worry about

AF-wise, its a very quick performer, probubly one of the faster USM lenses out there, and its also very quiet, even for a USM lens the soft noise is well..softer…and the IS functions completely silently and smoothly, and as advertised, its good for at least 4 stops of stabilization, I’ve managed 1/4 shots with ease at 85mm for instance…

Optically, this lens impresses, people may criticize its variable aperture nature but its tack sharp wide open, even at 15mm, distortions are very good [They test even less than the 24-105 f/4L on a full frame camera] and the colors have a very nice zest to them, The only down side is the chromatic aberration, which is a tidge high, but its also easily correctable from what I’ve seen, and certainly not as bad as some people would make it sound, overall I’ve been very impressed with this lens optically, its one of the best lenses I’ve had [And I've owned the 24-105 f/4L IS and the 17-55 f/2.8 IS] and its my favorite walk-around lens ever

My only other complaints are the fact that it should include a hood for the price, Canon is still the only manufacturer who forces you to buy $45 lens hoods for $700-800 lenses just because they’re not an L lens…Its quite annoying to be honest..but again, I knew that going into this..

Overall, its a fantastic lens, don’t mock it till you try it :)

4 Stars good not great
This lens is the perfect walkabout lens covering 23-135 with the 1.6 factor.

Distortion is at a minimum, and although not a fast lens, the IS makes even hand held shots sharp.

The downside of this lens is that both in sunlight, and in studio flash conditions chromatic aberration (purple/green fringe) is evident in all shots. Granted it is less pronounced than with the cheap kit lens (for the 7D) but none the less at 1:1 resolution there is chromatic aberration in every shot where dark and bright come together in high contrast.

The Canon software that comes with DSLRs does a very good job of removing the fringe from photos, however that means unlike Nikon’s in-camera processing of the image to remove fringe, an extra manual step of doing that on the Canon is necessary for any images that are more than casual snapshots.

If you want 1 lens for a very wide to slight tele range, this is probably the best thing available for 1.6 crop factor. However even if the price is near L lenses, this is not an L lens and it will be apparent when zooming in 1:1.

4 Stars Excellent walk-around lens
If you have to pick one high-quality walk-around lens for your Canon APS-C (1.6x) dSLR, this is it. I debated between this one and the Canon 17-55m f/2.8 IS; the additional range won over (the extra 2mm on the wide end helps noticeably, and longer telephoto reach is nice too), and being 25% cheaper didn’t hurt. The big advantage of the other lens’ f2.8 max aperture could be important to some. I shoot a decent bit of video and don’t mind the smaller aperture for a little more latitude in focusing errors; even my stills are rarely shot below f5.6, though I do have other lenses to cover other needs (50mm f/1.4 USM and 70-200 f/2.8L IS).

Coupled with the EOS 7D, this lens is perfect as a fairly compact and very capable kit. Images are sharp and colorful, focusing is quick. Build quality feels solid. No issues at all!

Why 4 stars only then? Dunno, found it hard to give 5 stars when I compare it with my faster L lenses, even though those are much more expensive. Guess it’s an absolute rating scale for me :)

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January 14, 2010 12:17 pm

Canon EF 100mm f 2 8L IS USM 1 to 1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

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Canon EF 100mm f 2 8L IS USM 1 to 1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras




The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens could very well be the essential multipurpose lens for every camera bag due to its ability to capture sharp close-up images of small objects as well as beautiful portrait-length telephoto shots. The incorporation of Canon’s new Hybrid IS in this L-series macro lens allows it to compensate more effectively for camera shake during close-up shooting and marks a significant improvement for professionals and advanced amateurs utilizing macro photography for portrait, nature or wedding shoots.

New Hybrid IS Technology: Designed Especially for Macro Photography
The world’s first* optical image stabilizer for SLR cameras was introduced in the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM in 1995. Since then, Canon has made continual advancements in IS systems to enhance panning capability and improve compensation for camera shake. Now, in a move aimed at extending image stabilization to the macro realm, Canon introduces its Hybrid IS in the new EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM another first for Canon and the world.

Conventional image stabilization technology is useful for reducing the effects of camera shake in non-macro shooting situations. When shooting handheld close-ups at 1x, however, camera shake makes it difficult to achieve acceptable results even with lenses incorporating conventional image stabilizers. Now, thanks to the Hybrid IS found in the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, Canon extends IS technology to the macro realm, making it easy to obtain clear handheld close-ups a world first* and a definite advantage in environments where use of a tripod is not an option.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Effectively two lenses for the price of one
I bought this lens as a macro lens, for close up work. Wow, what a lens. My 11-year-old daughter picked it up the next day while I was at work and took some spectacular photos of her bearded dragon lizard. She got right up to it, 1:1, and got amazing shots of the lizard’s scales. Please note that I did not give her any training on the lens. She just picked it up and started shooting in manual focus, image stabilization on. We’ve been wandering around the house and yard taking closeups of everything we can think of.

What I was not expecting was the value this lens provides for portraits. It is so amazingly sharp, it gives amazing results. This is a benefit I was note expecting, but wow. I’ve effectively gotten two lenses for the price of one. You’ll want good lighting, as with all portrait shooting.

My sole complaint, which almost feels petty, is the weight. We have a Canon EOS Rebel T1i, an EOS small-body SLR. Strap on this lens and a Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash, and you have a lot of weight on a smallish SLR body. Please note that my hands are large, while my daughter’s hands are small. She loves the feel of the camera and doesn’t feel the lens is to heavy. Big performance in a lens means its going to be heavy, so no points off for this.

5 Stars Great!
Great lens! We had been looking for a new lens for portraits and decided on this one. Picture quality is great! Crisp, clear, quick focus (and we have a fast moving toddler)! Price on Amazon was by far the best that we found. A great addition!

4 Stars Wonderful Pictures, (not quite perfect function)
To start off, this lens deserves 5 stars on outstanding picture quality alone. I currently own the 70-200 F/2.8 IS, the 50mm 1.4 and now the 100mm L Macro. I was always weary of reviewers that say primes are the only way to go….but after 3 different 70-200mm lens’s, I am learning why. The zooms have a niche, but PQ is alway better on my primes. That being said…

I really really like this lens. It re-inspires me to get out and take pictures; it is fun all over again. The color contrast is just the way you like it. The bokeh, as others have mentioned, is very smooth in transition (see my sample pictures). The lens is made of a newer plastic barrel, but it is far from the cheaper non L variety. It is very acceptable for its size.

I hear the IS isn’t very useful up close and personal. It is my opinion that it is VERY useful for everyday real world applications. I was shooting baby pictures in very low light from 7 inches away, and most my pictures were keepers (of course I positioned myself to be stable). The IS is very quiet and smooth. I think it is worth the money.

There is a reason I gave it 4 stars. I have noticed on several occasions that the auto focus travels and doesn’t lock. This only seems to happen in low light and on objects that aren’t dynamic, for example baby pictures (smooth skin, no hard lines). However, for this price, it shouldn’t happen as much as it has.

I have had this lens for about a month and I think it is my favorite, no wait, it IS MY FAVORITE. I will update my review as I get the opportunity to judge it on true macro work, bugs, plants etc.

I cannot compare it to the former 100mm, but so far, I don’t think I would go without the IS. I just find that I need it more often than I don’t.

Hope this helps. If you can afford it, this will be one of your favorites too.

4 Stars Excellent Lens but IS not a cure-all
I upgraded to this lens from the EF 100mm 2.8 non-IS Macro. As others have stated, the IS with this lens is not a cure-all. Extreme macros (especially with extension tubes) will still have to be done on a tripod. I have been able to get keeper shots hand held with anything over about 2 ft. Others may have more luck closer as I am pretty shaky.

I’ve used it a couple of times for portraits, and I have to say it’s beautiful. The bokeh is velvety smooth and the sharpness, color and contrast are just outstanding! Much better even than some of my other “L” lenses and well worth the upgrade from the non-IS version.

My main reason for buying this lens is nature/flower/insect macros. Once we actually have bright sunlight again (it’s Winter now) I have no doubt I’ll be getting the sharpest flower macros I’ve ever gotten hand-held. I’ll update on that later.

5 Stars This is an amazing new macro lense of Canon!
I bought this lense recently on Amazon and immediately in love with it. The build quality & its “look&feel” is good enough for a L-series lense. According to Canon, this is the first L lense that made of “engineer plastics” instead of traditional aluminum metal. But I see no difference in the build quality. In fact, this is even better in term of weight (this one is one of low weight L-series lense).

For quality, it really significant & invaluable to have the IS on a macro lense. I did test two lense (the original 100mm f/2.8 Macro and this new 100mm f/2.8L IS lense). The IS made the difference:

- At the same aperture (let say 3.2); the new 100mm 2.8L IS produced nicer bokeh and better contrast, color.

- At low speed (below 1/60) – the new 100mm 2.8L IS obviously defeat the non-IS. A picture at 1/20s with IS enable is sharper than 1/100s of the old lense (without IS).

In my opinion, this lense is also usable for many other purposes (other than macro) for example: portraiture – this will be in between the 85mm and 135mm lenses, with the IS feature and nice bokeh & sharpness, this lense is also very nice for portraits, especially for kid portraits (if you already had three 85mm 1.2L-II, 100mm 2.8L, and 135mm 2L lenses – I have nothing to say; but if you can have only one of them, then 100mm can be a good choice since it can fill a lot of jobs!)

I wish Canon will release 135mm f/2L with IS enable soon. Otherwise, this one will be my first lense in the three lenses: 85mm 1.2L, 100mm 2.8L IS, 135mm 2L.

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