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Johnmwright www.juzaphoto.com/p/Johnmwright  |
 | Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Pros: Fast AF, very sharp, zoom friction, nice lens hood, close focus (about 1m). Cons: Odd bokeh in some cases, very expensive, white Opinion: The lens is very sharp. I appreciate the zoom friction to stop lens creep. The close focus makes this a wonderful lens for butterflies and frogs. Transition zones can have odd bokeh, but most of the time it renders well. Focus is quick and accurate. I've used it on an A1 and A7 IV and both bodies seem to have the same speed and accuracy. The lens seems well-made. The lens hood has a nice lock/release button that makes it easy to use, better than most other lens hoods. I dislike the white body; I think it attracts too much attention from animals and people. I bought one used because these are overpriced new. Sony, in general, charges too much for their lenses. But the currently available 3rd party lenses are not as sharp or fast as the Sony 100-400; you have to decide if the price is worthwhile. sent on September 25, 2023 |
 | Vivitar Series 1 105mm f/2.5 Macro Pros: Well-made, smooth focus, sharp stopped down Cons: Not as sharp as modern lenses, has some CA, less sharp wide open Opinion: I have had this lens since the late 80s. I adapted it to mirrorless and used it on Fuji and Sony cameras. It doesn't hold up against modern designs like the Fuji 80mm macro or the Sigma 105mm DG DN ART, but stopped down it still produces very sharp images (f/5.6 and smaller). I really like the smooth manual focus. At longer subject distances, focus is very quick. However once in the closeup range, the focus throw is longer and therefore more precise. It does not have internal focus and this has pros and cons. It gets longer as you focus closer, but the focal length doesn't change like IF lenses. It loses 2 stops of light at 1:1 magnification, which is just physics but useful to understand. This lens is worth using if you like manual focus and use a tripod. sent on September 25, 2023 |
 | Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Pros: Sharp across the frame, has an aperture ring, uses a modest 67mm filter, low distortion, lightweight and not too big, and easy to carry anywhere. This is an outstanding lens. Very few lenses can match the image quality at this focal length. Cons: My first copy had soft corners, the second copy is very sharp across the frame. If you think something is wrong, exchange it and try another one! Opinion: My first copy had corners that looked too soft, and not as good as what I saw in many reviews. My second copy of this lens is sharp across the frame. Distortion is very low. The aperture ring is great to have. It is a good size, not too big or heavy using 67mm filters, and feels well-made. Focusing has always been accurate for me. I have not noticed any color aberrations. Great for night sky images. A highly recommended lens. sent on September 12, 2023 |
 | Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Pros: Sharp, lightweight for a supertele, accurate focus, inexpensive for what it is. It has nice bokeh for a zoom lens. Internal zoom (lens stays one size and doesn't change zoom position when aimed up or down). Good stabilizer. Well-made. Cons: 3 meter MFD. Lens hood is difficult to mount. White color stands out too much. Opinion: Only much more expensive prime superteles can beat this lens; it is both sharp and renders backgrounds very nicely for a zoom (no distractions in general). I love the versatility of the zoom. I use it at 600mm most of the time, but when I need to back off it is quickly adjusted. The internal zoom means it never changes size. This means it won't zoom by itself when you aim it up or down. But it takes up more space in the bag. It is well-balanced and light enough to be hand-held. I replaced the foot with one with a QD socket (kirkphoto) to make carrying on my shoulder easier via strap. I covered it with a lenscover to hide the white color. I wish it could focus closer than 3m. I dislike the lens hood, which was never easy to mount or dismount, and has only become more difficult with time. I no longer remove the hood and bought a bigger bag to hold it. See the Atlas Adventure backpack, which has enough space to store this lens with the hood on and mounted to the camera. Some day I expect the lens hood to break. sent on September 12, 2023 |
 | Sigma 65mm f/2 DG DN C Pros: Extremely sharp. Very good rendering. Well made. Cons: none Opinion: Amazing lens. It is sharp corner to corner even wide open, yet it renders beautifully with very smooth bokeh. Nicely made with all metal construction. The aperture ring is well-done. It works beautifully as a portrait lens or landscape lens. Manual focusing is done by wire, but feels smooth and natural. The focusing ring is well-damped. AF is very quick and accurate. sent on July 03, 2023 |
 | Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R Pros: Small, sharp, good contrast, lightweight, almost no distortion. I have not noticed any color issues, no chromatic aberrations. Cons: Aperture is easy to change by mistake. I wish it had weather resistance. Opinion: Sharp corner to corner. Very nice manual focus clutch. It is so small and light that it should always fit in your bag. It is like a mini Zeiss ZE 21mm... exceptional image quality. Distortion is low, making it easy to stitch images together for a panorama. It shares a 58mm filter and uses the same lens hood as the 18-55. Stacking filters is fine, the front element is small enough to avoid vignette. sent on March 06, 2021 |
 | Fujifilm XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Pros: Sharp, very fast focus in good light, excellent image stabilization. Good bokeh in most situations. No chromatic aberration. Cons: zoom creep, small lens foot, MFD is too long Opinion: This lens is very sharp at all settings and focuses nearly instantly in good light. C-AF is very accurate with my X-T3 (haven't tried other bodies). No Chromatic aberration visible in any image so far Good build quality, and fairly lightweight for the size. Excellent hood that attaches and detaches easily. Smooth control rings. Bokeh: Most of the time the background is pleasing. Sometimes it has cat's eye bokeh. Has some onion rings at times. Photoshop can take care of the distractions. What Fuji should do next time: I wish it had a shorter MFD. It needs a bigger foot on the lens collar. I wish it had a friction setting for the zoom to avoid lens creep. sent on January 15, 2019 |
 | Fujifilm XF 80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro Pros: Imaqe quality, excellent color, excellent bokeh for closeups, high contrast, sharp wide open, almost no loCA (longitudinal chromatic aberration). 1:1 (life size) macro. OIS is very good. WR is a nice bonus. Aperture ring is tight (you are not likely to change the aperture by accident). Cons: It can show cat's eyes for out of focus background highlights when used as a portrait lens Opinion: I think Fuji should have labeled this lens APO. Extremely sharp with high contrast even wide open. Very nice bokeh for closeup use. It makes a clunking noise when the camera is off; this is normal but very disconcerting. I can see why some people would think it was broken. I've never used another lens that did that in so obvious a manner. sent on November 13, 2018 |
 | Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM II Pros: Extremely sharp and contrasty, portable, takes the Canon 1.4x III tele-converter well, fast accurate focusing, excellent IS (image stabilization), and the minimum focus distance is 1 meter. Cons: Occasional purple fringing on high-contrast subjects. Bokeh isn't as nice as a prime, of course (but it isn't terrible). I wish the tripod collar was removable. Expensive. Opinion: This is the best tele-zoom I've ever used. It is an improvement in every way over the original 100-400. It is sharper, faster focusing, more accurate, has better stabilization, and handles the 1.4x TC III well. However, the best feature for me is the 1m close focus (1/3 life size at 400mm), which lets me get closer to frogs than before. While the bigger faster super-teles have advantages, this is the best portable tele available for Canon. I've used the original 70-200 f/2.8L IS, 300f/4L, original 100-400L... the 100-400 mark II is better than all of them... except the 300/f4L is smaller/lighter. None of the other lenses I listed are bad (they are all excellent), but the 100-400 mark II is noticeably better. sent on September 09, 2016 |
 | Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Pros: Very sharp lens with great color and contrast, better than many L lenses. Very good bokeh, very low aberrations. 1:1 macro, internal focusing, front elements (as in most EOS lenses) do no rotate, does not change length during focusing. Cons: Not fast focusing, won't become a sports lens for anyone. The optional lens collar is horrible; an L-bracket is a better option. Opinion: Best bang-for-the-buck macro available for Canon (i.e the very best value for a macro lens, in case translations don't say it well). Also great for portraits (if f/2.8 is shallow enough for you) and landscapes. The IS model costs twice as much for no extra benefit aside from the IS. If you work from a tripod, this is a great lens to have. sent on December 07, 2013 |
 | Canon EF 24-70mm f/4 L IS USM Pros: compact, 77mm filters Cons: My copy was not sharp. Overpriced for the speed and features. Opinion: I must have gotten a lemon. I could not get a sharp image out of mine. I could not even detect precise focus at 10x liveview, which is normally quite easy for the rest of my lenses. I returned it and bought the 24-70 f/2.8L II, which is outstanding. Enough other people are happy that I'm sure I just had a bad copy. In use, I did not find the macro setting useful because it was too close to light the subject. sent on October 05, 2013 |
 | Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM II Pros: very sharp at all settings, great contrast, accurate AF Cons: filter size, price Opinion: I lost most of my interest in primes after getting this lens. In fact I will sell my 50mm f/1.4 after getting the zoom. The zoom is really sharp with great contrast and good rendering. My friend has seen the onion ring bokeh from out-of-focus metallic objects, but I have not encountered this yet. I wanted to buy cheaper lenses but in the long run I decided this was still cheaper, lighter, and more convenient than a few primes. AF is fast and accurate, build is solid, and I like the size of the lens hood... it isn't too obnoxious like the one with the 17-40L. It fits in my bags without having to remove it. This is subjective, but I also like how it feels in my hands. The rings are well-placed and easy to locate by feel. It balances nicely on a 5D3. The downside for me is the filters. I hoped to avoid buying more and carrying more than one set, but in the end I think this lens is worth it. sent on February 13, 2013 |
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