iamennuipoet on eBay

Sep 04, 2009

A Beautiful Piece of Glass

Let's be honest, you're looking for "L" Glass because you've been playing around with the lower tier lenses and are finally looking to get serious. You may have slummed around with the awful kit lenses Canon puts out. You thought you had a relationship with the many EF's out there, but there was something missing between you. Now, you are ready to get serious, ready to settle down with something that will last a life time. This is your new lens. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L is sharp, quick to focus, brilliant in color capture and the bokeh can make a brave man weep. Finely balanced, even on a tiny Rebel body, the lens never feels front heavy or awkward. The Auto/Manual focus switch is intuitively placed so you can change modes without breaking your contact with the view finder. The AF is whisper quiet, you could shoot it in church without interrupting a prayer. The exposures are crisp, at 70mm or 200mm, even wide open, with noticeable CA. The build is solid, none of the plastic feel of the lower tier lenses. This is my first "L", it will not be my last. Are there downsides? Sure, nothing is perfect. The lens is not fast, F4 is not what you want for low light. If you plan on doing any low light shooting, invest the money in a tripod mount. (Although, you can successfully hand hold at low shutter speeds because of the build and balance of the lends, you will be better off with the tripod mount.) The lens hood is bulky, awkward to mount and adds unnecessary length to the lens, I am sifting through various alternatives and haven't found one I like. The filter size is not common, meaning you will shell out extra money for filters, on top of the money you spent on the lens, it can be a pain. The big white lens is not subtle, you will not be able to shoot discretely with this baby on and it makes you a walking target for thieves, so be watchful when using it. Is it worth it? A thousand times YES! A used "L" on eBay is a bargain (and I bought mine for a steal thanks to a insignificant lens scuff). For someone getting serious about their photography this lens is THE starter lens. You will not look at your other lenses the same after using it. You might as well get used to the idea that you will giving Canon a LOT more of your money for other "L" lenses. I say let the kids pay their own way through college!

2 of 2 found this helpful

Dec 04, 2010

Professional Results Amatuer Budget

Living in a New York City apartment limits one's options when it comes to little perks, such as home darkrooms. So, when I decided to start shooting and developing film again I knew that a scanner was the solution. I researched the options and chose the Canon SC8800F based on three basic requirements. The first was the ability to scan medium format negatives. There are many scanners that will image 35mm negatives, the choice in medium format and slides is rather narrower. The second criteria was image quality, I photograph with Canon camera's and lenses, so I trust Canon to provide me with a solid product. Finally, price, while I would love to have a high end scanner with the kind of resolution suitable for spy photographs, the thousands of dollars they cost remains prohibitive. The CS8800F meets and exceeds each of the categories. The scanner ships with the film guides to scan 35mm negatives and slides and 6x6 medium format negatives. The 8800 scans up to 4800 dpi, which produces a gargantuan resolution and stellar clarity. Finally, the price for the unit simply cannot be beat. The only minor quibble I have with the Canon is the scan speed, which is quite slow. This is simply a trade off for the price, you can buy faster scanners with better resolution but nowhere near this price. If you are simply looking for a cheap, easy scanner to digitize snapshots and copy documents, you will find cheaper models with features designed for home office use. If you are a photographer or artist looking for an affordable solution to bridge the film/digital gap, the Canon CS8800F is the answer to the question.

1 of 1 found this helpful

Sep 04, 2009

A Beautiful Piece of Glass

Let's be honest, you're looking for "L" Glass because you've been playing around with the lower tier lenses and are finally looking to get serious. You may have slummed around with the awful kit lenses Canon puts out. You thought you had a relationship with the many EF's out there, but there was something missing between you. Now, you are ready to get serious, ready to settle down with something that will last a life time. This is your new lens. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L is sharp, quick to focus, brilliant in color capture and the bokeh can make a brave man weep. Finely balanced, even on a tiny Rebel body, the lens never feels front heavy or awkward. The Auto/Manual focus switch is intuitively placed so you can change modes without breaking your contact with the view finder. The AF is whisper quiet, you could shoot it in church without interrupting a prayer. The exposures are crisp, at 70mm or 200mm, even wide open, with noticeable CA. The build is solid, none of the plastic feel of the lower tier lenses. This is my first "L", it will not be my last. Are there downsides? Sure, nothing is perfect. The lens is not fast, F4 is not what you want for low light. If you plan on doing any low light shooting, invest the money in a tripod mount. (Although, you can successfully hand hold at low shutter speeds because of the build and balance of the lends, you will be better off with the tripod mount.) The lens hood is bulky, awkward to mount and adds unnecessary length to the lens, I am sifting through various alternatives and haven't found one I like. The filter size is not common, meaning you will shell out extra money for filters, on top of the money you spent on the lens, it can be a pain. The big white lens is not subtle, you will not be able to shoot discretely with this baby on and it makes you a walking target for thieves, so be watchful when using it. Is it worth it? A thousand times YES! A used "L" on eBay is a bargain (and I bought mine for a steal thanks to a insignificant lens scuff). For someone getting serious about their photography this lens is THE starter lens. You will not look at your other lenses the same after using it. You might as well get used to the idea that you will giving Canon a LOT more of your money for other "L" lenses. I say let the kids pay their own way through college!

2 of 2 found this helpful

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