SHUTTER JOURNEY SINGAPORE

Venturing further into photography, one will start to explore the various genres like a curious child.
Macro photography fascinated me. The ability to see super close up details not exactly visible to human eye gave me additional reason why I wanted to learn Macro. So I got my 7th Canon lens. This time, I gotten the EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM. I was pretty lost for a while on which macro lens to buy. There were simply too many choices from Canon and also offerings from 3rd party lenses to consider. I set out to ask fellow photographers and I received diversed reactions and feedbacks. From what I gathered, I need a good range thus the 100mm. I have also learnt that for any range below 90mm for macro, those are really for shooting stills (product shoot).

* picture:  EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM.

So I was left with just a few choices, Canon’s EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, EF 100mm F2.8L IS Macro USM, Tamron 90mm Macro, Tokina & Sigma’s 105mm Macro. The 3rd party lenses has great reviews especially the Sigma & Tamron and the price is much cheaper than Canon’s. But I dropped the idea then solely because I have not really tried a 3rd party lens and so I lack the confidence & courage to buy them. Back to the Canon Camp, I am left with the 2 100mm macro to choose from. The L version offers Image Stabilizer (IS) but costs almost 50% more than the non-L equivalent. (L-Version RRP SGD$1569 & Non L-Version RRP SGD$999). Then intensive research start. I scours the net and read up every available article on these 2 lenses and soon a decision was made. You may probably laugh at why I arrived on my decision, but heck, I am going to share it anyway. I picked the EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM over the L Version because of the price. I thought it is crazy to pay so much more for the IS and a red ring. And way before the L version was launched, most professionals was (and still using) only using the non L version as the only L version macro lens was the EF 180mm F3.5L Macro USM. So that finalised my decision.

 

 

The build quality of this lens are L-like. Solid metal body, sturdy and definitely not from Canon’s lower range lenses. The ultrasonic motor (USM) works fast and quietly – this is important when shooting insects. Weight wise, this lens is not exactly heavy and since it is medium size, lugging this lens around is also easy and effortless. The glass offer sharp magnification of the tiniest thing you can think of, and when wide open at F2.8, this lens is also a great portrait lens offering great bokeh due to its 8 apeture blades construction. Using it for product/ still shoots, F8 through F14 is extremely sharp with zero vignetting and all details are captured leaving nothing behind. For insects, floral & fauna, F16 onwards gives great macro shots of little things that never once matter to me. When used on my 350D-IR or 500D, the APS-C sensor literally gives me an added range to 160mm which is a great bonus when shooting insects from a distance without disturbing or scaring them away. When used on my 5D Mark II, this is one of the best portrait lens I ever had. Need I say more?

* picture:  EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM.

Some User Facts/ Information:
(If you are looking for the specs, please google yourself, it’s all over the internet.)
– Filter 58mm
– Lens Hood ET-67 (Sold Separately).

"I think the 50(mm lens) is an extremely good discipline lens; it requires you to see in a more refined way, not just tighter." – William Albert

* picture:  EF 50mm F1.8 II.

 

Received this lens together on the same day with the EF 15mm F2.8 Fisheye. This is my 6th Canon Lens and also my 2nd prime lens. Widely known as the "Nifty Fifty" or "Plastic Fantastic" in the industry, one can easily understand why this is so. The EF 50mm F 1.8 II is a full plastic constructed lens down from body to the lens mount. (except the lens elements of course! Those are real glass!) This successor to the original mark I 50mm F1.8 was a far cry from what it replaced. Some websites actually suggested that this lens was made this way so that the EF 50mm F1.4 USM can sell. Rumours or speculations, I will leave that to your imagination.

* picture:  EF 50mm F1.8 II.

This is a truly value for money lens. At a RRP of SGD $159 (Street Price $120), this lens are most photographers’ first prime lens. Fairly priced as Canon’s cheapest lens in the whole EF Lens Line, this lens performs well and fast. It work very well in low light conditions and the image are sharp and crisp – a norm for prime lenses. The F1.8 gives great bokeh (blur off/ off focus blurring) when appropriately used for portraits. The end results are often amazing and of exceptional quality thus earning it’s positive nicknames. This lens is also Canon’s lightest lens at 4.6 oz and one of the smallest too. When used on a cropped body, it gives the user a 80mm range which is great for portraits and once mounted on a full frame body, the 50mm is good enough to be a walkabout lens. However, the only complain I have about this lens is, the focusing motor are very noisy. It sqeaks a lot – typical of old skool micro motor (MM). Probably also explains the cheap retail price for this lens. At that price, will you complain?    

 

* picture:  EF 50mm F1.8 II.

 

Going wider (literally), I got interested in creating "Beautifully Distorted" photos. The lens that caught my attention and eventually became my 5th Canon lens is none other than the EF 15mm F2.8 Fisheye. On my 350D-IR & 500D, it gives me a 24mm wide, mildly distorted, but ultra wide perspective due to the intended barrel distortion. When used on my 5D mark II, this lens became one of the most interesting lens to use. On a Full Frame camera, it gives the user a 180 degree view – from left to right – so this lens is also known as a "horizontal fisheye lens". And it so happens that this is also Canon’s one & only Fisheye lens. (Other alternative Fisheye lenses from 3rd party manufacturers are available – both Horizontal & Circular Fisheye) Being a Canon "Hardcore" person, I picked this lens over the competition, naturally . Using it on both cropped and full frame bodies, this Fisheye offer lots of fun. I use it for alternative landscape and sometimes, candid portraits that computer softwares is unable to acheive or render. The corner sharpness is unsurpassed when compared to competition and this is a pleasant surprise.

* picture:  EF 15mm F2.8 Fisheye.

This beautiful metal-bodied lens came with a prefixed petal-like metal hood and the lens cap is held in place by FRICTION on the fixed hood! So far it had worked pretty well and the lens cap came off only once while packed into my gear bag and travelling. The overall construction and build quality of this lens is good, except the focusing ring feels a little cheap and a tad loose. The focusing mechanism runs on Arc Form Drive (AFD) Motor (Sits in between the low cost Micro Motor <MM> and the higher end Ultrasonic Motor <USM>) so expect lots of noise but this does not affect the focusing speed at all. At F2.8, this is a fast performing lens and it does not exactly comes cheap. This is a must-have lens for all Canon Hardcores.  

 

This is my 4th lens (and my 2nd L-series EF Lens) and it is probably the most popular ultra wide angle (UWA) lens from Canon. Sitting on Canon’s EF "L-Series" lens hierachy, this UWA is a favourite "Upgrade" for most Canon Users when they can’t get enough out of their existing kit lens. When used on bodies with APS-C sensors (x1.6), this lens gives you an increased wide angle from 27-64mm (EF-S 18-55mm give you the wide equivalent to 28mm on 35mm sensors) and making this a good walkabout lens. I used this lens on my EOS 500D for the longest time as my full time lens before I bought my full frame EOS 5D Mark II. The focal range became super wide once mounted on my 5D but the telephoto end became far off and not exactly usable as a walkabout lens on full frame camera. (which I bought the EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM later as the main lens) This lens being a L-Series EF Lens, the build quality is superb and solid. It is also one of the lightest & smallest zoom lens in the "L" family.

* picture:  EF 17-40mm F4L USM.

Image quality suffers slightly at F4 where the center is sharp and the corners are slightly soft. However, from F5.6 onwards, every details is sharp from corner to corner. This lens is moderately priced – within reach for most enthusiasts or advanced amatuers thus explaining its popularity. The focusing are super fast and accurate while the ring USM ensures silent operation on the internal focusing lens body. There is a bigger brother who are twice as fast – the EF 16-35mm F2.8L USM), but cost twice as high too, so before buying your UWA lens, do take into consideration the applications you are going to use for. As for me, I selected the EF 17-40mm f4L USM over the EF 16-35mm F2.8L USM was purely the fact that I do landscape shots during the day most of the time and I use tripod for almost every night shoot. So this is not a problem at all. For tight indoor/interior shoot or handheld, I use flash to bounce off light so F4 is not exactly handicapped too. For the attractive price and ultra wide angle, I selected this lens. Did I also mentioned that this lens produce great colors too?  

* picture:  EF 17-40mm F4L USM.

 

 

Some User Facts/ Information:
(If you are looking for the specs, please google yourself, it’s all over the internet.)
– Filter Size is 77mm
– Lens Hood is EW-83E (Supplied in Box).
– Average lens for Infra-red Photography (IR) portraits. Slight hotspotting appears at 17mm & 24mm stops.
– Ring Ultrasonic Motor (USM)/ (Not Micro USM) – the real deal. 
– Weather Sealing (only when used with a front screw-on filter)
– Focal Range when used on bodies with smaller APS-C sensors – 27-64mm.
– EF Mount is designed for use on Canon’s EOS Full Frame & Cropped Bodies (with corresponding increase x1.6 APS-C or x1.3 APS-H)

What I Like:
– Sharp photos with great color reproduction.
– Great walkabout lens for my 500D & 350D-IR.
– Super Wide when used with my 5D Mark II.
– L-Series Build Quality & Construction.
– Good travelling size & weight.
– Fast Focusing.
– Silent Operation.
– Weather Sealing.
– Moderately Priced.
– Distance Scale.

What I Hate:
– The supplied hood EW-83E is pretty useless and the size makes it hard for storage. 
– Useless leather lens pouch that came in the Box.

*Picture Source Internet.

Buying my 3rd Canon lens seems like the most natural thing to do as I progress on. While doing my research, I have read about a very common and popular lens range – 70-200mm. At that point of time, I have only 4 choices to choose from. (EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Mark II was not launched back then)
The famous four are: 
1) EF 70-200mm F4L USM.
2) EF 70-200mm F4L IS USM.
3) EF 70-200mm F2.8L USM.
4) EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM.

So I started to do extensive reading up on these four lenses and I surf the net for all the possible users’ review and information I can find. After much consideration and after reading not less than 20 articles and 40 reviews on internet, I’ve decided to go for the EF 70-200mm F4L USM. Why? Of the 4, the F4L Non IS happens to be the sharpest among the four. Also taking into consideration that I may not do any telelphoto shots or portrait shots at night, so F4 is already sufficient for most applications that I am doing. And I am glad to find out later that this is also the cheapest & lightest among the four siblings.  

 

This lens being a "L-Series EF Lens", (L stands for Luxury in Canon language) the build and construction of this lens is solid and well put together. Though much heavier than the "plasticky" EF 75-300mm F4-5.6 III USM, this EF 70-200mm F4L USM is the lightest and the smallest 70-200mm among the four. Featuring a full metal body painted in an off-white color, this lens is a joy to use and a joy to own. I bought a tripod ring (not supplied in the box) to complement this lens but found that I seldom use it. The supplied lens pouch was never used and I thought this accessory was quite redundant – will be happier if Canon replace the pouch with a tripod ring instead. I shoot handheld with this lens very often and still get sharp and nice photos on all focal range stops. Focusing is exceptionally fast (and rumoured to be faster than the F2.8L Non IS) and precised while internal focusing with ring USM ensures almost silent operation. Constant F4 is a sweet revver. Try it, you will understand why I rated this lens highly.

Some User Facts/ Information:
(If you are looking for the specs, please google yourself, it’s all over the internet.)
– Filter Size is 67mm
– Lens Hood is ET-74 (Supplied in Box).
– Pretty good lens for Infra-red Photography (IR) portraits. May have slight hotspotting when used with UV Filters.
– Ring Ultrasonic Motor (USM)/ (Not Micro USM) – the real deal. 
– Focal Range when used on bodies with smaller APS-C sensors – 110-320mm.
– EF Mount is designed for use on Canon’s EOS Full Frame & Cropped Bodies (with corresponding increase x1.6 APS-C or x1.3 APS-H)

What I Like:
– Sharp photos with great color reproduction.
– Great portrait lens and medium telephoto range adds flexibility to use.
– L-Series Build Quality & Construction.
– Fast Focusing.
– Silent Operation.
– Distance Scale.

What I Hate:
– The longer you carry, the heavier it gets.
– White Color body attracts unwanted attention.

This is one of the cheapest telephoto lens from Canon. Designed as consumers’ "First Telephoto Lens", don’t expect too much is what I will say. Yes you heard it. People always say "you get what you pay for" and that is certainly true when used in Canon’s context. I bought this lens (Canon EF 75-300mm F4-5.6 III USM) as my 2nd lens and mainly due to its cheap price. Of a price for this focal range is definitely value for money. However, the results are a tad disappointing. Photos are soft at 75mm and it only starts to improve from 135mm onwards. Sharpness is acceptable, but not without first mounting this lens on a steady tripod. For the price I paid, I am not complaining. Made from the same material like the little 18-55mm brother, the plastic construction made the lens feels cheap and definitely NOT for abuse. What surprised me was, this lens has 7 apeture blades, and the micro ultrasonic motor (USM) indeed made focusing faster and more quiet.

* Picture:  EF 75-300mm F4-5.6 III USM.

Before I sold this lens away, I took it to the zoo once and to Indonesia once to try out. Zoo photos turned out fine when used on a tripod but not for those handheld shots. For Indonesia’s shots, under bright sunny condition, this lens performed well and fast enough. Once darkness creeps in, this lens is better left in your dry cabinet. If you are looking out to buy your first telephoto lens and with a tight budget, this is one good starter telephoto lens. Otherwise, I will recommend getting the slightly more expensive IS version or the EF 70-300mm IS USM, which is a better performer anytime.

Though the time I spent with this lens is short, I enjoyed using it for its friendly carry-about weight and shortened length when it’s not extended during zooming. Oh, be warned too in case you get confused. There is another even cheaper version known as Canon EF 75-300mm F4-5.6 III. That is the really the worst cheap range telephoto lens that one will buy. I sold off this lens soon after I bought my EF 70-200mm F4L USM. I guess I may never know how good are the L-Lenses if I don’t first try out the bottom range lenses. But I must also state that I have never regretted buying this lens as my 2nd lens.

* Picture:  The "Lesser Version" EF 75-300mm F4-5.6 III. (Non USM version)
 

Some User Facts/ Information:
(If you are looking for the specs, please google yourself, it’s all over the internet.)
– Filter Size is 58mm
– Lens Hood is ET-60 (Sold separately).
– This Lens is NOT suitable for Infra-red Photography (IR)
– Do not confuse this version with the lesser EF 75-300mm F4-5.6 III. (Non USM)
– Focal Range when used bodies with smaller APS-C sensors – 120-480mm.
– EF Mount is designed for use on Canon’s EOS Full Frame & Cropped Bodies (with corresponding increase x1.6 APS-C or x1.3 APS-H).

What I Like:
– Light and good for travelling
– Sharp photos from F14 onwards.
– Cheap to replace if damaged.
– Micro USM is cool & near silent.
– Sharp photos at 200mm and 300mm stops.

What I Hate:
– No Distance Scale. 

 

To start things off, I have decided to write about the gears that both of us are currently using and also to let this be an information to those who may be searching for it. Since we started as "new" beginners, we will kick off the first article with Canon’s 2 version of standard kit lens. The EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS (Image Stabilizer) and the older brethel EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 Mark II. For those who bought EOS 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 300D, 350D, 400D and earlier batch of 450D, you would have probably bought the body in a kit package that came with EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 Mark II. For the later models like EOS 450D, 500D, 50D & the recently launched 550D, the IS version come as a kit lens. though there are other kit lens with more versatile focal range (18-135mm, 18-200mm & 15-85mm), the 18-55mm is still by far the most popular "starter" lens -given its price and usable range.

* Picture:  EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 Mark II.

* Picture:  EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS.

I own both of these kit lens and though I have given the Non-IS version away, I am writing up a quick overview on the 2 lenses’ performance and usability.

Like all kit lenses, you can never expect too much. Since the lens is designed and constructed for the consumer market (mass market), the build quality of the Canon’s kit lenses are known to be "plasticky",  "cheapo" and sometimes "unusable". The cost for making these lenses has to be kept really low to remain competitive among the competition. (Place a Nikon’s Nikkor or Sony Alpha’s equivalent side by side and you know what I am talking about). However, the look and feel of the lens does not really tell or readily announce it’s capability. Someone quoted as saying "with some practice, you can still get good photos from this kit lens" and I must agree. Since returning back to photography, I re-started the passion again via the digital route with an entry level DSLR the Canon EOS 500D that came with the IS Kit Lens. I exploited both the camera and the kit lens to the extreme putting this combo through the paces of landscape, macro, nightscape and every other genre of photography that one can think of. The image quality improved with time once I get accustomed to the lens’ limitations and so this lens CAN produce reasonably good photos as well.

Between the newer IS and the older Mark II version, the most visible change is the redesigned zoom ring rubber grip. The IS gets the finer grip lines while the Mark II has a broader grip lines. The IS version is slightly larger in size, but it takes an eagle eye to spot the size difference. In addition to the "IS" switch and a better focus ring on the newcomer, there isn’t really much difference between the two. Image wise, both are comparably (or acceptably) good – only when used properly. I will leave that to your imagination.

* Picture:  EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 Mark II.

* Picture:  EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS.

Some User Facts/ Information:
(If you are looking for the specs, please google yourself, it’s all over the internet.)
– Filter Size is 58mm
– Lens Hood is EW-60C (Sold separately).
– Both the IS & Mark II version is NOT suitable for Infra-red Photography (IR)
– Both are plastic mount.
– The IS is not the same IS found on higher end models – simplified version. 
– Focal Range when converted to Full Frame sensors – 29-88mm.
– EF-S is designed solely for use on Canon’s EOS Cropped Bodies.

What I Like:
– Light and good for travelling
– Magnification is exceptionally good thus making it suitable for light macro use.
– Cheap to replace if damaged.
– IS on the newer version.
– Sharp photos at 24mm and 35mm stops.

What I Hate:
– Plastic mount.
– No distance scale.

– Cheap "feel".
– Every other person is using it.
– No or very low Resale value. (Brand New RRP SGD $369, Used SGD $90)

*Picture Source Internet.