Very good close-up lens
937609
This is a really nice Nikkor lens, incredibly sharp, changing from AF to manual focus is done on the fly, great results, it does what it is designed for really well. AF is great in good lighting, it hunts a bit in low lighting conditions. Overall this is one of Nikon's best lenses.
4534361
I really like this lens. Very close macro and also good shots at 60mm. Comes with Canon adapter which is a bounus.
4974432
I chose this lens over the Canon 70-200mm f/4 L lens, though I paid almost as much.  The IS feature is what swayed me, and it really does make a difference.  I am able to get shots that I otherwise would have missed.  The range on my XTi makes it equivalent to 480mm, so I can get really close with it and choose my framing better.  The lens is somewhat heavy, but not overly so for such a big thing.

That said, I can say that the rotation of the barrel during zooming and focusing is an annoyance, and it really stretches out.  I also have the hood, which is beastly huge, but I think it is really worthwhile (get the cheaper precision one).&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Precision-Design-ET-65B-Lens-Hood-Canon-for-EF-70-300mm-f-4-5-5-6-DO-IS-USM-Lens/dp/B000Q6JMB6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Precision Design ET-65B Lens Hood Canon for EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens</a>&nbsp;I also think that a polarizing or better UV Haze filter would be a good investment, as this lens can really amplify the haze by focusing on subjects through more haze.  I have had to do a lot of correction with my pictures from Israel, though I was using it on hazy days that we couldn't see as far.

This lens is also great for capturing the moment without disturbing it, as I was able to take some engagement photos for some good friends from a distance.  I was even able to capture him down on one knee holding the ring from a good vantage point!
4822624
I've found this makes a very nice one lens walk around kit with my E500. The sharpness is certainly equal to the Olympus 14-45mm lens where they overlap, and even sharper in the telephoto end. While not a macro lens, I've also gotten very nice closeup photos with the lens. Of course, it is not as sharp as the 50-200mm Olympus lens, which is a much bigger and more expensive lens. Autofocus is fast and accurate. But don't take my word. Popular Photography has just tested the lens and called it among the top zooms in its class.
4591229
The close up lens works great. the other two are OK but can be achieved with better results in editing software.  Still, the close up was worth the price of the item alone.
63932
I am very happy with my Rokinon lens.  I typically use if for architecture shots and for extreme close-ups of flowers, dogs, etc.  Although the focus control only goes down to 1 foot, as long as you've selected a small aperture the depth-of-field is very impressive.  Today I was getting the lens 1 inch from flowers and getting very nice pictures, with all the background also in focus.

A short time-lapse I recently made with a Canon DSLR and this lens: (Make sure to select HD on the Vimeo viewer)

https://vimeo.com/114205946
2287756
I like this lens, the Macro mode is quite useful for it let you stay a comfortable distance away while still captures nice close up shots (see the shared picture samples above).

Pros: cheap, light, good sharpness and constrast stoped down (f/8) especially below 200mm range, 200-300mm is softer, but usable.

Cons: need to be very careful about the shooting technique, at long focal length, the small aperture makes the lens very susciptible to camera shake, steady hands and high ISO and fast shutter speed will be the key for long focal lengths.  Definitely no match for the canon 70-200mm family, but then those at many many times more expensive.  Soft wide open, especially at 300mm focal length.  For the 300mm focal length, you really can't find anything this cheap and offer reasonable performance.
3154875
This is a terrific little lens by Samyang/Rokinon.  It's very sharp across the frame, even wide open.  Solid construction, very good price, excellent image quality: what's not to like?

I'm using it primarily to create 360 degree spherical panoramas and it's far better for that purpose than distortion-corrected wide angles like the Panny 7-14mm, which I was using before.
1627030
I purchased this lens as an adjunct to the 18-70mm lens that came with my Nikon D70 camera.  Principle use is for wildlife photography, and have also had some success with astro-photography; such as the recent lunar eclipse.  It's convenient that it uses the same filter sizes (67mm) as my 18-70 kit lens.  The auto-focus is fast and accurate, and when I stop the lens down to F8, clarity at 300mm zoom is very good on distant birds.  The resolution of the lens exceeds the capability of my current camera.  All-in-all, I highly recommend it.  The Vibration Reduction works VERY WELL, and the lens is the best thing I could buy shy of purchasing a pro model such as the 70-200mm VR for almost three times the money.  This lens has the advantage of lighter weight.  My only caveat is that the manual focus ring could have been differentiated better, as it's a little hard to find quickly when looking through the view-finder.
2203649
I'm new to photography and after reading reviews on this lens, I had to try it. Plus, this price is a bonus! I use this lens with my Rebel T6 for short distance/closeup shots and still life images. I like the fish-eye effect and I'll practice more with it. This lens gives a nice definition in close-up shots.
1385787
Lens is pretty sharp, pretty fast, and easy to operate. I don't care for the mf/af switch, but this takes very nice images.
4507287
Really, I found this lens quiet useful to take portrait photographs and close-up shots where the focus and DOF was really important. It costs less, that's a plus point.
1229337
This is a great Lens at a great price and makes a great gift for those that do not know what to get the photographer in your life.

With my husbands personal shooting experience he says that this lens is  sharpest at f5.6 - f8. but the sweet spot of sharpness is a bit smaller.

Flare is nicely controlled and most significant in the corners.
Focus - Performance is good, even in low light. The focus speed and accuracy are quite good. The focus ring does turn on this model. He has pointed out that front element does not turn while focusing, not sure if that would be an issue for others.

24mm performance useful in some situations. He has found that close in  can be acheived. I have read other reviews that claim close up 24mm performance is not good, but he says that he has found that this serves just fine.

Overall - a good choice in a useful focal range and a good value. I would recommend this lens.
When used correctly, this lens provieds very good results.
2510048
I am very happy with this lens, not RAVING MAD happy, but satisfyingly pleased.  I'm going to try to make this review as balanced and objective as possible.

I've been using the lens for about a month now, at home and on vacation (so it's been quite a lot of pictures woohoo).  I've used it in many situations, some of which you might say the lens is not made for, but I'm just trying to give an all-around review in as many scenarios as possible.  Here's how the lens, in my opinion, plays out.

THE GOOD:
- Excellent general purpose lens.
- 30mm focal length creates a wide enough angle for most situations.
- Images are pretty contrasty and pleasing.
- Reasonably sharp in good and even mediocre light.  And for the casual photographer (like myself), it's more than sharp enough, especially considering the breadth of its applications.
- The 1.4 maximum aperture is GREAT for low light situations and can also be used to blur out the backgrounds of photos to accentuate the subject (however, see portraits in "The Bad")
- The HSM focusing mechanism works well with my camera and is reasonably fast.  (Faster than my 18-55mm, but noticeably slower than my other Nikon primes)
- The focus ring is just stiff enough.  You'll be holding it often, so the stiffness helps keep you from manually focusing when you don't need to.
- In my opinion the lens looks pretty stylin' on the camera haha.

THE BAD:
- I would not advise using this lens for portraits if you are serious about it.  The angle of view requires you to move close to your subject and sadly stretches out his/her face.  For portraits, please use the 50mm or longer.  (however, if you're shooting 3 people at a dinner table, it's totally fine)
- Can't focus very close, making macro work difficult.
- No Auto/Manual focus switch on the lens (must be switched in the camera.
- Sometimes (and this is in practice) the lens fails to focus well in low light situations, make sure the lens cap is off.
- The rear lens cap is terrible, throw it away and buy a Nikon one.

OVERALL:
This lens can be summed up in two words: GENERAL PURPOSE, don't forget that, GENERAL PURPOSE.  Don't expect super stellar pictures, but I'd say this lens is indispensable for traveling and general photography.  It's awesome performance in low light is especially great for people who hate the destructive effects of the on-camera flash.  Hope this helps :)
2235673
It is a SHARP lens. Gives me good color, contrast, and detail.  I use it to take close up pictures of flowers in my garden.  I come out with great pictures with high image quality (IQ) and impressive backround blur (bokeh).  It is LIGHT in weight and relatively small, so mounted on my 50D, it makes the camera unit easy to carry even with one hand. When the camera is lugged around my neck, it is not as heavy with this lens on, thus ideal for travelling. It is VERSATILE since the range it covers is the usual range of shots I take.  The wide angle of 18mm allows me to take good landscape shots and will accommodate a crowd of people into the picture with no need to back up even in a tight room. The telephoto end of 55mm, is adequate for my daily walk around needs. You get all these for the remarkably low price and image stabilization (IS) is a big plus to enable handheld shots without blur. I've seen no vignetting nor chromatic aberrations so far. The only con is that it looks cheap next to pricier lenses. However, to me, it is the pictures it produces that matters rather than its exterior looks.
2124171
This lens is so much fun! It can be hard to focus on close things occasionally, but it takes some great pictures
2527836
Very good lens.  I like all the features it offers.  It has power zoom, with *three* speeds, and an option to switch to a manual zoom.
The power zoom is a bit slow but it's a good thing.  It adds more professional feeling to my videos.
I use it with a Sony NEX-3N.  The power zoom lever activates the lens but if you try to zoom in, aaaaall the way there, I'd recommend to use a remote control.  When the lens is fully retracted, the smallest vibrations from a hand, are magnified and visible.
The lens takes great still pictures too.  Very crisp and sharp.  I guess the quality of the glass is very good.
It is a bit heavy but it's a small price to pay for superb quality of photos and videos.
My camera came with a 16-50 lens and I liked it.  When I saw how good this lens was - I sold the 16-50.
18200 does everything the other one did and then some.
I was able to take awesome photos and achieve the bokeh effect - blurred background.  One day, a bird sat down on my balcony railing.  She was just posing for the photos.  I've also stopped at the Millennium Park, in Chicago.  Very nice pictures. Take a look.