Can someone comment on how this is different from a "tilt-shift" lens costing hundreds of dollars more? I want to get into the realm of architectural photography, and was told a tilt-shift would be great to have, but LensBaby was also mentioned.
714654
Totally different animal. For architecture you need a real tilt shift. Lensbaby is not built the same.
32352
If money is a concern, try the "fantastic plastic" or sometimes called the "nifty fifty". That's the Canon EOS 50mm f/1.8. Great lens. Best optics per dollar, for sure. Only complaint people have had has been about the quality of background blur when shooting wide open. I haven't had an issue personally, it's acceptable for the price. It IS rather ugly compared to the quality of bokeh on the f/1.2L .. But you can buy 15 of the 1.8s for the price of the 1.2, so that's to be expected.The 1.4 has had some great reviews as well.
583554
I found that the photo's I've taken with this lens are much sharper. It's almost like the kit lens was looking through a double paned window in comparison. The color saturation seems to be better too, but it could be due to the crispness of the image. If your unsure - rent one and compare, or find a friend willing to share and try it for a day. This lens is much heavier to carry (more elements means more weight). I don't find this a fault.
91302
I love this lens, but yes... I DO think you should save up for the IS version. I wish I would have. I was just a beginner not knowing what I was purchasing at the time. I am totally kicking myself now. :( Its not terrible, but I think the IS would be much better. In my honest opinion
1864063
I'm a hobbyist. I'd like to upgrade from the 28-135mm to the 24-105mm, but I'm afraid of spending this much and getting a lens that isn't a "good copy." I'm just not expert enough to know if a lens needs to be recalibrated or something. Is it best for someone like me to buy local and ask the camera store to evaluate the lens sharpness? Or buy from someone like B&H; and ask them to evaluate it before they ship it to me? I resell a lot of lenses, too, and I wouldn't want to resell it some day and have someone complain it wasn't sharp.
433202
I got the 40mm Micro lens over the 35mm and I am really happy with the purchase. It cost about $80 more but it does more. That being said, I have the 35mm on the wish list even though it will be horribly redundant. The 40mm Micro has so drawbacks but it does get you in close. I don't know how the 35mm could be sharper but lots of reviews comparing the two indicate it can be depending on subject matter. This is probably a topic people make themselves crazy with so I will probably buy some peace for $200 by getting the 35mm lens sooner than later.
1630104
Whoa, buying and having it shipped straight from Hong Kong? Did you ever do that in the states or only in the UK? BTW, thanks for the great posts Mark, they're turning out to be very very helpful. I am currently shopping around for a telephoto and have to make a decision soon about the aperture f/4 or f/2.8, the $$ i want to spend on it and whether I want IS or not. You may be able to help with the $$ on the Hong Kong issue. Thanks again! Nino
423147
Thanks, Tech Guy! So the "optical stabilization" feature is one thing I notice not all the lenses have, and I assume becomes more critical with more zoom?Annette, I'm glad I could help. I'm not a great photographer, but I've been fortunate enough to get some pretty good pix, both with film and digital. For me, the 2 best things about digital are 1) not having that little voice in the back of my head saying "you're going to spend a fortune getting these developed" while I'm trying to get the perfect shot; and 2) not having to wait for them!!
357725
To my understanding it is usually believed that 2470 is a better version than this one in the same focal length range. But there are other things to consider. How important is it for you to have the extra versatility, that is, the focal length of 70 to 120? How much do you care about the lost of aperture range? (And that depends on what you plan to shoot most often.) How important is the price difference to you? And weight differs, too. Actually, I envy the newest 750 model so much! lol. It certainly deserves good lenses.
1998390
This was just the post I was looking for. My daughter has the D80 (I think) and wants to step up to more manual features, rather than simply point and shoot. Already familiar with Nikon layout - she selected the 3100 for her next step up but I was wondering what the differences were with the 5100. I agree with the swivel ability of the screen. She does a lot of self and group portraits that I think is needed for such situations. Anyhoo, I am glad I found you two talking about this.
1117321
I have one. For the price... it is a great lens. Make sure it is well mounted and set camera to high contrast and max sharp. Don't run it more than 12-1500mm. Hard to focus but does a great job "for the price." On a side note: the lens mount is high maintenance and will loosen after a few uses. Make sure your camera body is supported somehow. Take the lens off when not in use.
398591
As posted above by Z. Stone in explanation and coupled by RBarr's above post, you must look into your budget to see if UD is useful enough to justify the cost of the lens. If you have notice chromatic distortion in your pictures then get one with UD to help mitigate that. Many of the recently produced lenses I've looked at have UD.
775711
sorry, did not see this until now. Hope you bought the lens - awesome. It has image stabilization 3 choices off and 2 on's. one for vertical and one for horizontal movement. Here are some butterflies I photo'd with it. www.patricialamphotography.com/flowers/flowers (yes twice on flowers) first 3 photos. very sharp. Wish my Canon 85 mm f1.4 and 24-70 f2.8 had image stabilization. Sorry for the delay
1742091
Thanks to the comments here I now know why I was getting blurry photos. My lens gives unacceptable results in portrait mode, but does very well in landscape mode. Therefore it's leaving my collection and getting replaced with a 70-200mm f/4.
681242
The one I have the tilt is good. I haven't really panned with it, most of what I use it for is setting it up for portrait shots.
143452
It is a really nice lens. Though if you want portrait or medium telephoto, the 135 f/2 or the 70-200 f/2.8 are both fantastic as well, and maybe better suited.
357723
I spent many months comparing 28-300 and this 24-120 before I settle with this. I was looking for a walk around lenses for travel and family picture because I don't want my f2.8 lenses to take all the fun out of the trip as they are heavy and big. To my surprise, this 24-120 replaced my 24-70 f2.8 except for shooting sports as the AF is not as snappy as the 24-70 f2.8 and I need to shoot more frames to cherry pick the ones that are in focus. Other than sports, my copy of 24-120 f4 has taken over the job of 24-70 f2.8. I used it at weddings and senior pictures...... I am very happy with it. I got it in "brand new white box" for about half the price and that's even a greater deal. I spent many months comparing 28-300 and this 24-120 before I settle with this. I was looking for a walk around lenses for travel and family picture because I don't want my f2.8 lenses to take all the fun out of the trip as they are heavy and big. To my surprise, this 24-120 replaced my 24-70 f2.8 except for shooting sports as the AF is not as snappy as the 24-70 f2.8 and I need to shoot more frames to cherry pick the ones that are in focus. Other than sports, my copy of 24-120 f4 has taken over the job of 24-70 f2.8. I used it at weddings and senior pictures...... I am very happy with it.... » Read More I spent many months comparing 28-300 and this 24-120 before I settle with this. I was looking for a walk around lenses for travel and family picture because I don't want my f2.8 lenses to take all the fun out of the trip as they are heavy and big. To my surprise, this 24-120 replaced my 24-70 f2.8 except for shooting sports as the AF is not as snappy as the 24-70 f2.8 and I need to shoot more frames to cherry pick the ones that are in focus. Other than sports, my copy of 24-120 f4 has taken over the job of 24-70 f2.8. I used it at weddings and senior pictures...... I am very happy with it. I got it in "brand new white box" for about half the price and that's even a greater deal. « Show Less