Great lens...bought last week....too heavy to put on camera tripod...what do I use for stand/tripod...lens heavy and hard to hold still especially when you are waiting for perfect moment. And, thank you to all those who helped me make the decision to...
495575
You need a reasonably good tripod to support it. I have a Really Right Stuff replacement foot, RRS ballhead, and a Gitzo tripod. That's overkill, probably, but it does all work well. Anyway, do a google search for 'bythom tripod 101' for a nice, introductory writeup about getting tripod/support equipment.
1937696
Hi All, very interested in these postings but still can't get this lens to work with my D70 in M or AF. I too get fEE message displayed and shutter won'r fire, even after locking off at f22 etc. Starting to wonder if its a camera setting or am I missing something?
1232546
There is an adapter ring that screws onto the lens that allows it to attach to your camera. The lens is totally manual and will only work with the M setting on your camera. It is 4+ pounds so it is better to have a tripod as well.
13322
I think there should be a mounting button, like on your regular lens, that you need to push while turning. But I had to send mine back, as it didn't work with my camera.
1023868
This is a fantastic lens, I love it and have it on one of my cameras all the time. But it is not the best for landscape photography, especially on an APS-C camera like the 60D. As Archman below said, I'd look for something with a wide angle in the 10-18mm range. Also concur--rent a couple of lenses if you can locally to see what you like best. Of course, you might pick something that was more than you planned to spend.... Good luck and have fun!
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
419337
I'm no pro photographer but I can tell you this much, is far from balanced. The lens is heavy for the camera body. I own an NEX-7 body.I have had this lens for over a year and it has become my lens of choice for both photowalks and street photography. Its optical length range allows me to take any shot I want to take, literally, a very flexible lens. As unbalance as it might feel at first you will get use to it and love it.
507874
Hey how are you. I would recommend a wide angle lens to minimize you touching the focusing ring and making the stabilizer wobble. For the price, I can honestly say this is one of... If not the best you'll get. Comes with a nice carrying bag, weights and the stabilizer ready to go after balancing. Any other questions feel free to contact me.
1674728
Hi Rich, The best thing to do would be to wait for the P3 filters to come out, they are going to be out soon. This lens is going to be too heavy for the gimbal. -PolarPro
849626
I purchased the tripod from our local Walmart store...about $50. Don 't have box with brand name, and it is packed away now. It did have 2 separate clip/slide-on brackets to hold the camera. That lens, however,needs a tripod AND a mono-pod to support it and the camera. Had to get a local camera store to put it all together, and I still couldn't handle it. Need long arms to adjust focus, and muscle to keep steady.
1260706
This lens is only to be used with tripod (a very stable one) this is the only use for indoor sports I recommend to use a lens with stabilization or you will seriously struggle unless you can deal with cranking up the ISO and the shutter speed above 1/500 or even more and see how lucky you get you will seriously struggle for that kind of activity. as much as you can try to use a 70G200 or a 18 to 200 mm if you use Sony or above they will not be as cheap option as this one but to be honest this kind of lens is kind of going back to the 70`s and the definition you will get will not be as good and you will have to manually fine tune for each shot. I got it to experiment a bit though I feel like a paparazzi when I used it :-S I will only use this on daylight, outdoors, on a tripod and to a fix distance otherwise will do my head in. I hope you find it useful. P.S. This Opteka is the same cheap lens and Samyan, Rokinon, etc....so to me it is like a white label product cheaply manufactured in China with very simple design, not bat quality build but not a proper lens. Put your money on a piggy bank and get a proper lens for the desired activity. Cheers!
1463261
Did you ever get a lens? I'm making the same decision now. If so, what did you buy? Are you happy with your decision? Is there anything else you would add that would help me make a decision. Thanks!
1294151
I had problems steadying the camera and this lens. It worked great on a tripod but my application was taking pictures at high school football games and marching band competions. I ended up returning it and purchasing the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens. The image stabilization on the zoom lens made a big difference for me.
2173992
it works very well... before going to the competition, please get used to the lens. Initially, i struggled with the weight of the lens, zoom pictures get out of focus, small tripod or monopod cannot take its weight. I would also suggest you buy few required filters. Lens is sturdy and solid. It is made in japan. it is a lifelong companion..
528653
Does that lack of image stabilization in the 20 mm lens factor in against choosing it over the 14-45 lens? I think I'm all set to get the 20 mm lens after doing my research and reading these comments, but that was one area I was still questioning.
500085
"Should I buy a tripod" ? With this or any other lens there'll be times when a tripod is essential - having a tripod will extend the possibilities. Of course there are times when a tripod makes no sense and you'll want to rely on fast glass (and the right ISO setting) - in which case this lens is a great choice.
1609774
PD,Thanks for a really informative review. I'm in the process of trying to make this decision. I'm getting a 70-200. I just don't know which one. On your 2.8 w/o IS, and adding a 1.4 teleconverter, do you miss the IS? I know you said you use a tripod or monopod a lot. Is that how you overcome that? Or do you find yourself still able to shoot hand-held? I'd love to get that combination of the 200 + 1.4tc.Thanks!