This compact and high-performance, standard lens features Gaussian optics that provide sharp delineation from near to far focusing distances. The color balance is excellent for a standard lens.

Vital Information

• High Performance Standard Lens
• Fast f/1.8 Aperture
• 46-Degree Angle of View
• 1.5′ (0.45m) Close Focusing Distance
• 52mm Filter Size

Read more at Canon USA

Reviews

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens Review by The-digital-picture.com

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens is a good low-light indoor photography lens – especially when a flash is not appropriate or desired. It works very well in a church or gym for example. Aside from having mediocre bokeh, the 50 f/1.8 makes a good focal length for full-body portraits. If mounted on a 1.6x FOVCF camera, you will need some extra space to accomplish a full-body portrait and might also want to capture head/shoulder portraits with this lens.

Need to travel light? Mount the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens on a small DSLR and you have one of the smallest, lightest and least expensive low-light combinations available.

The drawbacks of the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens are easily overlooked when one looks at the price. This lens is not for everyone, but I don’t know of a better lens available for twice this price.

Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II review by DPReview.com

Conclusion – Pros

• Excellent image quality when stopped down
• Essentially no lateral chromatic aberration
• Extremely cheap

Conclusion – Cons

• Extremely cheaply built
• Harsh and distracting bokeh due to pentagonal aperture
• Vignetting at wide apertures on full frame (which only disappears at F3.5)
• Inconsistent autofocus in low light (most problematic when using large apertures)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II (Full Format) – Review by photozone.de

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II may be a “cheap” lens but it is undoubtedly a capable one. It shares its characteristics with most other 50mm lenses, reads: it’s somewhat soft at f/1.8 but at medium aperture settings it is hard to beat with respect to resolution. Distortions as well as lateral CAs are basically non-issues. Vignetting is a significant problem at f/1.8 and even at f/2.8 but that (heavy vignetting at max. aperture) is something to get used to on full format DSLRs anyway. A more significant weakness of the lens is the rather nervous bokeh (out-of-focus blur) which may spoil the game in some shallow depth-of-field situations. At around 100EUR/US$ you can’t expect superb build quality but frankly it’s “good enough” here anyway and it’s certainly one of the value kings out there.

soft under f 4, lens hood, narrow dof, bokeh a bit average, cheap feeling

very sharp, awesome portrait lens, very inexpensive cheap, great value, distance window

Pros & Cons

• very sharp, awesome portrait lens, very inexpensive cheap, great value, distance window

• soft under f 4, lens hood, narrow dof, bokeh a bit average, cheap feeling

soft under f 4, lens hood, narrow dof, bokeh a bit average, cheap feeling

Related posts:

1. Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
2. Nikon AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D
3. Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
4. Nikon AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4D
5. Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM

Now offered as a “ZK” lens, for Pentax K-mount cameras. This lens will fully support Program mode, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and full Manual modes with any K-type camera introduced after 1998 (e.g. PZ, MZ, ZX, and all digital SLR cameras).

• Its shallow depth of field at wide apertures allows the use of selective focus to emphasize the primary subject by defocusing the background.
• The 9-blade, circular aperture produces a smooth and natural rendition of defocused images, as well as nearly circular shapes of point sources of light.
• Geometrical distortion is imperceptibly low, allowing high quality documentation photographs, both analog and digital.

Related posts:

1. Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZE
2. Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZF.2
3. Sony SAL-85F14Z 85mm f/1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T*
4. Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZK
5. Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZF.2

Now offered as a “ZE” type lens, which makes it compatible with any camera that uses the Canon EF bayonet lens mount. All existing exposure programs (P, AV, TV, M) and the AF verification function of the camera are supported, and lens information (focal length and speed) is passed on to the camera. Certain functions that require the use of AF lenses (various subject programs, A-DEP) are partially unavailable.

• The lens’ shallow depth of field at wide apertures allows the use of selective focus. This helps to emphasize the primary subject by defocusing the background.
• The 9-blade, circular aperture produces a smooth and natural rendition of defocused images, as well as nearly circular shapes of point sources of light.
• Geometrical distortion is imperceptibly low, allowing high quality documentation photographs, both analog and digital.

Related posts:

1. Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZF.2
2. Sony SAL-85F14Z 85mm f/1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T*
3. Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
4. Sony SAL-135F18Z 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T*
5. Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZE

This Zeiss ZF.2 lens is designed for use with Nikon F-mount digital SLRs. Thanks to an electronic interface (CPU), ZF.2 lenses support all important camera functions such as the automatic mechanisms for time, aperture setting and program. The CPU also supports manual exposure settings, including those for cameras that are not AI-compatible. Since the lens transmits EXIF data such as manufacturer, date, metering system and exposure to the camera, photographers do not need to set their parameters manually. The quicker and faster handling capabilities of ZF.2 lenses are especially useful under hectic shooting conditions.

• ZF.2 supports all important operations such as the automatic exposure for shutter priority, aperture priority and program modes
• The CPU also supports manual exposure settings, including those for camera casings that are not AI-compatible
• The lens transmits the EXIF data such as manufacturer, date, metering system and exposure settings

Related posts:

1. Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZF.2
2. Sony SAL-85F14Z 85mm f/1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T*
3. Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZK
4. Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZE
5. Sony SAL-1635Z 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T*

Now offered as a “ZK” lens, for Pentax K-mount cameras. This lens will fully support Program mode, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and full Manual modes with any K-type camera introduced after 1998 (e.g. PZ, MZ, ZX, and all digital SLR cameras).

• Precise mechanism enables exact manual focusing
• Carl Zeiss T* lens coating

Reviews

Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35 mm f/2 ZF/ZK/ZS/ZE review by lenstip.com

Pros

• superb build quality (made entirely of metal)
• consistently high image quality at the center, across all of the aperture range
• very good image quality at the corners
• low chromatic aberration at wide apertures
• low distortion
• well-controlled coma
• low astigmatism
• excellent light transmission across all of the spectrum range
• metal lens hood in a package

Cons

• high chromatic aberration on stopping down
• vignetting higher than other competitive lens

Related posts:

1. Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZE
2. Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZF.2
3. Sony SAL-1635Z 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T*
4. Sony SAL-85F14Z 85mm f/1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T*
5. Sony SAL-135F18Z 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T*

The new ZF.2 lenses are an enhanced version of ZF lenses. They feature an electronic interface (CPU) that enables support of all important camera operating modes such as shutter priority, aperture priority and programmed auto exposure or manual exposure settings on non-AI compatible camera housings. Photographers no longer have to set the parameters in the camera menu as the lens now transmits standard data such as focal length, speed and the aperture setting to the camera. This data can then be viewed in the EXIF data of each picture.

Furthermore, silver fork coupling is not available. For this reason, you cannot use light metering on older cameras (F, F2, Nikkormat, etc.). The ZF.2 lenses have a mechanical lock on the aperture ring to lock the aperture ring at the lowest setting and prevent unintentional adjustment while taking pictures.

For technical reasons, these lenses do not have a half-step aperture lock between the lowest (stop position) and the second lowest aperture setting. This guarantees reliable recognition of the automatic position. The lowest aperture on ZF.2 lenses is colored orange to emphasize the automatic position of the aperture ring.

Related posts:

1. Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 ZE
2. Sony SAL-1635Z 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T*
3. Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM
4. Sony SAL-85F14Z 85mm f/1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T*
5. Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

The lens is designed for use with full-frame SLR and DSLR cameras. Combined with a DSLR with a 1.5 crop factor, the lens has an effective focal length of 53mm and can be used as a standard focal length for a natural viewing perspective.

Reviews

Zeiss ZF (ZE) Distagon T* 35mm f/2 (on Canon EOS) Review by photozone.de

The Zeiss ZF (ZE) Distagon T* 35mm f/2 may not deliver superb results on full format DSLRs but the quality is still impressive. The lens is sharp straight from f/2 and especially around f/4-5.6 and lateral CAs are nothing to worry about either. The moderate degree of distortions is about average for a prime lens in this class. However, a real weakness is the annoyingly high amount of vignetting at large aperture settings. The quality of the bokeh is pretty good for a lens in this class (and easily superior to the EF 35mm f/2).

Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35 mm f/2 ZF/ZK/ZS/ZE review by lenstip.com

Pros

• superb build quality (made entirely of metal)
• consistently high image quality at the center, across all of the aperture range
• very good image quality at the corners
• low chromatic aberration at wide apertures
• low distortion
• well-controlled coma
• low astigmatism
• excellent light transmission across all of the spectrum range
• metal lens hood in a package

Cons

• high chromatic aberration on stopping down
• vignetting higher than other competitive lens

Related posts:

1. Sony SAL-1635Z 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T*
2. Sony SAL-135F18Z 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T*
3. Sony SAL-85F14Z 85mm f/1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T*
4. Sony SAL-2470Z 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T*
5. Sony SAL-1680Z 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT

• Up to 4 Stops of Optical Stabilization
• Optimized for Canon Full-Frame DSLRs
• Auto and Manual Focus
• Super Multi-Layer Lens Coating
• Fast f/2.8 Maximum Aperture
• Fast & Quiet Hyper-Sonic Motor (HSM)
• 77mm Filter Size
• Excellent for Action/Low-Light Shooting
• 55.1″ (140cm) Close Focusing Distance
• Lens Hood & Adapter Included

The Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM is the second generation of large-aperture telephoto zoom lenses incorporating Sigma’s OS (Optical Stabilizer) anti-shake system. It offers the equivalent of shooting at shutter speeds 3 to 4 stops slower than without OS, thus allowing handheld telephoto zoom shooting even in poorly lit conditions. Its HSM ensures quiet and high speed AF as well as full-time manual focusing.
It features a large maximum aperture of f/2.8 that remains constant throughout the zoom range, making it incredibly valuable when shooting in low light situations such as wedding or other events. It is also great when shooting fast-moving subjects such as sports, when fast shutter speeds are needed to capture fleeting moments. The 70-200mm f/2.8 is fast and versatile and at a length of 7.8 (19.8cm) will be a tool that seldom sees the inside of your camera bag. The lens comes with a petal-type lens hood plus an adapter to extend its length for users with APS-c cameras.

• Sigma’s New APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM is the second generation of this large aperture telephoto zoom lens now incorporating Sigma’s Optical Stabilization (OS) anti-shake system. It uses two sensors inside the lens to detect vertical and horizontal movement of the camera. It works by moving an optical image stabilizing lens group, to effectively compensate for camera shake.
• Two FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements, which have the performance equal to expensive fluorite glass, and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements, combine to provide excellent reduction of aberrations and image quality.
• The rounded 9 blade diaphragm creates an attractive blur to the out of focus images (bokeh).
• Sigma has managed to make the lens more compact than its predecessor, measuring only 7.8″ (8.64cm) in length.
• The Super Multi-Layer lens coating reduces flare ghosting and assures high image quality throughout the entire zoom range.
• The exterior of this lens is EX-finished to denote the superior build and optical quality, and to enhance its appearance.
• The lens DG designation translates to large-aperture lenses with wide angles and short minimum focusing distances. With an abundance of peripheral illumination, they are ideal lenses for Digital SLR Cameras while retaining suitability for traditional 35mm SLRs.

Related posts:

1. Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 II EX APO DG MACRO HSM
2. Sigma 50-200mm F4-5.6 DC OS HSM
3. Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM
4. Sigma 200-500mm F2.8/400-1000mm EX APO DG
5. Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 II EX APO DC HSM

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new APO 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM.

This large aperture zoom lens has improved optical performance and retains close-up ability with a minimum focusing distance of 100cm/39.4 in. and maximum magnification ration of 1:3.5. This lens is suitable for taking all type of subjects such as portraits, landscape, and close-up pictures. Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) and three ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. The super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which ensures a quiet and high-speed AF as well as full-time manual focusing capability. The lens design incorporates an inner focusing and inner zooming systems. The overall length of the lens does not change during focusing and zooming, ensuring convenient handling. A removable tripod collar (TS-21) is included as a standard component.

When this lens is used with the optional 1.4x EX DG APO or 2x EX DG APO Tele Converters, it becomes a 98-280mm F4 AF telephoto zoom lens or a 140-400mm F5.6 AF telephoto zoom lens respectively. Teleconverters are not available for Four Thirds mount lenses.

Read more at Sigma

Reviews

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro HSM II review by DPReview.com

Conclusion – Pros

• Decent image quality
• Low vignetting even on full frame
• Fast and positive autofocus
• Very good build quality, excellent tripod collar design
• Low price

Conclusion – Cons

• Relatively weak at 200mm (softness, chromatic aberration, pincushion distortion on full frame)
• Unconvincing ‘macro’ performance; soft at wider apertures, significant focus shift on stopping down
• Red/cyan bokeh chromatic aberration

The Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro HSM II is a prime example of an independent manufacturer producing a design which can challenge the camera companies’ own lenses in most aspects of optical and operational performance, but at a much lower price. In almost all regards it performs well in everyday use, delivering good quality images across a broad range of situations. The optics are perfectly competent, if not outstanding; indeed the lens is really very good towards the short end, but weaker at 200mm, where it’s slightly soft and suffers from relatively high levels of chromatic aberration. Vignetting is impressively low, even on full frame (presumably a benefit of that broad and stubby barrel design), and geometric distortion reasonably well controlled. So whilst the Sigma’s optics may not be technically quite up to the same standard as the competition, users will find few glaring faults in its performance either.

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM II Macro Lens Review by the-digital-picture.com

Two good reasons for buying a third party lens are to get features the camera manufacturer does not offer in one of its own lenses (such as a different focal length or focal length range) or to save money. The primary reason to buy the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM II Macro Lens is to save money as Canon already has 4 excellent-performing 70-200mm models including the similarly-spec’d Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM Lens. So, is there a trade-off for the lower price? That is the big question.

Sigma 70-200 mm f/2.8 II EX APO DG MACRO HSM review by lenstip.com

Pros:

• workmanship of very high quality and a solid body,
• very good image quality at the center of the frame,
• very good image quality at the edge of the frame at 70 mm,
• decently controlled coma,
• virtually unnoticeable distortion,
• slight vignetting,
• fast, silent and efficient autofocus,
• abounding standard equipment (tripod mount ring, lens hood, casing),
• three-year warranty with optional prolonging by another two.

Cons:

• too small resolution at the edge of the frame for the range 135-200 mm,
• poor cooperation with the original Sigma converter,
• chromatic aberration after stopping down reaches large dimensions,
• distinct astigmatism.

Related posts:

1. Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG Macro
2. Sigma 50-200mm F4-5.6 DC OS HSM
3. Sigma 28-300mm F3.5-6.3 DG Macro
4. Tamron AF 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro
5. Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG MACRO

1. New optical system optimized for digital cameras achieves top resolution in the 70-300mm class with specialized glass elements including an XLD (Extra Low Dispersion) lens

This lens’ advanced optical design employs a sophisticated XLD (Extra Low Dispersion) lens element made from specialized high-grade glass that has lower dispersive properties than standard LD lenses (where refraction causes the dispersion of white light into spectral hues). The dispersive properties of the XLD lens are at a level similar to fluorite, and in combination with a LD element make for an optimal optical design that delivers best in class resolution with advanced axial chromatic and magnification aberration correction – major inhibitors of image quality enhancement. The result is a lens that delivers sharp contrast and better descriptive performance throughout the entire zoom range.

2. Fast focusing USD ( Ultrasonic Silent Drive), the ultrasonic autofocus drive

The lens is equipped with Tamron’s first-ever ultrasonic auto-focus drive USD ( Ultrasonic Silent Drive). It achieves faster focusing making this telephoto lens perfect for photography of sports, motor racing, and other fast-moving subjects. With advanced motor technology and newly developed software, Tamron’s USD delivers precise and noiseless focusing at turbo speed.
USD ( Ultrasonic Silent Drive) Tamron’s USD works with the high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations that are produced by a ring called a ‘stator’. Energy from the vibrations is used to rotate an attached metallic ring known as the ‘rotor’. Piezoelectric ceramic, an element that produces ultrasonic vibrations when voltage of a specific frequency is applied is arranged in a ring formation on the stator. This electrode configuration of piezoelectric ceramic causes two ultrasonic vibrations to occur in the stator. By effectively combining these two ultrasonic vibrations, it is possible to convert the energy from the vibrations that produced simple motion into energy known as ‘deflective traveling waves’, which then moves around the circumference (rotation direction) of the ring. With the USD, the friction between these deflective traveling waves created on the metallic surface of the stator and the surface of the rotor produce force, causing the rotor to rotate. The focusing ring lens, which is linked to the rotor, is thus moved, creating a fast and smooth auto-focus drive.
Read more

Links

Press release

Related posts:

1. Tamron AF 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical (IF) Macro
2. Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
3. Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro
4. Tamron AF 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro
5. Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II VC LD Aspherical (IF)