New Toys Have Arrived!!!

[nitsch]

Finally they are here!!! :D :D :D

I haven't really tested them thoroughly yet, I have just put them both on the camera to check they are working OK and initial impressions are very good indeed. Both lenses seem sharp and the IS (particularly on the 70-300) is very impressive indeed. The build of the 17-85 is slightly better than my 24-85 but still in that sort of ballpark but the 70-300 is really beautifully built.

I just had to come on here and tell someone about them I'm so excited! :o

I'll probably spend most of the evening taking some more test shots with them which no doubt will annoy the wife no end! :lol:

http://www.nitsch.co.uk/photos/newtoys.jpg

[David1943]

Don't worry if you don't like the 17-85. If you were to ask me nicely, I'd do a swap with you for my kit lens :)

On a serious note though, I think you've made a better move by buying those lenses than upgrading your camera body.

[condyk]

Sh*t that DO is tiny ... maybe I should rethink what the hell I'm doing :lol:

Can't wait to see some real results.

So, who's going to buy your super sharp Sigma APO? I'd rather have a proven one that take a gamble buying one new.

[nitsch]

LOL thanks for the offer David! I'll let you know! ;)

Hi Dave, yep the 70-300 certainly is a compact little beast! I found buyers for my lenses amongst friends which was nice because it saves messing about with Ebay. The guy who is buying the APO is into train photography and I let him try it out yesterday on his new 350D and he was very happy with it. I thought I would have to sell the Sigma 105mm lens too but my wife came home tonight and I was showing her the new lenses and she said "Don't sell the macro lens, I know how much you like it!". :D

Just been doing some more tests and perhaps unsurprisingly the DO is much sharper than the APO at the long end plus being able to handhold at 1/50th at 300mm and still get a sharp shot is truly unbelievable! :eek: I'm very impressed so far.

[Outdoor23]

congrats on the lens! I cant wait to get enough money to buy my own 70-300 and 17-85!! time to update your signature nitsch!!

[Simon Spiers]

I will be intrested in the diffrence between the Canon tele and your Sigma 70-300 APO II .

[nitsch]

congrats on the lens! I cant wait to get enough money to buy my own 70-300 and 17-85!! time to update your signature nitsch!!

Hehe! Good point! I'll do it now. :)

[nitsch]

I will be intrested in the diffrence between the Canon tele and your Sigma 70-300 APO II .

Simon I'll post some comparison shots over the weekend. I haven't actually checked the two side by side under the same conditions yet but from doing a bit of pixel peeping at the 300mm shots from the new lens it's definately sharper. It may be a bit of a closer thing at around 200mm as the copy of the APO I have is super sharp around that length even wide open.

[guitarman3]

Nitsch, congrats on your new lenses! Hope you enjoy them and be sure to post some photos!

[Michaelmjc]

Congrats man, now go take some pics! no seriously go now, dont sit here and read anymore of this! Hurry before you know it, it will be dark... ughh dont read anymore go out! ;)

[ImperialRed]

If the 17-85 worked on my 10D....I'd already have one! :(

[David1943]

If the 17-85 worked on my 10D....I'd already have one! :(
Hope this isn't a silly question but, if it'll work on a 300D, why wouldn't it work on a 10D?

[cdhender]

Hope this isn't a silly question but, if it'll work on a 300D, why wouldn't it work on a 10D?

Because the Rebel, Rebel XT and 20D are EF-S mount cameras, meaning some lenses are made specifically for them.

[scr7b]

You lucky dog! I love my 17-85, and since I got it I've been eyeing the 70-300! You got them both together!

Which one did you mount on the camera first?

[Dante King]

Hope this isn't a silly question but, if it'll work on a 300D, why wouldn't it work on a 10D?

Because the rear element of the lens protrudes to far into the camera on the 10D and would hit the mirror.


Wow another DO man! looking forward to how this lens works for you. Congrats on the new toys!

[buze]

Actualy I wouldn't get totaly overexited about the 70-300. Since I have that prism focus screen I've been playing with all my lens to see which ones were "on" and wich one were "off" and I can tell you I probably explained why the 70-300 had s reputation of being "soft"!
More tomorrow, or so. I don't have a tripod tha'll take the weignt of the extended DO, nor the 200 L but I'll try to find something to demonstrate my point.

[nitsch]

Thanks guys! :D

Scr7b - I believe the 17-85 had the priviledge of being tried out first. I was equally excited about trying both lenses!

Buze - I guess you are talking about front and back focusing here? Did yours have a problem? I've done some focus tests this evening with both lenses and am glad to report that they are both spot on which is a relief as I didn't want the hassle of having to send either of them back. I've had a few lenses in the past which I could focus better manually than using AF but not with these two!

Personally I think the 70-300 is sharper than I had expected given it's design and some of the reviews I had previously read. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the drop off in sharpness between 200 and 300 is slight. It is sharper than my Sigma APO but given that it cost 5 times more it should be, it is certainly not 5 times better though! The IS is truly astonishing and that is where the true benefit over the APO really shines through.

The 17-85 is definately sharper than my 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 at f5.6, by the time you stop down to f8 though the difference is less obvious. The extra mm's at the wide end are very nice too. As a lot of reviews have reported it does show some CA at the wide end if provoked with very high contrast edges, although I have to say I did go out of my way to find subjects which would show it at it's worst! Nothing too major though and it cleans up nicely in PS. The build quality and handling is better than my 24-85 and the IS again is fantastic.

All in all I'm very pleased with both of them and they are definately "keepers". :D

[mrclark321]

Congrats

Dan

[nitsch]

Wow another DO man! looking forward to how this lens works for you. Congrats on the new toys!

Cheers Dante! It was because of that thread of yours that went on forever that I looked at this lens in the first place! :D

[buze]

No it's not front/back focusing. it's like 5 times "half press" test, it's *spot* on 1 time, and sligntly off to "rather" off the other times back or front. and that at 70, 135, 200 or 300. It's just the resolution that is dreadful.
If I CORRECT it manualy afterward with FTM, it's actualy quite sharp!

[nitsch]

No it's not front/back focusing. it's like 5 times "half press" test, it's *spot* on 1 time, and sligntly off to "rather" off the other times back or front. and that at 70, 135, 200 or 300. It's just the resolution that is dreadful.
If I CORRECT it manualy afterward with FTM, it's actualy quite sharp!

I know what you mean, I've seen that behaviour on other lenses before. I'd definately send it back or if that's not possible then get it serviced by Canon. If you spend this much on a lens then it should work flawlessly in every respect.