Ok so I didn't even know what SLR stood for a year ago today. Aperture? ISO? Shutter speed? Not a clue, I knew nothing. Then I saw some video footage from a DSLR and was hooked instantly. It's been a year, and ive come a long way since. Now I am a fast learner, I do have 15 years of experience with video, and if you looked at my bag you'd probably think I was a pro. But technically, im still a beginner. So take my reviews with a grain of salt.
My Gear March 2010-November 2010
*Canon T2i
*Sigma 20mm f1.8- Not near as sharp as the Canon primes, but closest to 35mm I could get on an APS-C
*Canon 50mm f1.8- I think we all know what a bargain this lens is for the money, best way to give someone a taste of large aperture primes without scaring them with the price.
*Canon 18-55 IS - Honestly, for $200 bucks this isn't that bad of a lens, bad being a relative term of course.
*Canon 75-300
My Gear Currently:
Canon 5D Mark II - I freaking love this thing, but honestly if you're on a budget, the T2 video is great for the money. I think enough great things have been said about this body, im just ready for the Mark III.
Lenses:
Canon 16-35mm f2.8L II- I love this lens, great range and super wide on Full Frame. Little bit of vignetting at 16mm, but I usually add one anyways so it doesn't bother me too much. Really sharp, super fast auto focus, and a lot of fun. This lens has the most circular looking out-of-focus blur (which looks great on a 7d or T2 also)
Canon 24-70mm f2.8L - Great range, great walkaround lens, razor sharp for a zoom, fast. We all know this is the lens they say "if you can only buy one lens, get this." But at the same time it's super heavy and I feel like it makes you lazy. But for a zoom its great.
Canon 35mm F1.4L - I bought this and the 50L the same day, man was that a good one. This thing is sharp as a tack, even wide open. Beautiful bokeh, awesome in low light. I love the look and colors of the L-series lenses, and this 35mm is very versatile. When shooting video I'll usually throw this one on a 7D which puts it close to 50mm.
Canon 50mm F1.2L - So this is definitely the most difficult to use of the bunch. I'm relatively new to this, and this isn't the type of lens you just pop on and hope for the best. It took a little bit of tweaking the settings to get the shots looking great, but once you get used to it they look AWESOME. Produces a beautiful, smooth, creamy bokeh It's really hard to nail the focus wide open, and there are some weird focusing issues at certain angles, slight chromatic aberration here and there, but overall I love it. Looks AMAZING on a 7d, (like having an 80 1.2)
Canon EF 85mm f1.8- If you want an awesome prime on a budget, this is for you. I mean damn I hate to say it, but I think this lens is at least as sharp if not more sharp than ALL of my L-Series lenses (except the macro). Great portrait lens, does wonderful in low light, and is incredibly sharp. It's like just as sharp as the L lenses, but I guess maybe the overall color is slightly different? Anyone thats switched from non-L to L knows what im talking about.
Canon EF 100mm Macro f2.8L- This is my newest lens addition, and quite possibly my favorite lens. The Hybrid IS is AMAZING. I mean the best image stabilization ive ever seen. You can pan handheld and get great results. It's insanely sharp, probably the sharpest of them all and so very versatile. In fact, I have barely used it for macro shots at all, mainly portraits.
Canon EF 135mm f2- I don't use this lens that much, but it is incredibly sharp and is almost flawless optically. I wish it had IS, but I hear that may be in the works. Another lens with great out-of-focus blur, actually pretty much every Canon prime does.
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