Sample Photos – Canon EF 55-200mm, F4.5-5.6 USM II Lens - Test Shots

Vintage Lens Review – Canon EF 55-200mm, F4.5-5.6 USM II Lens

I like old lenses and have a keen interest in them simply because

they are better made and are much easier on my wallet. From my previous posts you may have understood my philosophy of doing more with less. Be it shooting with old Pentax K mount, M42 lenses or even using the camera on my mobile/cell phone.

Today I am going to review a Neo Vintage Canon Auto Focus lens that was made for EF mount Film SLRs that is still relevant today. The lens is the Canon EF 55-200, F4.5-5.6 II USM lens. I purchased this lens from EBay for INR 5800 with shipping (Less than $100) which according to me was a bargain considering the features it offered. Let me list the Pros and Cons of this lens. 

 

+Pros+

1.  Great Condition
Considering my copy of the lens was made sometime in late 90s to Early 2000s its in great shape. no scratches on the lens elements, no fungus fogging, softness and the like. Thumbs up to the previous owner.

2. Good Zoom Reach

I wanted a lens that would complement my 18-55mm kit lens but did not want to spend too much. I now have a zoom range of 18mm to 200mm between these two lenses.

3. Silent and Precise Autofocus
This lens has a USM (Ultra Sonic Motor), which translates in a silent focusing motor and no transformers like noise when focusing as on my 18-55mm kit lens. Moreover, I was pleasantly surprised with the speed that this lens focuses. This lens puts my modern kit lens to shame.

4. Full Frame Compatibility
This is an EF lens which unlike my EF-S kit lens, can be mounted on full frame cameras if needed.

-Cons-

 1. Slow Aperture Lens
This lens has a widest aperture of F4.5 at 55mm and a widest aperture of F5.6 at 200mm which makes the lens slow and not too good for extremely low light photography

2. No Image Stabilization
This lens has no Image Stabilization (IS) that is present on newer lenses. This surely would assist with hand-held lowlight photography on a slow lens like this one. The only option would be to bump up the ISO to compensate for my shaky hands.

3. No Dedicated Manual Focus Ring
Even though a manual focus option is available, there is no Manual focus ring available on this lens. If you need to manually focus you have to twist and turn the front of the lens. I understand the Auto focus is fast and super silent, but I would have preferred a ring as well. This is not a big con as after I put on a UV filter for protecting the lens, it gives me some room for manual focus , but again not as comfortable as a dedicated focus ring.

4. Plastic Construction
This lens looks good and feels good, but it is all plastic (including the mount) which tells you that it was probably offered as a kit lens option. It also feels very light to hold (may not be a con for you)


Conclusion :

Well, do I regret buying this lens? Absolutely not. It complements my 18-55mm Kit lens and between the two lenses gives me an effective range from 18mm to 200mm (28.8mm – 320mm on my APS-C sensor DSLR) which is very good. At the price its perfect. So if you want a decent zoom lens and are a little shortchanged for brand new Canon lenses out there, give some of these older EF lenses a try.


As Always, Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)

Some Pics taken at Mumbai.

Even though I am from Mumbai I seldom see it as one should. Today I and my wife went to the Gateway of India, took a boat ride and spent some time looking at things in this great city that mundane weekdays make us miss. Some pictures for you to see and enjoy as well.

 

As Always, Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)

The Best Camera Is The One You Have !!!

On 19th Jan. 2014, I went to the park and was planned on the spur of the moment to take my Niece and Nephew to the park. As you rightly may have guessed, I missed taking my DSLR along.

All I had with me was my cellphone. It has a quite capable 8 Mega Pixel camera, however I had never used for any serious photography.

My nephew and I both have a deep interest in macro photography. He kept saying that if I had carried my DSLR we would have some awesome photos of the flowers that were there.


Turns out, you do not need the most expensive camera gear to take beautiful photos. Yes the sensor on my Phone shooter is nothing in comparison to my Canon DSLR, however I was quite impressed with the results. Pictures on this post are samples of the images taken

 All I can say is that creativity lies in the person who stands behind the most expensive gear and lens or a simple camera phone that you may have with you. All that matters is that you use whatever you have with you in the most creative of ways.

If you own a point and shoot or maybe a simple camera phone, you may own a professional grade camera or a downright obscenely cheap camera, just remember to use it as a tool to best depict your creativity.

As Always, Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)
 

Vintage Lens Review - AUTO EXAKTAR 135 mm F 2.8 Pentax screw mount Prime lens

So far my experience with using my vintage 50mm Pentax lens is great. I simply love the Bokeh and the dreamy look this lens brings to images. Well there are people who cringe at the fact that this lens is not as razor sharp as the Lenses of today.

I agree... completely to these people. These vintage lenses were meant not for today's DSLRs but the SLR cameras that used 35mm film. For me though I love the look these lenses bring and that too at a fraction of the cost (I am not going to make Billboard sized prints anyway)

So now I wanted a portrait lens. Again I wanted something that will let in a lot of light and the F stop should be a low number. Now I Could have gone for the "Canon EF 135mm f/2.8 (with SoftFocus)" Lens. This baby would have set me back approximately 35000 INR. I am still not ready to put in that kind of cash.



On Ebay.in I was looking for a Vintage and manual alternative. I came across a Korean made, Built like a tank, full metal construction lens, which was up for bidding. I finally won it for 2650 INR. Steal deal I would say. The only thing is it does not have Auto Focus and is a fully manual lens. As usual needed an adapter, this time for a Pentax Screw mount (popularly known as an M42 mount) to EF (Canon mount)... I got this on Ebay for only 165 INR. This puts the total cost of Lens + adapter to 2815 INR (Still less than 10% of the Canon lens)

I have received the Lens and it is in very good condition. The aperture ring works perfect and is close to silent with soft clicks. The focus ring is also very smooth. The Glass is clean with no Fungus and major scratches.

First thing I did was put an 85mm UV Filter on. I am still awaiting the arrival of the adapter, so no shots till then. Overall I am very happy with what I have got I will definitely post some shots when I receive the adapter and am able to shoot some photos.

Again I emphasize.... you do not need the most expensive gear to get magical images.

As Always, Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)

Some shots using the Pentax A 50mm F2 Prime Lens

I love the dreamy look this full manual vintage lens brings.
These photos are all shot indoors with direct and diffused sunlight.
I have shot these in Aperture Priority mode keeping a constant ISO100 and F stop at 2.
And yes... they are all untouched (No lightroom / photoshop)

Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)