[Kombisaurus]

I got a call from UPS yesterday saying that I owed them a heap of money for import fees... but instead of being sad I was excited because it meant my new lenses had arrived!
I got them home last night and haven't had much of a chance to play with them yet. I've taken a few shots around the house and done some boring tests to compare them with some of my other lenses, but I haven't gone out to take some "proper" photos yet.

However, my initial thoughts are WOW!

The Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM in particular is amazing. I bought it to replace my existing 70-200 f/4L, and I wasn't sure if the extra cost would be worth it. I've always loved the shots from my f/4L so it would have to be a good copy of the f/2.8L IS to beat it... and it does! The new lens is every bit as sharp at f/2.8 as the old one is at f/4, and when the new lens is stopped down to f/4 it is noticably sharper than the old lens at f/4. The extra stop max aperture is fantastic, and the IS is also brilliant. The AF is very fast and accurate too. The size, weight, and cost are the only negative things I can think of - although not a lot bigger, it weighs in at double the weight of the old lens.


1. Great colour, contrast, and it's sharp wide open which is great.


2. Auto-focus is very fast and accurate too. This is Rocket hiding in the grass.


3. Tina is getting her hair cut short today, so I snuck in a quick "before" shot.


4. I tested the IS with Rocket in a poorly-lit room last night. This shot certainly isn't as sharp as it could be, but considering it's hand-held at 1/8th of a second for a 200mm focal length, it blows me away.

The other lens I bought was the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM to replace my EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (EF-S lenses won't work on the 1.3x crop factor body of a 1DMk3). Optically this lens seems just as good as the 70-200 f/2.8L IS (comparable with prime lenses), but I know I'll miss the IS of my old 17-85 in a walk-around lens. Still, the max aperture is more important to me than IS (which is why I didn't get the 24-105 f/4L IS). The AF is nice and smooth, but there is no "AF Range" switch which appears on many other L lenses that allows AF to speed up significantly by limiting the AF sweep range to half its normal range (eg 2.5m - infinity). I am extremely happy with the IQ of this lens, but I wish it had the same IS and AF features as the 70-200 f/2.8L IS.
Still, it's the images that matter at the end of the day.


5. Danni looking out the glass doors in the kitchen. The 24-70 really has wonderful colour and contrast and a lovely bokeh.


6. With some cheap eBay Macro extension tubes, the 24-70 makes a decent makeshift macro lens. This is a daddy-long-legs (or similar) spider in my garage.

Now... all I'm waiting for is my 1D Mk3 body and new crumpler bag to arrive! Hopefully next week.
I also have some interest in my 30D body and the 2 lenses being replaced, which means I might be able to afford to buy food again soon!

[Wedding Shooter]

Great news Kombi.

[Kombisaurus]

You bet WS! I'm loving it! Can't wait to take some "proper" photos.

Here are just a couple more from around the house a bit later today.


7. The "after" shot of Tina when she returned from getting her hair cut. Taken with the 70-200.


8. Rocket out in the backyard this evening, just after the sun dipped down over the trees. Taken with the 24-70

[matthew]

Very cool. I can't wait to see what you use these for.

[Rabid Penguin]

reminds me of "eff two point eight eye ess you ess em lens". *twitch*

Good shots though.

[Irma]

Congratulations on your new lenses, Adrian !

Very nice pictures all!
It hadn't seen pictures of Rocket from long time ago... great that you posted some...
Tina looks great with her new haircut.

Unfortunately, not so much luck with my lens here. I ordered it (canon 24mm T&S) on 30th of September. After few mails telling me that it would take more than two weeks to be delivered, on Friday I received a mail telling that the didn't have an exact date to deliver... I talked with G about this and we looked for another option. We found that Amazon had the lens and they had it in stock!! The price was more than 200eruo cheaper!! So we place the order in Amazon.de and canceled the one I had placed before. Let's see if I can get it by the end of next week.

[Pat]

Have fun with your new lenses - great results above

[shuttertalk]

Great stuff Kombi... some great glass you have there - thanks for posting the pics!

[Wedding Shooter]

Love the framing on the last one of Rocket - looks like the back yard could use a haircut though

[adam]

wowowow nice nice nice