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Canon EF 55-200mm F4.5/5.6 MKII USM
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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1
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985
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Wed August 6, 2008
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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No recommendations
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None indicated
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6.0
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Description:
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Super-compact and light, this lens is compatible with all EOS cameras and ideal for Canon digital SLRs. The 13-element design's new optical coatings are optimized for digital cameras. It focuses down to under 1.2m and its USM-powered AF is faster than ever.
Key Features
* 55-200mm 1:4.5-5.6
* Lens Construction: 13 elements in 13 groups
* Diagonal Angle of View: 43º - 12º
* Focus Adjustment: Front group rotating extension system with USM
* Closest Focusing Distance: 1.2m / 3.9 ft.
* Zoom System: Rotating type
* Filter Size: 52mm
* Max. Diameter x Length, Weight: 70.4 x 97.3mm, 310g
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Keywords:
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Canon EF 55-200mm F4.5/5.6 MKII USM Mk2
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Author
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Rob Barron
Loves the place
Registered: September 2006
Location: Poole, Dorset
Posts: 5874
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Review Date: Wed August 6, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Light, Cheap
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Cons:
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Softer than a cushion!
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A friend of mine bought a 30D a couple of months back and we went out together to do some shooting. She asked if she could borrow one of my bits of glass and being the nice guy I am (stop coughing at the back!) I agreed. I thought it might be worth checking out the lens she had on her camera (she got the two kit lenses) so i thought it would be fun to try it out on my 40D....
It wasn't!
Now, it may be that I have been spoilt by the fact I have 3 L series lenses, one superb 100mm macro and a nifty fifty that punches way above its price-weight. I am keeping that in mind as I make comments on the 55-200mm lens that I borrowed.... for the very last time until hell freezes over!
I tried a few shots at wide, telephoto and mid-ranges and went through the apertures to see which was the sharpest. I must say I can only use the words 'least soft' rather than 'sharpest' as none of them were as sharp as I would have expected, even for a lens at this price. Wide was reasonable but 200mm end was dreadful except for the mid-apertures. Edges, even those of high contrast, proved nigh on impossible to get any kind of acceptable sharpness. The only way I can describe them is akin to photos taken on an old 110 pocket instamatic for those who remember them. Ok, not as noisy as those (would that be possible!) but the edges all seemed to have been taken through a soft-focus filter.
The AF is ok, leastwise they were as sharp as I could manage manually, and quite fast. The problems lie not in the AF motors or the build of the lens itself which was decent enough for one so cheap, it was down to the glass itself which was nowhere near the standard I have come to expect for a normal Canon lens. The USM works as well as any other USM lens and the sharpness at 55mm was acceptable. Not great but ok. 100mm was a bit sharper, especially in f8-11 and would be fine as a portrait lens as long as you don't want great softening bokeh in the BG. The BG is ok, but you'll get a soft border around the subject rather than a lovely sharp edge making the subject pop forward from the BG.
This lens is nice and light so hand-holding is easy with decent light availability. Overall, it is not rubbish and will give ok shots if you want mid-telephoto shots without spending much money. But don't buy this thinking that will have you set up for the next 10 years as I think you will start to be disaffected by the results when you compare them to shots taken with a better bit of glass.
I fully accept that I can't expect anything like the quality that I get with L series lenses but this lens must be considered a budget lens to tide you over until you can afford something better. Sadly I do not feel able to recommend this lens for anything more than 'snapshots'.
Cheers,
Rob
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