[POLL] What do you lookout when purchasing a lens?

[Cytoplasm]

Im curious which of the followings are you are "paranoid" on

[Dithiolium]

All of the above :P

[kairospix]

the obvious is sharpness

second is fast focus and silence

then there is focal length - a good zoom ranging form 10mm to 1000mm would be nice

throw in a Do DoF range f1.0 to F36 will be the icing in the cake!

and if they can remove the CA, vignetting, distortion etc that'll be the whip cream and cheery!

[unseenshadows]

Hmm. Sharpness and fast focusing, definitely.

[artofshuenalogy]

Is vignetting a problem to you guys? And can it be fixed easily in PS? If vignetting is not a problem, I would gladly skip the 70-200mm L for a cheap 55-250mm

[stelgn]

vignetting sometimes create a nice framing within the picture. I don't see it as a flaw unless the edge of the shot is important to you as well.

If you avoid the issue, you can compose your shot wider than the framing you require and crop the center. With that the edges affected by vignetting is gone

By the way, you will lose resolution

[calebk]

Originally Posted by artofshuenalogy Is vignetting a problem to you guys? And can it be fixed easily in PS? If vignetting is not a problem, I would gladly skip the 70-200mm L for a cheap 55-250mm

If vignetting was the only thing that sets these two lenses apart, then I think the price margin is over the top right?

Seriously, the 70-200L (any of them) pwns any consumer zoom for colours and resolving power alone.

[fWord]

A lot of lenses are decently sharp these days. But only a few of them are capable of suppressing distortion, IMO. Barrel distortion would have to be one of the biggest pet peeves I've had with most lenses.

[calebk]

Originally Posted by fWord A lot of lenses are decently sharp these days. But only a few of them are capable of suppressing distortion, IMO. Barrel distortion would have to be one of the biggest pet peeves I've had with most lenses.

I'm not sure if barrel distortion can be corrected via a automated workflow in Photoshop, but if it can, hey it's the easiest form of distortion to correct, especially if you have photoshop CS and above.

[niki]

i lookout for the red ring.. coz i love red rings.

[jklo]

1. Sharpness
2. Fast and accurate focusing (no point fast but inaccurate focusing)
3. Range
4. Every other thing else like Distortion and Vignetting, which can be corrected

[Garion]

For me, in this order of importance:

1. Sharpness
2. Colours/contrast
3. AF speed/accuracy
4. Distortion/CA (esp. at edges of frame)
5. Vignetting
6. Size/weight/ergonomics etc.

I look out for all of the above when testing a lens before purchase, especially when they are wide open. Of course there is no such thing as a 100% perfect lens optically at all apertures, however certain 3rd party lenses do not perform very well wide open, which is one of my judging criteria when it comes to selecting lenses for my collection. L lenses tend to perform very well in this regard. But I do have consumer or 3rd party lenses in my collection for "non-critical" applications. It all boils down to what is important to you, how serious you are in the hobby, and of course your overall budget. But glass is definitely the most important component, buy the best your money can afford and don't stinge, or you'll regret later. As the latest Nikon ad on the bus which goes "Quality pictures are taken by quality lenses" (or something to that effect...and I wholeheartedly agree).

[adamadam]

Originally Posted by calebk If vignetting was the only thing that sets these two lenses apart, then I think the price margin is over the top right? Seriously, the 70-200L (any of them) pwns any consumer zoom for colours and resolving power alone.

I usually add the vignetting later in post processing

[nakashimamika]

Contrast and Saturation is the most important to me. Second is the Sharpness (can be calibrated as a last resort). Third is the build.

CA, BD and Vg doesnt really bothers me. Ok, maybe extreme CA does bother me a bit.

[SNAPG]

hey guys,
how to create a poll?
my page doesn't have the "polling []" box ...
pls advise
thx

[sejok]

Price first! then work backwards from there!

[unseenshadows]

Originally Posted by SNAPG hey guys, how to create a poll? my page doesn't have the "polling []" box ... pls advise thx

AFAIK, New Members cannot create polls. You could always PM a fellow CSers and get him/her to help you.

[SNAPG]

Originally Posted by unseenshadows AFAIK, New Members cannot create polls. You could always PM a fellow CSers and get him/her to help you.

oic ....
thanks!!!

btw ... wat is AFAIK ?

[unseenshadows]

as far as I know. Such things are a google away bro.

[oTaRu]

no doubt is sharpness.... becos sharpness is the only thing that u cant edit...