Sample Photos: Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR LD Aspherical (IF) Lens

A new toy arrived in Saturday's mail yesterday. A new digital camera lens for my Canon EOS Rebel XTi 400D -- a pretty nice lens in fact. Although it is not an IS or image stabilization lens, it is definitely a big step up for me. The particular lens is the Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR LD Aspherical (IF) -- which has become a very popular lens among camera users.

The reasons for this?
- Great image quality
- Popular focal length range
- Good build quality, but light
- Excellent value and price

Taking the lens out of box, I wanted to take some sample shots at the f/2.8 aperture through the focal length to see the quality of the images the lens can produce with the Canon EOS Rebel XTi 400D. In just a couple of minutes, I am pretty impressed. Here are the sample shots:

1. Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR LD Aspherical (IF) @ Av w/ f/2.8 - 17mm focal length cropped to 1024x768 / 17mm / 3888 x 2592 / 4.82 MB / ISO-100 / F-stop f/2.8 / Exposure time 1/1000 second


2. Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR LD Aspherical (IF) @ Av w/ f/2.8 - 24mm focal length cropped to 1024x768 / 24mm / 3888 x 2592 / 4.23 MB / ISO-100 / F-stop f/2.8 / Exposure time 1/1000 second


3. Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR LD Aspherical (IF) @ Av w/ f/2.8 - 35mm focal length cropped to 1024x768 / 35mm / 3888 x 2592 / 3.74 MB / ISO-100 / F-stop f/2.8 / Exposure time 1/1000 second


4. Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR LD Aspherical (IF) @ Av w/ f/2.8 - 50mm focal length cropped to 1024x768 / 50mm / 3888 x 2592 / 3.27 MB / ISO-100 / F-stop f/2.8 / Exposure time 1/1000 second


Instantly, I was blown away by these pictures versus my Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens. There is a little softness in the 17mm focal length that I was not too happy with, but I am attributing that to the aperture setting of f/2.8. However, at the 50mm range -- awesome picture. I cannot wait to take some more pictures with it rather than just messing around the house.

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Landscape Photos - Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens Test

Here is another set of photos taken from my newish Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto lens that are part of my upcoming review on the lens. These particular shots are similar to the fully automatic digital photos I posted on Sunday, however are in the landscape automatic function on the Canon EOS Rebel XTi 400D. These photos are meant to show the Canon F 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto lens' basic performance in ideal daylight conditions.

Here are some additional details from the shoot:

• Location: Santa Monica Mountains, near Dos Vientos Ranch
  
• Equipment: Canon EOS Rebel XTi 400D with the EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens, UV filter, no lens hood.
  
• Focal Length: 55mm, 70mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm
  
• Setup: Handheld
  
• Shots: Landscape Automatic, all photos use automatic focus.
  
• Quality: L (10.1 Megapixels / 3.8MB) - not RAW
  
• Processing / Touch-up: None. Only internal Rebel XTi JPG processing.

The house that was picked at random, mainly because of some defining elements around the roof and windows that help with clarity. Full images are included below of the 55mm and the 200mm photos for comparison, reduced to 1600x1067 by Picasa. The rest of the pictures are cropped to 800x600 so you can see the detail of the pictures at 100%. To view the full images, click on the photo and it will open for you in a new window.

1. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Landscape Autotmatic 55mm focal length / 55mm / 3888 x 2592 / 3.86 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/11 / Exposure time 1/400 second / Metering mode Pattern


2. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Landscape Automatic 200mm focal length / 200mm / 3888 x 2592 / 4.25 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/9 / Exposure time 1/500 second / Metering mode Pattern


3. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Landscape Autotmatic 55mm focal length cropped to 800 x 600 / 55mm / 3888 x 2592 / 3.86 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/11 / Exposure time 1/400 second / Metering mode Pattern


4. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Landscape Autotmatic 70mm focal length cropped to 800 x 600 / 70mm / 3888 x 2592 / 3.80 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/13 / Exposure time 1/400 second / Metering mode Pattern


5. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Landscape Autotmatic 100mm focal length cropped to 800 x 600 / 100mm / 3888 x 2592 / 3.99 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/11 / Exposure time 1/500 second / Metering mode Pattern


6. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Landscape Autotmatic 135mm focal length cropped to 800 x 600 / 135mm / 3888 x 2592 / 4.02 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/10 / Exposure time 1/500 second / Metering mode Pattern


7. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Landscape Automatic 200mm focal length cropped to 800 x 600 / 200mm / 3888 x 2592 / 4.25 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/9 / Exposure time 1/500 second / Metering mode Pattern


Thoughts or opinions on the performance of the Canon camera lens or the pictures? Let me know with a comment below.

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Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens Test Photos - Fully Automatic

Everyone needs a telephoto lens for their digital SLR camera, right? I felt like I needed one to compliment the standard lens that shipped with my camera, the Canon EOS Rebel XTi 400D. So, a couple of weeks ago I picked up a "new" telephoto lens for my digital camera, the Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens.

More on the deal I got on the lens and some other details in an upcoming post reviewing the lens. This post will be a little different -- as it will just cover some of the first photos I took with the lens on the fully automatic mode at the preset metering of 55mm, 70mm, 100mm, 135mm, and 200mm.

Here are some additional details from the shoot:

• Location: Santa Monica Mountains, near Dos Vientos Ranch
  
• Equipment: Canon EOS Rebel XTi 400D with the EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens, UV filter, no lens hood.
  
• Focal Length: 55mm, 70mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm
  
• Setup: Handheld
  
• Shots: Full Automatic, all photos use automatic focus.
  
• Quality: L (10.1 Megapixels / 3.8MB) - not RAW
  
• Processing / Touch-up: None. Only internal Rebel XTi JPG processing.

The house that was picked at random, mainly because of some defining elements around the roof and windows that help with clarity. Full images are included below of the 55mm and the 200mm photos for comparison, reduced to 1600x1067 by Picasa. The rest of the pictures are cropped to 800x600 so you can see the detail of the pictures at 100%. To view the full images, click on the photo and it will open for you in a new window.

1. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Full Automatic 55mm focal length / 55mm / 3888 x 2592 / 5.88 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/11 / Exposure time 1/400 second


2. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Full Automatic 200mm focal length / 200mm / 3888 x 2592 / 3.95 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/8 / Exposure time 1/400 second


3. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Full Automatic 55mm focal length cropped to 800x600 / 55mm / 3888 x 2592 / 5.88 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/11 / Exposure time 1/400 second


4. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Full Automatic 70mm focal length cropped to 800x600 / 70mm / 3888 x 2592 / 5.93 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/11 / Exposure time 1/400 second


5. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Full Automatic 100mm focal length cropped to 800x600 / 100mm / 3888 x 2592 / 5.38 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/10 / Exposure time 1/400 second


6. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Full Automatic 135mm focal length cropped to 800x600 / 135mm / 3888 x 2592 / 5.24 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/9 / Exposure time 1/400 second


7. Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens @ Full Automatic 200mm focal length cropped to 800x600 / 200mm / 3888 x 2592 / 3.95 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/8 / Exposure time 1/400 second


What are you thoughts on the photos? The lens, under the sunny conditions performed well. In fact, better than I had anticipated based on some of the reviews of the lens. A good first test of the EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens on my Canon EOS Rebel XTi 400D.

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Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens Test Photos & Review

The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens is the basic lens that comes in the Canon EOS Rebel XTi 400D kit. There is currently no way to buy it new (there are the 18-55mm USM and the 18-55mm IS lenses that are available) -- but you can get it used and for a decent price on eBay.



The EF-S II 18-55mm lens is meant to be a beginner / novice lense, as the majority of the construction and the mount are plastic and there is not a sizable hold for manual focus, unless you add a lens hood. The good thing about the plastic design is that it does make the lens much lighter than metal construction. That makes it the perfect first camera lens for my me with my first DSLR camera.

Today while waiting for the Super Bowl I went and took a few more pictures with the camera. This time it was of Boney Peak -- also known as Mount Boney here in Newbury Park in the Point Mugu State Park. Approximate distance from the peak was four miles. I had some fun give that I was not using a camera tripod and there were some wind gusts up to 40mph as I caught a break between rain showers.

For the shooting -- I took some photos at 18mm, 24mm, 35mm, and 55mm -- the preset or notated focal lengths on the EF-S II 18-55mm lens. It is also important to remember that on the Rebel XTi and with the EF-S lens series there is a multiplier of 1.6 versus their standard full-frame lens. They were all taken in the fully automatic mode.

Below are the photos that I took in the order from 18mm to 55mm in which they were shot. Note that all pictures were shot in L size (10.1 megapixel, ~4MB), and no post processing was done to clean them up -- which is needed in this case. The full size pictures are reduced to 1600x1067 thanks to Google's Picasas while the 400x400 crops are at 100% maginification.

You can view full images by clicking on the image, the full size will open in a new browser window.

1. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens @ Full Automatic 18mm focal length / 18mm / 3648 x 2736 / 4.00 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/13 / Exposure time 1/400 second


2. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens @ Full Automatic 18mm focal length cropped to 400x400 / 18mm / 3648 x 2736 / 4.00 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/13 / Exposure time 1/400 second


3. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens @ Full Automatic 24mm focal length / 24mm / 3648 x 2736 / 3.67 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/13 / Exposure time 1/400 second


4. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens @ Full Automatic 24mm focal length cropped to 400x400 / 24mm / 3648 x 2736 / 3.67 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/13 / Exposure time 1/400 second


5. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens @ Full Automatic 35mm focal length / 35mm / 3648 x 2736 / 3.52 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/14 / Exposure time 1/250 second


6. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens @ Full Automatic 35mm focal length cropped to 400x400 / 35mm / 3648 x 2736 / 3.52 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/14 / Exposure time 1/250 second


7. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens @ Full Automatic 55mm focal length / 55mm / 3648 x 2736 / 3.13 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/13 / Exposure time 1/320 second


8. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens @ Full Automatic 55mm focal length cropped to 400x400 / 55mm / 3648 x 2736 / 3.13 MB / ISO-400 / F-stop f/13 / Exposure time 1/320 second


What do you think about the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens?

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