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Pentax 100mm
f/2.8 FA Macro
$
520 street
www.pentaximaging.com
800-877-0155
100mm or 105mm macros
are so useful because: 1:1
magnifying power delivers great detail in
smaller subjects; the tele-style extra
working distance puts space between
you and a skittish subject; and they’re
great focal lengths for portraits.
Tokina 28–80mm
f/2.8 AT-X
$
520 street
www.thkphoto.com
800-421-1141
High speed (i.e., maximum
apertures of f/2.8 or faster)
is a killer trait in a lens. A fast
lens lets you use faster shut-
ter speeds for sharp pictures sans tripod
or flash, and they can defocus a back-
ground nicely. Tokina’s 28–80mm f/2.8
AT-X is a good example of an all-around
useful high-speed zoom. Offering wide
to short telefocal lengths, it may be the
only lens you’ll need to work, say, a wed-
ding reception.
TESTED SEPTEMBER 2000
Versatile Lenses
Looking for
one lens to do
it all? Check
out Tamron’s $400 (street)
AF 28–300mm f/3.5–6.3
XR Di Macro. Featuring
Tamron’s Di (Digitally
Integrated) design, which
claims improved, flare-
reducing coatings and
tighter manufacturing toler-
ances, the compact and
lightweight AF 28–300mm
delivers an ample 10.7X
zoom range, 1:2.9 maximum
magnification, and a very
tight 19.3-inch close-focus-
ing distance at all focal
lengths. Sigma,
similarly,
makes a
comparable
28–300mm
f/3.5–6.3
Macro.
SIR LENS-A-LOT
★
BEST
BUY
Are you shooting a Canon SLR? With an
affordable price and useful focal-length
range, Canon’s 28–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS
zoom is worth a look. Its compact size,
light weight, and quiet USM motor make
it a favorite. Nikon fans have a 24–
120mm f/3.5–5.6G VR and a 70–
200mm f/2.8G VR, among others, while
Sigma makes an 80–400mm f/4.5–5.6
optical stabilized lens in Canon, Nikon,
and Sigma mounts.
Canon
28–135mm
f/3.5–5.6 IS USM
$
410 street
www.canoneos.com
800-652-2666
A favorite is the Pentax 100mm f/2.8
FA Macro. A large maximum aperture
renders a bright viewfinder for easy
focusing; its continuous magnification
scale relays exactly what you’re getting
on film (or sensor); and a special locking
mechanism will hold a specific focusing
distance.
TESTED DECEMBER 1998
$
Nikon 18–70mm
f/3.5–4.5 G-AFS DX
$
365 street
www.nikonusa.com
800-645-6687
Digital shooters whose
camera’s CCD is smaller
than a 35mm frame quickly
learn that a wide-angle optic ain’t what it
used to be. A 24mm lens, for example,
may yield the field of view of a 38.4mm.
Are you a Nikon digital shooter in need
of wider views? Check out the 18–
70mm f/3.5–4.5 DX. On D-series SLRs,
it’s the 35mm equivalent of a 27–
105mm—a nice all-around optic. Similar
lenses include Sigma’s 20–40mm f/2.8,
Nikon’s 12–24mm f/4, and Canon’s
amazing new 10–22mm f/3.5–4.5.
VERSATILE LENSES: TOSS THE TRIPOD WITH ANTI-SHAKE
✚
Once upon a time,
experts promoted
tripods as the access-
ory for sharper pix.
Today, however, image
stabilized (IS) lenses
(or, in Nikonese,
Vibration Reduction
lenses) have assumed
that role—the flash-free,
tripod-free, and pain-
free way to sharpness.
Like tripods, VR lenses
can deliver adequate
sharpness at slower
shutter speeds and
increased sharpness at
higher shutter speeds.
First buy an IS lens,
then invest in a tripod.
That’s the experts’
mantra today.
▲
STABILIZATION
DIGITAL
MACRO
HI-SPEED
REALLY INTO IT!
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