Basic Need & Initial Presumptions:
I needed a wide angle lens that also offered low light/big apeture specs. I shoot lots of indoor parties. That means group shots, entire room scenery, and macro. For more dimension I also have a lot of active kids, nephews, and neices that I want to capature in pictures. And not just snapshots, but of them interacting, playing, exploring, and showing emotion.
BOTTOM LINE NEEDS:
wide angle between (16-24mm)
fast lens (f2.8)
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
When I got the lens it was fairly solid in construction and felt like a mid-weight lens. If you put it on your camera and whip it around, you can definitely feel the weight and when you initially pick up your equipment off the table. The front ring thread is 72mm which is uncommonly big. Which makes it tough to pack in normal sized camera bags.
USAGE & PERFORMANCE
When testing driving the lens at the store, I was amazed at how much separation was placed on the subject versus the background, aka depth of field, aka bokeh. When out in the field it ALWAYS produced noticeable bokeh at all zoom lengths. Low light performance was great as I never once had to use the flash because of the f/2.8 rating. When it came to flaring against window light, you can see where some construction flaw come about. Morning light, about 10am will produce bright red flares as well as show haze in the overall picture. Believe it or not, the subject isn't affected by these flaws. They are only noticeable when you concentrate on the background. So overall picture quality is negatively impacted, but composition focus is still maintained. Although my Ritz Camera rep says just fix the flaring and haze problem with a polarizer, I don't want to spend that much money on a big filter size like 72mm. Low light and wide angle usage it very good, regardless of the flaws.
I was dying on the long end of 40mm because it is so close to my 50mm portrait mindset. I naturally compose portraits at 50mm, but even just at 40mm I found myself composing too slow for shots.
RECOMMENDATION:
Would I buy this lens? Hmm.......?
Its definitely not a yes because of the design
flaws of flaring and haze. This would make an excellent general purpose short-middle-zoom lens because of the 2.8 speed. The question about purchasing this lens is about weight and size. Design flaws can be compensated given experience with the lens. It is a very big + wide lens, period. The weight will affect you on long trips if this is your primary lens. I recommend this lens for photographers who REALLY REALLY need an f/2.8 speed at wide-to-normal focal lengths of 20-40mm AND
will be able to account for weight and size of this equipment. My personal
recommendations is to stick to the classic 50mm f/1.8 and "walk zoom" your
composition as your speed and lens weight are not a factor with a weightless 50mm
lens.
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