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Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Lens Review

Barry — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:01:20 +0000

Specifications

Weight	14.3 oz
Length	2.8 in
Lens Type	Fixed Focal Length
Closest Focusing Distance	9.6 in
Diameter	3.1 in
Attachment/Filter Size	72 mm
Focus Type	Autofocus
Picture Angle	94 degrees
Focal Length	20mm
Max Aperture	f/2.8

The Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM was released in 1992 and features a floating system for close focus correction.

Gossip

Whilst researching the lens prior to receiving it I noticed that they were VERY mixed opinions about the sharpness and vignetting that photographers have noted when processing their photo’s, comments range from;

“I used it to shoot from an elevated angle. The result were disappointing…..I paid $300 but I don’t think it is even worth more than $100 to tell you the truth. The colors are lifeless, “burnt-out”. There are no details on the images.” - from FredMiranda.

To the more positive;

“I was a little apprehensive to purchase this lens after reading so many conflicting reviews. I went ahead with the purchase and only regret not picking up this lens earlier. Shooting wide open is completely acceptable as far as sharpness, however, I think sharpness is generally over-hyped. I’d recommend this lens to a friend.” - from FredMiranda.

It would seem that some people are even speculating if a ‘bad batch’ of these filters was released as the reviews and opinions of photographers are SO varied. Below are my thoughts and results from this lens….

First Impressions

Let’s start from the beginning, the lens has a nice weight to it and (as expected from Canon) has a good build quality. The lens is of average size and should fit nicely into most kit bags. Having a 72mm filter fit already was also a bonus as I could share filters already purchased with this lens.

Other than the manual focus ring, the only control is the Auto/Manual Focus switch which keep the lens nice and simple. The distance window is marked in both feet and metres and includes a very useful depth-of-field scale. As the lens does not rotate during focussing (internal workings control this) it is great when using filters and the ‘optional’ hood.

There is no hood with the lens as this is sold separately (a bit cheeky!) .

Practical Use

Now, being in the UK I don’t often get great, perfect sunny days to take photo’s, today was no exception and it was typically overcast and dull. I chose a church for my first round of photo’s to test the sharpness, focus distance and vignetting (as these seemed to be 2 of the complaints featured in many photographers reviews).

This lens has a minimum focus distance of 0.25m and object magnification of about 1:7. In the example on the left this is clearly demonstrated using the flowers in the foreground. I have read that the colours in photographs taken using this lens are lifeless and dull and I must admit I have to agree.

I did notice the dark areas around the edge of the church spire and roof, this effect was only present when the aperture was wide open however.

I notice vignetting at F2.8 which is a little disappointing for a full format lens although this does seem to disappear at about F8.

Although not terrible the sharpness is not all that great either, as seen below you could probably get away with it and correct the sharpness in post processing but it would be nice not to have to do this;

The next day I ventured out again to further test the lens, the weather was no better and the colours not great. Below are some sample shots which are unprocessed;

Sample

Community

There are hundreds of example photo’s using 20mm lenses on FLickr and also loads of groups dedicated to the focal length, some of which are listed below;

I have to say a big ‘Thank you to B&H for sending me the lens to review, you can purchase the Canon 20mm lens from B&H Photo or browse the huge range of photography equipment that they supply by clicking on the banner below.

An alternative lens to the Canon is;

Sigma 20mm F/1.8 EX

Photo Effects Video Roundup

Barry — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:11:35 +0000

Camera Raw Tutorial

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK0uqKJSFMY

Dave Hill effect for portraits

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKQxvFo4lGQ

Lucis Art tutorials

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-uzEJlQhCw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2iZN37L-Kw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qpiqDD1_go

Photoshop filters

Motion blur filter

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHpCjwGoNK0

Extract filter

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y13QRSIyaJA

Topaz Photoshop plugin

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_uv1lcgGhk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlHXDRlEMPI

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVjV2lxGTRU

Website Profile – TheWindyPixel

Barry — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:48 +0000

. The photographers who run the site and contribute the great images featured are;

All from Chicago, they aim to (and have do so very successfully) show this city in all it’s glory through their camera lenses. From theatres to cityscapes and rivers to cemeteries, all of the gallery on TheWindyPixel are stunning and have inspired me on many of my shoots. As well as the images and accompanying blog there is also a great HDR tutorial, links to other great photography related websites and the ability to purchase any of the great images. I cannot recommend the site highly enough and strongly urge you to take a look for yourselves, I promise you will NOT be disappointed!

Credit:Mike Boehmer (TheWindyPixel)

Credit: Justin Kern (TheWindyPixel)

Credit: Annie Elmer (TheWindyPixel)

Credit: Mike Boehmer (TheWindyPixel)

TheWindyPixel can also be found on Twitter All images are the sole property of TheWindyPixel.

FPR Review – Phottix Duo TTL Cord

Barry — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:53:12 +0000

. My choice of lead was the Duo TTL Cord from Phottix. This cord allows either a single flashgun to be tethered to the camera via the cord or even to use 2 flashguns by utilising the additional dock that is on top of the connector which attaches to the camera’s hot shoe. My first impression of the cord when picking it up from the post office was that it had a good weight to it. This is not to say that it is heavy but definitely gives the impression of good build quality and a piece of equipment that should last some time. The cord is 2 metres/6.5 feet in length and the cord is coiled which reduces the length to 1 foot when not in use. This is particularly handy for someone who’s camera bag is already a bit over crowded! The fixing of the cord to the camera’s hot shoe is secured with a tightening wheel which ensures a snug fit (especially handy if, like me you often grab your camera on a shoot to quickly get a shot. Worrying whether a piece of equipment will fall off is the last thing you need, with this fastening you need not worry!). The other end of the cord has a screw hole to enable the flashgun to be supported and attached to a tripod for support (very helpful!) The instructions supplied on the packaging explain clearly how not only to attach a flashgun via the cord, but also how to set up your equipment to use 2 flashguns, this is fairly straight forward anyway but it is nice that Phottix have provided this information for those new to the hobby. All in all I am very happy with the cord, as it is quite a simple piece of kit there is not a lot more that can be said regarding the pros and cons but it is a nice length and as stated previously the build quality is great. The connecting ends fit tightly which show good craftsmanship and the additional option to attach a second flashgun is a nice touch. The cord gives you greater flexibility to enable you to use a flash in more awkward situations/angles.I can’t really offer any cons as there aren’t any.