Canon 20D manual 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 is USM, Pentax 100mm FA Macro

REALLY INTO IT!

S T A B I L I Z A T I O N

Canon

28–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS USM

$ $410 street www.canoneos.com 800-652-2666

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.

D I G I T A L

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.

M A C R O

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.

▲
				✚ 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.
	VERSATILE LENSES: TOSS THE TRIPOD		WITH ANTI-SHAKE
	A favorite is the Pentax 100mm f/2.8	SIR LENS-A-LOT
FA Macro. A large maximum aperture
renders a bright viewfinder for easy		BEST		Looking for
focusing; its continuous magnification				one lens to do
		BUY
scale relays exactly what you’re getting		★it all? Check			Versatile
on film (or sensor); and a special locking		out Tamron’s $400 (street)
mechanism will hold a specific focusing		AF 28–300mm f/3.5–6.3
distance. TESTED DECEMBER 1998		XR Di Macro. Featuring
		Tamron’s Di (Digitally
	H I - S P E E D
		Integrated) design, which
Tokina 28–80mm		claims improved, flare-
		reducing coatings and
f/2.8 AT-X		tighter manufacturing toler-
	$520 street	ances, the compact and
	www.thkphoto.com	lightweight AF 28–300mm
800-421-1141		delivers an ample 10.7X
High speed (i.e., maximum		zoom range, 1:2.9 maximum
					Lenses
apertures of f/2.8 or faster)		magnification, and a very
is a killer trait in a lens. A fast		tight 19.3-inch close-focus-
lens lets you use faster shut-		ing distance at all focal
ter speeds for sharp pictures sans tripod		lengths. Sigma,
or flash, and they can defocus a back-		similarly,
ground nicely. Tokina’s 28–80mm f/2.8		makes a
AT-X is a good example of an all-around		comparable
useful high-speed zoom. Offering wide		28–300mm
to short telefocal lengths, it may be the		f/3.5–6.3
only lens you’ll need to work, say, a wed-		Macro.
ding reception. TESTED SEPTEMBER 2000