Archive for: lensrentals.com
LensRentals.com has introduced a program called LensRentals HD.
For a yearly fee of $79, you will get free standard shipping on all your orders for one full year. If you rent a lot, this is going to save you a lot of money. The program also qualifies you for 50% off overnight shipping via Fedex.
At only $79 a year, LensRentals HD makes sense for everyone. Only rent a few small orders per year? You’ll still save money with LensRentals HD. You only expect to place a single large order this year? You’ll still save. You rent all the time? You’ll save even more.
Visit LensRentals.com to learn more
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From LensRentals.com
Lens Rentals in the US is running a contest to win one of either a Canon EOS 6D, Nikon D600, Sony NEX-7 or Olympus OM-D. Just sign up for the contest below, and take advantage of the options to enter more than once.
The really good news on this one? It’s not USA only, no matter where you are on earth, you can enter. The contest runs until April 15, 2013.
Visit the Contest Page to Enter
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Via Lens Rentals
Roger Cicala from LensRentals.com has posted his first resolution tests of the Canon EF 24-70 f/4L IS.
He has compared it with the EF 24-70 f/2.8L version 1 and 2, the EF 24-105 f/4L IS as well as the Tamron 24-70 f/2.8VC. All of which will probably get your consideration in a very crowded focal range.
At 24mm, the EF 24-70 f/4L IS is the second best performing lens behind the EF 24-70 f/2.8L II. Mind you, the results are all pretty close. It does look like Canon’s MTF chart of the lens holds up against the others.
EF 24-70 f/4L IS at 24mm Resolution Comparison Chart
At 70mm, none of the lenses are as sharp as they are at 24mm. However, the EF 24-70 f/4L IS is again the 2nd best performing lens by a small amount.
EF 24-70 f/4L IS at 70mm Resolution Comparison Chart
Part of Roger’s Conclusion
“Obviously this hasn’t told us a thing about autofocus accuracy, bokeh, or a dozen other things that have to be considered when choosing a lens. Just like you, I’ll be waiting for more complete reviews to tell us about that.
On the basis of this information, though, I’m . . . well, I don’t know what I am. This is a good lens, but I at the price point I’d probably prefer the f/2.8 of the Tamron VC to the new Canon’s f/4. The macro feature is nice and will certainly pull some people towards the Canon.”
Roger also notes that there was quite a bit of variation at 70mm between the 22 copies they tested.
Read the entire article | Canon EF 24-70 f/4L IS at B&H Photo $1499
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From B&H Photo
B&H Photo has stock of the new Canon Cinema EOS C100 camcorder for $6499. You can also rent the C100 from LensRentals.com in the USA.
C100 at B&H Photo $6499 | Rent the C100 at LensRentals.com starting at $350
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From LensRentals.com
Roger at LensRentals.com has written his first impressions of the brand new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM. This may be the first time I’ve ever seen him this positive about a Sigma product.
As always, this isn’t a review, it’s my quick first impression after putting the lens through our normal intake tests. I’m not a lens reviewer. Also, as always, my summary comes first, for those of you who have trouble reading more than 150 words without a picture (and a picture comes after that).
This lens kicks butt, takes names, and basically posterizes the manufacturers who make the cameras this lens will fit on.
Sigma 35 f/1.4 MTF 50 – Higher Numbers are Better
Read the entire article | Buy the Sigma 35 f/1.4 at B&H $899
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Save lots for Thanksgiving
Our friends at LensRentals.com in Memphis, Tennessee will be having a massive Black Friday event for folks in the United States. There will be huge savings on purchasing used gear, as well as a big 25% savings on rentals.
There will be lots of great used gear will be available. You can buy your used gear from LensRentals.com with the utmost confidence. I have never received a complaint about buying used gear from LensRentals.com, they’re 100% honest about condition and stand behind their products.
Here are a few examples of great deals on used gear. 5D Mark IIIs from $2200, 5D Mark IIs from $950, Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS from $800 and lots more! Even Leica M9s from $3000!
The sale begins at 6AM CST on Thursday, November 22, 2012 and will run until 11:59PM EST on Monday, November 26, 2012. Be sure to check their site often during the weekend event, as they will be adding new gear daily!
Visit LensRentals.com
Thanksgiving PSA
Please remember, if you’re going to deep fry your turkey…. thaw it first. No need to be at the emergency room because your frozen friend lead to an explosion and sent hot oil and flames everywhere.
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From LensRentals.com
Roger at LensRentals.com did what Roger always does. Tells you like it is without the nonsense. For the most part the review is pretty positive about Canon’s first foray in the mirrorless segment, especially when it comes to image quality. All is not rosey though, as the autofocus appears to be the achilles heel of this camera. Everyone seems to be hoping Canon can improve it with firmware updates, which I imagine they are focusing on.
They did throw in an EOS-M paired with SigZilla for good measure.
Roger’s Conclusion…… So Who is Going to Like It?
Oddly enough, I do. I’m all about image quality above all other things. This camera gives me great, great image quality in an amazingly small package. It had me at 870 line pairs / image height.
Will it replace an OM-D or SLR for my everyday shooting? Absolutly not; its AF is too slow and there aren’t many native lenses yet. But will I tuck it in my wife’s purse when we go to holiday parties, and take it on trips for snapshots? Sure. Sometimes those kind of shots are great and with this image quality I could easily make a large print if I wanted to………
Read the full article at LensRentals.com
image of Kenny & SigZilla from lensrentals.com
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From LensRentals.com
A good partner of ours, LensRentals.com is running a contest to win a MacBook Pro w/Retina Display. Apparently people like the laptop and think the screen is pretty good. I might be one of those people.
I’ll say it right off the bat, the contest is for US residents only. It’s not because LensRentals.com dislikes the rest of the planet, it’s just about laws, borders and that sort of thing.
The contest info is in the graphic below (Click for larger).
LensRentals.com | LensRentals.com Contest
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From LensRentals.com
Roger over at LensRentals.com ran the new EF 24-70 f/2.8L II through an Imatest session and found it to be a stellar performer as far as resolution goes.
From Roger
“This is short, sweet, and simple. The resolution absolutely, positively kicks butt and takes names. It is way better than the lens it replaces. It’s better at 70mm than the best Canon zoom I know of, the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II. It’s even better at 24mm than the sharpest 24mm prime we have, the Canon 24 TS-E. In the center, in the corners, it doesn’t care. We only had 5 copies to test, but they were all very similar with little copy-to-copy variation.
Resolution is not everything, of course. But it’s certainly an important thing. Unless the real lens reviewers find some dramatic problems with this lens, I’d have to lean towards worth-the-money on this one. I can’t believe I’m saying that a $2,300 standard zoom is worth the money. But then again, I can’t believe I’m seeing a zoom lens out resolve a $2,000 world-class prime, either.”
The Imatest results are below. The higher the number, the better.
| Lens |
24mm Ctr |
24mm Avg |
70mm Ctr |
70mm Avg |
| Canon 24-70 f/2.8 II |
954 |
831 |
950 |
809 |
| Canon 24-70 f/2.8 |
730 |
605 |
705 |
570 |
| Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC |
815 |
765 |
735 |
655 |
| Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS II |
xx |
xx |
885 |
765 |
| Canon24 f/3.5 TS-E |
915 |
775 |
xx |
xx |
As you can see, the new EF 24-70 f/2.8L II is an absolute resolution monster. It really looks like it’s the best zoom Canon has ever made optically. There is a small note that distortion at 24mm is slightly worse than version 1, but that’s what software is for. :)
Read the full review here
Order the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L II at: B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon
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Issue with the new Sigma Macro
An issue with the Sigma 180mm f/2.8 OS Macro on the 5D Mark III and EOS-1D X has been discovered by LensRentals.com. If this has caused anyone to pull their hair out, the solution is pretty simple, just turn off illumination correction.
Below is an image taken by LensRentals.com showing the phenomenon.
Sigma 180 f/2.8 OS Macro Issue – Click for larger
The Findings
- The phenomenon shows up on Canon 5D Mk III and 1Dx cameras only. T4i and 7D bodies with firmware upgrade do NOT do this, nor do any other older cameras we could test.
- The Sigma 180 OS and Sigma 150 OS macro lenses both show the effect and it’s identical. No other Sigma lenses that we stock showed the effect, nor did any Tamron or Tokina lenses. Obviously I can’t test what we don’t carry.
- If you turn off Illumination Correction in the menu the effect goes away. To repeat, though, Illumination Correction in the 7D and T4i, on or off, doesn’t cause the effect.
The issue probably doesn’t show up on the APS_C cameras because of the image is about the same size as the circular anomaly in the center of the above image.
Read More at LensRentals.com
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