Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This lens is a "manual lens" and many folks today probably don't know what that means. I've been using SLR or DSLR cameras for almost 30 years, and the definition didn't fully register with me until I received this lens. When you look through the viewfinder of an SLR/DSLR camera, you want to focus with the aperture completely open. This condition gives you the most light to see the subject and gives you the narrowest depth of field so that you can focus most precisely. Most lenses made in the last 30 years or so have been "automatic" in the sense that they keep the aperture completely open when you are looking through the viewfinder. When you press the shutter button, the aperture closes to whatever you have set (or whatever the camera's computer sets) just before the camera takes the image. For instance, if your lens has a maximum aperture of f3.5 and you are shooting at f8, then the lens is at f3.5 as you frame the picture. When you take the picture, the mirror that allows you to look through the camera's lens comes up to let light reach the sensor/film, the camera closes the aperture from the wide open f3.5 to the f8 that you've set, and then the camera opens the shutter. By the time the mirror drops again to let you see through the lens, the aperture is completely open again. A manual lens works differently in that the camera can't close the aperture before taking the picture. To take a picture correctly, you generally need to focus with the aperture completely open and then close the aperture yourself by changing something on the lens. In the case of this lens, you'll need to turn a little ring to close the aperture. If your eyes are really good, you might be able to focus by keeping the aperture closed to whatever f-stop you use for shooting, but the ring tends to move as you change f-stop. To use this lens, you'll need to remember to close the aperture before taking every picture. Otherwise, you'll think that you are shooting at f16, but the picture will actually be exposed at f8. You could end up with some overexposed pictures. If all of this adjusting sounds complicated, here's one bit of comfort. You'll probably want to do most of your photography with this lens at f8 which is the widest aperture opening. If you get used to shooting everything at f8, you may end up never really needing to close the aperture. Not only can your camera not close the aperture, but also your camera's computer can't talk to the lens. You won't see anything in the viewfinder telling you where your aperture (f-stop) is set. Even many of us who claim to be "old school" have come to like seeing that information in the viewfinder display. You certainly can't use autofocus, and I couldn't get the little red "in-focus" lights to tell me whether I was in focus. This lens is not for someone who depends on the camera's computer to take pictures. When we consider the cost of a modern camera lens, we need to consider all that we purchase in a modern lens. To begin, we purchase the lenses, and better glass means a higher cost. We purchase the metal tube and the mechanisms that hold the lenses and allow us to focus. Again, better quality mechanisms mean a higher cost. With most lenses, we are purchasing the electronics that allow our camera's computer to "talk to" the lens. With most lenses of the past 30 or so years, we are purchasing the "automatic" function that lets the camera close the aperture at the moment that we take the picture. The most important parts of getting a good picture are the quality of the glass and the mechanism. If the lens can't focus the image on the sensor/film, then we can't get good pictures. All of the automated stuff is just for convenience. With this lens, the manufacturer has spent nothing on convenience, but that means that everything that went into the lens is devoted to glass and mechanism. Neither is going to be as good as you'd get in a Canon L series lens, but if I'm going to use a $114 lens, I want everything that the manufacturer spends to go into glass and mechanism. I've just received this lens and only taken a few pictures. Overall, they look pretty good for an inexpensive 500mm lens. Shooting with a long telephoto isn't easy anyway (particularly as I grow older). I shot in good light, and this lens is likely to be useless in bad light. However, when I have good light and a long distance to cover, I may get some very pleasing shots. Purchasers need to consider a few things. First, this lens is very thin for its length. If you are driven by how your lens looks when attached to your camera, you need to be aware that this one will look a little funny. Secondly, this lens comes without a lens cap, without a filter, and without a back cap. I'd recommend purchasing a 67mm UV filter to protect the front of the lens, a 67mm lens cap, and a back cap that is made to receive Canon mounts. The lens is actually threaded at the back, and a mounting adapter is part of the package. You won't keep this lens on the camera all of the time, so you'll want to be able to keep the lens screwed onto the adapter and protected on the back with a cap. Most of us prefer to use a lens hood for most shooting. This lens doesn't have any kind of mount for modern lens hoods. I'd recommend buying a 67mm screw on lens hood. You'll need bright light to use this lens, and you won't want glare from nearby surfaces to cause reflections on the surface of your lens and filter. In the long run, I think you'll want at least a monopod to steady the lens when shooting. A very flimsy tripod is probably useless, but I doubt that the most expensive tripods are necessary. I'll add to this review as I spend more time with this lens. I just wanted people to know what they are getting with this lens. If I had known these things, I'd have still purchased the lens. I just like having details explained.