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Finally got some time to review this gem!
Condition:- purchased used, in excellent condition.
Build Quality
excellent - the focus moves smoothly and accurately. The lens feels solid and fairly heavy (not a bad thing). The aperture ring felt a little loose but maybe that is the design. Overall it is very solid and feels like it could outlast me.
Sharpness - perfect. Wide open (at 2.5 this lens is sharp in focus), and stopping down increases DOF. Works fine wide open.
Focus - using an adaptall-2 mount with focus confirmation or Live view one can perfectly focus images on my Canon EOS camera.
Here’s a sample image -this is most likely wide open at f2.5
More info:
http://www.adaptall-2.org/lenses/02B.html
More sample images - please view full size! mostly at f2.5
November 22nd, 2012
400mm at f6.3 (click and view original size):
400mm at f9 (click and view original size):
Note: both images have been saved as jpeg, so there is some quality loss.
Summary
When used correctly, the Canon EF 2x II Extender / tele-converter with the 70-200 f2.8l, yields extraordinary results - however this requires a good tripod + cable / remote shutter release - this lens combination is not recommended for candid / hand-held photography.
Close up images work at f5.6 (within a distance of 2-3 meters max - good results require stopping down from f6.3 to f9.0 Shooting distant images with the Canon EF 2x II Extender requires stopping down from f8.0 to f11.0
Construction quality
The Canon EF 2x II teleconverter / Extender is built to L standards - it seems to be environmentally sealed, and includes a nice carry pouch. It is small, light, fits well with metal mounts on both sides, and doesn’t creak. It would probably be at home on the finest lenses and bodies.
Color/contrast
Professional reviewers state Canon EF 2x II Extender has visible contrast loss - however my tests suggested that it isn’t too bad. To my untrained mind, the colors and contrast seemed OK after 6.3, similar to original L colors. It is recommended you shoot in RAW and adjust the contrast / curves a bit, also sharpen +1 (shoot with sharpness set to absolute zero).
Auto / Manual focus
The non IS 70-200 is a very good lens - better than the IS version - however even the best lens struggles to function when zoomed 2x - which is what the Canon EF 2x II Extender achieves.
Auto focus is hit and miss on my camera (EOS Rebel XS), but you may get better results with a 40d/50d or better.
Manual focus is recommended, and a tripod is needed for anything less than midday sunlight - even then it is a good idea.
You should also use a cable shutter release or remote shutter release and self timer / mirror lockup to reduce vibration.
DOF
Shallow DOF seems to exist, no matter how much the lens is stopped down - this is due to various flaws, and the fact that any aperture setting is actually two stops wider - i.e. when you stop down to F8 you are actually at f4 with two stops of light loss. Getting f8 on your original lens = f16 with the Canon EF 2x II teleconverter / Extender.
Taking into account the focal length, it is normal to have various areas out of focus - the best you can do is focus on a prominent feature (e.g. the eye of an animal) and hope everything else isn’t too badly out.
January 20th, 2010
Visited metropolitan recently, they have a new lens (15-85 usm)
have you heard of that lens before?
me either!
anyway, it looks like a good consumer lens - apparently it was released with the 7D
some quick thoughts:
Performance:
no major complaint - lens was sharp, worked as it should have.
pros
good build quality, solid, IS, USM for focus (FTM I think)
15mm is nice
15-85 translates to 24-135? or something like that, I think - which is (IMO) a good range… so someone buying a camera can buy this lens and be OK with it, probably wouldn’t need anything else initially..
distance scale (I think that is what it is called, at least!)
cons
high price ($799 + vat, etc)
a cheaper option would be (18-55 + 55-250)
Verdict
a bit expensive, but a convenient for someone who wants a single lens. if this drops to about $350 or $400 it would be well worth it
for the moment, for someone with $800 to blow, I recommend a 50mm 1.4 (or 85 1.8) and a 55-250
Alternatively, even better - a 50mm 1.8, 85mm 1.8 and 55-250
all should be possible under $800
Quick sample image at 15mm
I will post more samples later, but I can generally summarize by saying that, to my untrained eye, this lens seems OK - it functions well, is solidly built, has cool ‘pro’ features like ring USM and full time manual focus / distance scale - in short, it is an excellent lens, only a bit expensive
distortion
distortion at 15mm was neither good, nor bad, somewhere in the middle. Obviously a bit more than the 18mm but still in the OK range.
if you wanted to, you could fix distortion using software (DXO Labs, photoshop or something?)
November 12th, 2009
I’m trying out a new Canon point and shoot (a480)
Here are two sample photos:
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5337/img5481jm.jpg
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/605/img5480b.jpg
I’m definitely impressed by this camera. I will write a detailed review soon
November 5th, 2009
At f2.8, dof becomes paper thin. This means that when you focus on something or someone, everything else melts, in a sea of soft color.
April 12th, 2009
These kitteh’s are looking for a new home. They’d like to be moved as a pair, if anyone is willing to adopt them. They love to play with each other..
They have a temp home and they are OK but if anyone out there wants to adopt them both, please post a comment here.
April 4th, 2009
Dropped by the autolanka G2G at marine drive, so I had a chance to test the 18-55IS lens. It’s actually quite decent. Here are some photos. (Sorry about the extreme saturation!)
If the slideshow does not work, you can see the photos here
Continue Reading January 10th, 2009
55mm, F5.6 (est) - sadly my current kit lens maxes out at 5.6 - so bokeh requires getting real close. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a 50mm 1.8 soon (its currently out of stock at Canon/Metropolitan)
Continue Reading December 3rd, 2008
my post is one year from the