Questions about this fairly cheap lens pop up every now and then and since I have it, I thought I just might post a mini review with sample images and some of my comments.
There are no MTF charts here, just photos and words.
The lens isn't a featherweight, but it is still fairly light for a telephoto lens of this range.
I don't have many shots at 300 mm, but I do have a few at 200-300 mm, which is probably the are that is going to interest most of you looking at this lens.
Before post photos, a word on autofocus. I have the older version which doesn't focus on the D40(x) as it has no built-in AF motor.
Despite that, focus is fairly quick and accurate in the 70-200 range, it's somewhat slows down above 200 mm, although its accuracy is still pretty good most of the time.
If I'm tracking fast subjects and I happen to focus on something else (or point at something that confuses the AF), the lens can go through the whole range, which is pretty slow. It doesn't happen all the time, though. If you manage to keep your subject on the centre AF point, birds in flight are also doable.
For stills, however, my copy is pretty sharp even at 300 mm, even a bit sharper below.
Now some photos (mostly swans, ducks and seagulls).
A 100% crop, shot with a monopod (click for a PNG), raw converted in RawTherapee, no noise reduction applied:
Resized crops:
I've also tried to use it with a Canon 500D close-up lens, but the image quality is degraded a LOT, with only the centre usable (not all the time, though), but it's a rather inexpensive way to get about a 0.90 magnification. Of course, you have to use the macro switch to get the biggest magnification. With the switch on, you can't get below 200 mm, to turn it off, zoom out to 200 mm and turn the focus ring to make the lens as short as you can. You can switch back to non-macro mode again.
As you can see, the bokeh can be pretty smooth for a cheap lens.
Mods, if this should go to the Lens Gallery section, please move it there.
Any questions?
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