Having shot DSLR's for years using primes or fast zoom lens I had always looked down upon all in one "hyper zoom" lens as being too much of a compromise, thinking that the image quality wouldn't be that great... that was till I actually tried one.
Being a studio based photographer my first thoughts was how well this reasonably priced do it all lens would hold up so I took it down to The Kirky Studio and did a few shots.
Not to bad!! even wide open I was getting pixel sharp results that looked very pleasing, this on the Sigma SD1 Merrill which isn't kind on lens at all, but since this lens also has an optional a macro adapter (AML72-01) I figured it was time to test that too.
Pretty good so far, the Macro adapter lets you focus much closer but I wonder how close? I grabbed a peanut and did another shot this time using the lens at infinity which actually gives you closer focus ability (due to focus breathing at minimum focus) with much more working room from the subject.
Pretty impressive, its not a true macro but I still had another 70mm of zoom left so could have gotten closer to the subject but I felt it was time to try this lens on how most people will use it, out in the real world.
The lens seems to hold up pretty well shooting a verity of subjects even at both ends of the focal range. Let's try the macro adapter again.
I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the lens, sure it can be a little soft around the edge of the frame (especially at either end of the focal range) at times and you can buy sharper lens but they wouldn't offer the focal range options this lens does and often cost much more.
Overall I rather enjoy using this lens and the images it can provide, its nice not having to carry a bag full of lens at times and I highly recommend the macro adapter too as it opens up more creative options even off camera like the image below where I used it to project the surroundings onto a tree.
Thanks for taking the time to view this, hopefully it has been helpful and feel free to check out the links below.
Credits:
Paul Monaghan