To replace the "whale": 5 zoom lenses for Canon cropped SLR cameras

Canon's entry-level APS-C DSLRs often come with a kit zoom lens Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S IS STM . A powerful addition to it will be a telephoto with a range of focal lengths of 55-250 mm for photography at a distance from the object of shooting.

As for the telephoto class, the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is very light (only 375g) due to the model's plastic construction. Not only the body of the lens is made of plastic, but also the bayonet mount, so you need to be careful when changing optics frequently. Otherwise, the risk of accidentally damaging the place where the lens is attached to the “carcass” of the camera increases.

The Canon telephoto produces a soft and plastic picture with excellent sharpness across the entire field of the frame, starting from the open apertures. Its maximum value floats from f/4.0 at the short end to f/5.6 at the closest. As compensation for not the most outstanding aperture, the lens got an optical stub at its disposal, which helps to win up to 4 stops in shutter speed.

The model is proud of the quiet and fast STM autofocus stepper drive. It especially helps out when shooting video, because there are no extraneous sounds in the process of focus in the "insides" of the lens. By the way, when focus, all elements of the optical scheme move inside the telephoto design, and in size it changes only when zooming — a change in focal length upwards is accompanied by the appearance of a sickly “trunk”.

The equivalent focal length of the considered model is 88-400 mm, and its closest full-frame relative is a powerful pro tool Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L EF USM II Price from 65 000 up to 119 373 ₴. However for its cost you can buy a good dozen 55-250 mm telephoto lenses — anyway, the democratic price tag belongs to the category of the main advantages of a crop lens.

The Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC OS HSM Macro C zoom lens belongs to the group of amateur optics of the Contemporary line. Its optical characteristics are not the most outstanding, as well as its resolution, but the advantage of the model over standard lenses is visible to the naked eye.

For starters, the lens can use a maximum aperture of f/2.8 at wide angle. However, it is worth changing the zoom position even a little, and the aperture immediately drops, gradually dropping to the f / 4 mark (at a focal length of about 50 mm and up to the maximum approximation). Structurally, the diaphragm of the model consists of 7 petals, which form an even, but not perfectly round hole. Accordingly, in the blur zone, the lens draws bokeh that is pleasing to the eye.

The plastic body shell of the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC OS HSM Macro C hides an ultrasonic HSM autofocus motor and an optical image stabilizer designed to compensate for up to 4 stops of exposure. Both mechanisms cannot be called noiseless, nevertheless, they cope with the duties placed on their shoulders with a bang. The only annoyance is the fact that it is impossible to adjust the focus in the autofocus mode, since the focus ring rotates within 45 °.

Knowing that the front lens block extends when the lens is zoomed, Japanese engineers for some reason forgot to put a mechanical zoom lock into service with the model. As a result, her “trunk” moves forward spontaneously. The possibility of macro photography (with a maximum magnification of 1:2.8) helps to smooth the impression of this design feature. It complements a wide range of other lens abilities that are equally good at landscape, street and portrait photography.

In a wide fleet of optics from Canon, a "station wagon" with a set of focal lengths of 18-135 mm is not the first time. However, this time around, the Japanese photography giant has shifted its focus from the model's photo focus to its advanced video capabilities.

The sharpness of the lens for video recording can be seen in its equipment with a new type of fast and quiet Nano USM autofocus motor, which combines the best features of STM and USM drives, as well as the presence of a contact pad on the body for connecting the PZ-E1 zoom adapter. When shooting video, the servo motor helps to smoothly rotate the zoom ring in 10 different speed modes, ensuring approaching and moving away from the subject without jerking.

During zooming, the lens grows slightly in length (by about 5 cm). However, under the weight of its own weight, the "trunk" does not extend from the body, in addition, it is held back by a mechanical zoom lock. Its closest neighbors are the focus mode switches and the optical stub control. The latter is included in the design of the lens in order to compensate for the shaking of the operator's hands when shooting video and help in gaining up to 4 exposure steps when shooting from hand. So, at the maximum approximation, clear pictures without blurring can be obtained at shutter speeds up to 1/13 s.

Optically, the lens is identical to a colleague in the workshop — a universal zoom Canon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S IS STM Price from 14 500 ₴. And he has proven himself in the best way when shooting the most diverse scenes. Claims to the quality of the picture are made only in relation to the drop in detail at the edges of the frame when working with open aperture values in the wide-angle position. On the other hand , neither chromatic aberration nor vignetting gives the photographer much trouble over the entire wide range of focal lengths. In general, the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM will serve as an excellent option for all occasions and will appeal to those who do not intend to acquire numerous interchangeable lenses for their amateur Canon DSLR.

The All-Seeing Eye from Tokina looks at the world from a wide perspective, allowing you to fit the maximum of the surrounding reality into one frame. In addition, throughout the entire zoom range, the maximum aperture of the lens remains constantly high (f / 2.8), which is a sure sign that the model belongs to a series of top lenses.

Once again, the high level of the zoom lens is mentioned in the PRO prefix, which appears in the model name. It encodes not only a high-quality assembly, but also outstanding optical performance. The lens draws a clear picture regardless of the selected focal length, giving maximum razor sharpness at f / 5.6 aperture. However, the f/2.8 aperture is also working for the Tokina AT-X 11-20mm f/2.8 PRO DX, with the only caveat that when shooting with an open aperture at the short end of the edge of the frame, vignetting inevitably spoils.

The focal length range of 11-20mm is best suited for shooting architecture and interiors. And the aforementioned high f / 2.8 aperture eliminates the need for the lens to be equipped with a built-in stub. The company of a complex optical scheme in the body of the model is only the autofocus mechanism — smart and tenacious, but not quiet enough, which can be critical when shooting video. Focus from automatic mode to manual focus mode and vice versa is carried out by shifting the focus ring towards the mount or front lens (One-touch Focus Clutch).

The aperture of the model is formed from 9 petals and draws spectacular bokeh unusual for wide-angle optics. Petal is also a complete lens hood, which you should definitely use when shooting in backlighting, because. the lens is prone to catching glare. Given the class of optics, it would be useful to mention in the end the complete absence of distortion at the maximum zoom position. But at the short end, there are minor geometric distortions in the frame, but they are easily corrected in the photo editor when post-processing the footage.

A unique lens of its kind from the Art series acts as the fastest telephoto lens in availability. With it on the crop, you can get almost everything the same as with the lens Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L EF IS USM II Price from 72 000 ₴ at full frame, and in some cases even more.

The lens is one step lighter than the optics, which has a maximum aperture value of f / 2.8. Ceteris paribus, the brainchild of Sigma allows you to set a lower ISO when shooting, as a result of which the likelihood of noise appearing in the image in low light conditions is reduced.

As part of testing the model by specialists from the reputable DxOMark resource, it took the first place in terms of the totality of parameters among all existing telephoto lenses, regardless of whether they belong to the class of cropped or full-frame optics. In fact, the above is confirmed by the ringing sharpness of the image from an open aperture, the low susceptibility of the lens to chromatic aberrations and vignetting, as well as the remarkable colour reproduction. From above, all this is “seasoned” with spectacular bokeh, in the drawing of which a 9-blade diaphragm is involved.

A couple of fly in the ointment in a huge barrel of honey was the lack of a stabilization system model on board, along with the large dimensions and weight of the lens (about one and a half kilograms). A high-quality metal case with a regular heel for attaching the lens to a tripod adds extra weight to the telephoto. All elements of the optical design move during focus within the structure, so the Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art does not change in size.

Optionally, you can buy a docking station for the lens to update its firmware and fine-tune the focus(in order to get rid of unwanted back- and front-focus phenomena). It is compatible with a variety of Sigma lenses, so if they form the basis of your optics fleet, then there will definitely not be an extra docking station. In general, you can't find a better option than the Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art, not only for the same price, but at all — this is a truly exceptional telephoto lens for cropped SLR cameras.