Photo Review Reviews section

Lensbaby Composer

7 Rating

A specialised lens with high spherical aberration for selective focus photography.Designed for interchangeable-lens SLR cameras, Lensbaby lenses are suite of replacement lenses that combine a simple optical system with an adjustable bellows that allows selective focus photography. Available for all current DSLR cameras, they bring one area of a photo into sharp focus while the rest of the subject is blurred. The effect is achieved by moving the front of the lens off-axis, thereby shifting the focus ‘sweet spot’ (area of sharpest focus) to the sides, top or bottom of the frame.

GiSTEQ Photo Trackr Mini DPL900 GPS Data Logger

8.5 Rating

A pocketable GPS data logger for travelling photographers and those who enjoy sharing photos via social websites.Although we’ve looked at several GPS data loggers in the past few years, we haven’t published reviews of them because they didn’t provide the features or functionality we felt most photographers require. However, the GiSTEQ Photo Trackr Mini comes close to meeting the needs of at least some Photo Review readers and is affordable and very portable.

Gary Fong Lighting Accessories

A range of accessories that make the output from a portable flash gun more flattering to subjects.Gary Fong is a former wedding photographer who developed a suite of highly successful lighting accessories, some of which have become ‘must have’ tools for wedding photographers. So successful was the LightSphere range of products that Fong went on to become an entrepreneur who has made multiple fortunes in business and real estate.

Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Lens

8.8 Rating

A high-quality, general purpose lens for Sony’s Alpha digital cameras.Designed to suit the 23.6 x 15.8mm image sensors on Sony’s Alpha DSLR cameras, the new Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA lens covers a focal length range equivalent to 24-120mm in 35mm format. Although described as ‘the first professional-grade 5x zoom lens specifically designed for APS format DSLRs’ it’s probably better seen as a ‘pro-sumer’ lens. It’s an excellent general-purpose lens for the A700 and A350 models, whose high resolutions can capitalise on its performance.

Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA SSM Lens

8.5 Rating

A fast, high-performance mid-range zoom lens for Sony’s Alpha DSLR cameras.The Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA SSM is a ‘prestige’ lens resulting from a collaboration between the well-known lens manufacturer, Carl Zeiss, and Sony. Made in Japan, it carries both Zeiss and Sony branding and has the model number SAL2470Z. Its focal length range of the covers an angle-of-view range equivalent to 36-105mm in 35mm format with ‘APS-C’ sized sensor on the A350 body we used for this review.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

8.5 Rating

The standard stabilised zoom lens for Canon’s entry-level digital SLR cameras.Supplied as a basic kit lens with entry-level Canon DSLRs, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens covers a focal length range equivalent to 28.2 to 88mm in 35mm format. This is a good choice of focal lengths for general photography and will suit subjects as diverse as scenery and portraiture. Equipped with built-in image stabilisation (which Canon claims offers up to four f-stops of shutter speed advantage) it will focus as close as 25 cm at all focal length settings.

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

8.5 Rating

A general-purpose lens with an extended zoom range for Canon’s DSLR camera bodies with ‘APS-C-sized’ image sensors.Designed to provide a wide zoom range in a compact and lightweight form factor, Canon’s EF-S18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS telephoto zoom lens can only be used with cameras that have ‘APS-C-sized’ image sensors. Supporting a zoom range of approximately 11 times, it covers a focal length equivalent to 29-320mm in 35mm format but weighs only 595 grams. Built-in image stabilisation provides approximately four f-stops of shutter speed advantage and the stabilisation system can detect when the camera is panned.

Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens

8.5 Rating

A compact, high-quality 5.6x zoom lens with four-stop image stabilisation and a fast autofocus drive.The EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens is one of two lenses announced by Canon in September when details of the EOS 7D were revealed. It’s offered with the 7D body in the Platinum kit and covers a wide-to-telephoto zoom range of roughly 5.6 times. A built-in image stabiliser claims a four f-stop advantage in shutter speed settings and an ultrasonic motor (USM) provides quick and quiet autofocusing.

Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Lens

9 Rating

A fast 800mm prime telephoto lens that will provide high performance for sports and wildlife photographers.Canon’s EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM lens is a ‘big gun’ in many ways. Weighing 4.5 kilograms and almost half a metre long with its lens hood attached, it’s a challenge to shoot with. However, it also has a maximum aperture of f/5.6, which is outstanding for a lens with such a long focal length. Not unexpectedly, it’s priced accordingly at just under $17,000 and comes in a specially-designed, lockable lens case with a contoured interior and Velcro tie-down.