Outstanding lens for a 'pro-sumer'

Author's Rating:

Pros: quality... of construction, of optics. Simply outstanding.

Cons: Doesn't work with all Canon models

The Bottom Line: 
Fantastic special-use lens for serious amateur photographers.

Author's Review
We use this lens with a Canon Digital Rebel. In fact, this lens (with its EF-S USM designation) can ONLY be used with Digital Rebel models. So, if you're using other models, look elsewhere. I believe this is a lens that Canon intends for serious-but-not-professional photographers. It has high-end quality and features, but is probably not the pinnacle of what's available.

We bought this lens to supplement the Canon 18-55 mm kit lens that came with the camera. The kit lens isn't too bad, but the optical quality of this 60mm lens is in a whole other category. It's a superior lens. It's FAST. It's crisp.

The 60 mm fixed focal length translates to almost a 90 mm focal length equivalent in a film camera (the Canon chip multiplies things by a factor of 1.6). So, this lens is similar to what we used to call a 'portrait' lens. It gives you a very close to 1:1 sense of what you're looking at through the viewfinder. It's also a macro lens. This is where it really shines for us.

Macro's primarily why we bought it. We use it underwater inside an Ikelite housing designed for our camera. The shots we've taken with this lens of smaller reef creatures are simply stunning (by our standards). The auto-focus operates inside the lens barrel and quietly. The length doesn't extend in and out as you focus it. This is great when you're trying not to scare off a shy, small fish.

However, I've taken to using it for much of my top-side photography as well. It's quite versatile for portraits, landscapes, etc.

The moment you pick it up, you'll notice it is in another category from the kit lens. The barrel is made of metal. It has some heft. The focus is fast and smooth. It cost us more than half as much as the camera kit; but as we got more sophisticated with our photography, it's been worth every penny.