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Canon updated the mid-range section of the DSLR cameras with the new Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D.
Building on the popularity of the EOS 500D, the EOS 550D is designed to give you more access to video as well as Eye-Fi compatibility. Priced at US $ 899.99 with the standard 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, the EOS 550D will be available from the 24th February onwards.

There are a few basic upgrades on the Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D. Notably is the ISO sensitivity top limit being raised to ISO6400 although you can still expand that to ISO12800 if you wish. An interesting point on this is that you can now cap the highest ISO point while in AutoISO, so it won’t use ultra high settings to get a decent shutter speed.

The new screen resolution should help with the new video functions of the Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D. It has a Full HD recording facility of 1080p with manual control as well as selectable frame rates. You can choose from 30, 25 and 24fps at full HD quality while pushing it up to 60 or 50fps will reduce the quality to 720p. Alternatively, putting the camera in program mode means you don’t have to worry about it. There’s also a Movie Crop function that reduces the resolution to a 640×480 area but means you get a magnification of 7x the focal length of the lens.

The metering system now matches the one found on the popular Canon EOS 7D using the new iFCL metering with 63-zone dual-layer sensor. IFCL stands for intelligent Focus, Colour and Luminance metering and it’s this information that the new system uses to meter with. It works in conjunction with the focus points to determine the distance from relative subjects and weights the exposure according to the algorithm results.

Order now, the Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D is priced at $799.99.

Off we go again for high-quality Canon lenses featuring the best specs along with the best price!
In Canon lenses roundup part #1 we featured a 100-400mm , 16-35mm and the gorgeus 50mm f/1.2.

In round #2, we feature three different lenses each one with distinctive winning points, high quality but with an eye on huge savings!

28-105 mm

A general purpose lens, the Canon EF 28-105mm spans wide-angle upto basic tele focal length in a very compact package - and a rugged one too.

The Canon EF 28-105mm standard zoom lens retains the optical capability of Canon’s previous EF 28-105mm USM lens but with a refined exterior design.
The lens is distinguished by a ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM) drive that provides silent, high-speed autofocusing, along with full-time manual focusing.
The 1.6-foot (about 48 cm) close-focusing distance, meanwhile, lets you take great close-up portraits and nature shots.

It’s a great lens for all-around use and does a great job without getting deep in your pocket.

THe Canon EF 28-105mm now retails for US $ 209.95 (a 46% saving over regular price)

60 mm Macro

The Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens is compact, well built and shoot images that you would only expect from Canon L-series glass.

The Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens is an excellent lens with 35mm comparable focal length of about 96 mm.

Who needs this lens after all?
Creative photographers willing to explore fixed-length lens and more prone to try out Macro photography, be it to discover nature’s secret or simply looking at the world from a different - yet enlarging, point of view.

Autofocus shows its technologically modern performance - it is fast, quiet and accurate.
The Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens incorporates Canon’s excellent USM (Ultrasonic Motor) with FTM (Full Time Manual) focusing. An internal focusing design is used. The lens does not change length while focusing nor does the front element rotate - a big plus when using the compatible Canon MR-14ex and Canon MT-24EX Macro Flashes.

Optically, the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens performs very well. It is very sharp wide open (even in the corners) and slightly sharper stopped down. It is at least as sharp as the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens and the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM lens. It is at least as sharp as the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens at equivalent apertures.

Canon’s true macro lenses (the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens is one) yield a magnification of up to 1x or 1:1 which means the subject can appear lifesize on the sensor.

Lifesize on the sensor means output size is significantly larger than the sensor unless you are viewing it as a thumbnail or as a smaller-than-wallet-sized print.

Canon includes a magnification ratio scale in the 60mm Macro’s ft/m distance window (if knowing the exact magnification is important to you). Something that is not as readily apparent is the loss of light at high magnification values. The Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens loses 1/2 stop at 1:5, 1 stop at 1:3, 1.5 stops at 1:1.5 and 2 stops at 1:1 (lifesize). You need a shutter speed twice as long for a 1 stop loss and four times longer with a 2 stop loss. The camera’s autoexposure (or E-TTL if using a flash) will automatically compensate for this light loss. This loss of light is a common trait of macro lenses - not something unique about the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens.

Now available with a 43% saving at US $ 362.59!

70-200 mm

Almost any photographer has had a 70-200 mm general-purpose lens in its weaponry.

This Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom is a true pleasure since it comes from the -L family of lenses therefore ensuring high image quality standards - and a rugged body too!

Combining a very popular and very useful focal length range with excellent image quality, professional build quality, superb autofocus performance, a fast aperture and one of users’ favorite features - Canon’s valuable 3-stop Image Stabilization - makes the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L one of Canon’s most desired lenses.

Capture the far-off action of fast-paced sports or zoom in for an intimate portrait with the Canon EF 70-200mm telephoto zoom lens. This high-performance, L-series telephoto zoom lens is distinguished by such features as an f/4 maximum aperture, an inner focusing system, and a ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM). The last two features combine to deliver quick and quiet autofocusing–a priority for many amateur and professional photographers

Weighing 3.24 lbs (1470g) and measuring 3.4″ x 7.8″ (86.2mm x 197mm), the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L will not be mistaken for a light or small lens. However, I can carry this lens for long periods of time without feeling it is a burden. This is a weather sealed lens that is ready to take professional use.

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Lens balances out great build quality with excellent image quality. Images are sharp wide open (f/2.8) - corner performance is remarkable even with a Full Frame body. Stopping down to f/4 delivers even sharper results with better contrast.

Bargain-priced at US $ 600.00 , the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L it’s now 38% off regular price!

We love high-quality lenses so here we go with a two-part survey of hard-to-beat Canon lenses with hard-to-resist savings and discounts!

You may find it helpful since savings are in the 30-40% range and since these lenses are not exactly cheap, these offers make them a lot more affordable by pro-amateur photographers!

100-400 mm

Meet Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 USM L IS which is Canon´s long range zoom lens primarily meant for sports-, wildlife- and press photography. Due to its rather small max. aperture it isn´t quite suitable for portraits.
On an APS-C DSLR the field-of-view resembles a whopping 160-640mm lens on classic (full-frame) SLRs.

The lens has a very good build quality - no wobbling whatsoever inc. smooth focusing action. It has a push-pull zoom mechanism which has both pros and cons. You can zoom very fast if necessary but at cost of accuracy. The amount of zoom friction can be adjusted using a dedicated control ring. It´s also possible to lock the lens at a certain zoom position so zoom creeping is not an issue.

True inner focus 4x or 5x zooms in this range aren´t overly likely to emerge in this range due to the physical size requirements for the 400mm setting.

One of the primary and still strong selling argument is the IS (Image Stabilizer).

The lens features a ring-type USM drive resulting in a very fast and virtually silent AF operation. Full-time manual focusing is possible in one-shot AF mode. To avoid unnecessary hunting there’s a focus limiter where you can choose between 1.8m-infinity or 6.5m-infinity.

Price for the Canon EF 100-400mm is US $ 1.400.00 (and that’s 42% off its regular price!)

16-35 mm

On the other side, let’s look at a ultra wide-angle lens from Canon: the Canon EF 16-35mm ultra-wide-angle zoom lens.

Taking over the ultra-wide angle position of the available professional grade f/2.8 zoom lenses from the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM Lens, the 16-35 L II becomes the new standard for professional and serious amateur photographers alike.

Specifically designed for improved edge-to-edge image quality that meets the strict requirements of professional and high-end amateur photographers alike, the lens lets you bring more area into focus while providing greater depth of field. The lens features three high-precision aspherical lens elements–ground, replica, and GMo–that produce even better image quality than the original Canon EF 16-35mm USM lens. The circular aperture, meanwhile, produces a beautiful and natural background blur when shooting at wider apertures. Other details include internal focusing, a ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM), and new AF algorithms for fast and quiet autofocusing.

The large 82mm filter size is a first for Canon EF Lenses. High quality filters of this size are expensive and at this point, not shareable on other Canon lenses without a stepping ring. The larger objective end of the barrel reduces the handling comfort of this lens only slightly, but the improved image quality is definitely worth the change. Focus and zoom rings are well-positioned, nicely sized, smooth and well-damped.

Price for the Canon EF 16-35mm is US $ 1.399.00 (a 39% cut-off from list price tag).

50 mm

Last but not least a super-classic lens we all started with: a 50 mm.

Actually, this is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM!

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM lens is a peerless standard lens for Canon digital SLR cameras.
The lens is suitable for any shooting situation, with a lens coating and construction type that are optimized to minimize the ghosting and flare that frequently occurs when lenses are used with digital cameras.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM also offers an ultra-large aperture ( f/1.2 !!!) that produces a narrow depth of field and the type of soft background blur so loved by photographers everywhere.

The high-performance, weather-resistant lens delivers all the superb image resolution and contrast you expect in a Canon L Series lens.

What we really love about it: picture quality - from f1.2 thru f2.8, the lens works superbly. AF is fast & faster compared to 50mm 1.4.

List price for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM is now $1,499.00 (which is some 35% cut-off from its regular price).

More Canon lenses soon up & coming in part #2!