Heidi and Gordy model for the 20mm 2.8

Got a new lens recently. I found that with a lot of my lifestyle work I use wide angles a lot, and wanted one that was fast (wide aperture).

To that end I wound up getting a Canon EF 20mm 2.8 USM from my friends at Camerasdirect.com.au.

I gotta say it’s exactly what I wanted. In fact I don’t know why more people don’t have it.

We all hear about the 50mm 1.4 or 50mm 1.8. And they definitely are lenses you can’t do without.

But I’m gonna go out on a limb here and buck the trend and say if there was a fire, I’d take my 20mm over the 50mm. It suits my style better.

Don’t forget too that if you have a camera with  a crop sensor, 20mm becomes 32mm, which is a really good walk-around lens.

Anyway to try it out I grabbed the camera this afternoon when my wife Heidi and I walked our dog Gordy along the beachfront where we live in Currumbin on the Gold Coast of Australia.

Things, I like about it:

• Weight feels good, not too heavy but not too light, build quality seems excellent.

• USM focus which I need. Not everyone needs it but I find that, in commercial work with moving subjects, I have fewer throwaways with a lens that can focus fast. I’m willing to pay for it.

• Price seems pretty good — not the cheapest of lenses but for a good quality lens, I found it acceptable.

• Image quality seems real good to me. Maybe I just got a good copy, but I’m happy with it. On par with the other primes I’ve had.

Things I don’t like:

• No Lens Hood! CANON WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE THAT STICK OUT OF YOUR ASS AND PROVIDE A PLASTIC LENS HOOD WITH EVERY LENS? EVERYONE ELSE DOES, NIKON, SIGMA TOKINA EVERYONE!! I REFUSE TO PAY $80 FOR A PLASTIC HOOD AND WILL BUY MY HOODS OFF EBAY TILL YOU DO. SURE MY “L” SERIES LENSES CAME WITH THEM FOR FREE BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH!!! WE WANT LENS HOODS ON ALL LENSES IMMEDIATELY!!

• Vignetting, purple fringing, contrast and saturation performance seem a little weak for the price, but these can all be fixed in post so I’m OK with it.

Overall, I’m glad I got it.

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