Flickr: a delicious cheese

Thoughts about equipment

Canon 40D

Superfast, pretty good AF, not too noisy. A big step up from any of the Rebels and a slightly smaller step down from the 1D series.

Canon 300D

Focuses like molasses, useless for sports, intentionally crippled. Great image quality for daytime stuff that doesn't move. Better grip than the newer Rebels, but hopelessly outdated.

Sigma 10-20/4-5.6.

Wide and extremely sharp. Mostly. First, second, third, and fourth copies were decentered. Don't buy it if you're not willing to have it calibrated. Don't buy at all if you can swing Tokina's 11-16/2.8 or Canon's 10-22.

Canon 10-22/3.5-4.5

Replacement for the Sigma. Better colors, as sharp in the center, weaker in the corners. First copy was decentered. Second copy is pretty decent. Too short to be a walkaround, but the wide end is wild.

Canon 28-135/3.5-5.6 IS.

Versatile, long on a crop body. The 24-105/4L is better at everything, but this one's a no-brainer at $200 with the 40D. Sharp enough, quick to AF. Hunts indoors. Variable aperture is annoying. Can be resold for ~$300.

Canon 50/1.4.

The best portrait lens for crop bodies that isn't a 50/1.2L. AF is slow and the build is weak, but bokeh is beautiful. The 85/1.8 is even better, though long indoors. Will be replaced with the 70/1.4 that I'm sure Canon is not assembling.

Canon 200/2.8L.

Hugely sharp. With a 1.4X TC, still sharp. AF is very quick. Much more discreet than the 70-200 zooms, but less versatile. Small enough to get past venue security. Worth keeping for that reason even if you have a 70-200/2.8.

Things already sold: 100/2, 28-80, 50/1.8, 10-20/4-5.6
Things that'll be for sale: 28-135/IS
Things that'll replace what's for sale: 24-105/4 IS, 70-200/2.8

Contacting me

dindech (at) g(deleteme)mail (dot) com