Now I’m wanting to sell my Canon EF-S 17-85 f4-5.6 IS lens and get this one instead. 28-80 f2.8 all the way across…

Only problems I can see is that it lacks IS, but it’s a lot faster. And a bit narrower range zoom-wise… I’d probably need something wide angle. And IS works all the time. With this lens I’d just have to open it up a bit, decreasing DOF….etc.

Hrm, decisions… decisions…

Cost is pretty much not an issue since I could sell one to pay for the other. But I did just get a circular polarizing filter for the Canon lens. I wouldn’t be able to re-use it, as the new lens would be 1cm larger. Hrm.

Oh, also, do any of you know a place where I could get some velvet? I could use white, black, and maybe red. Maybe… 4′ square pieces. I want something for the background when photographing things, but I want it to be non-reflective and not especially well defined.

Wow, the lenses I mentioned the other day are excellent. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II is really… interesting. It’s amazingly light, takes really nice images, and seems to be a lot nicer than I expected. The focusing ring only moves about 1/4 turn which is great to operate with a fingertip. It also seems almost weightless, which makes me think I’ll keep it on the camera a lot. It’s also dirt cheap.

The Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X 100 PRO D Macro seems excellent as well. Despite the cheesy (and strangely Asian-looking) gold accents and lettering, it feels better made than any lens I’ve yet been able to use. It feels ridiculously solid, and it’s just a dream to use. It also focuses much faster than I expected. Also, a 100mm 1:1 lens just seems EXCELLENT. Focused at the closest, something just past the lens hood. Oh! And the lens hood can be stored on the lens hood reversed, which is just *great*. The Canons don’t do that.

Well, first off, both of my auctions sold via buy-it-now. This is good, especially as I purchased the lenses for less than they actually sold for. Not much less, but I didn’t lose any money.

Second, after talking a bunch with a bunch about lenses, I ended up ordering two lenses instead of the single Canon 60mm macro I had been previously considering.

What I ended up getting is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II which is an especially cheap 50mm lens which receives some great reviews. It’s less than $80 shipped, and almost every review I read of it says that it’s an excellent lens just to have around.

The second lens I ordered, which also receives excellent reviews, is the Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X 100 PRO D Macro. It’ll do 1:1 (life-size) at 30cm, and seems to be pretty well made.

So, the end result is that for an additional ~$100 I’m getting a 100mm 1:1 macro, a 50mm walk-around / portrait / whatever lens, and protective filters for both. Also, the Tokina comes with a hood in the package….

Well, I put my macro lens up for sale on eBay. Hopefully I’ll net just over $400 after I sell it.

On top of my grey market question from previously, is there any reason you all can see not to buy a refurb lens? I can get the lens in question (the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM) for $299 refurbished, $379 grey market, or $384 new. I’m really thinking I should go with the $299 refurb one, as that’s a huge savings. The lens hood will add another $27 or so, but that’s all right.

The auctions I’ve posted can be seen at the following two URLs, which will become active after 10:00pm EDT and 10:30pm EDT respectively:

Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro — LIKE NEW 50
Canon Life-Size Converter EF – Like New! Macro 50mm 50

If any of you would like to buy either of these pieces, please let me know before the auctions start so that I can cancel them.