2009-11-27T19:00:00
Rated 4 out of 5
Good inexpensive wide angle lens
I bought this lens for landscapes, kid shots and family group photos. Since I was able to buy it for less then $ I was a bit sceptical to say the least. However, I have found that is actually quite a good value. I have used it to take some family photos and to do some landscape photography.
I'm sure that the fact that it was priced so inexpensively created a bit of bias against it in my mind, but when I did some side by side comparisons against my Pentax kit zoom and another, older, wide angle zoom I own, I found that the pictures taken by this lens were visibly superior. The pictures had more clarity and better color then the other zooms. As with a lot of wide angle zooms, you will need to be careful about shooting into the sun since this lens does exhibit strong lens flare in those circumstances.
On the negative side, the build quality does not inspire great confidence. I've owned it for about 3 months and I've had not problems at all with it, but I've not abused it either. However, given the price, if it holds up well for another couple of years I will definitely feel that I have gotten my money's worth.
If you are not interested in breaking the bank, but you would enjoy a good, wide angle zoom with good image quality, then this is definitely the lens for you. If you are a pro, or semi-pro, who uses their lenses hard, then you may want to find something with a little better buid quality.
Pioneer
