Dreamy is the word. The subject retains a considerable degree of sharpness but this is muted and masked by a soft 'haze', which is adjustable. It's a creative tool for producing moody and thought-provoking images, and great fun. No good for snapshooting because each shot needs care and time to set up. Although autofocus, you have to treat this as a manual aperture-priority lens (it has no 'A' lock). Set the mode dial to Manual. Set the aperture on the ring according the the degree of softness you want (between f2.8 and f6.3). From f8 onwards it performs like a normal lens and is bitingly sharp. Then press the 'green button' to set your shutter speed. If there are significant areas of white or other light tones in the picture, you may have to back off a tad on exposure. Some experimentation is necessary but that's half the fun. At 305g the lens feels solid and well built. The deeply recessed front element makes protective filter and hood unnecessary. Autofocus on my copy is quiet enough. On digital it's effectively a 125mm that focuses down to 12 inches. After reading what HermanLee says above, I shall rummage in the attic for my old 2x converter and try it with that - a 255mm close-focusing 'soft', wow! Cannot be rated on the usual measures, but for what is does and the way it does it I give it 9.5. print stickers | sticker printing | printing services | business printing

Pros: the dreamy soft focus, sharp, excellent build quality Cons: no quick shift

Easy to use.

Price

Very good lens. Outstanding colour rendition & very easy to use.

Similar Products Used:

Cokin filters.