The Nikkor 70-300mm VR is a high performance telephoto zoom designed for use on all Nikon's SLRs, be they digital or film models. Launched alongside the Nikon D80 in August 2006, it perfectly complements the DX 18-70mm, matching the superior build and opt...

Great all-round telephoto zoom., Very effective VR anti-shake facilities., Fast and quiet SWM focusing., Perfectly complements DX 18-70mm lens., Works with full-frame bodies., Great all-round telephoto zoom., Very effective VR anti-shake facilities....

Bigger and heavier than DX 55-200mm VR., Zoom ring a little stiff, but at least no creep., DX 55-200mm VR a cheaper alternative., Bigger and heavier than DX 55-200mm VR., Zoom ring a little stiff, but at least no creep., DX 55-200mm VR a cheaper alte...

The Nikkor 70-300mm VR is a great up-market telephoto zoom for Nikon owners. It may cost almost twice the price of the DX 55-200mm VR, but is superior in every respect to this budget lens. The optical and build quality are better, the range longer, the AF...

The Sony DT 16-80mm promises to be the perfect general-purpose zoom for discerning Alpha DSLR owners. With an equivalent range of 24-120mm it zooms both wider and longer than the standard kit lens, and with the pedigree of respected lens company Carl Zeis...

Flexible general purpose range., High contrast and very sharp results., Relatively small and light., Squeezes best from the Alpha system.,

Build quality not a big upgrade over kit lenses., AF noise and speed similar to kit lenses., Manual focus ring not very smooth., Macro no better than kit lens.

The Nikkor DX 55-200mm VR is an entry-level telephoto zoom for DX-format Nikon DSLRs. Launched alongside the Nikon D40x in March 2007, it's designed to complement the standard DX 18-55mm kit lens and extend the maximum equivalent coverage from 83 to 300mm...

Great value telephoto zoom., Effective VR anti-shake facilities., Fast and quiet SWM focusing., Perfectly complements DX 18-55mm lens., Great value telephoto zoom., Effective VR anti-shake facilities., Fast and quiet SWM focusing., Perfectly comple...

Softness and fringing in corners at 200mm., Build quality is fairly basic., Basic manual focusing facilities., Range less compelling for other kit lenses., Softness and fringing in corners at 200mm., Build quality is fairly basic., Basic manual focu...

The Nikkor DX 55-200mm VR is a great entry-level telephoto zoom for Nikon DSLR owners. It's compact, very light, offers respectable quality, quick and quiet AF, decent VR, and best of all is available at a great price. If you have a DX 18-55mm kit lens, a...

Canon 'L' build and optical quality, Fast and quiet USM focusing motor, Constant f4 aperture throughout range, Will also work on full-frame body, Canon 'L' build and optical quality, Fast and quiet USM focusing motor, Constant f4 aperture throughout range...

Shorter zoom range than kit lens, No IS (although not particularly necessary), Overkill if not considering full-frame in future, Shorter zoom range than kit lens, No IS (although not particularly necessary), Overkill if not considering full-frame in futur...

In this review we've tested the EF 17-40mm with the Canon EOS 400D / XTi where it offers a general-purpose range; this may be a little shorter than the standard EF-S 18-55mm kit lens, but the EF 17-40mm offers a number of benefits including far superior b...

There's no denying the Pentax DA 40mm and 70mm Limited lenses are pretty special. Their incredibly compact design is pretty much unique to Pentax and unlike anything offered by other DSLR manufacturers.

Small and light without compromising comfort, Very effective anti-dust system, Highest resolution Four Thirds body so far, Easy access to settings, , , Extremely thin lens - only 15mm thick, Quality construction, Aluminium lens hood and cap supplied...

Noise more obvious than rival DSLRs, Right strap eyelet can dig into your hand, Motorised manual focus (like all Four Thirds), Only available in Europe (but the UK can ship!), , Hardly anything to hold onto, Slow to unscrew lens cap, Some softness o...

Focal length: 10-22mm Max aperture: f3.5-4.5 Mount: Canon EF-S bodies only Equivalent on EF-S body: 16-35mm Filter size: 77mm Size: 84x90mm / 3.3x3.5in Weight: 385g / 13.5 oz Check best price: USA / UK Announced: August 2004

In this review we've concentrated on using the EF 17-40mm with the full-frame Canon EOS 5D, where its enormous wide angle coverage can be truly unleashed. We've compared it against the EF 24-105mm f/4.0L and the older EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, as many photograph...

Extreme wide angle coverage, Well-corrected at wider focal lengths, Fast and quiet USM focusing motor, An exotic but affordable 'L' lens, Extreme wide angle coverage, Well-corrected at wider focal lengths, Fast and quiet USM focusing motor, An exot...

Zoom range too limited for general purpose, Soft corners at 40mm focused at infinity, Unimpressive macro capabilities, Zoom range too limited for general purpose, Soft corners at 40mm focused at infinity, Unimpressive macro capabilities

In the meantime, lets take a ride with the EF 17-40mm - one of the most exciting, yet best value options for full-frame bodies like the EOS 5D. Note: the serial numbers of the EF 17-40mm, EF 24-105mm and EF 24-70mm lenses tested were 338244, 305841 and 54...

It's fair to say the majority of people buying the new Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi will do so with its kit lens. This bundled EF-S 18-55mm delivers a 3x optical zoom range covering wide angle to short telephoto and is a good general purpose starter lens. T...

Flexible 5x optical zoom ratio, Effective Image Stabilisation, Fast and quiet USM focussing motor, Polariser-friendly internal focussing, Bright f2.8 aperture throughout zoom range, Effective Image Stabilisation, Fast and quiet USM focusing motor,...

Visible light fall-off and softening in corners, Relatively expensive for specification, Lens hood not included, Relatively expensive, Construction not 'L' standard despite price, Range shorter than cheaper EF-S 17-85mm, Shorter zoom range than kit...

Note the serial numbers for the 17-55mm, 17-85mm, 18-55mm and 17-40mm lenses were 16104232, 92001769, 9600520205 and 102834 respectively

Bright f2.8 aperture throughout zoom range, Effective anti-shake IS capability, Fast and quiet USM focusing motor, Superb low-light performance, Bright f2.8 aperture throughout zoom range, Effective anti-shake IS capability, Fast and quiet USM focus...

Relatively expensive, Construction not Canon L standard yet, Range shorter than cheaper EF-S 17-85mm, Relatively expensive, Construction not Canon L standard yet, Range shorter than cheaper EF-S 17-85mm

The optical design consists of 19 elements in 12 groups with two Ultra-Low Dispersion glass (UD) elements to eliminate secondary chromatic aberrations, along with two aspherical elements to avoid spherical aberrations at wider apertures

Focal length: 18-200mm Max aperture: f3.5~6.3 Mount: Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Alpha Equivalent on 35mm body: 27-300mm Filter size: 62mm Size: 73x84mm / 2.9x3.3in Weight: 423g / 14oz Check best price: USA / UK Announced: February 2005

Highly versatile 11.1x zoom range Great value Relatively small and light - great travel lens Polariser-friendly internal focusing

Sigma version very similar Pricier Nikkor version has anti-shake Pricier Nikkor version is optically faster Pricier Nikkor version has better build quality