Pro v Consumer Lenses Pt. 3

In parts 1 and 2 we looked at physical differences and performance between a professional lens costing over £1500 and a consumer lens of the same focal length.

Now it's time to get real and test them with the most important part of photography, shooting images. So I took my old 70-210 f5.6 zoom lens out into the streets and put it head to head in a lens test against my ED Nikkor 70-200 f2.8.

There are advantages and disadvantage to both lenses. I can get a wider aperture with the pro lens which I can use to separate my subjects from their surroundings, but it’s bigger and heavier. The consumer lens is lighter and less expensive but doesn’t have the wider aperture.

You can download the actual images I shot in this lens test. Compare them side by side on your own computer. Zoom into them and compare sharpness, clarity and depth of field. (Please ignore the colour differences in the busker, ­ I forgot to make sure the white balances were the same. Doh! Sorry about that!)

With a £1200 price difference between them - this lens test will help you choose if the higher investment is right for you.

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