Why is this so cheap?

[Mtalicarox]

Amazon.com: Quantaray High Speed - Telephoto zoom lens - 70 mm - 300 mm - f/4.0-5.6 - Canon EF: Electronics

and will it fit a canon rebel XS?

I'm guessing its a piece of crap.. but i'm shocked a lense could be 60 bucks...

 

[Dao]

Your XS will take both "EF" or "EF-S" type lens. Since this one has a "EF" mount (according to the description) , so it should work.

The cost usually reflects the quality of the lens.

 

[Mtalicarox]

Gotcha - so anyone had any experience with this lens before?

 

[Overread20]

As Dao pointed out cost is often a very good indcator of lens quality - and when your dealing with a long zoom range like 70-300mm it becomes even more important. Chances are that at its list price this 70-300mm lens will give adequate performance at the 70mm end, but will drop off signifcantly as you zoom out - especaily noticable beween 200 and 300mm.

If your after a cheap range 70-300mm lens which is not massivly expensive and can deliver a decent image quality I would recomend the sigma 70-300mm APO macro lens
Amazon.com: Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

Its the upgrade of the 70-300mm macro and sports APO glass coatings (which translates to sharper images - this is a noticable difference and well worth going for rather than its older, cheaper version). The macro feature is not true macro, but half life size - so a flower will fit your frame easily.

 

[Mtalicarox]

I'm not necessarily looking for a cheap lens, I was more just curious as to why that one WAS so cheap, and your answer is excellent thanks... I will look at the sigma (i'm not really ignoring any suggestions) but I was looking at this lens by canon. do you know how they are in comparison to one another? As far as i can see the canon has the image stabilization, however I'm not sure if this lens doesnt have something similar as i'm not as familiar with sigma as I am with canon (and i'm not really too familiar with canon since I'm sorta a noob, so that's not saying much haha)
Amazon.com: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras: Electronics

 

[Overread20]

From what I have read the canon knocks the sigma out of the water - totally
Sigma lable their IS system as OS (optical stablization) and its only in a few of their lenses and not in the budget line models at all.

If you can afford the canon I would certainly go for that lens - IS is very usefull when your working at the longer end of the lens in countering handshake. I shot with the older sigma 70-300mm and one problem I found what that it needed to be on a tripod for solid good shooting most of the time - handheld it was tricky to get sharper shots - IS will help you a lot with that aspect

 

[Mtalicarox]

Excellent, thanks a ton for taking the time to help answer my questions, its much appreciated.

 

[Dao]

If you are new to camera lenses, do check out those lens review sites.

i.e.
Welcome to Photozone!
Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ
www.slrgear.com


The cost of a lens usually based on the quality. Good quality lens usually refers to sharpness, lens construction, optical characteristics (such as CA, distortion and vignetting), fast AF, wide constant aperture and able to compensate camera shaking.

 

[Derrel]

It's so cheap because it's a Quantaray f/4~f/5.6, which means the lens was made by a lens making company and labeled for whatever camera chain store bought that production item. Quantaray was most recently handled by the USA's single largest camera stores chain, the mega-chain that owned the Kits, Ritz, Camera World photographic supply and photofinishing stores all across the USA, and of course the Boater's World stores. The Quantaray markings are not a brand name of lens, but a selling name used by the Ritz Camera empire, which is now in a bit of a problem with bankruptcy.

Chain stores all around the world are free to buy the production of small,independent lens making companies,and label them with their own brand names that suit local markets--in Korea, Vietnam, all across Europe, in South America,etc. Quantaray lenses are what one might call 'generic' or OEM products.

 

[JamesMason]

Eh f4 ain't high speed in my book