Steve'sDigicams

griffina6 · Mar 18, 2009, 9:07 AM

Hi All.

I have a friend who is looking to buy a Rebel XS camera. She found one online with the kit lens and a special offer to get the Quantaray 70-300 mm DI f/4-5.6 for one penny.

Obviously the 1 penny is a great price for ANY lens. The package price is $600 which is a hundred dollars more than the site I usually buy from for just the camera and kit lens. So instead of saving $150 (regular price of lens) it's really like saving $50 with the higher cost of the kit.

So the question I have is - Does anyone have any experience with this Quantaray 70-300 mm DI f/4-5.6 lens? I have tried finding reviews of the lens but have only found them on the sites that are selling the lens.

Any advice/comments/information on the lens or suggestions for sites with good reviews would be helpful.

Thanks,

Andy

deterpawson · Apr 22, 2009, 7:44 PM

hello
my advice is to stay away from cheaper brand lenses
the 18-55 lens kit that the xs series comes with is darn good little lens
pete

JimC · Apr 23, 2009, 9:19 AM

Quantaray is the "house brand" used by Ritz/Wolf Camera. Some of them are rebranded Sigmas and some are rebranded Tamrons.

I suspect that the Quantary 70-300mm you're looking at is a rebranded Tamron 70-300mm.

This lens sells for $149.95 brand new from Ritz (which is about the same price you'll find for the Tamron version of it):

http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/251666103.htm

It's a budget grade lens, and suffers from some of the same issues you typically find with 70-300mm lens in that price range (for example, getting softer as you zoom into it's 300mm end, especially at wide open apertures).

You can see a review of a Tamron here:

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showp...uct/455/cat/23

But, if you need a lens reaching out to 300mm, it's probably about as good as you'll do with an under $200 lens with it's focal range. If you want a higher quality 70-300mm zoom, expect to pay a lot more for one.

griffina6 · Apr 23, 2009, 9:50 AM

Thanksfor the replies. I would not buy this lens but the friend is just looking for something inexpensive. I will pass along the advice and the links.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Steve'sDigicams

Recent Camera Reviews

Most Active Forums

Most Popular Deals

Latest Feature Articles

Mar 18, 2009, 9:07 AM	#1
griffina6 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 385	Hi All. I have a friend who is looking to buy a Rebel XS camera. She found one online with the kit lens and a special offer to get the Quantaray 70-300 mm DI f/4-5.6 for one penny. Obviously the 1 penny is a great price for ANY lens. The package price is $600 which is a hundred dollars more than the site I usually buy from for just the camera and kit lens. So instead of saving $150 (regular price of lens) it's really like saving $50 with the higher cost of the kit. So the question I have is - Does anyone have any experience with this Quantaray 70-300 mm DI f/4-5.6 lens? I have tried finding reviews of the lens but have only found them on the sites that are selling the lens. Any advice/comments/information on the lens or suggestions for sites with good reviews would be helpful. Thanks, Andy

Apr 22, 2009, 7:44 PM	#2
deterpawson Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 393	hello my advice is to stay away from cheaper brand lenses the 18-55 lens kit that the xs series comes with is darn good little lens pete

Apr 23, 2009, 9:19 AM	#3
JimC Administrator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Savannah, GA (USA) Posts: 22,378	Quantaray is the "house brand" used by Ritz/Wolf Camera. Some of them are rebranded Sigmas and some are rebranded Tamrons. I suspect that the Quantary 70-300mm you're looking at is a rebranded Tamron 70-300mm. This lens sells for $149.95 brand new from Ritz (which is about the same price you'll find for the Tamron version of it): http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/251666103.htm It's a budget grade lens, and suffers from some of the same issues you typically find with 70-300mm lens in that price range (for example, getting softer as you zoom into it's 300mm end, especially at wide open apertures). You can see a review of a Tamron here: http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showp...uct/455/cat/23 But, if you need a lens reaching out to 300mm, it's probably about as good as you'll do with an under $200 lens with it's focal range. If you want a higher quality 70-300mm zoom, expect to pay a lot more for one.

Apr 23, 2009, 9:50 AM	#4
griffina6 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 385	Thanksfor the replies. I would not buy this lens but the friend is just looking for something inexpensive. I will pass along the advice and the links.