Quote Originally Posted by Franglais
The people I really trust are the professional reviewers in the well-established photo magazines. The manufacturers willingly lend them cameras and lenses to test, their revenue mostly comes from magazine sales and not from advertising so they can write what they want, they are in close contact with professional users of the material and in some cases they are even in contact with the manufacturers engineers developing new products. My best example is Chasseurs d'Images but as it's in French you're not likely to have access to it.

Next best are the professional reviewers on the Internet sites like this one. They don't go back so far, they are somewhat dependent on advertising but I listen to them.

Third best are user reviews on sites like this one. Some people have wrong expectations, some people have just no clue but when you get 10 ordinary people saying the same thing then there's probably something in it.

I look at all these sources AND I test my own material to find out what I can actually achieve. Usually it's pretty consistent.

My opinion (not knowledge) on some of your questions:

- I think that you do get what you pay for but you don't necessarily need the best. The top-flight professional lenses are expensive partly because they're made for heavy use (I've had my pro lenses for 10 years already with no sign of wear but I'm an amateur)
- Canon make a lot of excellent lenses and a few duff ones (the number is decreasing). The 10-22 ultra wide angle is one of the best lenses on the market according to the tests
Can you tell me which lens it is on Canon's website? I looked for Ultra Wide Angle 10-22 but I could not find it. I would greatly apprecaite your help.
Thanks, --jeff