So far so good. The 1st gens I saw were OK but a lot was left to be desired. They had plastic inserts and leaked a fair amount. The finish was shiny and the labeling was no where close to the real Nikon lens.
I finally saw the new 3rd generation version and a few pics from the website and with the reduction to $25 shipped I decided to order.
I want to give my impressions of this and a few tech specs that aren't really mentioned anywhere that I could find. I'll put the pictures at the end of the post.
Q: Does it actually hold liquid?
A: Yes, quite well I might add. My version has a stainless steel liner.
Q: Does it leak?
A: Not so far. The lens cap is threaded and has a silicone gasket on the underside where it meets the lip of the cup. I put water in it ans shook it around for a bit and nothing leaked out.
Q: How long will it keep coffee hot?
A: I am actually finishing up running my test on it right now. I started out with 180F water in a 72F room with the lid off. It has taken 29 minutes to reach 125F which is still acceptable for hot beverages.
Q: How much does it hold?
A: About 12 oz with room to spare at the top. This will get you into a "Tall" beverage at Starbucks.
Q: Does it attract attention?
A: The baristas at my local Sbux got a kick out of it. I have yet to take it to work with me. Hopefully I can get it through security with no issues.
Q: How does it compare to the real deal?
A: As far as aesthetics are concerned, it's pretty darn close. There are little things here and there and the finish isn't quite right but these are things you wouldn't notice at all unless you've spent a fair amount of time with a real 24-70mm. You'd be hard pressed to pick one from another at 5 ft. Look at the pictures below to judge for yourself.
Q: Does it mount to a body?
A: No, I tried.
Q: Does the end cap come off?
A: Yes. I am afraid of loosing mine so I might be epoxying mine on later.
Q: Do the switches and zoom rings work?
A: No. Not on my model. I have seen copies that did zoom and the M/A switch worked but they were the lower quality finishes. Not something I had to have. I'd rather have a higher quality finish than a zoom function.
Q: Would you buy it again?
A: In short, Yes.
Anyways, if you have more questions, ASK! I hope this helped and I can only say good things about the company I ordered through. Their order process was quick and painless and I got Email replies withing 24 hrs when I asked questions.
I really think Nikon and Canon are really missing out on something by not producing these things themselves.
On to the pics!
(See it is hard to tell!)
