Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Review

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

My first DSLR was the Canon 450D with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. Which was adequate to learn on. As my photography progressed I upgraded to a Canon 50D and a Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens. The 17-85mm is a good lens, but after I got the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L, I found that it wasn't in the same league as the L lens, so I wanted a wide angle zoom that could match it.

While researching and looking for a replacement, this is the criteria I used:

1. A lens which could match the 70-200 in image quality.

2. A practical zoom range to use as a walkabout lens.

3. Constant F2.8 max aperture. I do a lot of flash photography, so needing to change flash settings every time I changed the zoom was a nuisance.

 

After reading many reviews I settled on the EF-S 17-55m f/2.8 USM IS. The specifications and review are below.

 
 

Introduced	2006
Lens Type	Zoom lens
Maximum Sensor Size Compatibility	APS-C
Maximum Aperture Range	F2.8
Minimum Aperture	22
Diaphragm	7 blades
Filter Thread Size	77 mm
Optics	19 elements, 12 groups (three aspherical elements and two of UD glass)
Minimum Focus Distance	35 cm (14")
Weight	1.4 pounds
Dimensions	84.0 x 111.0 x 3.0 inches
Hood	EW-83J (Not included)

 

Pros:

• Sharp even at F/2.8.
• Great zoom ring location and size.
• Good bokeh.
• Auto focus is fast and quiet.
• Less distortion than other midrange zooms.
• f/2.8 for use in low light.
• Three-stop Image Stabilization.
• USM (Ultra-Sonic Motor) for silent focusing.
• UD glass that reduces color fringing.

Cons:

• Cheap plastic construction.
• Not well sealed.
• Some Chromatic Aberration at 17mm.
• Lens hood not included.
• Front of lens extends inward and outward when zooming in and out.
• Expensive.

The Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM is Canon's most expensive EF-S mount midrange zoom and one of the best general purpose lenses available. Since it is an EF-S mount, it only works on crop frame cameras, such as the Canon T5i, 70D, and 7D. On a crop-frame camera (1.6x crop factor) the 17–55mm focal length is equivalent to a 28–89mm lens on a full-frame camera.

 

It has a fast, fixed f/2.8 aperture, great image quality, three-stop Image Stabilization, a USM motor for smooth and quiet and fast auto-focusing, and a useful focal length range.

Focusing  

The 17-55mm focus is excellent. Auto-focusing speed is almost instantaneous when mounted on my Canon 7D due to the USM motor. The lens doesn't spend too much time hunting for focus, except in really dark environments. It is also incredibly quiet when focusing. I did have some issues with back-focusing at first, but that is relatively common and not a problem specific to this lens.

A great feature of USM lenses like this is that you can use manual focus and at any time without switching to MF.

The 77mm filter thread is on a non-rotating front element, so it doesn't rotate on focus or focal length changes, which is great for when you are using polarizers or graduated ND filters.

Bokeh  

Wide open, the 17-55 produces very pleasing bokeh. It has an iris diaphragm with a 7-blade aperture barrel which helps produce the a great background blur even when stopped down. Note that since this is a wide-angle lens, you need to be close to your subject to create a good blurred background.

Chromatic Aberration

The lens has quite severe chromatic aberration at its widest focal length of 17mm, but decreases at longer focal lengths. There is still a mild degree of CA from 28mm to 55mm, but it is not too bad. The CA is most apparent in the edges and corners of the frame. Overall, it is much better than my previous Canon 17-85mm IS lens.

Vignetting

Wide aperture, wide angle lens are generally prone to vignetting. The 17-55 does have vignetting, but it is acceptable and easily fixed in Lightroom.

Construction Quality

The exterior is made mainly of plastic with a metal mount and both plastic and metal internals. It's a solid-feeling, quality lens, but this is the one thing about it that isn't quite the same as Canon's L glass. Having had another three EF-S lenses which were all small, lightweight, and rather cheap feeling, the size, weight, and overall solid feeling of the 17-55 was quite surprising.

Sharpness 

The 17-55 is pretty sharp wide open and gets incredibly sharp once stopped down to f/4 and beyond.

IS (Image Stabilization)

The IS is wonderful. It allows me to get sharp images at two stops lower than I usually could.

The image stabilizer provides an equivalent effect of a 3 f-stops gain in shutter speed for hand-held photography (at cost of slower shutter speeds). The IS mechanism can detect the lack of motion so it can remain activated on a tripod.

Zoom Ring Scale

The zoom range is reasonably well distributed. The wide end is much easier to use than the very-cramped-together wide end of the Canon 17-85mm IS. This is important: this cramping is the biggest reason I dislike the 17-85mm IS.

Zoom Creep

My pet hate with this lens is the zoom creep. It happens often at angles over 45 degrees, which becomes a hassle.

Constant Aperture

My favorite feature is the fixed fast f/2.8 aperture means that the widest aperture,f/2.8 , can be used throughout the entire focal length range, so exposure settings do not change when zooming. F/2.8 is fast enough to stop most action.

Competition

The 17–55mm focal length is probably the most useful range for a general purpose lens. It can be used for everything from landscapes to portraits. There are many other lenses that include this focal length. The most common are:

• Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

• Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

• Canon 17-40mm f/4L

• Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC

• Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC

• Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II

The closest in focal length is the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, the standard Rebel series kit lens. These two should not be confused. They are completely different lenses. I had an 18-55 that came with my first camera, the Canon 450D. The 18-55 is OK for a starter lens, but it doesn't come close to the construction and optical quality of the 17-55. It also lacks the IS and USM features.

A step up from the 18-55 is the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. I owned one for a few years and it wasn't a bad lens. It has a better build, image quality, and features (USM and IS) than the 18-55. When I decided I wanted to get a better quality lens, I went for the 17-55, which gave me even better image quality, a fixed f/2.8 aperture, and L-Series grade UD (Ultra-Low Dispersion glass) lens elements. The extra weight and reduced focal range were definitely a worthy tradeoff for the improved image quality and sharpness, fast (and constant) aperture, and lower barrel distortion.

The EF-S 17-55m f/2.8 USM IS is on par with L series lenses in many ways. The main differences are the build quality and the lack of weather sealing (although I have shot with this lens in typhoons without any hassles.)

I highly recommend the 17-55.  It has excellent features, specs, and image quality, that will be suitable for both amateurs and professionals. This is the lens I shoot the most with on my crop sensor Canon 7D.

 

 

The Taiwan Confucian Temple

The Taiwan Confucian Temple (台灣孔廟; also called Tainan Confucian Temple, 台南孔廟 or 台南孔子廟)

 

I've been to Tainan a few times and every time I go there I visit the Taiwan Confucian Temple. The temple is not highly decorated temple like the more ornate temples I have seen around Taiwan, but it has a wonderful calming atmosphere which exudes the grace of traditional Chinese culture.

© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com

 

I was in Tainan again a few weeks ago while working with a film crew on a short film. I didn't think there would be time to go sightseeing due to the deadlines we had. But we had an unforeseen break in the shooting schedule right in the middle of the afternoon and it turned out the shoot location was two blocks away from the temple.


© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com

 

The Tainan Confucius Temple was built in 1665 by Zheng Chenggong as a school for teachers to offer lecture and cultivate intellectuals. It is one of the most historically important buildings in Taiwan, as it is one of the oldest buildings and Taiwan's first official school. These days, the temple preserves ancient Confucian ceremonies and is a popular as a tourist attraction and a park where the locals like to relax.


© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com

 

In the middle is the Dacheng Hall with a double-eave round hip roof. It is surrounded by an enclosure of halls. In front there is the Dacheng Gate and the main courtyard. There are also two ceremonial gates—the Li Gate and the Yi Path—which symbolize the main disciplines of Confucianism.  Next to Dacheng Hall is the Hall of Edification, where you can see beautiful calligraphy. In the corner behind the Minglun Hall is the Wen Chang Pavilion, a three story pavilion dedicated to the literature deity, Wen Chang. The area is surrounded by big red walls with two gates allowing access—the East Dacheng Gate on Nanmen Road and West Dacheng Gate.


© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com

 

Across Nanmen Road is the Pan Gao Stone Arch, which leads into a pedestrian street with lots of vendors and small restaurants. This is defiantly the place to go for lunch if you take a trip to the temple. There are also many other sites within walking distance.

 

The official website for the temple is http://confucius.culture.tw/

To learn more about interesting places and sights to visit in Taiwan, check out my list of Places to see in Taiwan

Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens were established in 1921.  In winter you can see beautiful lotus flowers and falling leaves here. In the 1930s there were 1129 species in the garden, but a lot were lost when the garden was deserted during World War II. Currently, the garden is well maintained and has over 100 species of plants. The 17 districts and nine ponds in the garden show a wide variety of plants including these beautiful lotus flowers:



Lotus flower at botanical gardens in Taipei

© Photographer: Kenneth Paul | Agency: Dreamstime.com

The gardens are great for day trips and are situated next to the National History Museum, Science Museum and Art Museum for further exploration on your trip.




A Chinese Trumpet Creeper taken at the Botanical Gardens

© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com
 
To learn more about interesting places and sights to visit in Taiwan, check out my list of Places to see in Taiwan

Jinguashi

I went to Jinguashi just a few months ago, but I decided it was worth visiting again to see the golden waterfalls I had missed on my last trip.

Jinguashi (金瓜石) is a quaint mountain town in the Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It is known for it's historic gold and copper mines. It is situated on Keelung Mountain (基隆山).  right next to the coastline, which makes for exquisite views. It is known as Kinkaseki in Japanese from the period when it was under Japanese control. It was used as a POW camp from 1942 to 1945.

Arrangement of houses in Jinguashi. The Cyuanji Temple with the Guan gong deity on top is in the top right side

I took the Yilan express train to Ruifang (Taipei Padu- Rueifang- Ilan- Suao). The last time I was here with Andy, we took a taxi to Jinguashi, which costs about NT$240. This time I opted for the bus (On these busy narrow mountain roads, taking a taxi doesn't seem to be any faster).  To get to the bus stop, walk out of the station, cross the pavilion, and cross the road. There is a bus stop there. The bus does not stop here on weekends, so if you are there over a weekend, turn left and continue walking to the next bus stop. The sign on the bus will say "Jinguashi (金瓜石)."  There are also buses from both Taipei and Keelung which go to Jinguashi and Jiufen.  I took the bus all the way from Taipei a few years ago on a trip to Jiufen. It was a crazy ride, and I wouldn't recommend this to people with weak stomachs. If you dare, you can go to bus stop by Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT station, exit 1. The bus will be from the Keelung Bus Company and say "Jinguashi (金瓜石)."

Gold Ecological Park (黃金博物館區)

The bus stops right by the Gold Ecological Park, which is the main attraction for visitors here. The small park preserves and reproduces the town's mining heritage to recreate the atmosphere of 1930s Taiwan. It includes a gold museum and a number of renovated residences from the Japanese Colonial Era. The excellent translations around the park and incredibly helpful information centre make for an extremely tourist-friendly destination.


Entrance to Benshan Tunnel

The first building on the route is the Japanese ‘Four-Joined’ Style Residence, an old typical Japanese-style Residence from when Taiwan was still a Japanese colony. I hear it is interesting inside, but I gave it a miss as there was a long queue outside both times I walked past, and there were many other things I wanted to see.

Further along the route is the Crown Prince Chalet, another traditional Japanese style house once occupied by Emperor Hirohito. The interior of this house is off-limits, but the beautiful garden complete with a small golf course and archery range is worth seeing.

The Museum of Gold (黃金館) is in the former offices of the Taiwan Metal Mining Corporation. The first floor contains numerous artifacts from the town's mining history, including tools, mining transport systems, and cultural artifacts. On the second floor of the Gold Museum you can see various products made of gold and the world's largest gold brick. You can even touch this 220 kilogram pure gold brick!

The Benshan Fifth Tunnel (本山五坑),  is an abandoned mine next to the Gold Museum.  It is an interesting place to learn more about the daily activities of miners. There is a $NT50 entrance fee. Benshan used to be called "Dajingua" (大金瓜), which means "big pumpkin" in Chinese. The discovery of gold here was the catalyst for the prosperous development of Jiufen and Jinguashi. The tunnel is a real life example of what it was like to work below ground.

The area outside the Geological Park is also visitor-friendly, with many scenic walkways, trails for mountain climbing, as well pagodas and benches to take a rest and enjoy the view.

Cyuanji Temple

The Cyuanji Temple was built in 1896. It boasts having the largest statue of Guan Gong (關公)—the God of War—in the world on its roof. The gold and bronze Guan Gong statue weighs more than 25 tons.  

Some of the pagodas offer a wonderful view of the bay below. You can also see the Ying-yang sea.  This is a strange sight  where the sea is a mix of yellow and blue.  It was believed that the sea color was the result of smelting activities from Taiwan Metal Mining Corp. But, the company stopped activity there over 10 years ago and the Yin-yang Sea is still there. Scholars say that the land in Jinguashi has a large amount of pyrite that has formed Fe3+ which does not dissolve easily in water. This forms iron ion particles which float into the sea.



Souvenir steel lunchbox from one of the diners at the Geological Park



After walking around the park, I took a bus down to the Gold waterfall. The waterfall on the golden earth is one of the sources of the Ying-yang sea.  The heavy rain seeps into the mine shafts through cracks in the rocks, and reacts with the pyrite and energite underground, undergoing oxidation reduction to become acidulous water. It is a spectacular sight. It's best to see it after heavy rains for the full effect.

Gold Waterfall at Jinguashi

© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com
 

There are a few other sights around Jinguashi that should be seen. I will return again soon to take photos of these other places. If you decide to take a trip here, don't forget to just spend some time walking around the mountain paths and trails.

For more information about the Gold Ecological Park, visit their website: www.gep.tpc.gov.tw

To see more photos from around Taiwan, visit my website: http://imagesbykenny.com/

Feitsui Reservoir in the Pingling District

After leaving Shiding, I was still intent on getting to Shifen before the light faded.  Shifen appeared to be on highway 106 after Pinglin. However, when I reached the Pinglin District, I realized I had gone onto Route 9 at some point as I was only 16 kilometers away from Xindian.

The Pinglin District (坪林區) is the third largest district in New Taipei City, Taiwan. It's a rural area in the mountains which connect to Yilan County on the east coast. It took about 20 minutes to get there from Shiding by scooter. I think this was Yongan village.



Buddhist Guanyin Statues protecting a dangerous part of the road to Pinglin

I decided that rather than backtrack and try find the route to Shifen, I'd have a look at the beautiful reservoir with an emerald surface I saw from the road. There were no safe places to stop along the highway, but I finally found an entrance to the reservoir itself.

It turned out to be the  Feitsui Reservoir, which  flows all the way from the Fetsui Dam (翡翠水庫)  in the Shiding District.  The Feitsui Dam spans the Xindian River and is one of two major reservoirs supplying water to the Taipei-Tamsui-Taoyuan region. The other is Shimen Dam in Taoyuan County. This hiking and bicycling area around Pinglin is one of the few places the reservoir is publicly accessible.

The enchanting views of these serpentine bright emerald green waters among the steep hills and tea farms is quite spectacular.

 To get there directly from Taipei, ride along Route 9 from Beishin Road in Xindian. Or to go through Shenkeng, and Shifen, take Route 106 from near the Taipei Zoo in Muzha.

To learn more about interesting places and sights to visit in Taiwan, check out my list of Places to see in Taiwan

PF18 Cosplay at NTU

Last weekend was time for Petite Frontier 18 at National Taiwan University. There was a bit of rain so attendance wasn't as good as my previous visits. But I still found some wonderful characters there.

All these shots were taken with a Canon 7D and Canon 15-55mm F2.8mm lens. The lighting was one Yongnuo YN-560II with a shoot through umbrella on camera right.

Karuta Roromiya (髏々宮 カルタ Roromiya Karuta)

The assigned SS Agent to Kagerō, a Gashadokuro (large skeleton made from the bone of people dead from starvation) whose human form depicts her as a light brown haired (reddish pink in the anime) teenage girl. Though she appears to be "zoned out" most of the time, she's actually very clever, observant, and likes eating. Karuta shows special feelings for Watanuki, who is her childhood friend.

Karuta Roromiya (髏々宮 カルタ Roromiya Karuta))

Near the end of Part 1, she was attacked and possessed by enemy youkai who began to use her for their own purposes. She asked Watanuki to kill her, as she could never return to human form. Watanuki yelled to her and told her that he would still be by her side, no matter if she couldn't return to human form. Although she was so happy to hear these sentiments, she was completely taken over by the enemy and was forced to be killed sometime after the raid. In Part 2, she has been reincarnated, and is currently 20-years old.

 

Adventure Time

Princess Bubblegum

Adventure Time  is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), a 14-year-old human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio), a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. Along the way, they interact with the other main characters of the show: Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Hynden Walch), The Ice King (voiced by Tom Kenny), and Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson).
The series is based on a short produced for Frederator's Nicktoons Network animation incubator series Random! Cartoons. After the short became a viral hit on the internet, Cartoon Network picked it up for a full-length series that previewed on March 11, 2010, and officially premiered on April 5, 2010. The series, which is heavily inspired by the fantasy, role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons as well as video games, is produced via hand-drawn animation. Episodes are created through the process of storyboarding, and a sinAdventure Time cast records their lines together in group recordings as opposed to different recording sessions with each voice actor, and the series also regularly employs guest actors and actresses for minor and recurring characters.
 

 Each Adventure Time episode is about eleven minutes in length; pairs of episodes are often telecast in order to fill a half-hour program time slot.  Ever since its debut, Adventure Time has been a ratings success for Cartoon Network. As of March 2012, the show is viewed by approximately 2 to 3 million viewers per week. The show has received positive reviews from critics and has developed a cult following among teenagers and adults, many of whom are attracted due to the series' animation and stories. Adventure Time has also been nominated for three Annie Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Sundance Film Festival Award. In 2013, the series won a Motion Picture Sound Editors Award for the episode "Card Wars". In addition, the series has also produced various clothing and merchandise, video games, comic books, and DVD compilations.

Princess Bubblegum and Marceline

 

 

K-On! (けいおん! Keion!)

Azunyan from K-On with HTT concert Tshirt

K-On! (けいおん! Keion!) is a Japanese four-panel comic strip seinen manga written and illustrated by Kakifly. The manga was serialized in Houbunsha's seinen manga magazine Manga Time Kirara between the May 2007 and October 2010 issues. It was also serialized in Houbunsha's magazine Manga Time Kirara Carat. The manga relaunched from April 2011 to June 2012 with two separate storylines published in Manga Time Kirara and Manga Time Kirara Carat. The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press.
A 13-episode anime adaptation produced by Kyoto Animation aired in Japan between April and June 2009. An additional original video animation (OVA) episode was released in January 2010. A 26-episode second season, titled K-On!! (with two exclamation marks), aired in Japan between April and September 2010, with an OVA episode released in March 2011. Bandai Entertainment released the first season in North America in 2011, while the second season has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks. An anime film adaptation was released in Japan on December 3, 2011. The title of the series comes from the Japanese word for light music, keiongaku (軽音楽^?), which in the Japanese context is similar to pop music.

Azunyan from K-On with HTT concert Tshirt

 Azusa Nakano (中野 梓 Nakano Azusa) is a student in the same year and class as Yui's sister Ui, who joins the light music club and becomes the rhythm guitarist, playing a Fender Mustang electric guitar. She eventually names her guitar Muttan, as it is a Mustang. She is a self-proclaimed novice guitarist who has been playing the guitar since she was in the fourth grade, and her parents are working in a jazz band.^[34] She often finds herself bewildered by the tea parties and cosplaying aspects of the club, when she would rather just practice, and is curious about how the club is able to play so well despite their problems and lack of practice. However, she has a certain weakness for cakes and can be calmed down rather easily, sometimes by just being petted. She is constantly a victim of Yui's skinship and is nicknamed Azu-nyan after trying on a pair of cat ears and meowing ("nyan" being the equivalent of "meow" in the Japanese vocabulary). Despite this, Azusa is not too good with cats. Azusa has long black hair, which she wears in pigtails, and brown eyes. While Azusa is talented in guitar, she has trouble singing while playing unlike Yui and Mio.

In the band, she looks up to Mio the most due to her maturity and the fact that she is an experienced bassist, even trying to give Mio chocolate on Valentine's Day. However, she sometimes unintentionally makes remarks concerning Mio's weaknesses, such as her weight. She also finds Mugi very beautiful, and envies her hair and large eyes, and later starts teaching her how to play guitar when the two are alone in the club room. Since joining, Yui comes to her for advice on playing guitar, as well as maintenance.

Outside of the band, she often hangs out with Ui and Jun whenever the other girls are busy. When the others graduate, she becomes the new light music club president alongside Ui and Jun, who decide to join her. Together with two new members, Sumire and Nao, they form a new band called "Wakaba Girls" (若葉ガールズ Wakaba Gāruzu^?, lit. Fresh Leaf Girls). During the Wakaba Girls' first summer training camp Azusa reveals to Sawako her belief that she is unable to act like a proper president for the light music club; however, Sawako suggests that there is no proper way to define what it means to be a president and that Azusa will do just fine. While on that same training camp Azusa is convinced by the others to become the band's vocalist despite her prior reservations on the issue.

Sakura Kinomoto (木之本 さくら Kinomoto Sakura)

SAKURA

木之本 櫻

Sakura Kinomoto (木之本 さくら Kinomoto Sakura) is a fictional character, the heroine of Clamp's manga series Cardcaptor Sakura. In the English anime adaptation of the series, Cardcaptors, her name is changed to Sakura Avalon.

Sakura is a ten-year-old girl who lives in the town of Tomoeda in Japan, where she attends Tomoeda Elementary School. An extremely energetic and cheerful girl, she is very athletic, being a member of her school's cheerleading squad and excellent at track-and-field activities. She lives with her father and older brother. Her mother died when she was three years old. She has a close relationship with her father, whom she adores. She never fails to greet her mother's picture in the mornings. She often fights with her brother, who teases her, but she truly cares about him. Sakura's smile is almost undefeatable and is what draws people to her.
Sakura's optimistic and trustworthy character allows her to be friendly with everybody, and the entire series focuses on the friendships she creates with people, whether strangers, loose acquaintances, or rivals. Her personality is a dominating factor in her relationships, especially with Tomoyo.
One of Sakura's most notable traits is her "invincible spell", "Everything will be all right" (絶対大丈夫だよ "Zettai daijoubu dayo"^?), which has carried her through innumerable trials and obstacles as she masters her magical skills. While she often comes across as naïve, clumsy, and clueless, Sakura is known for her occasional moments of insight and sensitivity towards the feelings of others. Sakura is so innocent and naive that she fails to recognize Shaoran's feelings for her and unintentionally gets into trouble. Despite this, she retains a determined spirit and attachments to those she cares for.

Magic

SAKURA

木之本 櫻

SAKURA

木之本 櫻

Sakura's most sacred and important items are most likely her sealing wand and cards, since they are her main weapons in magic. Throughout the series, Sakura's magical powers get progressively stronger. This is mostly verified by Cerberus at random points in the series, as Sakura would otherwise appear to have equal expertise in each capture, when she summons Clow Cards. Throughout the Clow Card arc, Cerberus's comments seem to imply that Sakura's magic grows as she battles and captures more Cards. This is also implied in the corresponding anime. In contrast of this, in the second half of the series we are reminded of Sakura’s inexperience as she often collapses after transforming the cards. However, as she grows progressively proficient in changing Clow Cards into Sakura Cards, she becomes less tired and more aware of Clow Reed's presence. She also remembers more details about her prophetic dreams.
 During the last of Eriol's trials, she is able to transform several cards at once. This sequence of events during the second arc is more or less true in the anime version of the series as well, with only a few changes made. The most obvious of these is that Yue (a character who, in the original version of the series is shown as becoming much closer to Sakura throughout Eriol’s trials to the point of accepting her at least as a valued friend) is shown throwing her a constant stream of criticism as a reminder of Sakura’s lack of experience. Another interesting change made in the anime variation is that, by end of the series, she subconsciously manages to create a new Card, the nameless card (which later becomes the Hope Card), which would later serve as a major plot point for the second movie.
After the Final Judgement, Clow Reed tells her that her magic is not drawn from the sun nor from the moon, but from her own star, which may start small, but is ever-shining with its own brilliant light. However, like Clow Reed's magic, Sakura's is a balance of sun and moon magic. Eriol gave half of his powers to Sakura's father, the other half of Clow's incarnation. This made Sakura the most powerful magician in the world, even surpassing her predecessor Clow Reed.

Character and program descriptions from Wikipedia

To see more of my photos of cosplay in Taiwan, please visit http://imagesbykenny.com/