Back Lit Fluff.

I was out for a walk with the kids yesterday just before supper and came across this little gem.

I really liked how the sun was shining through the fluff just right.

Chris.

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L Lens.

I have a tendency to blame my gear for my own failings as a photographer. I'm not the only one. Have you ever said "If I could just get that lens or this camera, I'd get much better results"? I bet you have. Don't get me wrong, I'm very much a gear head. I love all the new and fancy stuff out there but can I justify the expense? The Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L goes for $1549.00 at Vistek here in Canada. That's a big chunk of change that I just don't have. So, should I start saving now? I'm not sure. I decided to rent this lens to see if it was significantly better than my Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 that I purchased as a all purpose lens. I've always been pleasantly surprised at the sharpness and speed of that Tamron lens.

The first thing I noticed about the 24-70 was it's weight! Over 2lbs! This thing is a beast! So I put in on the camera and took some test shots around the house. As you would expect inside with nothing but ambient left a bit to be desired. So today, my kids and I went outside for a little walk and I took this lens with us. I like it yes. Sharp, quick to focus of course. Solidly built but again, heavy.

Here are some of the shots I took outside. I've done nothing but some very basic editing to these.

They are nice but not really anything my Tamron could not do and it's worth less than half the price. So I decided to see how the 24-70 did against my Tamron 18-270 in the house. Here are 2 shots as close to identical as I could set it up. Both lenses at f/5.6 for 1/30 sec on ISO 800. My 50D gets great results at that ISO so would the lens make a difference?

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 at f/5.6 for 1/30 sec, ISO 800, 50mm.

Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 at f/5.6 for 1/30 sec, ISO 800, 50mm.

I can see no difference in the photos. If you can please let me know. What does this tell me? Sorry Canon, I love you guys but I have to say no to this lens. Not worth the extra $800.00 to me. One thing I will say though is that it was nice to have f/2.8 all the way though the zoom. That was a definite plus.

Now, do I rent the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 and compare again? Perhaps. One thing I will say though, this Tamron lens is awesome. I've always liked it. Now I know why. It holds it's own against the Canon L lens tested here. Sure I may not be doing a very thorough test but I don't feel I need to. Not for $800.00. I am going to continue to use it for the weekend though. It makes me feel......I don't know......like a better photographer! LOL.

Chris.

Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro.

I rented the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens this weekend to finish up an assignment for my NYIP course. I can't wait to get that done! I like the lens. It's not the stabilized version so I needed my tripod to do any macro work but that was alright.

Here is the lens.

I like it. It's light, fairly quick to focus when using it as a normal lens. As a macro, I was much quicker focusing manually. Again, not unexpected. I only used it for some macro work but I liked the results. Colors looked good and the white balance was not all out of whack. Here are some sample shots I took with it.

I'm wondering how much success I would have with a regular lens and extension tubes. Next time. For now, I am quite happy with the results. $20.00 well spent!

Chris.

Renting Lenses.

I've been captured by the lens rental bug. This weekend I'm renting two lenses. A Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro and the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L.

The 100mm will be to complete the macro assignment in my NYIP photography course and just to play with. I've never used a macro lens before. I'm looking forward to it.

The 24-70mm is for the decision to save for this lens. It is one of two lenses I'm thinking of purchasing down the road. The 70-200. f/2.8 IS L is the other that I will rent when the new version becomes available. These are the two high end lenses I'm considering for business purposes.

I'm renting the lenses from Vistek here in Edmonton for a great price. The 100mm will cost me $20.00CAD for the weekend and the 24-70mm will set me back $36.00CAD for the weekend. Compared to a purchase price of $720.00 CAD for the 100mm and $1550.00 for the 24-70mm renting is a great idea if you are unsure of your needs. Even if you need it but only occasionally, the price is great. The 100mm I'll only need for this assignment but the 24-70mm is a future purchase consideration.

Watch here for my thoughts on these lenses and of course some sample images after I return them next week.

Chris.

Interesting New Paper Bounce Card

I came across a new printable bounce card that you just cut out and attach to your flash either with elastics or Velcro. I found it here.

Here is a photo.

The idea here is to have a large reflective surface to throw some of your light forward towards your subject. Great for catch lights! This is just another twist on the standard bounce card. What I like about it is if I wreck it, I'll just print another. Neat idea.

As for it's effectiveness, it did throw some more light towards the subject but I don't feel it was very a significant increase compared to angling your flash forward a bit.