More Time With The 17-85mm.

So, I've been spending a lot more time with the 17-85mm that I had all but written off. I'm sure the last time I used this lens was 4 years ago. I'm not sure why I got it into my head that it was not a good lens. I do that kind of thing from time to time. Like when I learned that I could shoot at very high ISOs in the day light to get really fast shutter speeds. Then I got stuck thinking that all my shot's should be at a high ISO just to get that fast shutter speed. What ended up happening was poor photos with bad contrast and color.

So, what I'm learning about this lens is also something that I'm learning about myself. It is pretty good. And I'm pretty good. I don't want to toot my own horn but my photography is pretty descent. Even if few people actually look at it. I don't really go out of my way to promote myself these days. Maybe soon but I don't do it right now.

Anyway, I've drifted from my topic a bit. I tend to do that.

Here is a photo from my playings around today that really shows off what this lens can do under the right circumstances. We were out in the yard again, boy I love summer, and I had my speedlite on the camera to test what this lens could do with some nicer fill flash. I was quite happy with the result.

 

Let's ignore her mop of a hair doo this evening. It's been hot and the play was hard! Look at her eyes, so sharp and the color is just popping out at you. Then there is her freckles across her cheeks and over her nose. They just pop as well. With the right amount of light, this lens is very sharp. Sharp enough that I'm proud to show off this example from the lens.

I have a shoot tomorrow with a young married couple with a new born. They are looking for some good quality photos of their new son and I'm confident that I will be able to produce some very good images for them with this lens and my 50mm. I'm taking all my gear. The tripod and my umbrella too. Might as well run through everything I have.

Chris.

New Piece Of Gear - SD to CF Card Adapter

 

I'm sure you've seen these before. This is an SD to CF card adapter. Basically you put an SD card in from the right there and then put this whole thing into your CF card slot in your camera.

CF cards are getting harder to find and getting more expensive. The 16GB CF cards the I like are $65.00 from my local photography shop where as the 32GB equivalent speed in an SD card is $32.00 at my local Best Buy! I did some testing with the 32GB card from my video camera and found that it's just as fast as the CF card I normally use. When it comes to these cards, I'm more than happy to buy the cheaper smaller sized ones and use them in my camera. Now I don't have to carry around that card reader either. I can plug the SD card right into the card reader in my laptop.

Isn't technology an amazing thing these days.

Chris.

Taking A More Minimalist Approach

There has been a lot of discussion out there about how much gear you really need and which camera or lenses you should get. I get caught up in that myself and I will admit to having much gear envy.

But the more I think about it the more I realize that no matter what gear I have or how big and fast my lenses are, it will not make me a better photographer. What I need to do is get my creative juices flowing. I'm hoping to accomplish this by pulling back on the amount of gear I carry around with me.

Here's what I have done. I took my battery grip off the camera. It's so heavy. My camera is almost double the weight with this beast on it. I decided to only take one lens with me when I go out. Today I have the 50mm f/1.8 on the camera. Such a nice lens. Then, and here is the big one, I left my camera bag at home and just brought my camera with me to work. Normally I have everything with me. Today, it's just the camera and the one lens. Nothing else.

I must admit, it's a bit of an odd sensation and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. One lens, no strobe, no other toys! Yikes. Well we will see what happens but I'm hoping to increase my vision instead of relying on any gear.

Chris.

More Great Results From the Kit Lens

I spent the better part of the weekend and early this week with my 18-55 kit lens on my 50D. I just wanted to make sure that my new found excitement over this old cheap lens was not due to my having GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). :)

I've been thinking about getting the Canon 24-70mm f/4 L series lens for a while now and I plan to in the not too distant future. I just wanted to make sure that I'm not disappointed in my Tamron 18-270mm because of it.

So, I took many, many photos with my cheap kit lens to make sure. What I did notice is that the white balance is off a bit on the Tamron, which I was already aware of. Not a big deal as I shoot raw and usually tweak things a bit anyway. The 18-55mm has a better bokeh for sure but I think that is due to the closer minimum focusing distance. It allows you to get much closer to the subject which makes the background seem that much farther from the subject than the camera. But that's about it for the obvious difference in the two lenses. The 18-55 is much shorter and lighter than my Tamron 18-270 so that may account for some sharper images if I'm holding more still.

Anyway, I took some great photos over the weekend with it.





I'm quite happy with the lens and will continue to use it on a regular basis. However, that being said my Tamron 18-270mm will still be my go to lens. The zoom range make it a perfect walk around lens though it is a bit slow being a f/3.5-6.3. The ISO capabilities of the 50D and the fantastic noise reduction in lightroom will help me to get great shots most of the time. Shots such as this one.

Nothing wrong with that one at all!

Chris.

Don't Write Off That Kit Lens

I'll admit, I've been a bit of a lens snob the last few years. I don't own any of Canon's L series lenses but I picked up a Tamron 18-270mm a couple of years ago and I love the lens. When I bought my 50D it came with the 17-85mm witch in my opinion is just not a very good lens. It was never a very sharp lens. But the Tamron 18-270mm performed well for me across the board when I tested it out.

Yesterday I was going through my little collection of lenses that I've gathered over the last 4 or 5 years and noticed the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens that came with my Rebel XTI. Now back then I was happy with the lens but all the reading and podcast listening had turned me into a bit of a lens snob and I discounted it as a bad lens when I got my 50D.

Just for kicks I put the lens on my 50D and I must say, I'm very happy with the results. I was going to use it just for long exposures of moving objects like water and grass blowing in the wind because of the ND4 and ND8 neutral density filters I have for it but after taking some test shots I'm going to be using it a lot more. I was very surprised at how sharp the images were with my 50D.

Here is a portrait of my daughter that I took just to test out the lens. Granted how can you take a bad shot of such a cute model but this cheap little lens really came through for me.




I'm not going to write off this lens anymore and I do believe my Tamron is going to suffer for it!


Chris.

Canon 24-105mm f/4 - My Thoughts.

I rented the Canon 24-105mm this past weekend for 3 days. I was wanting to compare it with my Tamron 18-270mm on my 50D. I took about 1000 photos with it and gave it a good run under many different shooting conditions. I was mostly interested in the sharpness of the lens. But I checked other aspects of it as well.

The first thing I noticed is the build quality. This is a nice solid lens. It just feels good in your hands. When I put it on the camera I could feel the weather seal at the base of the lens seal the gap tight. That's a plus. Once I started shooting with it I was very impressed at the speed of the focusing. Really quick. The colors are more saturated as well which is probably a result of superior lens coatings. The sharpness was great too. Everything that I wanted in focus was nicely in focus and sharp. The constant f/4 throughout the zoom range was nice to have as well.

But, how does it compare to my Tamron 18-270 that is half the price? Keep in mind here I was looking for a significant difference in the overall sharpness of the two lenses. I could find no significant difference. Especially with the extra $800.00 it would cost me for the 24-105mm and I would be loosing 165mm of zoom!

Here are the test shots I took. The Canon 24-105 on the left and the Tamron 18-270 on the right.



Both shots are with the exact same settings and using my tripod. All I did was change the lens. Sure, there are a few differences. Mostly color temperature and saturation but nothing that I cannot fix in post if I have to. I'll keep my Tamron until such time that I get that 5D.

Here are some of my favorites using the lens.









I do really like that lens though and it will make my decision much easier when it comes to a new camera and lenses.

Chris.

231.365 Canon 24-105mm f/4

 

Friday August 19 2011.

Before you get too excited, No, I did not buy this lens. I rented it for a few days. I wanted to try it out and compare it to my Tamron 18-270mm. Last year I tested the 24-70mm f/2.8 and was not overly impressed with it.

So far after taking about 20 or so shots with this sweet lens, I am very impressed. It's fast focusing and quiet. It's sharp as well. I will be taking a ton of photos with it this weekend so expect to see lots.

Chris.

73.365 See Me, See You.

 

Monday March 14 2011.

I brought my webcam to work and installed Skype on my computer here so I could have a larger view of my kids when we chat at lunch time. Much better experience. Sure beats the phone. I love to see the expressions.

Chris.

7.365 Stay Tuned.

 

Friday January 7 2011.

Burn me will you hard drive......well, burn you too.
Bwuhahahahahahaha!!!!

Chris.

3.365 Dying Hard Drive

 

Monday January 3 2011.

Here it lies. My dying hard drive. I'm getting cyclic redundancy errors all over the place. And you guessed it, this is where my photos are. Of course I back up my files but I had not backed up the files from December yet. So, I may be out of luck with most of my December files. Argh. I am not impressed but such is life. No sense crying about that which I cannot do anything about.  I think I'll be moving to a weekly back up schedule in the future.

Chris.

313.365 Self Portrait.

 

Tuesday November 9 2010.

I decided on an iPhone self portrait today. It's fun and great to have with you but it will never replace my DSLR.

Chris.

290.365 Rat's Nest

 

Sunday October 17 2010.

This is a great case for going wireless. I have to untangle these every time I need one of them. Either I put them in little baggies or I go wireless. I vote for wireless but my wallet votes for baggies!!! LOL!

Chris.

Should You Purchase That Gear Or Travel To That Place?

I've been thinking about gear and travel lately and exactly what I need/want.

There is a pile of gear that I want.....really want. Like the new Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. Oh man, would I like that. But it's expensive. The last price I saw here in Edmonton was $2600.00CA. That would pay for my family's return flight to California! Add to that the price of the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS at $1500.00CA and that pays for our hotel rooms. And the Canon 1D Mark IV at $5100.00CA, well that purchase alone would pay for the whole trip.

What is more important a couple of lenses that will still be available when my kids are older, or that family vacation while the kids still want to do those kinds of things? Sorry gear heads, I must go with the family vacation. The gear I have is more than enough. A Canon 50D, the Nifty Fifty and a Tamron 18-270mm are perfect for any photography I plan to do for the near future. My kids will only be kids for a short time.

It's funny, I've been thinking about this the last few days and today I read a post from the Digital Photography School about this very thing. It's entitled Buy Less Gear: Travel and Experience More. Funny how karma works isn't it. Photography isn't about gear it's about vision. Sure the gear is part of it but seeing the light and visualizing the photograph you want to make is much more important that the gear. Knowing your existing gear inside and out and knowing the basic techniques of photography will go a lot farther by far than any new camera body and lenses will ever take you.

Sorry Canon, I won't be getting those 2 lenses or the 1D Mark IV just yet but one day I just may. Of course if you would like to donate them too me I would do my best to use them to their full potential. :)

Chris.

Black Fridge Panel + Photography = Cool.

When we bought our new house last summer, the previous owners left some items behind. One of the items was a couple of fridge panels, black on one side, white on the other and very shiny. I have been having a blast with the one I took to work and put on my table. It's right beside a great big window. I get great light there.

I guess I just want to thank them for leaving their garbage behind. One man's trash is another man's photo gear!

Here are some samples.

Chris.

161.365 New Thumb Drive

Thursday June 10 2010.

I got this new USB Thumb Drive to replace my dead Darth Vader thumb drive. This one has a 5 year warranty. So far so good.

Chris.

155.365 Nifty Fifty Reflective.

Friday June 4 2010.

I find myself in a dark reflective mood this week. Not photographically but it seems to be spilling over there too. Good think I have that black shiny fridge panel just waiting to be put to use.

Chris.

154.365 Reflective Panel.

Thursday June 3 2010.

I have this metal fridge panel painted white on one side and black on the other, very reflective. It's about 2' x 2' and is perfect for product photography with smaller items where I want a cool reflection.

It is beyond a doubt the best thing the previous owners of our house left behind. They left 2 of them. One for home and one for work. :)

Chris.

146.365 Best...Mug...Ever.

Wednesday May 26 2010.

My Canon 70-200mm Thermal Mug has finally arrived! How cool is that? It's thermal properties are...let's just say...not so good. But who cares! This will be my mug from now on. It will go to work around the house and to the lake.

Now given that I'm very easily entertained, expect to see about a million photos of this mug in my stream. LOL.

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.