Making it Lovely

Tag: Canon camera

  • A Good Travel Camera?

    A Good Travel Camera?

    I just got back from my trip to France and Morocco! I’m so eager to tell you about it, but I need to get over jetlag, go through and edit my photos, and of course cobble together a few cohesive thoughts on the whole thing. So today, can I ask for a recommendation? I’d love a good camera for traveling. Something between my iPhone and my DSLR.

    I brought my Canon 7D with two lenses (a wide angle 10-22mm, and my favorite, the 35mm f/1.4L prime) in a leather camera bag from ONA. Altogether, my camera gear was at least 10 pounds which I’m normally happy to carry for the sake of better quality photos. While six months pregnant though? I was jealous of my travelmates with small lightweight cameras. And really, I’ve been looking for a good travel camera for a couple of years now — it just took this trip to really make it seem like I ought to finally find something.

    Traveling With My Camera Bag

    I’m aware of a few options… Jordan bought a Sony NEX on the recommendation of a friend, and coincidentally it was the same model that both Carol and Dave were using, though theirs were provided to them by Sony. I was sent a Samsung Galaxy Camera to review for Babble in 2012, and I had high hopes for it but it was buggy and not as great as I’d hoped. I liked the quality of the Canon G10 that I used to own (I gave it to my sister a couple of years ago, but it looks like the new G16 might work for me now), and I’ve heard great things about the Fujifilm X100S, but I worry that the fixed lens is limiting and it’s expensive.

    Since I’m not a professional photographer and I don’t need to carry all of my heavy, expensive gear with me, I’m still looking for the magic camera I was two years ago. Good in low-level light, wifi or bluetooth connection with my iPhone (or maybe just Eyefi compatibility?), manual and a variety of automatic modes (shutter or aperture priority), nice depth of field, a wide optical zoom range, and of course, something that can take good quality photos. Do you have any recommendations, or an impartial review site to check out? Thanks in advance for your help!

  • Wide Angle Lenses

    Wide Angle Lenses

    I rented two wide angle lenses this week: a Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM and a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX. I wanted to try them out to see if that might be the next type of lens I’d like to own. They are certainly not for everyone. They’re pretty much limited in use to interiors, landscapes, group photos, and not much else. Since I do photograph interiors though, a wide angle lens would be a very useful thing to have.

    Take a look at August’s nursery, as seen through my usual lens.

    my typical lens, a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8

    I was squished with my tripod in the back corner, and that was as much of the room as I could show you. Now, going wider and wider (but not moving my tripod), check out what these lenses can do.

    Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
    Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX for Canon
    Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX for Canon
    Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

    Nice, right? I liked both lenses, but I think the wider focusing range of the Canon would be more useful. That f/2.8 on the Tokina is tempting, but I’d likely be using this type of lens on a tripod for still shots, so it isn’t as important to have that low, fixed aperture as it would be with other types of lenses.

    Have you ever used a wide angle lens? Or a fish-eye (they get a similar wide shot, but with more distortion)? And did you know you can rent lenses? It’s such a great option. I’m glad I can rent again until the day I plunk down the cash for a wide angle lens of my own.

  • Upgrading from a Basic Canon Rebel DSLR

    Upgrading from a Basic Canon Rebel DSLR

    I’ve been focusing a lot on photography lately. I learned how to use my camera in manual mode as part of my Thirty Before 30 list, and then I improved my skills with a Photo 101 course. I finally feel like I know what I’m doing, but I’ve realized that I’ve reached my camera’s limitations.

    My trusty Canon Rebel XT (350D) has been good to me. Yes, there have been a million improvements on it since mine came out in 2005, but I never felt the need to upgrade until now. My camera is only 8 megapixels, and I can’t go above ISO 400 without noticeable noise (not that the camera goes above 1600 anyway). Our bungalow is dark and taking photos inside has been challenging, so I’m looking for better ISO performance (and better quality overall).

    It seems like every blogger with a fancy camera is using a Canon 5D, and I assumed I would upgrade to one as well. Except the more I did my research, the more the Canon 7D started to sound really good. It even does some things better than the 5D (a faster frame rate, and 19 focus points instead of 9, to name a few). Yes, the 5D is a full-frame camera, and it performs exceedingly well in low-light situations, but I think I’m going to be very happy with the 7D for years to come. I may upgrade further to a 5D eventually, but in the meantime I can invest in lenses.

    Speaking of lenses, I have the nifty fifty, and I also have a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di Lens. The Tamron was purchased a few months ago as an upgrade to my Rebel’s kit lens while I save for a Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF. (I think.) The Tamron is a great, inexpensive lens, and I’m excited about using it with my 7D.

    I have a post planned for later this month about taking photos of your home, so I’ll take a little time to get to know my new camera before then and I’ll let you know how it is. Now, I’d love to hear from all of you… Are you using a point and shoot, or do you have a DSLR? I’m not a pro (yet), but I can try to answer any questions you may have. I feel like I’ve learned so much even though I used to find all of the information overwhelming, and I want others to know that they can learn it too.