Making it Lovely

Tag: lenses

  • 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.