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trothwell

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Posts posted by trothwell

    20mm F2.8

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Not particularly sharp toward the edges, when used on a full-frame camera. Depending on what you take pictures of, that may or may not be a big deal Sharp enough for my tastes on a cropped camera. Either way, the image quality is okay, but not amazing like some of the L primes.

    Fisheye Lens

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I used a 15mm fisheye lens on a RebelXT camera for a while. It can be used as a regular wide-angle lens, since you can, depending on what's in the shot, frame it so you don't see much if any fisheye effect.

     

    On the other hand, as a _fisheye_ lens it's disappointing on a crop camera. You just don't see a whole lot of the effect.

    Advice on a Wide Prime for 300D

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I personally would recommend the 20mm/2.8. On a 300D, this will give you an equivalent view of 32mm, which, while not exceptionally wide, is about my favorite general-purpose walk-around focal length. (Might not be yours though!)

     

    From what I've seen, most of the complaints about the 20mm have to do with it being not sharp enough toward the edges; on a 300d camera, you don't see the edges. I used one on a 350d, and never noticed any outstanding sharpness problems.

     

    (I also use it on full frame cameras, EOS-3 and 5D, and it often performs satisfactorily. The edges do indeed lack sharpness, but the edges are usually not the focal point in my photographs, so I tend to be okay with it. YMMV.)

    135mm L vs 70-200mm

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I have the 135mm L. More than any other lens I own, it helps me create beautiful photographs. I love it. :-)

     

    <p>

    I do not have any of the 70-200 lenses, but do plan to get one sometime for the flexibility of a zoom.

     

    <p>

    I bought the 135 L specifically for an indoor flyball competition, where I had to photograph fast moving dogs in suboptimal light at a distance. I sure would have liked an even wider aperture, but I'm glad I had the f2 over the f2.8.

     

    <p>

    Here are some samples of my usage of the 135:

     

    <ul>

    <li><a href="http://www.trevisrothwell.com/photos/20060701-flowers">flowers</a></li>

    <li>Nearly every photo linked to from my <a href="http://www.trevisrothwell.com/flyball/">flyball page</a></li>

    </ul>

    Why does one still recommend the 50mm as starter today?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Ah, but to clarify -- I would certainly recommend the 35/2 over the 50/1.8 if my advisee was willing to spend a bit more. My initial point was that the 50/1.8 is an inexpensive way to learn about differences in lens quality. (As has been suggested, going to a well-stocked store to demo various lenses may be a better way.)

     

    50mm on a 1.6 camera is a fine focal length, but not what is _usually_ desired.

    Why does one still recommend the 50mm as starter today?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    <p>

    Just thought I'd toss up a few photos taken by a relative beginner with 50mm lens (either 1.8 or 1.4) on a 1.6x DSLR:

    </p>

     

    <ul>

    <li><a href="http://www.trevisrothwell.com/photos/20051022-new-puppy/IMG_1222.JPG">new

    puppy</a></li>

    <li><a href="http://www.trevisrothwell.com/photos/20051029-on-the-farm/IMG_1463.JPG">cow</a></li>

    <li><a href="http://www.trevisrothwell.com/photos/20051111-st-louis/20051111-st-louis-019.jpg">knish and soda</a></li>

    <li><a href="http://www.trevisrothwell.com/photos/misc-photos/20051204-ornament.jpg">ornament</a></li>

    <li><a href="http://www.trevisrothwell.com/photos/misc-photos/chesspieces.JPG">chesspieces</a></li>

    </ul>

     

    <p>

    The best photos ever? Nah. But I learned a lot, despite having the

    "incorrect" focal length of 50mm on 1.6x camera. :-) :-)

    Why does one still recommend the 50mm as starter today?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I would recommend a 50mm/1.8 lens to a beginner using either a 1.6 crop camera or a full-frame camera. Why? Because the the focal length is fantastic? Not an a crop camera, but I still found it usable.

     

    No, the reason I would recommend it even for 1.6ers is that for a mere $80 you can see a rather drastic difference in image quality between the 18-55 kit zoom lens and the 50/1.8. Once I saw that, I understood why I might need to spend more money on lenses to be able to get high-quality results.

     

    I just bought the $900 135/2 lens a couple months ago. Not the most expensive by any means, but far more than I would have paid as a beginner thinking that a kit zoom lens was as good as it got. And I'm very happy with the 135 lens -- it was worth $900 to me, now that I understand why it's so good.

    Two Bad 1.4s in a ROW!

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Another happy 1.4 customer. I never tested thoroughly, but I'm at least somewhat inclined to think that the 1.8 I had before getting the 1.4 was sharper, but neither has been "bad" for me. Certainly no focusing problems.

    Weather Sealing for Canon Products

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Of current models, only the "1"-series digital SLRs purport to be weather sealed. Some claim that the EOS-3 (film) is weather sealed; I don't believe it is as much as the EOS 1 cameras, but perhaps moreso than most other cameras. I've used my EOS-3 in light rain and snow without any problems, and if I needed to shoot in a downpour, I'd certainly use my EOS-3 over my 5D, partly because if it turned out NOT to be weather sealed at all, it'd be much cheaper to replace. :-)

    20 or 24?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I have the 24-85, 20, and used to have the 50/1.8 (use a 50/1.4 now).

     

    My 24-85 is pretty sharp, and makes decent pictures. It's not amazing picture quality like you might get from primes or higher-end zooms, but it's perfectly respectable.

     

    My 20mm seems not very sharp at toward the edges on a full-frame camera, but is great on a 1.6 crop camera. Amounts to a 32mm lens, which is around my favorite focal length for general shooting. On full-frame, it's pretty wide, and more challenging to use effectively. As has been noted on his forum before, even though the edges aren't the sharpest, USUALLY the focal point of the photo is not at the edges, so it's usually not a major problem.

    Are there still issues with 4gb CF cards?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    I have used the Hitachi 4GB "Microdrive" with both a RebelXT and 5D, and have had no problems with it.

     

    To Ken's notion of having multiple cards instead...

     

    I have actually NEVER filled up my 4GB card. I might have gotten it half-full once, but I usually empty it before that even. I have the larger size in case I stumble upon a really great photo opportunity and only have the one card, I can take lots of pictures.

     

    So in my case, I wouldn't lose any more photos off my 4GB card half-full than I would with a 2GB card entirely full.

     

    But, I've never lost any pictures from any card. I'd be a lot more upset about losing one good picture that was stored all by itself on the card than losing hundreds of mediocre pictures, so quantity of photos lost is not necessarily even an issue.

     

    Ah, but I ramble. I think there are merits to both approaches to card use. Maybe the best thing to do is use them both -- have a bunch of 4GB cards and swap them often! :-) :-)

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