Seeing the world through my viewfinder.
The Lensbaby 3G that I purchased on eBay last week arrived yesterday — just in time for me to have only a few minutes to play with it before heading off to Zen. I spent all of today looking forward to having time with my Lensbaby this evening… then found myself fresh out of ideas for still life setups in my house after only an hour (which, honestly, didn’t seem like that long).
Two more photos and some product commentary after the jump…
Seen in Barnes & Noble, at the Shops at Fallen Timbers in Maumee.
Someone was making an editorial comment about these elusive male multiple orgasms… Cute.
My husband was surprised when I gave such an uncomplimentary review to the Sigma 18-200mm lens I recently purchased. True, I did originally drool over the idea of having a wide-angle and a telephoto in one lens. It’s also true that the entirety of my “test” involved only low-light interiors: a sushi restaurant, a coffee shop, and our living room.
Before passing final judgment on this particular lens, I thought it only fair to research the other comparable lenses. By “comparable” I mean similar focal lengths and maximum apertures. I had thought to find a faster and more expensive lens but, as I discovered, even the most wide-open superzooms or walkabout lenses aren’t suited for low light photography.
I do own a Sigma 50mm macro lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8, so I thought it would be only fair to compare the new superzoom with the 50mm prime lens, just to make sure I would be able to get the shots I was after with a faster lens. Earlier this week, I took a few identical photos with each lens to see how they compared.
This image basically embodies what I found: the results from the 50mm prime lens were definitely more passable, due to the faster shutter speed, but were still nothing to write home about.
If I were to want to take ambient light photos in this kind of lighting situation, I would likely brace myself and/or my camera against something stable, rather than shooting handheld alone. I would also crank up the ISO as far as possible — something I failed to do in either test.
I’m planning to give the walkaround lens more of a walkaround, learn to use it properly, and develop a steadier hand. I really am looking forward to having such a wide range of composition options open to me… although this will force me to consider all of them, rather than just working within what my 28-70mm (and my feet) can give me.
I’ve been wanting a longer lens for my Nikon D50 for some time. I’ve owned this camera for over three years now, and have been making do with my Sigma 28-70mm zoom for most of that time.
My previous “good” camera was the Minolta X370s 35mm SLR. Over the six or so years that it was my main camera, I acquired a 28mm wide-angle lens, 50mm standard lens, 80-200mm zoom, 2x teleconverter, and three macro filters. I’ve been jonesing to be able to get in close to the action like I once could.
So, I went online, seeking out the zoomiest zoom for the most reasonable price, and I found the Sigma 18-200mm. First, I found one with Optical Stabilization, but when I saw how much that added to the price, I opted against it and ordered one without.
It really is true, what they say: you get what you pay for.