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A sketch combination of my two favorite camera brands. Canon Serenar 50mm f/1.8 Type 6 (I believe), in Leica Thread Mount. I attempted to draw the Canon dreams lens (0.95) earlier but it was total fail.
SOLIGOR C/D 35mm f2 by lurchi1112 on Flickr.
Jupiter-8 50mm f2 on Flickr.
i need to stop collecting lenses…eh…my only vice.
Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 by Keaven Sheng on Flickr.
i’m still trying to make this lens a worthwhile investment on my part. i have the silver version and i took it out with a friend of mine on my M3 to shoot at a local farm/orchard.
i’m still trying to learn practical framing for a lens this wide since i’m so used to framing for the 28mm and 35mm wide angle focal lengths. i find that in bright sunlight, i can actually get my shadow or the shadow of the tripod into the shot.
i have one complaint about this lens…rather the viewfinder that comes with it. this lens is reputed to have the least amount of distortion out of any wide angle lens ever produced (yes…less than Leica and Zeiss) and yet the viewfinder has very noticeable distortion. Why can’t Cosina take the Zeiss viewfinder and rebrand it as a Voigtlander and include it with this lens?
A Canon 400D with the EF 50mm f/1.8 II Prime Lens and the attached BG-E3 Battery Grip
Battery Grips and Why You Should Get One
In the current Canon line of products (you guessed it, i’m a canon person lol), the Rebel, the 50D, the 7D, and the 5D series provide the option for consumers to purchase a battery grip attachment (the 1D series has the battery grip attachment already designed into the DSLR).
The battery grip attachment’s main function is to provide the photographer convenience. Battery grips that are commonly sold have the ability to hold two Lithium Ion batteries on the battery magazine(though it’s not necessary have two in the battery chamber). Instead of changing from one battery to the next when the first is drained, you will theoretically have extended your number of shots vs battery life by 100%. It is also common for the battery grip package to include a battery magazine that utilizes just AA batteries (usually 6 of them). This is great for extended photo assignments in an environment where you can’t charge your Li-Ions. You can just pop in the AAs and go your merry way!
The other thing that a battery grip provides is the vertical shutter release. If you’re using a DSLR with an attached battery grip, you won’t have to bend your arms into an abnormal position when you turn your camera 90 degrees for a portrait shot. You’ll be able to turn it 90 degrees and snap the photo with the vertical shutter release (it’s that simple).
I’ve once asked myself the question “does the battery grip draw power from the batteries when it’s on?” Some battery grips will have a small rectangular LED screen built into it that provides information on various functions of your camera including your ISO Speed, your projected shutter speed, and even the time (yes, i’ve seen it). The only downside to having the small LED screen is that it will draw (though minimal) some power from your battery life. I have the BG-EN5 model battery grip which doesn’t have a small LED screen and I have been testing the battery life. It doesn’t appear to draw any power from the batteries except for when using the vertical shutter release. I recommend to have the battery grip turned off when you’re not planning to use the vertical shutter release (it’s a habit of mine).
One complaint I’ve heard of battery grips is that it’s too bulky. Though that maybe true, the extra weight will help with weight distribution when using heavier lenses. Sometimes you’ll be able to use a large lens mounted on a tripod and camera in back without a front auxiliary monopod to hold up the front end of your lens.
One last thing is that it makes the camera look larger :) and yes, size does matter. Unless you’re using a very small camera bag, then you should be able to carry the camera with the battery grip attached.
Battery grips are produced by 1st and 3rd (generic) party manufacturers. They retail from around $150-250 dollars, but you can definitely get them as cheap as $60 from amazon.
My Cousin, shot @ about 20 feet.
Review for the Canon F/4-5.6 EF 75-300mm III lens:
It takes about an hour to get a decent understanding of how to adjust the telephoto zoom barrel for a given situation. Trust me on this, the learning curve is WAY higher on this then on your stock standard zoom, and prime lenses. This is in part because of the lens design.
The body of the barrel is plastic with the exception of rubber padding for the zoom and the focus rings. You get what you get when it comes to plastic bodied barrels. Some are built quite nicely and some are just plain mediocre. This lens lands in between these two. There is a zoom ring for adjusting your zoom length (placed similarly to other Canon lens product’s zoom rings). The lens’ zoom capability is from 75mm-300mm with standardized zoom lengths at 100mm, 135mm, and 200mm printed above your current zoom length indicator. This barrel’s focus ring is not on the tube that extends from the barrel but on the main barrel itself.
The weight of the barrel is what you would expect for a telephoto lens. It’s heavier than other ones I’ve played with in the past. The lack of an image stabilizer coupled with the slightly heavier build makes this lens hard to autofocus at lengths shorter then 30 feet.
One contributing factor to this can be attributed to a characteristic of all telephoto zoom lenses. Unlike a prime lens, which only has one glass between the lens front and the camera body, there are multiple pieces of glass built into the barrel. Light has to travel further and with each piece of glass, light has to bounce between the barrel wall and the surface of each glass to reach the shutter at the back-end of the barrel. This amplifies the camera shake at farther zoom lengths. I recommend using a tripod (like grandpa once said…if your picture is blurry, use a damn tripod) to minimize this problem.
In addition to this, I’ve also noticed that brightness affects the autofocus sensitivity. This barrel’s autofocus mechanism appears to be more sensitive than others I’ve played with. The autofocus either takes too long or doesn’t work at all in shady environments when shooting at less then 30-40 feet (anywhere further is fine). When it is too bright, the lens likes to bend light around the focused subject making the subject seem more softer than sharp. This can be fixed (though not entirely) by getting a UV filter and a hood. To troubleshoot the shady condition, switch your Canon’s shooting mode to AV (aperture value) and set your aperture to F/7.1-8.0 (meaning anywhere in between) and set your ISO speed to 1600.
Although telephoto zoom lenses aren’t usually used for portrait photography (because of their really high aperture values), I would recommend using this for portrait photography with backgrounds that end far from the subject. For shooting birds and other aerial subjects, just be quick on your fingers to adjust your settings and get that shot. The minimum distance you must be at for macrophotography is at 4.9 feet (1.5 meters). I suggest getting yourself another lens (standard zoom or prime with an ultrasonic motor) for use as your dedicated macrophotography lens.
Despite these inconveniences, I would still recommend getting this lens. It’s cheaper than others but you totally get more then you bargain for.
