The Great 50mm Lens

An acquaintance of mine is buying an SLR camera and my first piece of advice is what I tell everyone who is doing the same... if you buy just one lens, make it a 50mm f/1.8. She is kinda new to the SLR photography arena, so I figured I would take the opportunity to post info here rather than just on a facebook post. I'll keep it basic.

The 50mm is my go-to lens, its the lens I keep on the camera by default. I personally do not use the kit lens at all, I almost never take it with me and I can count the number of photos I take with it (albeit if you are a more casual photographer it might be better suiting). I've taken about 80% of my photos with the 50mm, and about 80% of my best photos with it.

50mm means that the lens doesnt zoom at all (its called a 'fixed' or 'prime' lens). Seems kinda lame, but because a fixed lens it has some other special properties...

• First, 50mm happens to be something of a magic number. They say that the focal length of 50mm is closest to that of the natural focus length of the human eye. So your photos will be be taken with a more 'human' perspective. This makes is a great lens for "people pictures". (if you're using a pro-sumer cropped sensor camera, this is a little bit off - but its still a very natural view point).  I believe its a viewpoint that will generally make you a better photographer.  
• Because it is a "fixed" lens, it is very fine tuned. The focus is perfectly set in the factory. There is only one moving part. On a typical lens, there are several interior lenses moving together at once to get to the best focus. Every lens no matter how big the focal range has a sweet spot where it is in best focus. The sweet spot on the 50mm is... 50mm, so its always got real sharp focus.
• f1.8 refers to the maximum size of the aperture. The smaller the number the larger the aperture. A larger aperture means more light gets in. More light means you can take pics in darker conditions. The largest aperture that you'll find in consumer and most pro grade lenses is f/1.2 ... a standard kit lens is somewhere between f4.0 to f5.0 range. So this particular lens has pretty close to the best possible aperture in existence.
• Also, without getting too technical, because the aperture is so large something special happens, the depth of field of the picture shortens alot. So when you take a photo of someone, their face could be in perfect focus but everything else fades to a blur. People love it. Its called "bokeh" and its pretty much only possible with an SLR camera.
• Its light and small.
• The best part is... its cheap! You can get this lens (in most makes) for around $100. Its not because its a terrible lens, its cheap because its relatively easy to manufacture. As I mentioned, there are few moving parts - most lenses require very precision manufacturing to perfectly time and tune the opticals.

Where to buy it:

Canon

For you  Nikon people

On Becoming a Photo Enthusiast

I don't want to be a photographer, I just want to be a photography enthusiast. Becoming one is a commitment, but sometimes it feels like an addiction.

I think there are a few notable points in a budding enthusiast's history:

1. Of course your first purchase (which should be a Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)) is key and that sets it all into motion.
2. But than there is the point where all of your accessories and lenses in total cost more than than the pricey camera itself.
3. Next is the point where you are buying a single accessory (Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras) that exceeds the value of your camera (by a factor greater than 2). I'm not there yet, but that $1800, f/1.2 50mm lens is practically calling my name.
4. And finally is when you've amassed so many accessories and lenses that you need to buy a second camera body simply in order to use them all (fluidly).
   

I'm somewhere between step 2 and 3, dare I say, with 'enthusiasm'.

Feeding the addiction - all of the supplies, accessories and lenses just make the problem worse. Now you essentially have an arsenal of 'weapons' and there are few that you ever feel comfortable leaving behind. You know that once you're out there - you'll realize, 'man I wish I brought my _______' (fill in the blank with that lens that you hardly ever use).

So this all brings me to this moment. Right now I'm on Amazon picking up a new camera bag to hold all of the 'stuff' I have amassed. I saw this bag (Canon Deluxe Photo Backpack 200EG for Canon EOS SLR Cameras (Black with Green Accent)) at Best Buy, and it seems like its a good quality. Its sizable enough to hold alot of stuff, but not too big that its unwieldy. To no surprise Amazon was half the price, literally half the price, and this bag comes in at just under $40.


I'm not really into the brand-name emblazoned gear, and this is a bit bigger than I'd be comfortable hitting the streets with . This is more of a storage/travel bag, rather than a 'shooting bag'. Its something to put everything in, take along and leave in the car. I expect to then be able to assess the lens and accessory selections right for the moment, stow them in my 'shooting bag' and go to town... with my mind at ease knowing if I forgot something, its not far away.

The C.H.I.M.P. Grip

I have a problem with horizons.  I cant get them straight.  Luckily, Picasa has a really cool straightening tool.  I also own a monopod, which is a great thing.  They are incredibly convenient to carry around and a must for a telephoto lens.

Anyhow, I shoot from the hip alot (and keep a stiff upper lip), I take alot of photos without looking thru the viewfinder.  Sometimes holding the cam close to the ground or above my head or with arms stretched out.  Its cases like these where getting a straight horizon is difficult. 

I developed a technique that I am calling the C.H.I.M.P. Grip (Catalano-Horizon-Improvement-Mono-Pod Grip).    Its pretty simple, and the photo above probably explains it well enough.   Essentially you hold your monopod horizontally, and you rest your camera on top of one end of it.   The camera isnt mounted at all, its just resting there.   It rests pretty steadily and comfortably.  On my monopod I rest it right on the foam grip.   You use your right hand to hold your camera against the monopod and you can than hold the monopod a little further down the pole with your left hand.   

The C.H.I.M.P. Grip does two things:   First it helps your horizons by simply allowing you to more easily see the horizontal positioning of your camera.   Secondly, it dramatically stabilizes your camera from shake.   You are really widening the stance of your grip thus the movements of your left hand are essentially geared down like a lever.

This is the monopod I use and recommend, very well made and very inexpensive:

Rebirth via Wide Angle

Jeff Kirlin (The Thing of the Moment) promised me that my life would change if I purchased this Sigma 10-20mm wide-angle lens. I scoped it out on ebay for weeks and if nothing else, I can say this thing has some strong resale value - because I can't find it much cheaper than buying it new. I purchased it thru amazon of course - they've got the best price, consistently.

I'm awaiting my rebirth... delivered by UPS.

An Equipped Camera

(This post has been backdated to drop it further down the blog - list originally compiled in 2009, updated constantly)

I wanted to create a post that linked to all equipment that I use and recommend. You can also check out additional posts that focus specifically on equipment and equipment issues.
[Most of the linked equipment is specifically for Canon bodies.]

Camera Armor
A Must have accessory to protect your investment. I dont even have to think twice about scratches, scrapes, sand, and even a little bit of moisture.

(A friend of mine ordered one for an Xsi, and it was not of the same quality as the one for the Xti - so I can't vouch for that one. He returned it)

Canon 50mm f/1.8 Lens
I didn't know it was possible to feel love for a lens. I use this lens for maybe 85% of the photos I take.

Telephoto Lens
I own the Tamaron 70-300mm Lens with Macro, its a workable telephoto lens if you need something very inexpensive. Don't expect super quality optics but its a well-made sturdy lens that works. Its a good value in this kit with the UV filter and other junk.

I do not own the Canon 55-250mm lens, but if I found it first I would have bought it. For the price difference (around $100), you are adding the Canon brand and quality and most importantly - Image Stabilization. My photographic mentor (Jkirlin) has the top review of this lens on Amazon and highly recommends it.

67" Monopod
A very inexpensive but well built monopod; and comes with a case also. You may want to invest a bit more when you are going to buy a tripod, but for a monopod I cant imagine anything built more solid. The only downside is a lack of a swivel (or ball) joint head.

Canvas Military/Camera Bag
This is the bag I use as a camera bag. It required some modifications to protect the camera and to work a little better; but its a very convenient bag especially if you don't like 'off the rack' camera bags emblazoned with a "Canon" ("steal me") logo. You can read about my modifications.

Right-Angle Lens Adapter
This is a great lens add-on for taking candid photos of strangers in public. It is a bit challenging to use sometimes, but its a fun accessory especially for the camera shy or the shy photographer. You'll need to buy a couple of the filter adapters to fit your lenses. I typically use this with my 70-300mm lens because it best allows for recomposition necessary when shooting at tricky angles.

Lensbaby
I use and recommend the Lensbaby (2.0 version seems suitable, but the newer ones are pretty cool). I certainly don't have it down, but I would definitely recommend Lensbaby for a more advanced user. It is a completely manual lens - so you need to have a good understanding of aperture, shutterspeed, light metering. You'll also need a steady hand for manual focusing www.lensbaby.com

PhatStrap Wrist Strap
You can read my post and see some photos here. I'm not a fan of neck straps, I find the camera gets in your way of doing other things (when you're not taking photos). Phatstraps are great, they are hand-made and custom and available in a bevy of designs. They now also offer some great accessory bundles/kits with a lens cozy, wrist strap and neck strap. www.phatstraps.com

Learning
This is absolutely one of the best books for learning the basics of photography. Don't let the title throw you off, this isnt a book about lighting. It will help you learn the basics (and master the advanced) aspects of your DSLR (or SLR) camera and its settings. Lots of photos, and an easy read. Will give you a great understanding of F-Stops, Shutter Speed, ISO, Depth of Field, and much more.

Accessories:
There are so many things to spend money on in photography. So I employ the free options whenever possible. Here are a couple of free 'hacks' that I have used to actually build some of my own equipment.

• Flash diffuser. If you dont have an add-on flash but you actually use the flash built into your camera sometimes - you've gotta make one of these. It could be easier. Its a flash diffuser made from an old film canister.
• If you do any type of time value photography - extended shutter speeds and what not, you need a tripod. But if you are using a tripod and have a long shutter you'll also need a remote control. You can build one yourself for about a dollar.
  

Software
You cant beat free. And if it wasnt free I'd pay for it. Google's Picasa is hands down one of the easiest to use image editors out there. Its got a super slick interface. It keeps your pics full res automatically. Touch-ups, lighting adjustments, and cropping are incredibly easy. The creative filters just work perfectly. One of the best features of it is that your original file is always preserved and you can undo everything if you need to.


Printing
I am a Walmart stock holder. Why? Because I love Walmart. And one of my favorite things about Walmart (aside from helping people 'Save Money to Live Better') is their photo printing services. Who doesnt live near a Walmart? You upload online, pics are ready in an hour, and better yet - they are cheaper than ANYONE. I've never had less than stellar quality with my prints large and small.

Camera Repair

I am back-dating this post so that it doesn't headline on the front of my blog (written 9/1/08), but I'm hoping that this will get picked up by a search engine to help out some people who may have the same problem. I had an error message "There is a problem with the CF card" on my camera, a Canon Rebel Xti. Frustrating because I just took a bunch of pics. Apparently I left the camera on, but in its standby mode for a couple of days. I read online and didnt find much resolution short of formatting the CF card. One post I found said that they blew into the camera "old-school nintendo style" and it worked. I did the same thing: took out the card, blew into the camera, blew into the card, put it back in and it worked. I quickly loaded my pics and will not format the card for extra measure. It makes no sense, I've never taken the card out for any reason so its not like it got dusty or worn away. But it worked. So if you ever find this error message, give that a shot

The error came back after I downloaded the pictures, but I'm glad I was able to get the pictures off first. I took one photo and the message is now gone. I called Canon tech-support and the one thing they were able to tell me was that they recommend formatting the memory card on a regular basis. I have never heard that, and have probably not formatted a memory card more than once on every camera I've ever owned. He recommended formatting it after each download. I'll start doing that.

Strap off

[The date of this equipment related post was changed to push it to the start of the blog]

I bought a great new camera wrist strap. I realized that neck straps "aren't for me". To me, it feels awkward carrying a heavy camera around my neck. I find that the long strap is dangling awkwardly otherwise, or hanging out of my camera bag, or wrapped around my wrist anyhow. I also think wrist straps are incrementally cooler. Mine has skulls and hearts on it - to both scare little kids and show my sensitive side.

I got mine online at Phat Straps (www.phatstraps.com). They are hand-made and can be made with custom designs and embroidery. These are sturdy, convenient, well-made straps. They also carry custom neck-straps, and are now carrying kits with lens cozies also (who like's a cold lens). I have no affiliation with the site, but I will gladly recommend a great product.

(Dirty mirror)

The Beginnings of a Voyage (First Post)

This is my first post to my new photoblog. Thanks to Jeff Kirlin (http://jkirlin.blogspot.com) who recommended blogspot and helped me choose some of my new equipment. I'm going to hold back on telling you all about me. Frankly I'm not sure who will ever see this blog. I just wanted to make a place to easily post up the fruits of my new hobby.

Ah, the self-portrait: the cliche beginning of many photoblogs. Why would I be any better to not follow in fellow blogger's foot steps.

So I've bought a new Digital SLR camera. A Canon Rebel Xti to be precise. I (with intention) have the 18-55 kit lens, as well as a 70-300, and a beautiful Canon 50mm f/1.8 that I have become partial to.
This is a canvas bag I picked up from my local Army Navy Surplus store. I also bought a fancy padded camera bag but I've returned it. It fit all of my equipment (not much now, just a body and 3 lenses), but its just too snug. This canvas bag is great. The side pockets seem like they are just made for lenses (thats my 70-300 fitting in there), or grenades. I bought some foam (automotive headliner) material and made some padding/lining for the bag. It came out great, its very convenient and it was a great buy/find for $13.00

The other modification I made to the bag was replacing the clip that closes the top of the bag. It was an awkward buckle where you need to thread the strap thru it. I simply replaced it with a traditional snap buckle that opens when pressing the two tabs on the side.

11/7/08 Update: I've been using this bag for months now. It really works great. I havent had any equipment damage, and everything is super easy to get to. The side pockets really are absolutely a perfect fit for lenses. The middle compartment is big enough that I can stow my camera body with a 300mm lens attached to it, as well as a bunch of other junk in the bottom of the bag.