Messages

196

Lenses / Re: Tamron 24-70 f2.8 or Canon 24-105 f4 ??

« on: March 31, 2013, 06:18:53 PM »

I used the 24-105L for years, but after owning the 24-70VC for a few months I sold the 24-105L.  The Tamron is the better lens in almost every way.  The Tamron stays on my 6D a good percentage of the time.  For landscape, it has less distortion, is slightly wider (although listed the same), far less vignetting, better color rendering, and then it has a lot of advantages for wide aperture shots.  I find the bokeh rendering great on the Tamron:


Resurrection by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Stopped down it is a great landscape lens.  Nicely sharp!

As the Ice Forms by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

197

Lens Gallery / Re: Sigma 35mm 1.4

« on: March 31, 2013, 09:49:06 AM »

Love the look of this lens, love the apparent sharpness of it.  I'd still like to see more samples of the bokeh in different situations before I put the money down.  I'm not blown away by what I've seen to date, and ooF rendering in this kind of wide aperture lens is pretty huge.  I'd be very happy to be wrong about this.

When the background is blurred a lot, the bokeh will look good with any lens. This is what page 1 of this thread shows. This lens really struggles with the bokeh when the blur is, say, 5-10 pixels wide.

And that is the issue.  I've been watching the group pool at Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/groups/2109177@N20/) and, frankly (I'm not trying to be offensive), I haven't been overly impressed with much, yet.  There are some rare exceptions, but overall, the images seem to lack that special quality that I have seen out of the 35L.  In all fairness, early images aren't always the best.  People don't always know how to use a lens to its full potential. 

Bokeh quality is huge in a wide aperture lens, and I wonder if this lens didn't got a little too far into the sharpness end and lost that quality.  I have seen very little soft, creamy bokeh out it.

198

6D Sample Images / Re: Anything shot with a 6D

« on: March 31, 2013, 09:38:58 AM »

Here's a recent one that shows the nice dynamic range (smooth transition from shadow to bright parts of the image)


Resurrection by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

199

Reviews / Re: Review - EF 24 f/1.4L II

« on: March 30, 2013, 10:25:58 AM »

personally, for landscapes, i would love slower but tack sharp and well corrected wideangle lenses.

why should i pay for f1.4 when i use it only at f5.6 and higher anyway.

a 14mm f4 as widest would be fine for me.

True.

If you don't mind manual focus, the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 is capable of stunning results at a bargain price.  This guy is using it VERY effectively!

http://500px.com/photo/29615393

200

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Heading to Scottsdale, AZ..anyone with suggestions for landscape photography?

« on: March 30, 2013, 10:20:59 AM »

Grew up in Scottsdale.  Depending on the scale you want, you can find a lot of great settings right there in Scottsdale (particularly North Scottsdale towards Fountain Hills).  This shot was taken hiking up Scottsdale Mountain (about 130th, I believe)


Arise by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

There is a trail nearby into the McDowell's called "Lost Dog Trailhead" that goes through a lot of great country.  This was taken at the base of that trail.


Desert Magic by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

All of the other spots that have been recommended are great if you have transportation.  Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon are no brainers.  Some of the other killer spots are near Paige in the Northeast corner of the state, but require more driving.

201

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6L IS USM

« on: March 30, 2013, 08:41:35 AM »

Here are a couple of non-scientific bokeh shots on a crop body done at 70mm and 300mm... I see I was lazy leaving it on "program" mode so the aperture setting is f/7.1 for 70mm and  f/6.3 on the 300mm ....even with the stopping down, the zoom does well with bokeh.

That shows it quite well, particularly considering it was stopped down almost two full stops for the wide angle shot.  It shows how the more modern curved aperture blades continue to keep the aperture round even when stopped down.  When you shoot tele you deal with a lot of the "transition zone" that can make for some ugly bokeh.  The 70-300L does a nice job with that transition zone.  I have not really seen anything too ugly coming out of it.  Having owned two copies each of the 70-200L (IS and non IS) f/4 zooms, I can safely say that I prefer this lens to those.  I haven't used Canon's 70-200 f/2.8L zooms enough to have an opinion there, but the size of those lens makes them less of a travel option.  I would probably love the 70-200LII for my event work, though.

202

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6L IS USM

« on: March 30, 2013, 08:29:05 AM »

Such a great travel lens.  I plan to blog about it today!


Capital Dreams by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

203

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6L IS USM

« on: March 29, 2013, 09:08:55 AM »

Lady Virginia by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

204

Reviews / Re: Review - Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD with Pictures

« on: March 28, 2013, 08:32:28 AM »

I spent time in Washington, D.C., and found the Tamron to be a very effective street lens.  Distortion is there, but not as terrible as other zooms in the same class:


Render Unto Caesar by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

205

Lenses / Re: New 100-400 to Launch with EOS 7D Mark II [CR2]

« on: March 27, 2013, 10:29:33 AM »

If it's as sharp as the 70-300L, awesome. 

I hope they don't downgrade the performance that much - it would be a deal-breaker for me.

I hope that comment was facetious.  The 70-300L is optically superior to the current 100-400L in every way

206

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 6D Micro adjusting lenses

« on: March 26, 2013, 02:38:20 PM »

It definitely does.  In your menu, go to the second tab from the right.  It will say (C.Fn I) at the top.  Look for A.FN II - Autofocus.  If you go into that menu you will get to the settings for doing micro-adjustments.  You can actually enter in both a wide and tele setting for zoom lenses, which is very handy.

207

Lenses / Re: 24-70 2.8 or 24-70 4.0 IS ?

« on: March 25, 2013, 10:40:10 AM »

Tamron. 
EF 2.8 is optically better, EF 4 has IS.  Tamron is no slouch optically, is 2.8 and has IS.  At least for me, it's an easy decision.  You wouldn't go wrong with any one of the three, actually....but the Tamron might be the only one capable of getting the shot in extreme conditions.  Added bonus - if cost is a consideration the wallet impact is reasonable and I wouldn't consider the lens a compromise.

+1.  It provides the best balance of features and I have found the IQ awesome on my copy.  I have also found some very practical uses of VC/IS in the field, including shooting some mild long exposures handheld when I had no tripod with me.  The only thing the 24-70 f/4L offers to compete is the macro functionality.  I have found, however, that the Tamron does great with extension tubes, so I would still choose it there.

If cost is no object and you don't really nned IS, go for the 24-70L MKII - it is considered to be one of the most optically superior zoom lens ever made .

208

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 35mm f/2

« on: March 25, 2013, 09:07:40 AM »

P.S. - One final note on this lens.  I am strongly considering getting the new Sigma, but the one thing that holds me back is the size.  I loved the compact size on the 35mm f/2.  The Sigma will be as big as my Tamron 24-70VC, a lens that is far more versatile.  That is the primary reason I haven't gotten one yet.  I may also consider the Canon 35mm f/2 IS, but I think it needs to drop in price by a few hundred dollars before I would strongly consider it.

209

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 35mm f/2

« on: March 25, 2013, 09:03:56 AM »

I know there was a thread on images from this humble little lens in 2011, but it appears to have been held in such contempt there were zero replies !!

With all the excitement around the arrival of the new 35 f2 IS and the Sigma f1.4, how about posting your best shots taken with the old 35 f2 ?

At Building Panoramics we now have an EF 35 f1.4, and guess what - at the apertures that we use this little lens is just as good. ( The same cannot be said for the manual focus however.................)

Here are a few of our images taken with this lens. For those that are interested Selby Abbey was the first Benedictine Monastery founded in the North of England after the Norman conquest in 1066.

Some beautiful images here.  Stopped down the little 35mm f/2 is actually remarkably sharp.  It is quite the versatile little tool

210

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon EF 35mm f/2

« on: March 25, 2013, 09:00:41 AM »

I've had a real soft spot for this lens.  I initially had it when I only had a crop body, and didn't think much of it then because of the terrible CA (which has become easier to fix in LR4 compared to earlier versions).

When I switched to FF, I thought I would give it another shot and found it to be surprisingly competent on a FF body.  It was my favorite light walkaround prime until the 40mm f/2.8.  I found it a great little lens to slip into a pocket to complement a long prime or telephoto zoom.  I only got rid of it once I had both the 40mm and the Tamron 24-70 VC.  Here are some faves with it:


Lazy River by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


Man and Wife by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


Visual Echoes - Explored August 21st, 2012 by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


Window to the Soul by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


I Am so Small by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


Ride On by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


Autumn's Fence Friday by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


Forest for the Trees (Explored October 9th, 2012) by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


The Avenue [Explored December 11th, 2012] by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


Fortissimo by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


Mother and Daughter by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr


Maple Bokeh Delight by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr