Photography - My gear

I've gotten quite a few questions on what lenses I use, what camera I use, etc. Especially in Disney.

Well, I'm Canon. 100% Canon. I've used off-brand lenses and have not had the experiences that others have had with the off brand lenses being just as sharp. No, my experiences have been different (but then again I struggle with sharpness anyway). So, all my lenses are Canon.

With the Rebel XT (that my sis currently has and enjoying) - kit lens 18-55mm with variable ap of 3.5-5.6 I believe, off brand 70-200mm telephoto with variable ap 3.5-5.6. There might be another lens with that group, but honestly it's been close to a year since I've seen it. LOL

Canon 20d - this was my first DSLR, and is my backup to my backup. Or the camera I let the boys use to practice with when I'm with them. It's been heavily used, so it's starting to show signs of age. Sitting in the camera bag for this one I have a 28-135mm variable ap 3.5-5.6 lens. (I think that's the lens). It was the first "recommended" lens for portraits that I stumbled across that I could somewhat afford. I don't recommend it. LOL

Canon 30d - this is without a lens sitting in my camera bag - it's my back up, and during a session if I get a wild idea for something, I will typically pull it out and run with 2 cameras. If I'm shooting a wedding, this is typically slung over my shoulder with the 85mm or 50mm lens on it. The 20d would then be sitting in my bag JUST IN CASE. This is the camera I took to Disney.

Canon 5d - this is my "session" camera. LOL I hardly EVER use it for my own kids (use the 30d a lot). I would say, 90% of the time it has the 24-105mm f/4.0L lens on it. LOVE THIS COMBO! Canon sort of built these to go together, and they function beautifully together. I wish the 24-105 opened up wider, but for me and my focus issues...f/4.0 is good.

Lenses in my bag: 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

THAT is it!

Notice, in my bag I do not use variable aperture lenses. This is because when I set a setting, I expect it to stay the same. With variable aperture lenses if you "zoom" in or out, the aperture setting can change on you and then you will be off on exposure. So NOT a good thing.

Also, notice the 50mm lens is the CHEAP one of that variety. I think at bhphoto it costs around $75. It's made out of plastic, but I'm not using this lens for portraits, it's a "details" lens for me. A 50mm lens has some distortion with it, and it will make noses bigger and wider, and foreheads bigger, and so forth without changing the size of the rest of the head...not pretty. So, I just use it for details (or animals). I would like to get the 50mm 1.4 version, but honestly, until I use the 1.8 version more I don't need it. Incidentally, this is the lens that lived on the 30d in Disney. I never took it off, and all dSLR images are taken with this lens. Of course I took only this lens and the one that lives with the 20d 24-135mm variable aperture lens so it's not totally surprising. ;)

The 85mm lens is MUCH better on the distortion, but I can not get as close as I would like typically. I love this lens outdoors. Adore it. I drool over owning the 85mm f/1.4L or is it f/1.2L version.

The 20-700 MONSTER lens...that's for sports, and teens, and crying children who are terrified of me OUTDOORS! This lens seriously weighs 5 pounds by itself. It's huge. It's a monster (just ask Lia's Mommy as I took it to China and everyone laughed at me). It takes some GORGEOUS images, but I am weak and thus I shake when I hold it for long periods of time. I also need a TON of room with it. Not good for indoors - the 24-105 is much better for indoors. This lens is named "Harold" because I really can't remember why...I think friends just felt the need to have a NAME for this monster lens when we were all talking about it.

OKAY, I'm sure you've noticed the L I've attached to designations on some of these. That L means it's "professional" quality lens. Dh jokes that it means "LOTS of money" as it does indicate a more expensive lens to purchase. L lenses typically have a better quality glass in them, are typically sturdier built (no plastic), and have no chromatic aberration (meaning there are no mis-aligned anything).

One thing I have learned is that camera type is important, yes. But put your money into quality lenses. A photo taken with one of my L lenses on the RebelXT (and yes I have put one of them on it) looks much better than if I had taken it with the kit lens.

I also have all sorts of "extra" fun stuff like flashes (never ever use the flash that came on the camera...and well, to be honest the 5d doesn't have that flash). I have both the 580EX and 580EX II flashes made by Canon (again, I like sticking with Canon brand). I highly recommend the 580EX II flash, but honestly, I still have not figured out all it can do!

Computer side of things - I use CF cards, shoot RAW format, and download directly through a CF card reader (not using the cord that came with the camera or the canon software). I edit all photos in Adobe Photoshop CS2 or CS4 (switching over to CS4 currently). I have also recently purchased Lightroom, but I'm struggling with it. Lightroom is your basic darkroom, where you can edit the entire photo and adjust the exposure and color. You can use basic actions, and truthfully if I could learn the software this is where I would do 100% of my proofing. Detailed edits are done in Photoshop.

So, this leaves me recommending Canon lenses (or Nikon lenses for those using Nikon, or Sony for those Sony, etc.). If you need to go off-brand, Tamron is the lens manufacturer I've heard good things about. ALWAYS...ALWAYS ALWAYS purchase camera gear from a reputable shop. bhphoto and adorama are the only two I buy online from, and with good reason. Remember that Canon and Nikon both do NOT run sales unless it's a global sale (meaning bhphoto also has it). If an online store has a GREAT deal, check the store ratings...because there are many bait and switch camera sellers out there. Also, if you live in the US, you want to purchase the US versions of things or else the manufacturers warranty will not be valid. ;)

IF I had to recommend a specific lens for you to learn with, without a HUGE outlay of expenditure...go with the 50mm f/1.8. It's not the best lens out there, but it's a GREAT lens to learn with. IF you are looking at other lenses, try not to go with a variable aperture lens. Yes, they are cheaper than the fixed aperture lens, but if you shooting in manual modes then you must constantly be aware of the chances of change in the aperture which could change your exposure. BTDT and it's not fun.

On Canon lenses - L is good. IS is good. USM is good. IS is Image Stabilization (meaning the lens has a mechanism to help with hand held shaking). USM is Ultra sonic movement, meaning it typically moves to focus faster (another good thing). I can live without the USM. If the lens is heavy I go for the IS. Whenever possible I go for the L (and this now means I wait to purchase a lens until I can afford the L version).