// archives

Archive for November, 2009

Understanding F-Stop

By ⋅ November 30, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Understand F-Stop

It took me awhile to understand F-Stop. I kept thinking of numbers as backwards in my head. So every time I would try to take a picture I would think o.k. larger aperture number equals smaller opening – smaller aperture number equals larger opening.

Then it clicked This is how to think of an F-Stop…

The larger the F-stop the more light your aperture is blocking. The smaller the F-Stop the less light your aperture is blocking.

F-stop or aperture is an opening that controls the amount of light that is going to strike the focal plane.  Just like a film camera your digital camera records an image onto a focal plane. The lens focuses light through an aperture and shutter onto an image sensor that sits on the focal plane.

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro

By ⋅ November 23, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Canon EF-S 60mm f2/8 Macro

The Canon EF-S 60mm lens has great reviews. The thing I liked about the reviews  was it seemed to be popular not just macro, but also portrait.

The price isn’t really all that bad considering what you get… right now Amazon is selling it for $429.00 + Free Shipping. Buy.com is a little less at $409.00 + Free Shipping. Dell is selling it for $419.00 + Free Shipping as well.

Here is the official Product Description:

Bring small things into full-sized view with the Canon EF 60mm macro USM lens. Macro lenses can uncover detail that would be impossible to detect by the eye and give new perspective to extremely minute subjects such as insects or the petals of a small flower, and this lens is no exception. The 60mm lens offers an angle of view that’s equivalent to a 96mm lens on a 35mm camera, along with a floating optical system that can focus down to life-size 1:1 magnification. The inner focusing system, meanwhile, is driven by a silent and powerful ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM), meaning the lens’s overall length never changes during focus. Ultimately, the multi-purpose lens is equally at home shooting macro shots, portraits, or available-light photos. Like all Canon EF-S lenses, this lens is restricted to the EOS 20D, EOS Digital Rebel, and EOS Digital Rebel XT cameras.
  • Focal length: 60mm
  • Maximum aperture: 1:2.8
  • Lens construction: 12 elements in 8 groups
  • Diagonal angle of view: 25 degrees
  • Focus adjustment: Manual
  • Closest focusing distance: 0.65 feet
  • Filter size: 52mm
  • Dimensions: 2.9 inches in diameter, 2.8 inches long
  • Weight: 11.8 ounces

EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens with 35mm equivalent of 96mm * compatible with Canon APS-C sensor digital SLR cameras only * USM (ultra sonic motor) for fast, silent focusing * auto focus system allows full-time manual focus override with lens still in AF mode * ideal for close-up, portrait, and available light shooting * working distance: 3-1/2″ from front of lens to subject at life-size (1:1) magnification *

Technical Details:

  • 60mm macro lens with f/2.8 maximum aperture for EOS digital SLR cameras
  • 25-degree angle of view is equivalent to 96mm lens on 35mm camera
  • Floating optical system can focus down to life-size 1:1 magnification
  • Silent and powerful ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM) for autofocusing
  • Measures 2.9 inches in diameter and 2.8 inches long; 1-year warranty

Here is a video showing what the Canon 60mm f/2.8 lens looks like:


Set up my first Flickr account!

By ⋅ November 18, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

LightDarkI set up my first Flickr Account http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalcamfan!

This past weekend I took my new Canon XSi out for a spin in the woods.  The kids and I packed up and took a short little drive, the sun was out it felt warm today. Always fun to go on an adventure I had my camera, and my son had the Olympus together I think we took around 300 pictures.

I tried all the different settings on the camera, played with depth of field and had a blast. When we got back we took a look at our pictures I was extremely happy with the quality of the pictures I took.  But really the pictures I took were all ones I would have taken with my point and shoot. I do enjoy my point and shoot, I have not missed one month of my kids lives with the camera. I take so many pictures of them, but all the pictures are just making sure it is not blurry and you can see the kids in the frame.

I want to find my artistic eye, I want to take pictures that provoke an emotion. A few years back a photographer friend did a photo shoot for 2 hours at the park with my then 4 year old son. My son was all over the place throwing leaves at the camera, running circles around all of us. At the end, I apologized and asked it we could try again next week because obviously he wasn’t able to capture anything. But the next day he sent me about 80 pictures each one more amazing then the next. He managed to catch the spirit of my son, the fun we were all having. I was blown away by them. That is what I what to be able to do. I want to capture a moment in time, a feeling. Not just a picture of someone to remember, but a moment.

I understand the art of photography is behind the lens, it is an art that I respect and admire. Anyway I have a long way to go and maybe I will never get there, but the journey is what it is all about.

I set up a flickr account with my pictures, any advice is always welcome. Thanks!

Kodak EasyShare Z1485 14MP – How low can a digital camera go?

By ⋅ November 10, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Amazon Web Service Configuration Error!

AWS.MissingParameters

Your request is missing required parameters. Required parameters include AssociateTag.