The Shy Photographer

Gadget Review: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens

2012-01-31T00:15:00.000-06:00

Last Christmas, the wife gave me a new gadget: the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens. I was thinking of upgrading my 50mm f/1.8 lens and, I guess, she read my mind.

There was nothing wrong with the f/1.8 lens but the USM difference was a great deal for me. And also, the full-time manual feature of the f/1.4 is also a big plus.

But of course, the bigger aperture is what makes this, above all else, much better than the f/1.8.

The lens is heftier than the f/1.8 though it isn't that heavy. And of course, the build quality is much better.

The lens performed admirably! It is quick to focus and the pictures produced are tack sharp. The f/1.4 opening makes this a very good low-light photography companion.

I tried using the lens for street photography and got pretty successful pictures.

However, some may find the lens too limiting in its scope, too narrow. It is a 50mm lens after all.

The lens is a non-image stabilized lens so you should not get much longer than 1/50th of a second (the inverse focal length rule). However, my shot of the ride on the left was taken at 1/5s, so your mileage regarding this might vary also. I guess, so far, I really have steady hands. ;)

But of course, one of the best application for such a lens is for portraiture. It may be too short with a full size sensor like in the Canon 5D Mark II but it's perfect for the Canon 7D because of its 1.6 crop factor.

But, heck, I like it with whatever camera I use. :)

Here are some of the photos of the wife taken with the lens. My picture, in turn, was taken by the wife.

So, all in all, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens is a very good lens. This may now be my favorite lens! Oops! Don't let my 24-105 hear that.... :)

And I thank the wife for it! :)

Highly Recommended!

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Shots of the lens were taken with the Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-105 IS USM f/4L lens. All the other photos were taken using a 5DII and the Canon EF 50mm USM f/1.4 lens.

Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

San Francisco Cable Car

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-06:00

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Shots made with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-105 IS USM f/4L lens. Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

A Lesson for New Photographers: Do Not Chimp

2012-01-23T23:28:00.000-06:00

Wikipedia defines chimping as "The habit of checking every photo on the camera display immediately after capture".

Needles to say, this is bad.

See, when you chimp, there is a great chance that you will miss the action happening just in front of you.

So, learn how to use your camera, train your eye, and you will be able to use your camera instinctively without looking at pictures each time you press the shutter. This way, you won't miss the shot. :)

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Shot made with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens. Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

Happy MLK Day

2012-01-15T23:28:00.001-06:00

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Shots made with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-105 IS USM f/4L lens. Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

Magnificent Mile in Retro

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

A little piece of home...

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Shots made with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM. Post-processing done in Adobe Lightroom 3. Want to know about my favorite backpack, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW? Check out my reviews here and here.

Dilemma in Photography Land

2012-01-10T00:09:00.001-06:00

All things considered, I am still relatively new to photography. Even though I used a film-SLR about a century ago, I only had my first DSLR at the tail end of 2008. As the years progressed, I upgraded my kit lens, replaced my DSLR, won another, got a telephoto zoom lens, got a couple of speedlites and accumulated a plethora of lens filters, camera bags...

But now, there is a dilemma simmering in my head. And it all started with Trey Ratcliff.

In this blog post, Trey said that DSLRs are a dying breed. While in one, Scott Bourne posted his agreement.

As I've said, I am still a newbie when it comes to photography. So, I still need to gather some stuff for the photography that I want to do. For example, I want to do some macro photography but my currents lenses cannot accomodate that. All professional photographers say that you should remove your flash from your camera because off-camera flash is the best for portraiture; and you cannot do that unless there is a way to control your flash units when they are not attached to your DSLR. (It's a good thing that my Canon 7D can control my off-camera speedlites but the infrared remote won't work outdoors...) I've still got to have light modifiers, light stands... The list goes on and on...

I even have my wish list at the ready here.

Now what about what Trey and Scott said? Well, these guys are titans in the world of photography and what they say definitely carry weight. Now, if the DSLR is a dying species, how come camera makers are still churning out the big cameras left and right? Well, companies are like that, it's in their DNA and they would want you to buy their stuff even if they know that the next phase is already here.

Now, here is the real dilemma:

I still want to do macro photography and I still want to get a real macro lens - and at 100mm, it'll also be a great portrait lens. I still want to move my speedlites off camera so that I'll be able to make beautiful portraits. So the question is, do I still want to expand my DSLR collection knowing that, five to ten years from now, DSLRs will just be used by those who absolutely need them, if at all? (Note what Scott said about fast sports and wild life photography.)

If point-and-shoot cameras can shoot something like these now...

...imagine what they can do five years hence?

And the future is here! A point-and-shoot with the size of a sensor almost as big as my 7D?!? Well, if it can be called a "point-and-shoot"...

Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma...

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Both photos shot, yes, with a Canon Powershot SX230 HS.

Unbearable Lightness

2012-01-04T22:30:00.000-06:00

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Shot made with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-105 IS USM f/4L lens. Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

Jelly Fish at the Shedd Aquarium

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

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All photos shot by the wife using a Canon Powershot SX230 HS. My review of the camera can be found here. Want a really good case for your point-and-shoot? Check out my review of the Lowepro Dublin 20 here.

Happy New Year from the Windy City

2012-01-01T00:43:00.001-06:00

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Fireworks at the Navy Pier shot with an iPhone4 and post-processed using Instagram.

Holiday Show at the Shedd Aquarium

2011-12-29T00:00:00.000-06:00

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Photos shot with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L. Want the best bag for your DSLR? Check out my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW. My reviews of the bag can be found here and here.

Cheap Alternative for Getting Your White Balance Right

2011-12-27T00:30:00.000-06:00

You just got a DSLR this Christmas... Now what?

Well, one of the things you should know is to learn how to get the white balance of your photos correct. Why is that? Well, you can get some pictures that are more yellow than others, sometimes more blue than what you like, and you should learn how to correct for that. (For a more general discussion of white balance, check out this wikipedia entry.)

Check out my picture below:

Shot with a Canon 5D Mark II

My subject is supposed to be color white but because of the color of the light source, my picture has a really warm tone. So, if I want to produce the white "dress", I would need to have something to correct for the warm tone.

There are a lot of choices out there but I saw this cheap alternative that still gives magnificent results. It's the Polaroid White Balance Lens Cap 77mm. (I got this since the filter size of my "biggest" lens is 77mm.)

So how do you correct your white balance?

First, you have to do a calibration shot. This is done by knowing what the light falling on your subject is like:

If this is how I shoot my subjects...

...then this is how I do a WB calibration shot.

Essentially, "shoot" the location where you would take the picture. That's it!

Well, first, I should mention, you should set your DSLR to the Program (P) or Aperture-Priority (Av) Mode. Then set your camera to manual focus - with the WB cap on your lens, the camera won't be able to focus onto anything. Then, as in a Canon DSLR, take a shot, set that shot as the WB reference, and set your WB mode to Custom. (For shooters with a different brand, please consult your User Guide to change your WB. The important thing is how to get the shot for reference.)

After this, simple process, shoot away!

Shot with a Canon 5D Mark II

Perfect! I got the white balance that I wanted!

And if your point-and-shoot can do custom white balance, then just use the same lens cap to get the proper setting.

These two photos were shot using the Canon Powershot SX230 HS.

And for less than $10, you've got yourself a really good deal!

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Photos made by the Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens and a Canon Powershot SX230 HS.

Art on Ice at the Millenium Park Ice Rink

2011-12-22T07:38:00.000-06:00

Art is everywhere and, as the great artists have found out, you only have to look to see it. While I am not a great artist, I was lucky enough to see the reflections of some of the magnificent buildings along North Michigan on the ice. These were the things I saw.

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All photos shot with the Canon Powershot SX230 HS. My review of the camera can be found here. If you are looking for a great case for your point-and-shoot camera, consider the Lowepro Dublin 20, which I reviewed here.

Famous Marilyn at the Magnificent Mile

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

She still gets a lot of attention...

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Shots made with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-105 IS USM f/4L lens. Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

Ice Skating at Millenium Park

2011-12-14T09:26:00.000-06:00

[N.B. - currently sick... But I have to have at least one blog post for the week...]

It's that time of the year...

Cloud Gate: Shot A Million Times...

The Wife and I... At 14x Zoom!

There were experts...

And there were some who fell down.

The wife...

... and our friend enjoyed the spectacle.

But of course, the kids enjoyed the rink the most...

The "mandatory" fine art shot...

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Shots made with a Canon Powershot SX230 HS. My review of the point-and-shoot can be found here.

Being Sucked Into A Black Hole

2011-12-07T23:42:00.000-06:00

Who would've thought that the best way to demonstrate a black hole is through, or rather underneath, the Cloud Gate.

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Shot made with a Canon Powershot SX230 HS. My review of the camera can be found here. Post processing was done using Adobe Lightroom 3.

Christkindl Market Chicago 2011

2011-12-06T01:02:00.000-06:00

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Shots made with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-105 IS USM f/4L lens. Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

Christmas Tree Lighting at the Daley Plaza

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

The Wife and I before the ceremony.

The wife made this photo while I was taking photos.

Mayor Emmanuel; photo taken by the wife.

My shot. The 14x zoom with the camera the wife was using made a big difference.

Before the tree was lit.

Kids singing Christmas carols.

Everyone's full of glee!

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Shots made either with a Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens or a Canon Powershot SX230 HS.

Magnificent Mile Lights Festival

2011-11-30T17:50:00.000-06:00

It's our first Holiday Season in Chicago, so, the wife and I decided to partake with as much as we can. Here are some of the pics I took during the Lights Festival at the Magnificent Mile.

I must say that, despite the high ISO, the point-and-shoot camera performed extremely well.

And we love fireworks! So, while watching fireworks in-between buildings, a first for us, I decided to document the event.
First, I took some stills. Imagine hand-holding your camera to make fireworks photos (with the number of people cramped into where we were, a tripod wouldn't have been possible; also, I really do not bring my tripod as much anymore). The shots I have here may not be as tack sharp as the ones I took in our last 4th of July in Princeton, NJ (link), but they are still fairly useable.

Then, I shot some videos. I love it! Image Stabilization of the camera aside, I think I have fairly stable hands. :) Someone just knocked my bag (around the 36s mark) but otherwise, the vid was fairly steady... Here's the video of the fireworks:

As you can see from the video, the noise suppression of the camera is great! And it helps that I can change zoom even while filming not to mention that the camera autofocuses when the perspective is changed.

The SX230 is really a great point-and-shoot. If only it shoots RAW...

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Shots made with a Canon Powershot SX230 HS. My review of this camera can be found here.

Through the Chicago Cloud Gate

2011-11-27T01:08:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, you just need to look up to see the perfect picture. And no, you don't need an expensive DSLR to make compelling photos - just your eyes and a bit of imagination.
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Picture made with a Canon Powershot SX230 HS. My review of the camera can be found here.

Happy Thanksgiving, 2011

2011-11-24T07:06:00.001-06:00

From the wife (@pinayobserver) and I (@garybc). :)

UC Berkeley Sunset and the Wife

2011-11-15T22:55:00.001-06:00

You have a beautiful sunset, where the sun is just above the Golden Gate Bridge...

Then you have a beautiful model to go with it...

How do you combine the two?

Well, as I've said in this post, when it's bright outside, use your flash! And that's exactly what I did.

ISO100, f/22, 1/200s. Flash fired with +1 flash exposure compensation.

There are a lot of photographers who absolutely abhor on-camera flash... Well, I am not one of them.

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Shots made with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-105 IS USM f/4L lens. Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

Berkeley Marina Sunrise

2011-11-14T21:48:00.001-06:00

This panorama was made with 7 shots stitched together in Photoshop Elements. Shots were made with a Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens. Settings were at ISO800, F/4, 1/500s. Shots were made while I handheld the camera.

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Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite bag, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW here and here.

Accidental Sartorialist...

2011-11-09T11:52:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in my review of the Lowepro DSLR Video Fastpack 250 that the wife and I went to San Francisco.

Now, I am, intrinsically, a shy person (hence, The Shy Photographer) so I have accepted a long time ago that I can't photograph people on the streets. So, even if I am always fascinated by the way people dressed, I could not bring myself to ask them for a portrait.

However, a scenario presented itself when the San Francisco cable car I was hanging from came across another. I saw this beautiful and beautifully dressed lady hanging on the other car and I just started shooting. What I got was this shot:

Talk about the decisive moment! So, as I've said before, always have a camera with you. You'll never know when a picture will present itself - and you might even be able to get around your shyness. Now I wonder if I can break into fashion photography, the one that happens on runways... ;)

I am quite happy that I was able to get at least one "sartorial" shot from this trip.

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Shot made with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-105 IS USM f/4L lens. Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

Visiting the Country Side - Motion Blur, Fine Art Photography

2011-11-07T21:54:00.000-06:00

Shot with a Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens and was made at ISO200, f/8, 0.3s. Blue tint was added in post using Adobe Lightroom 3.

This was taken on the way from Princeton, NJ to Furlong, PA.

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Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

Lowepro DSLR Video Fastpack 250 Review - The Best DSLR and Laptop Backpack Combo

2011-11-03T00:42:00.000-05:00

Spoiler alert: I love the bag!

So, there you go. If you don't want to go through with my review, then you can just get your own bag here. :)

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The Details...

A couple of weeks back, I got one of the most interesting emails. I was asked if I want to review the new Lowepro DSLR Video Fastpack 250. And my answer was of course a yes! Who would turn down such an opportunity? But, I deliberately stalled the review of the bag because I knew that I'd be travelling and I wanted to do a real-world use of the bag before I pass on my judgement.

Now, quite coincidentally, I'll be using a Fastpack again on a trip to the west coast. You see, when the wife and I went to Seattle, I brought along a Lowepro Fastpack 250 (my review of that bag can be found here), the original one. And this time, we went to San Francisco and I used a DSLR Video Fastpack. Hmmm... What's with the west coast and the Fastpack and myself?

Anyway, before I go to the real-world use, let's cover some of the basics...

As expected, the construction of the bag is top-notch. The material used is really good and, I tried this at home, the material the bag is made up of can repel light showers (yes, I sprinkled the bag with water and made a little mess on our kitchen floor). The zippers glide easily and I didn't have to struggle with it to get to my things.

There's this pocket in between the straps which can house your lens cap. I used my
starbucks card for size reference.

The stowable belt loop.

I don't know if it's just me but I feel this FastPack version is lighter, if but by a smidge, compared to the original one. However, I feel that the paddings for this version is a little bit thicker so my perceived lightness maybe due to a different material Lowepro has used this time.

There is, as in the original, a laptop compartment. My aging 15-inch MacBook Pro fits snugly in. However, this time around, the laptop compartment is accessed from the top, compared to the side access from the previous version. I'm still debating with myself which access version I like more.

But of course, the star of the show is the camera compartment. I was able to fit a lot of things to it as you can see from the pictures. The padding of the camera compartment is thick and I wouldn't have second thoughts putting my gear there - I am that confident about the quality of the bag and the protection it provides.

The padding for this version of the Fastpack is thicker.

I was able to house the 5D Mark II with lens, a 7D, a 70-300 lens and two speedlites.
A gripped body or bodies like the 1D series will also fit.

The top compartment is big enough to house a second complete body, though the protection it provides does not compare to the one in the dedicated camera compartment. Don't get me wrong, if you put your camera in the upper compartment it will be sheltered from the occasional showers but the padding there won't be as great.

If you then decide to go out in the rain, then, as not seen on the previous FastPack, there is an all-weather cover! Yes, it is now included, tucked at the bottom of the bag and is there in case you need it.

Another new thing for this version of the Fastpack? You can now attach a tripod on the side of the bag. That will come in handy if you ever plan to shoot landscapes, sunsets or silky water.

Lowepro also provided a pouch where you could organize your cables and smaller items. They intended this pouch for videographers (hence the "video" name) but, since I am not into videography yet, I used it to store my USB cables, battery chargers and extra batteries.

I had some shoulder problems in the past, which I discussed here, so I favor backpacks more than shoulder bags. (The wife told me to get a roller but I haven't considered that type of bag yet.) The problem with backpacks is that, most of the time, the ease of access to your camera gear is compromised. However, with the Fastpack, you can easily get your DSLR because of the way the bag is designed - the side access, easily opened and closed, is your gateway to your DSLR.

You don't need to worry about your gear spilling out though. The security belt clip in front will prevent that from happening.

So, how did the bag perform in the real world?

The wife and I spent a weekend in Berkeley/San Francisco, as I've already intimated, and I brought enough change of clothes for three days. I put my clothes in the upper compartment and a couple of magazines and a book, Scott Bourne's book Going Pro, in the laptop compartment (I decided I just needed my iPhone for such a short trip). For my camera gear, I brought a Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM lens, a speedlite, a Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS lens, 5D batteries, AA batteries and a lot of smaller stuff - the point is, I went to the west coast with only the one bag. I might not have brought a laptop but the things I had with me, things that are normally on a carry-on bag, were all inside the backpack.

With the non-shooting stuff back in the hotel, the bag was a breeze to use. Getting my camera when I needed to shoot something and putting it back after was really easy. Even getting my speedlite when necessary was a breeze.

Want me to show you how easy it is to get the bag? Well, I may have made a video about it...

Please note that this is the first time I've done a video demo. I owe the bag that much. :)

But the really surprising thing was when I lugged all of my stuff back into the bag and still be able to shoot a lot of shots. I even hung on the San Francisco cable car! Yes, with the bag on my back full of my 3-day stuff and my arm hanging for dear life on the cable car I was still able to get some shots off. The bag was that comfortable to use! It might have been different if I did have a laptop inside but the point is, the clothes, the book plus some magazines were still nothing to sneeze at: I love the bag and I believe it would be joining me in a lot of adventures still to come. It was a nice mid-70s day in San Francisco but walking around with a backpack can make you sweat but I am happy to report that even lugging around the bag, walking the Golden Gate, it didn't make my back a lot hotter than it should.

I hope my favorite bag, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW won't get jealous...

Now, to the things I miss from the previous version of the Fastpack...

I miss the slip lock accessory loop where you can attach accessories, like the Lowepro DMC-Z (my review here). I also miss the front pocket under the flap where I used to store my passport and other important documents. It's a pocket that I sure would love to have back.

But all in all, the experience I got with using the bag was truly a very nice one. The thicker and wider straps, the sternum strap, the stowable belt loop and what I believe to be a lighter package make for a very great bag.

Highly Recommended!

Pics of the bag while I am using it...

N.B.:

I would like to thank Derrick Story, photo evangelist for Lowepro, for making the review of this bag possible.

I would also like to thank the wife for shooting and directing the first video I starred in and for making the shots with me in "action".

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All shots made, including the video, with a Canon Powershot SX230 HS. My review of that camera can be found here.