New Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

Test Photos of Darby while I got acclimated to my new Canon lens

If I'm being completely honest my first impression of my new Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM lens was: "Geez! That's a noisy autofocus! I wonder if something's wrong." After some quick research, I determined nothing was wrong; it's just the nature of this lens.

Other than that, I have been really pleased. It's a better performer than the Tamron 70-300mm Di LD lens that it replaced, but at 3x the price it ought to be. And the addition of Image Stabilization is likely to increase my number of handheld keepers many times over. That's assuming I can get the hand of photographing fast-moving subjects, like the one above.

Thoughts on the First Photograph of the New Year

Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Lens

Ordinarily and under ideal circumstances, you'd prefer that your first photograph of the New Year be of some significance or somehow be noteworthy. 

I can think of any number of subjects that might fit that bill, and I had in mind a couple of places to visit on Tuesday that may have lent themselves to such opportunities, but relentless rain throughout the entire day deterred me.

So my first photograph of the year was of a lens that I had planned to sell on eBay, but ended up not selling on eBay, so that first photograph proved absolutely and entirely to have no utility or note.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron, Fishing for Crawdads

Yellow Crowned Night Heron fishing for Crawdad at Black Creek Park

This juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron spent much of his morning flitting from one part to another of Black Creek at Black Creek Park in Fultondale, Alabama.

   After a while I had begun to think this heron's meanderings were almost entirely purposeless, but I was wrong. He was in search of a good fishing hole. Upon spying one, he got very still, and suddenly struck, quick as lightning, and successfully surfaced with a plump crawdad.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron, Taking Flight

Juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron Taking Flight
Black Creek Park, Fultondale, Alabama

This juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron spent much of his morning stalking the shallow waters of Black Creek at Black Creek Park in Fultondale, Alabama. And I spent a good part of my morning stalking him and his kin.

He spent much time wondering from place to place on the creek, with seemingly no purpose at all, and apparently indifferent to my clambering around shrubs and low tree limbs in order to photograph him.

With my Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD lens zoomed to its fullest (which can be a bear on only a monopod since the lens lacks Image Stabilization), I stayed as far away as possible so as not to disturb the young fellow. And as an aside, this focal range will probably be my next upgrade in lenses. The limitations of this model (while counterbalanced by its affordability) rear their ugly head too often for my taste.

More photographs of this and other herons, some of which will subsequently be found on the blog, can be seen at my Fauna Gallery.

Portrait of a Carolina Anole

Well, we've reached that time of year now where one can hardly walk outside without seeing one of these fellows sunbathing on the brick walls. So today I took the opportunity to photograph one of one. I found him quite photogenic, and he behaved very comfortably in front of the camera, though he did seem to keep one wary eye on the dog.

Several months ago, I photographed a young Carolina Anole who was molting and had climbed to the topmost leaves of one of my shrubs in the back yard.

Technorati Tags: alabama, fultondale, carolina anole, lizard.

Cedar Waxwing Migration through Alabama

As per their usual routine around this time of year in Alabama, Cedar Waxwings have started migrating through. Dozens of them were making a raucous in the trees behind my backyard the other day. I was fortunate enough to be home and photograph a couple of them.

Technorati Tags: alabama, canon t2i, cedar waxwing, fultondale, migration

Tokina AT-X Pro 35mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review

I have acquired a Tokina AT-X Pro 35mm f/2.8 Macro lens for my Canon Rebel T2i. The lens is among Tokina's DX line, meaning it is designed for APS-C sensor cameras; in APS-C sensors the 35mm focal length is effectively 55mm, thus becoming a "normal" lens. I was looking for a lens of this focal length to serve as a stop-gap between my Tokina AT-X Pro 12-24mm f/4 and Tamron LD Di 70-300mm f/4-5.6. I have long used my EF 50mm f/1.8, but it recently took a bad spill (here), and has never been the same. But the 50mm is a bit long for many of my purposes, so the 35mm fit the bill just perfectly.

Additionally, Tokina's 35mm is a Macro lens. A real macro lens, that magnifies down to 1:1, which at 35mm means about 5in from the subject. Because of that, when you're focusing at 1:1 with this lens, you are essentially touching the subject with the nose of the lens, because it extends as it focuses. So if you're looking to do macro work on anything that moves, this won't be the lens for you. Also you and the lens will get in the way of the light at such close working distances.

All of the photos below were hand-held, so any deficiencies in sharpness (which probably can't be determined at these small sizes anyway) are likely a result of that and most of them being shot at f/2.8. 

Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm f/2.8, 1/800s @ f/2.8, ISO 100

I have only had the lens about a day but put it through some paces this morning while waiting for my dog to play and do her morning business. The shallow depth of field at f/2.8 is enjoyable.

Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm f/2.8, 1/2000s @ f/2.8, ISO 100

But as with my other Tokina lens, the primary weakness of the 35mm is that it suffers from chromatic aberration. The photo below is a 50% crop of Darby's (my golden retriever) fur to show this effect, which isn't as bad as some. Clicking on the photo will cause it to be seen at a larger size.

Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm f/2.8, 1/2500s @ f/2.8, ISO 100 :: 50% Crop

This lens is exactly what I wanted it to be. It has Tokina's usual sturdy build. It uses Tokina's clutch mechanism for alternating between manual and auto-focus. The focus is somewhat noisy and not super-fast, but there is a limiter switch that allows to have a smaller focal range to manage. The filter thread is 52mm, which is nice in that it matches the threads on my 50mm lens. And in addition to close-up work, this is a nice general purpose lens (though I don't have any examples of that at present).

Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm f/8, 1/125s @ f/2.8, ISO 100

Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm f/2.8, 1/500s @ f/2.8, ISO 100

There are more technical reviews available for this lens, but my purpose here is to convey its value and show it in use. For my purposes, it was a better buy than the equivalent Canon EF 35mm f/2. While the Canon is an f-stop faster, it's also about $30-ish more and doesn't have the close-focus abilities. Additionally, Canon's is an old design (though well-reputed), and the Canon's build quality is inferior.

If you're interested in purchasing this lens, you can do so at Amazon, and by following this link, you can support me: Tokina 35mm f/2.8 AT-X PRO DX Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras.

UPDATE :: I recently discovered that this lens has a large enough image circle to work, without significant vignetting, on Canon full fame or film cameras. I am pretty excited about this, as it will me to use the lens on my Canon EOS 3. Of course, that is a pretty wide angle focal length for a macro lens and will likely only have limited usefulness in that capacity; but as a general purpose lens, it should be excellent.

Know What's Cuter than Puppy Paws?

Well probably nothing...

...unless it's a puppy chasing and capturing an inanimate object.

In case you missed it, Darby was introduced in a prior post on Thursday.

Bovine, Barn, and a Misplaced Van in Blount County

I first saw this scene a couple of years ago when I was plotting put-in and take-out points for paddling on the Locust Fork. But at the time, I didn't have a camera with me that would allow me to photograph it as I envisioned. I've had the place on my mind ever since, having returned a couple of time, but never with the conditions being right...until Monday morning.

Canon Rebel T2i, Tamron LD Di 70-300mm @ 70mm, ISO 200 @ f/8, HDR: 1/500s, 1/200s, 1/60s

Introducing the Carolina Anole

The other day, I was walking through the living room and glanced out the window at the shrub/tree/thing that resides there. I noticed in the uppermost leaves there was a lizard hanging out. I have seen dozens of these lizards around the house; one even lived in my office a few weeks, until I realized that Anna would murder me if she saw him roaming about and discerned that I had known of his presence, at which point I ushered him outside (but not without pangs of guilt; it was cold out). 

Nevertheless, I never knew what sorts of lizards these were until some helpful cohorts at Photo.net helped me ID them: the Carolina Anole (or Green Anole). They eat moths and roaches and other insects. And when the males cause the orange part of their throat to stick out (that part is called the 'dewlap'), they're either trying to appear threatening or attract females.

Canon Rebel T2i, Tamron LD Di 70-300mm @ 300mm, 1/30s @ f/8, ISO 800

Hugo Black Federal Courthouse: A Reflection, Literally

Canon Rebel T2i, Tamron 70-300mm @ 124mm, 1/20s @ f/8, ISO 100

Puppy-Sitting with Ellie and Maggie

A while ago on a Saturday, I was tasked with puppy-sitting my in-laws Shih Tzu's, which is really no great chore. So it was only natural that I take a couple of photographs while they were in my care. Normally, they're a bit camera shy, but on this occasion, they more-or-less ignored me in anticipation that I might soon quit pestering them, I suppose.

Ellie

Maggie

Notice Maggie's look of concern that this might continue for any substantial length of time. Her fears were allayed when the camera was stowed away shortly thereafter.

Another Octoped Resident...Now Deceased

Well, Silas the Orb Weaver moved out. I think he got pissed on Saturday when I was mowing and stirring up a bunch of dust. But on that same day, I found a new arachnid; this one I was much less pleased to find. This was the fifth Black Widow I have found since we bought the house, this one the smallest. Fortunately, none have been found inside the house. When I found this specimen Saturday morning it was already dead; I think I unwittingly killed it the previous day when spraying for ants; but I would have wittingly killed it had I known it was there. Nonetheless, here she is, still hanging by a thread, looking as menacing as ever.

Canon Rebel T2i, Tamron 70-300 LD Di @ 300mm, 1/320s @ f/8, ISO 100

Silas the Orb Weaver

Found this fellow hanging out behind the house. His web was empty of any dinner and looked pretty newly spun. I thought he could have stood to tidy the thing up a bit; it looked a little amateurish for a guy with "weaver" in his name. 

 

Magic Lily in the Magic City

Apparently, this flower is known by at least four different name: Naked Lady, Hurricane Lily, Spider Lily, and Magic Lily. According to an acquaintance, this latter-most name for the lycoris radiata is a result of the following: "The leaves grow in the Spring and then die back. Later the flowers appear as if by magic." So we have the magic lily in the Magic City.

Brookside, Alabama :: Canon T2i, Tamron 70-300mm Di LD @ 180mm, f/4.5 @ 1/320s

Autumnal Equinox

In keeping with this week's theme...

...I present my final photos from Friday's outing to Turkey Creek. These differ a bit in style from the previous couple of days' postings. I really wanted to emphasize color and texture.

Reflecting on Turkey Creek

Turkey Creek has become one of my favorite places, and not for any particular reason. It just seems to resonate with me to some degree. But for whatever reason, the photographs I've taken both at the Nature Preserve and elsewhere on the creek have never been as impressive to me after I have gotten home with them, as at the time of taking (a prior outing with decent results, here). And that's always distressing.

Of the many photos taken yesterday, these are a couple that are worthy of seeing the light of day (or perhaps that judgment is more appropriately left to the viewer).

One of the things I wanted to focus on for this little outing was photographing reflections and emphasizing textures and colors. One of the photographers whose blog I follow is Donald Kinney, and he does this sort of work particularly well. I do not, but he has inspired me. So this post and the next one will evidence the trial (and error) of the task I set before myself.

One last note, my friend Tyler Dooley went with me and has posted his work as well.

In These Late Days of Summer...

...the bees are still busy collecting, while they can. But as the days begin to grow shorter, so too does the time before their winter hibernation.

This photo taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD.

Happy World Photography Day!

According to WorldPhotoDay: "World Photography Day originates from the invention of the Daguerreotype, a photographic processes developed by Louis Daguerre.  On January 9, 1839, The French Academy of Sciences announced the daguerreotype process. A few months later, on August 19, 1839, the French government announced the invention as a gift 'Free to the World.'"

Canon Rebel T2i, Tamron 70-300 LD Di @ 300mm, 1/200s @ f/5.6, ISO 100