Tagged: Canon SL1
Simplifying my Photography Gear
Start
I accumulated too many cameras and lenses. I primarily did that while trying to cover many different photographic situations and trying to figure out what I wanted or needed. The above are what I had when I started my recent purging, and you will note that I had a lot of overlapping systems. It doesn’t include all the other cameras I tried and sold previously. Lately, I have spent a great deal of time trying to figure out what I want to do, can do, and will do, in my future photography so that I can simplify. By-the-way, there are a lot of differences between “want to do, can do, and will do”.
The unmarked camera in the picture at the top on your left is the Canon SL1. At the time I took the picture I had black tape over the lettering. I had one other camera in addition to the above cameras that I used to take the picture. It was the Ricoh GR.
I have given up on reducing down to one camera for the time being, but I am reducing the number of different systems that I have and selling off some of the above with the goal to end up with fewer options. While trying to decide which way to go, I cycled through each of the above cameras and used them to remind myself of their individual characteristics and why I got them in the first place. Each has a particular strength and capability so my decision process came down to deciding what, or how, I will not be photographing in the future.
I have tried to pick a subject to concentrate on. I first thought it would be Hanover streets and buildings, and it might still be; but I have concerns. In some of my trials I have had minor confrontations which I have been able to walk away from so far; but I am concerned that the confrontations might increase, especially if I use a DSLR camera with a long zoom lens.
I would like to do something with a rangefinder style camera with a focal length of 35 or 50 (e) mm; but that usually means photographing people, and is not likely … in town or within Homewood. But, that doesn’t rule out such a camera for buildings, landscapes, etc.
What about other possibilities? The big one is travel photography but for several reasons, that is not likely for me. Another possibility would be nature, wildlife, etc. We have limited wildlife but it is still a possibility. There are also weather, clouds, etc. but that is limiting from an opportunity perspective. I can’t photograph the weather effects when I wish since it is dependent upon the whims of the weather.
I am still trying to decide what it is that I mainly hope to photograph, but in the meantime I am going to concentrate on what is most likely. The picture below shows what cameras and lenses I am currently using after going through my initial simplification and concentrating on what will most likely be available for me to photograph.
Interim
The Pentax gear and the Lumix LX7 have been sold. The rest have been boxed up for sale or storage. I haven’t sold the micro 4/3 gear yet since I haven’t yet decided to give up on micro 4/3. I like my micro 4/3 gear but I can’t do everything (especially in low light) that I would like as well with it. You will also see my latest acquisition, the Canon 70D with the 18 – 135 mm lens attached that I am trying for 30 days. Yes, the Canon is heavy (just slightly lighter than the K-3) but it has advantages and uses that I would rather not give up. I really like the articulated LCD and fast live-view focusing. In order to deal with the weight, I might not carry it far or often, and if necessary, I could get a 50 mm lens for it and back off using the longer, heavier focal length lenses. Currently I am trying the Canon 70D for certain uses like clouds, wildlife, some internal Homewood projects, etc., and using the Ricoh GR for my pocket camera while walking about as well as for several projects close to people, etc. where all I need is an effective 28 mm focal length.
My objective is to just use the Canon 70D and the Ricoh GR for a while as I continue to evolve my future photography over time, and later replace one or both with a camera that is better for a more limited style of photography when, or if, I decide or find I need or want to reduce further.
Early Morning Flights
This Morning’s Snow
Winter Morning Thoughts
I am considering slipping into two different modes for much of my photography. One mode tends to be sharp, clear, and documentary. I will use this mode for my Homewood and Hanover related projects. These types of images will probably be primarily made with both my Canon SL1 using the Sigma 17 – 70 mm lens and my Ricoh GR with its effective 18.3 mm lens.
Another mode that I like is similar to the images shown above. These types are limited, collapsed perspective images made with long focal length lenses like the above made with an effective 300 mm lens. Due to the necessity of a long focal length lens while at the same time desiring to keep weight and size to a minimum, I am considering using a micro 4/3 system. I used my Olympus E-PL5 with the Olympus 40 – 150 mm lens for the above images. My problem is that the camera I used, the E-PL5, doesn’t have a viewfinder and that is a limiting factor for long focal length lenses since it is hard to hold the camera-lens combination steady enough. In addition, I tend to accidentally hit buttons when I use it vertically, especially when shooting quickly.
My other option is to expand my use of the Canon camera and get a longer lens for it. The advantage is primarily using one Canon system; the disadvantage is the increased weight and size. In addition, if I found a lens I liked and could handle with the SL1 camera, I could potentially sell all of my micro 4/3 gear and Pentax gear.
And then there is the “big option” … my Pentax K-3 with the 55 – 300 mm lens. The advantage of it is that I have it and the lens is better and longer (effective 450 mm at the long end). Other advantages are that I also have a vertical grip for it and I prefer the vertical/portrait orientation with this style of image, and it a weather resistant system. The disadvantage is that the K-3 and lens and vertical grip is large and heavy.
Sigma 17 -70 mm Lens on the Canon SL1
The purpose of this post is to show you the quality, sharpness, etc. of the Sigma 17 – 70 mm lens zoomed all the way out to 70 mm. I took the following picture handheld at f/9, 1/640 sec.
The following image is a crop showing the bird in the tree. Note the sharpness of the bird and the tree limbs, and no chromatic aberration either.
Note that these images have not been altered by me in any way other than for the crop. The picture was taken in raw format and what you see is the image as processed by Adobe Lightroom 5.7 with their standard settings.
I am still in the process of deciding whether I will use this combination of camera and lens as my walk-about setup for outdoors or whether I need a longer focal length lens. Based on what I have seen so far I am leaning toward “making-do” with just this setup for my DSLR camera and lens preference.
Old Hands Lead to New Things
I took this picture while I was seeing how well the Sigma 17 – 70 lens focused up close, and while looking at the result I was reminded that I should probably tell you some more about why I have pursued a lighter, more easy to hold camera system that still lets me practice photography. You have read enough about my back problems, but it isn’t the only problem. My hands are also a big problem, and at the moment they are giving me more grief than my back. I have arthritis in my back and hands.
Have you ever found yourself using both hands to lift a can of beer at the end of the day? I sometimes find myself doing that to keep from dropping it, especially if I have carried and used a camera much during the day. This is another reason why I am exploring lighter-weight cameras with better grips and changing what I photograph to fit an easier to use format.
There is a positive side to my life. Physical changes force me to try new things. I have gotten tired of photographing the same things in the same way, and I now have an excuse to look for, and try new things … new cameras and lenses and new subjects and techniques.
A Light-Weight DSLR System
I like the Canon SL1 camera well enough that I purchased the Sigma 17 – 70mm (f/2.8 – 4) zoom lens for it. I am still checking it out under various conditions but so far I like the features for the cost. I took the above picture with it at the 70 mm end of the zoom while I was out with my first walk with it.
I have also taken some indoor pictures of people with it and it performed OK. The Canon exposures and white balance of all pictures are a lot more pleasing than I get with my much heavier and more expensive Pentax K-3 camera. As of now, I plan to switch and photograph with the Canon SL1 and the Sigma lens for a while to see how well I adapt to it. So far the reduced weight and easier carrying of this system outweighs the few advantages of the too-heavy K-3 and longer lenses and it should work for most of my projects at Homewood.
The Canon SL1 with the 24 mm prime lens and the 17 – 70 mm Sigma lens are working out to be a very good, inexpensive setup for most of my photography. The two major issues facing me are longer focal lengths and photographing close to people. I need to figure out if I can have an adequate amount of fun photographing with the 70 mm limitation. If I miss the longer focal lengths I will have to decide what to do about it. The other issue is about photographing in and among people. The combination of the Canon shutter noise and DSLR form factor are not ideal among people. I need to decide if the Ricoh GR focal length works well enough for that kind of photography.
Sun Sets on One Project and Rises on Others
The sun has set on my longest project of the year. That was photographing the work of the model railroaders here at Homewood at Plum Creek as they built and prepared their displays for their annual open houses during the holidays. I finalized that project by creating a video with the images.
The reason that I am mentioning this on my blog is that many of the pictures that I now take are not shown on my blog due to privacy reasons. This creates a slight dilemma for me since I have less and less time to find and take pictures to display. While I have already decided to take on another major long-term project from now until the end of the year, and while such projects usually mean fewer pictures for my blog, I am not giving up on my blog. There will be gaps between posts, but I have some additional ideas in mind for other projects outdoors after it warms up. If I go forward with them, these might generate some interesting pictures for this blog.
The changing nature of my photography is also having an impact on my cameras and lenses and I hope to be writing about some of those changes as time goes on. I will also be having more to say in the future about my past purchases of the Canon SL1 and the 24 mm pancake lens. In addition, I will be mentioning some other pending acquisitions as well as about how the sun is setting on some of my cameras and lenses … maybe on the majority of them.
Spring Will Come
I took this picture this morning through the window. The temperature was -1 degrees F. My only problem with the picture is that I used my Canon SL1 with the 24 mm lens, and then had to crop it quite a bit. If I am going to continue using this camera for pictures like this one, and those in the previous post, I probably should get a longer lens. My original intent when I got the camera was to only use it with the 24 mm lens, or maybe another longer prime lens.
The weather hasn’t been conducive for me to get out and find anything to photograph and I haven’t felt much like it anyway; therefore, I will take a break from photography and blogging until I manage to actually see something new that is worth photographing.
Of Little Interest
I have been pondering two things … what will I photograph in the Borough of Hanover and what focal length lens will work best. I really need to find the answers in order since what I photograph determines what camera and lens I need; but maybe not. Since I have already photographed the most interesting areas, I have been exploring some of the back areas.
I was standing in one of the public parking lots when I took the above pictures. My reaction was that there was nothing of interest around me but I took some pictures anyway so I could continue my evaluation of the Canon SL1 camera with the 24 mm lens. Even after studying them, I found nothing of interest, unless it was the thought of what was missing. From the size and age of the trees along with their locations I imagine that these lots were previously plots where buildings once stood. They were probably vacant and falling down so the Borough acquired the lots, tore down the buildings, and paved the lots for parking. This parking lot is typical of many such lots through-out the Borough. I am guessing that what is missing was of more interest, but I can’t photograph that.
I then tried cropping a section out of one of the pictures, and converted it to monotone. You can see the results below.
And the answer is, using an old phrase, “you can’t create a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” I found nothing of interest in any of these pictures and it means that I will have to work at making images around Hanover. I have already photographed some of the “noted” areas that others think of since they are on the main roads and that is why I have been, and will continue, looking for the unusual and mostly not seen areas.
I still have no idea as to whether to concentrate on details or the bigger picture; but if I wish to concentrate on details I will need a longer lens. The problems are that longer Canon lenses are heavier, larger, and expensive if they are good fast lenses. That means more compromises if I get a long Canon zoom lens and my gut reaction is that I have little interest in more compromises that will probably end up as wasted money. I might just use my K-3 and 55 – 300 mm lens and shoot from close to the car so that I don’t have to carry it far. If not that, I might use a micro 4/3 or one-inch system.
Everchanging Perspective 