Black and White Oaks. Almaden Quicksilver Park. January 1, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
A stand of oaks at Almaden Quicksilver Park; taken on New Years Day 2005. I rediscovered this image tonight while sorting through old photgraphs from earlier in the years.
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G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.28.2005 :: Photographs: Central California :: Comments Off
Autumn Leaves. Almaden Quicksilver Park. November 25, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
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G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.27.2005 :: Photographs: Nature :: Comments Off
Until I got this lens I had forgotten how much fun it is to shoot with a plain old prime lens. I worried that I would not be able to frame shots without being able to zoom but after using it a couple of times I have now gone out on hikes with this lens mounted rather than attaching a zoom. (I’ll still switch to a zoom when conditions warrant.)
The lens performs pretty much as everyone says it will: While it is soft and has somewhat low contrast at f1.4, it is extremely sharp at smaller apertures. I don’t see any drop-off in corner sharpness at all on my 1.6 crop factor camera. The manual focusing works fine.
This focal length is supposed to be “boring” according to some. However, I find it very useful for shooting semi-close ups like the autumn leave photos I posted yesterday. It also works well for subjects that are a bit further away, but still close enough to let me get better framing by moving closer or further away.
Update on 5/7/06: After some months of use, I can report that this is still my sharpest lens. It lives up to its reputation for excellent color and contrast, at least at apertures smaller than f/2 or so.
Since my other lenses are f/4 zooms (for outdoor/landscape photography) I find it especially useful to have this one additional wide aperture lens. I have used it for landscapes when the framing worked out (and it produces exceptionally sharp images in this role) but more so for indoor and low light photography of events and people. It is my favorite lens for shooting music theater productions and concerts, for example.
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G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.26.2005 :: Equipment :: Comments Off
Autumn Leaves. Almaden Quicksilver Park. November 25, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
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G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.26.2005 :: Photographs: Nature :: Comments Off
Autumn Leaves. Almaden Quicksilver Park. November 25, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
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G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.25.2005 :: Photographs: Nature :: Comments Off
I acquired the Canon EF-S 17-85mm F4-5.6 IS lens when I purchased a Canon 350D in March 2005. I chose this particular lens to go with that camera for several reasons: the zoom range is comparable to 27-136mm on full-frame cameras (thus providing crop sensor body coverage similar to a film SLR 28-135mm zoom); it is small and light; the optical quality is pretty good; the build quality is reasonably good; IS (image stabilization) somewhat compensates for the relatively small minimum aperture. (The EF-S designation indicates that this lens is only for 1.6 crop factor cameras like the 350D and the 20D and their successors.)
The size and weight of camera equipment can be significant considerations for me since I often carry the equipment on the trail for a day or as long as two weeks. In many situations the 17-85mm lens could cover the core of the focal lengths I really need. This means that in certain situations this one lens might be sufficient, lightening my load and simplifying my lens choice - the lens is always on the camera.
When I used this lens I normally left it attached to the camera, which rode in a Tamrac Zoom case around my neck/shoulder and was easily accessible, even while wearing a backpack. This let me act quickly to get shots that might otherwise not be there if I had to remove my pack, switch lenses, and so on.
What about the optical quality of the lens? I’d rate it as decently good if you operate within its limitations. On a tripod at apertures around f8 it can be decently sharp. There is some softness in the corners, especially at wide angle settings. There is noticeable vignetting at the larger apertures. (And the larger apertures aren’t all that large on this lens…) The vignetting can be corrected in photoshop, though corner softness is an issue if you enlarge the photos to, say, 12 x 18 inches. Barrel distortion not insignificant on this lens, especially at the wide end where the effect is noticable on vertical or horizontal lines near the edges of the frame. This is also fixable with Photoshop. The image stabilization works well. Build quality isn’t bad, though this lens does not operate quite as smoothly as my “L” lenses.
Overall, as an “only lens” the 17-85 EF-S can perform decently. The convenience of this lens pretty may compensate for the image issues in many situations. As a one-lens backpacking setup, I liked the combination of this lens and the 350 “Rebel” XT for ease of use. It also works for unobtrusive urban photography. However, if really good optical quality is paramount and/or you intend to make larger than letter size prints, you may not be fully satisfied with this lens.
Update 2/8/08: I no longer use this lens. (I shoot full frame now.) I have updated the above description to better reflect my eventual experience with it and a current evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of this lens follows.
Strengths: At a reasonable price this lens provides a good set of features for many crop sensor camera users. The focal length range nicely covers the central range for most entry-level photographers in one lens. The image stabilization (IS) feature can be useful in low light hand held photography. The lens is relatively small and light for what it does. For most users the image quality will be quite fine for online jpg sharing and for prints up to letter size. Build quality is OK.
Weaknesses: The variable maximum aperture of f/4 at the wide end (17mm) and f/5.6 at the long end (85mm) limits the usefulness of the lens for photographing moving subjects in low light. Note that the onset of diffraction blur beyond about f/8 on a crop sensor body means that you may only have two useful apertures at the long end. While image quality may be sufficient for some types of use, there are issues: excessive corner light fall-off and noticeable corner softness, especially at extremes of aperture and focal length; more than average pincushion/barrel distortion. Build quality is OK but there can be some issues such as lack of smooth zooming. Image quality does not consistently hold up in prints larger than letter size.
Bottom line:
This can be a decent lens if you are moving to a DSLR to the first time from a point and shoot camera, and with care it can serve beyond that level to a certain extent. On the other hand, you might be just as happy with the newer image stabilized version of Canon’s EFS 18-55mm kit lens.
If you are looking for a single lens solution, don’t generally make large prints, mostly shoot subjects where some pincushion/barrel distortion isn’t a problem (e.g. family, vacations, outdoor), really need to emulate the functionality of a SLR 28-135mm lens on a crop sensor body (e.g. Digital Rebel or Canon X0D series body), or just need a more versatile “kit lens,” this lens can serve well. If you are concerned about the corner issues, if your photography includes a lot of subjects with lines parallel to the edges of the frame, or if you will make larger prints this lens may not meet your requirements.
G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.21.2005 :: Equipment :: Comments Off
Wall. San Jose City Hall. November 19, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
Another handheld shot from my walk past the new city hall buildings in San Jose yesterday. I thought about doing this as a black and white image, but I like the very faint coloration of the curving wall and the slightly more saturated color of the concrete at the bottom.
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G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.20.2005 :: Photographs: Structures :: Comments Off
Stairs. San Jose City Hall. November 19, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
I was wandering around downtown San Jose today, trying out my new 17-40mm Canon L lens. This is a handheld shot at the new City Hall.
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G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.19.2005 :: Photographs: Structures :: Comments Off
This week I again expanded my lens collection by acquiring the Canon 17-40mm f4 L. It should be noticably sharper than my EF-S 17-85mm lens and it has a constant aperture zoom, giving me a bit more light at the long end. (The 17-85mm is a very useful lens, combinging a good zoom range, light weight, small size, image stabilization, and decent image quality.)
I hope to get out and test it this weekend.
Now I’m contemplating how to fill the gap between the 17-40 and the 70-200 lenses. For the time being I am leaning toward the 50mm f1.4 prime which is very sharp, fairly light, and would be great for low light. In the long term I would probably like to have either the 24-70 L zoom or the new 24-105 IS L lens, but either of those will have to wait until I have more money.
Update 5/7/06: I now have had plenty of opportunities to use this lens, so there is more to write about it.
This is my most-used lens at this point. I favor wide angle photos and this covers (on my 1.6 crop factor 350 XT) a range from wide to slightly long. For a zoom lens of this range it is quite small and light.
The color and contrast quality are both excellent. The sharpness is quite good, though not as good as my very excellent Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 or Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 IS L lenses - but those are fairly stiff competition and, in general, wide angle zoom lenses will not be as sharp as primes or longer lenses. I do have to watch the focus on this lens a bit more carefully than I anticipated.
For me it is not only an excellent walking around lens, but currently my favorite landscape lens. Many of my recent Death Valley photos - including all from the Racetrack Playa - were shot with this lens.
Related: A post on the sharpness of this lens.
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G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.19.2005 :: Equipment :: Comments Off
New York Times: The works on display at Paris Photo, which closes this Sunday, make a daring argument for photography as art. By Alan Riding. [NYT > Arts]
If photography began escaping the shadow of painting a century ago, decades passed before it was widely recognized as an art unto itself. Today proof of its star status can be found in a four-day international fair called Paris Photo, which closes on Sunday. Clearly, the market for art photography is booming.
(Free online subscription may be required to read the full article.)
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G Dan Mitchell :: Nov.19.2005 :: News :: Comments Off