Mark Schueler is taking on an interesting challenge. He’s going to attempt to prove that –shockingly– it’s the photographer that takes great photos, not the gear. To do so, he’s giving the much-maligned “kit lens” a chance to shine in a paid photoshoot:
And so here we stand — the infamous kit lens — the Canon EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 lens that came standard with the Rebel XT, 20D, and 30D — is on its way to me, and hopefully soon after a Rebel XTi to which to mount it. Once I have them both, I’ll bring them on a paid shoot and use the kit lens to prove that it’s up to the task. It may be hubris, it may come from wild claims after having a little too much wine, but I have confidence that even in Canon’s lowly consumer line there is optical quality to be found.
I think this is a fun challenge, and one that should help take the wind out of the sails of those who claim that you need big-dollar gear to shoot paid work. Mark makes an excellent point about pro gear being built to withstand more abuse, and this shouldn’t be overlooked, but rather wants to impress that the term ‘kit lens’ need not be derogatory.
Canon Inc. announced today that it has successfully developed the world’s largest*1 CMOS image sensor, with a chip size measuring 202 x 205 mm. Because its expanded size enables greater light-gathering capability, the sensor is capable of capturing images in one one-hundredth the amount of light required by a professional-model digital SLR camera.
At 202 x 205 mm, the newly developed CMOS sensor is among the largest chips that can be produced from a 12-inch (300 mm) wafer, and is approximately 40 times the size of Canon’s largest commercial CMOS sensor.*2
As I mentioned on Friday, I participated in the RONA MS Bike Tour over the weekend.
It was an incredible event. More than one thousand participants rode just over 140 km over two days, and in the process we raised $1.11 million for MS research and patient care. Combined with the other (smaller) bike tours in the province this year, that brought us to a sum total of $1.5 million — incredible.
The weather was pretty fantastic, save for a strong headwind the first day that really made it feel like we were doing the entire ride uphill. As someone who’d biked less than 50 km all summer, I felt like I’d been run over by a truck by the time we got to Saturday night’s banquet dinner and dreaded the idea of doing it again the next day. But, with a good tail wind (or, at least, a cross wind, not a head wind) all day Sunday, it was far more pleasant. In fact, I was surprised at how good I felt at the end of the day—save for a sore knee and a sore bum, I felt like a million dollars. It was amazing and, yes, even a little emotional for this first timer.
Anyways, I want to send a huge thank you to Michel St-Georges of Team Assante for his incredible generosity in helping me get started with my first Tour, along with all of the team members who helped me finish it. Most of all a huge thank you to all those who donated to the cause, and made it all worthwhile.
A photography-related note: I will be investing in a GoPro Hero HD to record the 2011 event. Until next year!
This is not really photography related, but I wanted to mention that I’ll be participating in the RONA MS Bike Tour this weekend. I’ve never attempted something like this before, so I’ve got a little bit of performance anxiety going on — we’re supposed to do about 150 km (that’s about 93 miles for you king’s-foot-measurement-system types) over two days. At least it looks like we’ll be having great weather!
Oh, and if you’d like to put in any last-minute pledges for my ride, you can do so here. I’m only about $35 short of my goal! I’m riding with Team Assante, and together we’ve raised over $30,000 towards multiple sclerosis research and patient care.
Anyhow, wish me luck! I’ll be tweeting my progress as I go, and can definitely use your moral support!
Another blow to the Canon faithful — the xxD series continues to be ruined by Canon’s focus on consumer-friendly devices, rather than building cameras for photographers. Here’s a feature-tour video:
My first DSLR was a Canon 20D, and I loved it. The 40D was the last in the line of great xxD cameras, with the 50D becoming a megapixel whore. Its successor, the 60D, was announced today and betray its intentions for the future direction of its ‘prosumer’ cameras.
Why I’m peeved:
Downgraded to a plastic body
Downgraded to SDHC
Downgraded to not include a flash sync port
Downgraded to remove micro-adjust
This is no longer an xxD-line camera. It’s been hamstrung and should now be considered a top-of-the-line Rebel. Until Canon gets it right, I’ll continue to recommend that photo newcomers invest in a Nikon system.
Finally managed to edit a few pics from last week’s shoot with my longtime friend, Jen. She was kind enough to let me practice my lighting technique in her lovely garden — here are a few of my favourites from the session:
Interesting discussion going on at NSOP concerning ‘newbies’ Night Exposure issues thread. Seem that there’s some weird amp glow hitting affecting his new Canon 7D when he attempts long-ish exposures (30 seconds or so). This post in the thread specifically is particularly troubling — evidence of amp glow is easily visible from ISO 400 and up. Other 7D owners in the thread say they’re not experiencing anything similar, so it’s very possible that it’s just a faulty unit, but I’m curious to know if anyone else has noticed similar issues with their own gear.
Canon Inc. announced today that it has successfully developed an APS-H-size*1 CMOS image sensor that delivers an image resolution of approximately 120 megapixels (13,280 x 9,184 pixels), the world’s highest level*2 of resolution for its size.
Thanks Canon. While Nikon is kicking your ass with killer, high-speed full-frame DSLRs that have fantastic AF and very flexible Speedlight wireless control systems, you’re still focusing on a megapixel war that no photographer worth their salt gives a damn about.
Sorry if I sound a little bitter, but it’s been one disappointment after another with Canon since the 50D. I’m tempted to trade it all in for a D700.
The shot is there. The lighting is perfect, the subject has exactly the expression you want to capture, and you know that the moment is fleeting, so hold your breath and squeeze the shutter button… and nothing. The viewfinder darkens, but the mirror slap is curiously absent, and you pull the camera from your face and see that annoying ERR01 warning on your LCD.
Profanity ensues.
I’ve been having trouble with one of my main lenses, a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L zoom — not an inexpensive piece of kit. It produces wonderful images, but I’ve been getting these strange lens communication errors since early May (the lens was purchased new in February) so, Saturday afternoon, it was dropped off for verification by Canon. I do take good care of my gear, and the lens contacts are nearly pristine, so I figure there’s some issue in the electronics that need to be sorted out.
Bummer.
Cube Down The Tube
I’ve also been having issues with a replacement RP Cube for my RadioPopper JrX Studio receiver. The original had a screw fall out of the hotshoe mount — they shipped me a replacement, where those same screws were about to fall out, and it is all kinds of flaky. It made last week’s shoot with Jessica a real pain in the butt.
I’m going to test it thoroughly over the next couple of days in a controlled environment (read: my basement) and see what’s going on. While I’m generally impressed with the RadioPoppers themselves, I am really not very happy with these hotshoe adapters. I’ve got half a mind to put my electronics engineer training to use and design my own.
So, bummer times two.
A Good Read
William Petruzzo wrote an article for BridePop that plays off of my last article for Current Photographer. Entitled Three Reasons to Hire a Professional for your Wedding Photography, it provides a great flip-side view of why we hold professional photographers to a higher standard, and why they meet and exceed these expectations. As I said in my comment, these are photos that you will cherish your entire life, long after the cake has been savoured, the champagne has gone still, and the DJ has stopped playing. As such, it makes more sense to look at wedding photography as an investment, than as an expense.
So, that brightened my day a whole bunch. Great article, William!
