His Cam
The Camera
As of writing this post, the camera i'm using is a Canon 60D. Its a good DSLR body that I bought used and for those that like to lug around heavy photography equipment it comes with a nice package of technological advancements. The choice of brand was a direct result of not wanting to change all my lenses from the previous DSLR, obviously.
Being too cheap (poor) I bought this used at a local camera shop for a great price. And anyways, the camera body plays only a small part on the end result of what ever you want to photograph,
Reasons for opting for this camera :
- Great sensor that allows some cropping while keeping a good amount of megapixels.
- Lots of manual tweaking for playing with different effects
- Tough camera that survives being thrown around in a backpack
- Ability to change lens for different situations
- Tilting screen for awkward positioning
My rating for this body ?:
Rating : 5
The lenses
With a great DSLR come great responsibility... or lots of lenses. But over the years i have reduced the amount of lenses I use to two. One for everyday carry around and one for portrait and wildlife.
Everyday lens :
The Tamron 17-50mm, not VC is my most prized lens for all around photography. Of course lenses are like clothing, and the one you choose to use reflects on your personality. I carry this lens everyday with me. It takes very clear photos and is fast in both focusing and in f-stops at f2.8.
Its great for landscapes and street photography at focal lengths of 17mm to 50mm (APS-C 27mm to 80mm) but getting close to subjects will require you to walk to your subject and, if its alive, hoping you are not getting into their personal bubble and get bitten or slapped.
My rating for this lens ?:
Rating : 4
Rating : 4
portrait and wildlife :
I'm not a huge fanatic of wildlife photography to the point of needing a super zoom lens, but I do enjoy taking pictures from far away of animals (forest or urban ones) and sometimes just needing the extra reach on photos where my legs cannot just bring me too (such as across a raging river or canyon) and so i eventually had to find a nice lens that wasn't too expensive but still delivered good photos. While searching i eventually found this pretty nifty Canon 55-250mm lens that covers a good range of focal lengths from 55mm to 250mm (APS-C 88mm to 400mm) for a very good price. This lens is surprisingly clear and focuses fast.
Of course it does have some caveats; Its relatively slow at f/4-5.6 and at the lowest aperture can show some vignetting. Its made of plastic, but that also makes it very light. It doesn't come with a lens hood and if your camera is not on, you cant use the focus.
My rating for this lens ?:
Rating : 4
Ultra-Wide Angle :
Sometimes you need to see wide. Yes, panoramic pictures can be stiched together, but its not always an option. For indoor photography of architecture, its a must. Its also nice for landscape photography to create those pictures with lots of sky or deep seas/fields. The choice is pretty limited for APS-C and i decided to go for the Canon EF-S 10-18mm. The lens covers a from normal wide 18mm to a very wide 10mm (APS-C 16mm to 29mm) for a bargain price. This lens is sharp and focuses fast.
Rating : 4
But of course all those are just tools, and you still need to know how to use them properly. Photography is a skill that needs to be continuously improved thru practiced and as such , i recommend you to just go out there and have fun taking photos !