Canon EF-S 17 - 55 f /2.8 IS USM ... Versus The Tamron SP AF 17 - 50 f /2.8

Now that I've chosen a medium telephoto zoomage (Sigma 50mm - 150mm F /2.8) for my new gear bag, it's time to pick that wide to medium tele - zoom to round out the package. With no shortage of opinions as to which lens is the best for the money, I culled thru the regular Internet sources, DP Review, Fred Miranda, Flickr etc... and pulled together some general consensus.

The general consensus is that there are a lot of Dumb Ass's on the Internet! I guess the opinion of enough Dumb Ass's added together will produce a reasonable picture of the truth.Once you learn to ignore the complaining Camera Dweebs, " This lens won't focus...I shot the big game at f /2.8 at 1/60th of a second and the prints from Wolf Camera were all Blurry! " you can find enough info to form a reasonable opinion. So, having suffered thru hours of Forum Posts about this lens and that lens, I have narrowed it down to two candidates. One choice, probably out of my budget, but clearly the overall point leader and champion, is the Canon EF-S 17 - 55mm f /2.8 IS USM. Lauded by both the camera dweebs and working photographers as a sweet piece of glass, you can't ignore the specs. F / 2.8 Maximum Aperture, 'Superb optical quality with no change in aperture over the full focal length', quiet and fast USM focusing with the invaluable addition of Image Stabilization.This lens definitely would get a lot of use, especially with the Image Stabilization feature which Canon says will get you 3 stops of extra shooting DOF, claiming handheld exposures as low as 1/15th of a second! ( I thought all real men could handhold at 1/15th wide open and get tack sharp images ? )

The next contender, which has the recommendation of David over at the Strobist website is the Tamron SP AF 17 - 50mm f /2.8 XR DI II LD Aspherical (IF). Billed as an inexpensive alternative to the over priced Canon Glass, this lens has developed quite a following. With forum comments galore praising its value versus quality, pleasing optical performance and build, it has become my top pick for budget reasons only.

* Tamron Zoom Super Wide Angle SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF]

Here are a few Forum Comments from the folks at Fred Miranda's Site:

• Pros: sharp, fast focus, not noisy, size and weight, I love this lens / Cons: none

• Pros: Razor Sharp images! Cant beat the price to image quality ratio. Solid build. Reasonably fast. /Cons: Even with f/2.8, will occasionally search in low light (when using AF). Really noisy AF

• Pros: SHARP! Absolutely killer lens at this price. Great for parties, weddings etc. / Cons: AF is a bit noisy.

I wish that Price was never a factor in the gear choices I have to make, but it is. I can't see overspending to impress the neighbors, when I can get the job done with a less costly alternative.With the Canon 17 - 55 being the clear winner ( IMHO ) in most categories, yet- at twice the price , I'll have to think long and hard about the Value versus the Bling. We all love Bling, but I can get by with the less Bling and more money left in my pocket!

The price for each lens is listed below:

Canon Zoom Super Wide Angle EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Autofocus Lens - USA
Mfr# 1242B002 • B&H# CA175528EF
Price: $ 999.00

Tamron Zoom Super Wide Angle SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] Autofocus Lens -USA Mfr# AF016M700 • B&H# TA175028MAF
Price: $ 449.00

Is the Canon Zoom really worth twice as much as the Tamron? Probably, taking the Image Stabilization into account, it really is more like having a super wide max aperture f/ 1.0 or wider lens. That kind of speed and usefulness is money- in- the- bank!

Well see...

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Photographic Inspiration From A Master Painter...

Where does your inspiration come from?

For me, a trip to the local Barnes and Noble News Stand is more than enough to fire me up about photography! With all the great US and European Photography Magazines to peruse, I am reminded that Edwin Morgan is not the only Photographer in the world ( Shocking, I Know! ) and that new ideas are not in short supply. There are more than enough people, places and things to point my camera at and it's up to me to find the inspiration and motivation to make that next great image! If Bjorn in Finland can make an entire portfolio out of artfully Blurred Holga Close-ups of his pet chicken, well then, I guess I should be able to come up with something too. And with High Speed Internet connections in most of our homes, a Photographer / Artist doesn't even have to leave their home to get a fix of Inspirational Imagery. There are more than enough Photo Blogs, Photographers Websites and Online Magazines to fill those empty hours when you're not saving the planet from Global Warming or playing with your X-Box.

This all brings me around to the ultimate time killer and inspiration finder.......... 'Stumbling' on the Internet with StumbleUpon.Com. If you haven't tried it, you truly don't know what you're missing. I mean that literally! Your preferences noted on their server for your likes and dislikes, with Photo Blogs and Picture websites as favorites, you will 'Stumble' on some of the coolest photography and art related stuff on the Internet. Inspiration Galore!

Today's great find is the Website and Online Catalog of Austin Texas based 'Master Painter' Roi James, whose otherworldly landscapes and mystical figure portraits grace the walls of Fine Art Collectors and Galleries throughout Texas and the US. His Figure Portraits are the essence of light and shadow. If you can't find inspiration in his Painting " Woman with Scarlet Tanager" 2003, Oil on Canvas, and "Faith Hope and Love 2" 2005, Oil on Linen, then you might as well give your camera away to someone else.

Special Thanks to Roi James for allowing me to post images from his website.

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Sigma 50 - 150 f/2.8 EX DC APO

And the winner is....

In my August 7Th Blog Post " Canon Zoom or Sigma? " I asked my friends and readers to help me decide which one of 7 very different zoom lenses would, should or could give me the most bang for my buck! The contenders were as listed:

• Sigma Zoom Telephoto 70-200mm f /2.8 EX DG APO Macro HSM ( that's a mouth full!)
• Sigma Zoom Normal -Telephoto 50-150mm f /2.8 EX DC APO HSM
• Sigma Zoom Telephoto 100 - 300mm f /4.0 EX DG IF HSM
• Sigma Zoom Telephoto 80 - 400mm f /4.5 -5.6 EX DG APO OS ( More letters mean more money and more fun! )
• Sigma Telephoto 105mm f /2.8 EX DG Macro
• Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70 -200mm f /2.8L ( No image Stabilization )
  
• Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70 -200mm f /2.8L IS ( Image Stabilization )

Each of these lenses is an exceptional, highly rated and worthwhile piece of glass and none of them would be a bad lens to have in your camera bag, but not all of them would get used frequently enough to warrant me spending the big bucks. My work style is down and dirty and my inclination is to have no more than two lenses in my camera bag at any one time, preferably two zooms, one covering Wide Angle to Medium Telephoto and one Zoom covering Medium Telephoto to Super Telephoto. The long range always getting much less use than the Wide and Medium. I don't make my living shooting Sports or Wildlife, so the Wide to Medium Telephotos get the job done for me quite well. Still, having one super sweet long lens will give you the opportunity to mix it up a little! You never know when you're gonna be asked to shoot some Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Models , so you better be prepared with some big, wide Aperture glass!

My current All - in - one Zoomage is cursed with a Varying Aperture ( F / 3.5 at it's widest ) and loud autofocus, but its sharp and I'll have to say, useful as hell! I haven't used another lens since I bought it, having removed it only a few times in the last two years. I can't even imagine going back to a camera bag filled with prime lenses, switching lenses every time a set- up changes or a subject moves just a little closer to the camera. It has definitely changed my whole way of thinking about Zooms Vs. Primes, especially for the type of shooting that I do. Image quality and Zoom Creep, which used to be a big concern for older Zoom Lenses is hardly an issue with the modern lenses being manufactured today.

Having decided that an f /2.8 fixed Aperture zoom was the way to go, Budget being a big factor but not the main concern, I decided to go with the lens that best covers my daily needs for the long haul.

And the winner is ......

The Sigma Zoom Normal-Telephoto 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon Digital EOS Mfr# 690101 • B&H# SI5015028CAF - $679.00@BHPhoto

I think this one will pretty much cover the range I like for portraiture and product shots. With a wide f / 2.8 fixed Aperture and Internal Focusing it should be a compact and useful lens to have in the bag. According to the reviews I have read, it seems to be a sharp and well put together lens that should give many years of use. My next purchase will be a second lens to cover the 16 - 50mm range!

Hmmmmm?

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Editing......Part 7

Continuing from the 'Editing......Part 6' post on August 5Th:

14) Before you hit the Go Button on your Batch Processing Command, make sure you have created a Destination Folder on your Desktop to receive the newly converted files. This could have been done earlier when you were preparing to edit the files, but if you haven't yet, now is the time.

I'm not exactly sure why, but there is something very satisfying about Batch Commands, both in my Raw Conversion Software and in Photoshop. I think you have to have the experience of doing things the hard way, to really appreciate the magic of pushing a button and watching the computer do it all for you. When given the choice..........Automate!

The time it takes to convert a Raw file to a usable Tiff varies with the particular Raw Conversion Software, your system's available RAM and most importantly the power of your computers Processor. The Bit Depth of your final file is also a factor in the processing time. As I have mentioned earlier, my Raw Conversion Software takes much longer to produce an 8 bit file than it does to convert the same Raw File to 16 Bit. I guess the processor is having to work overtime to decide what color data to toss out. Who knows? The point is to create the best files with the most Color Data. The Photographer who dies with the most Color Data... Wins!

As an example of processing times, a typical Canon CR2 file, 8.02 Megapixel (12 bit Raw) converted to a 16 Bit Tiff in Canon's DPP will take approximately 10 or 11 seconds of computer time. That's about 10 files every 2 minutes, depending on your computers speed. I'm sure the times will vary somewhat in different Processing Software and systems, but that's a good example of the average.

Use the extra time you have while your files are running to make yourself a good Cup of Joe and to gather your Analog Recording Device ( Pencil ) and paper. You will need these to help you organize and streamline the work on the newly processed Files. Some of them more than likely from the same set-up and requiring the same basic curves adjustment and manipulation. No matter how fast your computer or editing skills, writing a few things down on a piece of paper will speed up the final work on your images. Remembering my own admonition to not try and re-invent the wheel every time I sit down in front of the computer, I always make a note to group similar images in a editing session. This allows me to run a Curves Adjustment Layer on the first image in a series and to drag it seamlessly to the others from the same session. Every image requires a little TLC, some more than others, but similar images taken at the same time will require a Basic Curves Adjustment that will vary very little. Why not work on one and transfer your settings to all the others from the same set - up. It's as easy as dragging an Adjustment Layer from the first file to any of the others, they only have to be open a the same time and you have instantly performed the same action on each file. Beats the hell out of trying to replicate the same adjustments on ten or twenty individual files!

To be continued...


Special thanks to Bob Johnson at EarthBound Light for his excellent tutorial on Adjustment Layers! Please take the time to check out his wonderful site!


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DP Review Posts 'Beta' 40 D images...

Phil Askey and the good folks over at dpreview.com have posted some sample pics from their Pre-Production Eos 40D provided to them by the Engineers at Canon. The link above will jump you to page seven of the full Camera Review.

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RED ONE! The Future of Digital Cinema Production...

I have been hearing a lot of rumors lately from the Video Production Geeks that I know. Something about the Color Red, Digital Cinema and the end of Video Tape. And that's not all, they're telling me that you cinema guys can throw the motion picture film you've got stored in the freezer straight into the toilet. The be all, end all of Digital Cinema Production has arrived!

The Red One Digital Cine Camera is purportedly the Quantum Leap in straight to Digital, Motion Picture Cameras. Weighing in at under ten pounds and costing just under $20,000 US, the Red One is described as obsolescence proof; the modular design allowing for any future updates to mechanics and electronics. Follow the link above to their site and be prepared to be blown away!

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