Miguel Kieling's Blog

Like many people my decision on a telephoto zoom lens came down to buying the Canon 70-200mm f/4L or the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM.  I read a bunch of reviews and decided to go with the former.  It is true that user comments and ratings in a variety of websites are slightly more favorable for the L lens. The 70-300mm has an improved IS and of course a longer focal length.

Upon trying the L lens handheld a few times, I was initially disappointed. Of course I knew I’d have to compensate the lack of IS with higher ISO, but in the field tests, it proved to be more difficult than that.  Photos of flowers or birds in the shade demanded ISOs as high as 800. And that crippled the quality of the photo a little bit more than I would’ve liked. To avoid camera shake you need to shoot at the reciprocal of the focal length or faster. Sounds simple but with a Canon 50D you need to consider the camera’s 1.6 multiplication factor. So at 200mm you need a shutter speed of 1/320 or faster. I thought that I would be able to handhold at 1/200. But reality knocked in and showed me I couldn’t do it.

Another thing that may be a problem (it was for me in a couple of situations) is when you need to go unnoticed when shooting. The L lens makes it hard to do. It is white and big and people will look at you.

Still I have some mixed feelings about my decision. When the light is good this is a fantastic lens but with the IS feature offered on the 70-300mm I would probably get photos that I will miss with this lens. So I’ve decided to go ahead and get myself a Canon 70-300mm IS. It is arriving in a few days. I don’t like to have to use a tripod all the time and the 70-200mm forces me to do so when I’m shooting in the shade, which is often.

I can’t fault the performance of this lens for its limitations and I have given it 5 stars. In other words it does what it is supposed to do very well but my message to other buyers is to consider where you are most likely to use the lens before buying. Remember IS becomes increasingly important as you extend the focal length.

Conclusion: Well, IS would be nice for those low-light 200mm hand-held shots. Otherwise, this lens is nearly perfect in build quality and most importantly, image quality. It is ultra sharp with eye-popping contrast and accurate colors wide open at f4.0 over the whole range from 70-200mm. Definitely one of the best pieces of glass out there.

Update: 22/07/2010.

Now that I’ve been using both lenses for months, I can say that they’re both great options. It would be difficult for someone to notice the difference in sharpness and a little calibration in Photoshop can take care of most small problems. They are different lenses and it’s nice to have both in my  kit. I intend to keep both for the time being as I see myself using both of them for different purposes.

Canon 50mm f/1.8

One of the things photographers learn while traveling is that it is a real pain to have to lug around heavy bags. I know it is tempting to take all your lenses, so you will have the right equipment when needed, but the price you’ll have to pay is pretty steep. Less mobility, tiredness and a strong sense that what you are doing is real work. Not only that, depending on the country you are visiting, the less valuable the camera equipment you are carrying the better. There’s always a compromise and no one knows better than you what you will be needing in the field. So the final decision rests in your hands.

Personally, I’ve done a fair amount of experimenting with different lenses and brands. And I have to say, I’ve never been disappointed with the quality of shots I’ve taken either with the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 or the Canon 50mm f/1.8. Sometimes, it is the only lens I take with me.

And you know what, I think I’ve learned some valuable lessons by having a fixed focal lens on my camera. In terms of composition, it forces you to think harder. You will walk more, spend more time, but the end result will please you, I’m sure. And it is so light that there’s no reason not to throw it in your bag. You won’t even realize it’s there.

Nikon 50mm f/1.8

But, there are  pros and cons, of course. And here they are:

Pros:
1. Very fast (f/1.8)
2. Very sharp (especially when stopped down to f/5.6)
3. Great for sport/action photography
4. Great for indoor and low light situation
5. Great for portraits
6. Bokeh  nearly as good as some expensive tele-lenses
7. Fast autofocus
8. Inexpensive
9. Extremely light
10. There’s a good market for used lenses of this type, so you can easily sell it whenever you want

Cons:
1. You need to spend more time to compose shots
2. Plasticy build
3. Autofocus does not work with some cameras. You have to do some research

Bottom line: Optically, you can’t really do that much better than this lens: strong contrast, good color rendition, and very sharp even when shooting wide open. This lens is so versatile and inexpensive that everyone should own one in addition to other lenses. Being a very fast lens, it enables you to take pictures in low light, so you can leave your flash behind. It provides you a shallow depth of field and that’s really handy in some situations. And finally, it is so light that you can always have it with you.  Remember, taking pictures is supposed to be fun and this is a fun lens.

A top camera backpack

I while ago I was looking for a camera bag and amongst the myriad options out there, I stumbled upon this one. Let me tell you, it feels just right. I can highly recommend this bag because it is my everyday shooting bag. It can hold one camera body, a few lenses, an external flash, accessories, memory cards, water bottle, tripod, and a sandwich. It feels comfortable on your back and I’ve spent hours walking with it full of stuff and my back wasn’t complaining. One of the biggest pluses for me is that this bag opens up on the “underside”, or the side that is against your back. That means that people can’t unzip your bag while it’s on your back and steal your stuff. Here is my full list of advantages and disadvantages:

Pros:
- very well built
- can hold enough everyday camera gear
- can hold tripod
- has chest and waist harness straps for added stability
- can hold some everyday items, like keys, a small sandwich, etc.
- has a water bottle mesh side pocket
- extremely comfortable due to good padding, which also protects your gear

Roomy enough for most photographers

Cons:
- have to take bag off completely in order to access your camera
- not enough room for a lot of other things, especially laptop

If you are looking for a nice and sturdy camera bag, you ought to check this one out. It will last years and years of heavy use.