Photography « Distilled D.G.

Entries categorized as ‘Photography’

Sigma Art First Thoughts

January 28, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Wow, it has been a really long time since I posted something here! If I was going for once a year, I sorta missed 2014…

Intro

Anyway, I just wanted to make a quick post about Sigma. Well, specifically the Sigma Art 50mm and 35mm lenses that I picked up before the holidays. This is still more of an initial impression (only have brought them on a few shoots), but they are freaking amazing. I have been loving the images so far.

(The 50mm looks freaky cool in infrared)

For now the review is just to say that I love the lenses and to list some pros and cons 🙂

Pros

Sharpness. These things are so super sharp!
Color quality. The color reproduction puts my Canon glass to shame (more like my Fuji lenses).
Pop. The contrasty pictures just have this great pop.
Coating. I’ve been amazed by the lens coating. The rest of my fast primes (both Canon and Fuji) require their hoods at all times and get crazy reflections when shooting into lots of light sources. The Sigmas are at a different level in this regard.
Value. They’re not cheap, but they’re out-performing Canon glass that is 1.4-2x the cost.
Weight. While on the big camera, the weighting is perfect (a beast on a beast).

Cons

Pop. It’s both a pro and a con, depending on your style. If you like a softer look, you’re going to have to set up a profile.
Focus tuning. They do require focus tuning. I don’t have the Sigma hockey puck to program them yet, but in-camera settings have worked great (and once set, it’s all perfect).
Bokeh. Not the best bokeh. Not bad, either, but not the creamy goodness of the 85mm f/1.2L (I know, it’s a high bar).
Weight. While on the 5D2 (w/o grip) they’re a little hefty (not a walk-around lens like the Canon 50mm f/1.4). That’s fine for me (since I’m used to holding 10+ lbs of camera) but if your wrists/arms aren’t the strongest, might be a bit much.

Summary

Really, though, this just comes down to one question: Do I recommend these lenses?

Yes. Very yes.

Great images, good value, hefty size.

Coming Up…

I’ve been working on what to do for a two-camera setup for wedding/event photography. Since getting the Fuji X-T1 as my travel camera, it has put me into a quandary as to whether I should use it or the 5D2 for the second camera. Most of the factors go back and forth (weight, sharing lenses, EVF, style consistency, etc), so it’s probably going come down to image quality in the end.

So, hopefully my next post on here will be a head-to-head between the 5D2 and the X-T1. And honestly, I don’t know who is going to win.

Since the 70-200mm will likely stay on the big camera, the test for the second camera will focus on the primes (adjusting for crop factor, both systems have the same primes) with emphasis on focusing and low-light performance (both at the same depth of field (favoring crop) and wide open (favoring full frame)).

-D.G.

Categories: Photography

Break in the Weather…

May 25, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Recently, the weather got nice for a couple days, which timed out perfectly with a new lens arriving. So the first thing I did was the one thing they tell you not to do: look right into the sun 😛

The weather was beautiful and it was very enjoyable to be outside (standing at The Lid at Mercer Island pointing toward the Mt Baker neighborhood). I also enjoyed the feeling of having more light than I knew what to do with (even with a 1.4x on, I could shoot ISO 100 hand-held after sunset). So much fun it left me REALLY wanting to do some portraits.

The next day, I decided to do a strobist photo shoot with Azuki, but I think it just left her confused 😛

Categories: Azuki · Photography

Flora and Fauna

April 11, 2011 · 2 Comments

I’ve now created two sets on flickr for flora and fauna, since many of my photographs fit into those two categories.

A new addition to the fauna side, last week I got to meet my parents’ new cat, Bea.

She’s a very emotional kitty with a sad past (it’s obvious she had a home once, but spent a long time being lost, until finding a new, loving home). She tends to cry when she’s sad and also when she’s happy.

I’m also very proud of my little Azuki. While my sister’s cats see this side of her:

She was actually very nice to Bea (she really wants to be friends with everyone). Hopefully they can be friends in the future.

As for the flora, I just added some new pictures from the botanical garden. I can’t wait until nice days are the rule and not the exception so I can take more pictures. Here’s a few from the weekend: