TWIP Poor Man's 50 mm v 85mm v 100mm v 200mm Lens Test

I have a host of lenses I like to use on a regular basis.  I fiddle here and there with most of them not letting them gather a whole lot of dust.  Since upping the bar to a full frame I have found it interesting the actual lenses I use for the stuff that matters.  So I began getting the itch of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) again.  It may be that the camera that I have wanted was just announce or the fact that I have been itching for a lens for some time, but now am second guessing if I want to get rid of an old lens that I have and replace it with something a little better or possibly something totally new.  It's tough to distinguish, but I have been watching a lot of test videos of comparisons so I went through my stuff and didn't really have anything like this from my gear and how I shoot.  Now granted, I love my Canon 70-200 f/4 L IS.  It is the sharpest lens out there for a zoom.  I love it, but it doesn't get me to 2.8 which would give me lower light ability.  Now, I have lived with this lens for a long time and really don't feel the need to change, but I was interested in what 200mm compression looked like up against the lowest apertures on some of the other lenses I had.  Thus, I am going to give a go with a poor mans test of non-L lenses for my general thoughts and if I really want that shiny new 85 or a crusty old 135.  So, here are a couple shots of comparison.  I made my middle and littlest help me, which even though they got to blow dandelion seeds all over the yard, it didn't make them very up beat about the process.   I guess that 5 minutes could have been better spent.  

So I tested 4 lenses.  I have a 50mm 1.4, which is a really old lens and I would anticipate Canon upgrading any time in the near future.  I love mine.  It is very sharp even at 1.4 which most aren't.  I got a good copy.  I tested the 85mm 1.8., again, consumer lens but I really like mine.  Then tested one of my favorites, the Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens (not the IS version).  This lens is also crazy sharp and I have no need for IS on this lens. I have never had the need to spend the extra $500 for the pretty red ring and IS.  Lastly, I tested my 70-200 f/4L IS at 135mm and 200mm just to see what it would look like and the bokeh (background blur) that would be shown.  I tried to maintain the same composition in all of the photos so I could see what the background was going to look like.  I think it did a pretty good job to what I was thinking.  Here is what I came up with.

50mm @1.4

85mm @ 1.8

100mm @ 2.8

135mm @ 4.0

200mm @ 4.0

The 200mm and 135mm area definitely show the compression of the background a make it to almost nothing.  I really wonder what f2 would look like at 135mm.  That is a lens I have looked at for a long time.  May have to borrow one and see what results I get.  I also really like the way the 85mm looks.  Still gives the roundness and less compression than the longer distances, but a nice blur with some inclusion of the background.  Now the lens I have been itching for is the 1.4 version of this lens that you can actually use at 1.4.  Canon does make a version with a 1.2, however that baby is expensive and for what I do, I can't justify the price.

The reason I am more interested in the 85 version, is I used to shoot primarily on a crop sensor with my 50mm.  If your shooting canon, the crop sensor has a 1.6x field of view of a full frame, meaning what your actually seeing is the lens distance x 1.6.  So my 50mm was actually much more like the 85mm lens on my full frame.

I think this little test made up my mind...now I just need to win the lottery.

2016 Landscape and Nature Favorites

It's hard looking back on the year and reviewing your favorite photos.  Each photo has a meaning behind it and a reason why you took it.  Take for example, one of my waterfall photos.  I had a day to go on a hike with my kids.  It wasn't so much about the photo but the first time my kids had ever seen a waterfall in real life. The meaning behind that particular photo is more about the memory of the hike with my boys than the actual photo.  I did have a few like that this year.  Take for example my first entry from this year.  It was extremely dark, so the boys were all able to see the milky way clear as day without all of the light pollution of the city.  They were fast asleep when I went back out to do this star trail.   I was also able to capture the following photo for some very special people in my life that had never seen anything like the photo I provided them.

M's Pub, a famous building burned in a massive fire earlier this year.  I was able to stop by and capture a couple of photos as the OFD worked hours on end to put out the blaze.  The frozen building left behind made for a beautiful photo.  My first trip to Arizona made this years pictures.  I was amazed at the sun bursting to light behind the red mountains.

The hawk photo is a staple in my yearly pictures.  We have a couple that get really close during soccer games, so I always spin for a shot.  This year I happened to catch the moon in the photo.  The ginger bread man in the tree was a dedication to a young boy who passed.  I thought this was a touching tribute in the trees of the arboretum.  The old 370 barn was a sad photo.  This barn was famous as it was one of the last standing embodiments of the old days of Omaha.  This barn was torn down and the property sold to make way for a commercial development.  It was a lonely reminder of the past in an area booming with new development.  This may have been my favorite photo of the year.

I caught the Perseids meteor shower this year.  While I only caught a couple of meteors, my favorite photos of the night were the two panoramas of the milky way I was able to capture at 3 in the morning.  Also took a photo of the first supercell this year.  That was an interesting experience.  Disney was in there.  Last but not least was the first Husker game for my oldest.  That one I am going to print big, not because it was the best picture but rather the meaning behind it.

I did do some other photo stuff this year and those hold a place in the memory bank as well, but these are my nature and landscapes for the year.  I hope everyone had a wonderful year and hope to continue to provide you with more of a view from my lens in 2017.

Russ and Chelsea

The last couple of weekends I have had the pleasure of spending time with this couple.  Capturing the moments and details of their special day has been nothing short of a fantastic experience.  I normal try to pick a couple photos from the day to display, but since it was over a two weekend timeframe I have more photos that I know what to do with.  So here are some of my favorites from the wedding and reception!  

Congratulations again to the Bride and Groom!!!

Please select the photo to view in a larger gallery!  That way you get to see all of the awesomeness!