The "L" Factor

[pmuller]

Well, my first kind of review, if you guys remembered I asked a little while ago about the 24-70 L, if it were the right choice for my gear and etc.

Making it short, we took a 2 weeks travel passing through Milano, Venezia (and other Veneto Cities), Fuessen in Germany, Kassel (for the Documenta), Muenster and Berlin. We took a 30D, a 24-70 f2.8 "L", a 70-200 f4 "L" IS, and our good old friend Lumix with its good Leica lens. I may say that I am very impressed with the results I got with these babies.

1st Act:
I'm a kind of "serious amateur" as I really want to go further, nevertheless, I still do not know much about photography, and hey I could take pictures at manual settings such as this one:
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/5948/img5944vs9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
My wife was taking a picture of a Mies van der Rohe building in Berlin. This was taken with the 70-200 f4 "L" IS I really like the background effect or the bokeh :)

Not sure if this is the "L" factor of the glass I bought, I know it was expensive, but I'm not going to live forever as Don, I think, said somewhere else.

Sometimes I wished I had a wider lenses together, but in general for the purposes I want I think my gear is fine in my opinion.

2nd Act:
2 months ago I was very undecided whether to buy a Canon or a Nikon, the 30D agaainst the D80 issue, not I am just thinking of when I am going to upgrade for the next Canon. The colors are so real, and what really impressed me was that I could take good pictures at VERY HIGH ISOs...

Negative Point: Dust, as I needed to interchange the lenses, I saw that by the end of my trip I saw some dust at the pictures, can anyone help me with that, I mean how can I clean my 30D sensor?

Final Act:
What should I do now? Quit my job and invest in photography? Or should I upgrade for the 40D? Should I just stop writing and again go shooting?
I am really cheered up with the results I got as you guys may see.

[TheObiJuan]

With the 1.6x crop wanting wider is understandable.
Canon has a new 14 mm F2.8 L II USM lens which may be worth purchasing.

For cleaning your sensor, why not try a Giottos Rocket Blower?

[nqjudo]

Here is a link that you might find useful for your sensor dust issue:

http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/methods.html

I usually buy my cleaning products from micro-tools (http://www.micro-tools.com/). They are a a very reliable supplier. Don't be intimidated about sensor cleaning either. It's quite simple and very safe. Good luck!

[michaelb]

Sometimes I wished I had a wider lenses together, but in general for the purposes I want I think my gear is fine in my opinion.

Should I just stop writing and again go shooting?
I am really cheered up with the results I got as you guys may see.


1. Get a 10-22....awesome for wide angle. Many say that it is a "hidden" L lens and I agree.

10mm on XT....
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/205/461678594_be87cdd96c.jpg




11mm....
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/435789905_8de789598f.jpg




11mm....
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/426955127_fddf9d1943.jpg




10mm....
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/435789897_7c159eabe5.jpg




10mm....
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/396021024_7f32cabf6a.jpg


2. Pair the 10-22 with your 24-70, then go shoot!

[nqjudo]

Oh yeah, the 10-22 is an awesome lens. MichaelB - Your 2nd 11mm shot is awesome as well. Fantastic job with the framing there.

[GaryS]

I was in Vegas last weekend (woo hoo!) and the camera shop I found had the Sigma 10-20 in stock. I was interested, and tried it out.... But I just couldn't figure out what I would use it for . My Sigma 18-50 already goes pretty wide. But then I see the shots that you guys post (plus wandering around and flickr), and I think that I would use it.

Its so hard to decide...

PS: michaelb, you use that wide-angle to great effect. Good work!

[pmuller]

Canon has a new 14 mm F2.8 L II USM lens which may be worth purchasing.


The new 14mm is way too expensive for me, I think it's the kind of glass for Pro as it is US2k for a prime :eek:. I know that primes have less distortion, but I think that I have already spent more than I was supposed to.

Thank you guys about the lenses and cleaning tips. I will think about the 10-22 once I have enough money to get it.

Check out some of the pics I took:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/philmueller/

As I told before I am very impressed with the results! Suggestions are welcome of how I can improve next time!

[DonSchap]

Putting a $2000 EF 14mm f/2.8L USM II on an APS-C camera turns it into a healthly $420 EF 20mm f/2.8 shot with a EOS 5D Full-Frame. Probably a much cheaper solution, too.

You really do not realize the 14mm's wide-angle potential until is is actually mounted on a full frame camera. THEN ... eh, manifique!

I mean, where's the sense in that?

The EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM is definitely the better choice, with regards to use on the APS-C sensor it was designed for. You get a little wider shot ... effectively 16mm ... over the effective 21mm you'd only see using the 14mm lens.

Although the 14mm is a fantasic piece of glass, you should regard what you mount it on with the same respect it really deservers to be used with. :o

I know if I had spent that kind of money on it ... it would only see a EOS 5D or better to purch itself on. In fact, if you are thinking W-I-D-E, a full frame really is a better choice with both IQ and realizing the lens' true width.

Now, if you want impressive telephoto, the APS-C cameras definitely milk those lenses for the max, without light loss. :cool: