Shooting Swimming with Canon EF 135mm f2

Shooting swimming is hard.  For good shots, you need to be in the right position.  I used to be able to go on deck of the pool and shoot straight on as my kids swam toward me, but the staff no longer allow people on the pool deck during competition, so I have to shoot from the side, or from the balcony, which I find very difficult to get shots I like.

For Saturday's swim meet, my choice lens was the EF 200mm f1.8L, which I used on every swim meet, but too bad the lens stopped working.  I had to use the EF 135mm f2, which proved to be too short, especially when my kids are on the other side of the lane.  I shot mostly wide open at f2.  As anyone who has used the EF 135mm f2L lens would know, this is one of the sharpest lens, in the world, and f2 is a working aperture.

For me, at least in the facility of the swim meet, the 135mm focal length is  too short for shooting swimming. 200mm is optimal.  Of course, your situation may be different.

Ryan - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 135mm f2. Click for larger.

Megan - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 135mm f2. Click for larger.

Waiting for turn - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 135mm f2. Click for larger.

Taking a break - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 135mm f2. Click for larger.

Lens Woes, Again

I have been happy that my Canon EF 200mm f1.8L lens kind of fixed itself, after I found out it stopped working a couple of months ago.  The day before, I used it to photograph my kids' school concert, and it worked so perfectly.  Today, I took it to my kids' swim meet and it went dead at the as soon as I mounted it on the camera.  Everything else works, even the aperture, but no AF or manual focus.  Because this lens has the focus-by-wire mechanism, it needs electricity to engage and is not mechanically coupled to the focusing ring.  If AF does not work, manual focus will not work either.  The EF 85mm f1.2L works the same way too.

I guess I will take the lens to repair shop like I said I would.  The malfunction of the lens might be caused by moisture, as the swimming pool was very hot and humid.  I will give the lens a test again later to see if it rights itself again or not.  In any case, this is very frustrating, as it is the main lens I use for my kids' sporting events. I used the EF 135mm f2 for the whole event today, but it just did not have enough reach.  Hopefully, the lens can be fixed.

Dillon the Piano Man playing accompaniment for the school choir - 1D III & EF 85mm f1.2.

What Makes Us Upgrade

Let's be honest.  I have a weakness when it comes to buying camera gear.  If I were single, I would probably spent all of my disposable income buying cameras and lenses.  Back in the film days, upgrading a camera usually involved a 5-year plan.  A film camera was made to last at least 5 years before an upgrade was considered, because most camera models had multi-year life span.  Some of them, like the Pentax K-1000, was in production for decades.  My Pentax Program Plus lasted about 12 years for me, and it was still in perfect working order when I traded it in for my last film camera, the Canon Elan II, which lasted about 5 years before digital came along.

Digital fulfills our instant gratification desire. We push a button, the picture shows up on the screen.  We no longer need to wait hours, and sometimes days, before we see the pictures.  We no longer had to count and consider before pushing the shutter, because we are no longer restricted to 36 frames of film.  We can now scrutinize the pictures to the pixel level, versus looking at a 4x6 print.  We get more and more dissatisfied with image quality because we pixel peep, and the newest camera must be better, or so says the marketing department of the camera companies.

Last week I shot Dillon's school concert, with my Canon 1D Mark III, at ISO 1600 and 3200 and the 85mm f1.2L.  I pixel peeped at the meager 10 Mega Pixel files, and I am actually very happy with the image quality.  Seeing images from the 1D III has suppressed the desire to upgrade to a very large extend.

For those of us who are short on disposable income for camera gear, we should take a step back, look at the pictures we have taken with the cameras we have, and ask ourselves, are we really unhappy with the image quality, and really need to upgrade our cameras?

King Street Social - NEX-5N & Tamron SP 17mm f3.5

Why I Have So Many Lenses

It dawned on me the other day, why I have so many lenses.

So many people are obsessed with cosmetics of the lenses that sometimes they take 45 minutes looking and re-looking at a lens that they are buying.  I know this because I sell my share of stuff on Craigslisst.  Sometimes I am tempted to say it in my post, that if you have a near disease-like requirement on cosmetics and neatness, please do not contact me.  I, on the other hand, buy lenses to make pictures.  I don't much care about cosmetics, or a few scratches here or there on the front element, as they hardly affect the image quality.  The problem comes when time to sell some of these lenses.  I really don't want the hassle of sitting there for an hour for someone to complain and whine about how this is not good and that looks bad.  So I just keep them.  Most of them aren't worth much anyway.

Perhaps, to reduce the number of lenses I may buy, I should acquire the same nick-picking attitude to make the seller mad, so that they would not sell it to me. But, in the mean time, I have hundreds of mostly worthless lenses sleeping in boxes.

Glowing Maple Leaves - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8 @ f1.8. Click for larger.

A Bit of Good News

Early this week I emailed Sun Camera in Vaughn and asked if they still repair the Canon EF 200mm f1.8L, and they said they still repair this lens.  So, today I packed the lens and was ready to drop it off at their repair centre.  On my way out, I thought, let's try it one more time.  Mounted the lens on the 1D III and when I turned the focus ring, it moved!  I then tested the AF and it also worked.  I don't know how the lens just healed itself but I don't care.  This has really made my day.  I can use my favourite lens again.

Sally - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8L @ f1.8. Click for larger.

Why I Slow Down Camera Body Upgrades

For a lot of people, they would upgrade to the latest camera bodies as soon as they are available.  I am guilty of this in the past to some degree, but I have now slowed down the upgrade intervals.  There are a couple of reasons for this.

In just a bit longer than a decade, the sensor in the consumer digital camera has matured with frightening speed.  It's unimaginable just a decade ago that today's sensor is capable of such high resolution and low noise.  But, the last couple of years, advances in image quality has been incremental.  The resolution of around 16MP is more than high enough for most uses, and ISO 6400 is surprisingly usable.  Cameras now can last two to three years and are still very usable compared to the new cameras. So, where do you spend the money allocated for photography?  I would suggest lenses.

In film days, we would say that cameras are just a light tight box.  It's the lenses that make the images. It's still true today.  Camera bodies retire at a much faster rate than lenses.  How many 10-year-old digital cameras do you see people use?  Hardly any.  Lenses are entirely different. I see lenses as an investment, though not entirely in financial sense.  I have gone through many Canon bodies, but my Canon lens collection has hardly changed; some of the lenses are more than 20 years old.

True, many people buy cameras not based on image quality, but other factors, such as size, weight, and other features.  Manufacturers know this, and will never make a "perfect" camera.  there are always features that you want, but lacking in the latest camera, and one of these features will be in the next iteration.

Reflection - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8L @ f3.2.

Guildwood Park - October 2012

Yesterday, Sally, Lisa, Dillon and I went to Guildwood Park to shoot the autumn colours.  Guildwood Park is one of my favourite places photograph in the fall.  We also went there last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.  In addition to the 200mm f1.8L, I brought a lot more equipment this year, including the 70-200mm f4L IS that I traded the 70-200mm f2.8L IS for, and never really used it, and the NEX-5N with the Wollensak 209mm f4.5 copy lens.

As usual, the 200mm f1.8L did not disappoint, but sadly, it's now broken, and may never be working again. The 70-200mm f4L IS is fantastic.  I actually like it more than the 70-200mm f2.8L IS version.  It's a lot sharper wide open and the IS is very effective.  Due to the dim lights in the woods, I shot most pictures either wide open or 1/2 a stop down.  If you don't need f2.8 for the popular zoom range of 70-200mm, I would suggest the f4L IS.  Well worth the money, and much lighter and easier on your body (and wallet).

More interesting is the comparison of the Wollensak 209mm f4.5 and the Canon 70-200mm f4L IS at 200mm.  The Wollensak was shot on the NEX-5N and you can see the very significant colour and rendering differences between the two lenses.  The NEX-5N and the Wollensak has a lot less saturation and contrast, where the Canon is the opposite.  I can't remember, but the lighting might be slightly different as the sun was doing hide and seek.  Aside from the colours, the bokeh is night and day too.  This shows how, despite the similar focal length, pictures can be vastly different between lenses; each has its own characters.  Which one you like is a personal preference.  For black & white photography, I think the Wollensak will be excellent.  

Young Tree - NEX-5N & Wollensak Raptar 209mm f4.5 Copy Lens. Click for larger.

Young Tree - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 70-200mm f4L IS @ 200mm f4. Click for larger

Bokeh - NEX-5N & Wollensak Raptar 209mm f4.5 Copy Lens. Click for larger.

Bokeh - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 70-200mm f4L IS @ 200mm f4. Click for larger

Fallen Leaf - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 70-200mm f4L IS @ 200mm f4. Click for larger

Reflection - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 70-200mm f4L IS.

A Sad Note

Today my worst fear has come true - my most loved lens, the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 has stopped working.  I have had this lens for many years, and used it with all sorts of Canon cameras from the original 1Ds to the 1D Mark III and always gave me fantastic image quality.  We went to Guildwood Park today and everything was fine and I even took some pictures with it on our way home, but it's now dead.  No AF or even manual focus.

I am so sad, because the most likely case will be that there is no part to fix it.  Canon no longer has parts for this 24 year old lens.  It remains the fastest auto focus 200mm consumer lens in the world.  I will try the repair shops, but my hope is not too high.

Dillon Getting the shot - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8 @ f1.8. Click for larger.

Autumn Colours - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8 @ f1.8. Click for larger.

Sally with the wrong camera :) - Canon 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8 @ f1.8. Click for larger.

Pan Alive! 2012

Pan Alive! is an annual steel pan competition in Toronto. This year, the event was held at the Lamport Stadium.  My older sons Dillon and Ryan joined the steel pan camp this summer and they were playing in the Jesse Ketchum Pan Vibrations.  It was fun and the music was great.  If you like steel pan music, be sure not to miss next year's competition.

Steel Pans - Canon 1D III & EF 16-35mm f2.8L II. Click for larger.

JK Pan Vibrations Playing -- Canon 1D Mark III & EF 16-35mm f2.8L II. Click for larger.

Energetic Player - Canon 1D III & EF 85mm f1.2L II & f1.4. Click for larger.

Player for the Metro Dome Group - 1D III & EF 85mm f1.2L II @ f1.4

No Tankers

Went out for a walk at lunch time and there was a gathering going on at the Metrocentre.  Lots of people were there to protest against tankers and pipelines.  Just as well, for whatever reason, I decided last night that I would bring my 1D III & EF 135mm f2 lens to work today and this kind of events are always good for the 1D III.  Too bad I didn't bring anything wider but the 135mm focal length is good for individual shots.

No Tankers -- Canon 1D III & EF 135mm f2 @ f2. 

Swim Meet - March 2012

Another swim meet today for the regional swim teams.  Megan and Ryan attended swim meet.  As usual, Megan did a fantastic job, winning all individual events in her age group #1 in all of them, except one even that she was disqualified without just (have video to prove it).  Ryan also did much better than his last time.  Both of them worked really hard during the swim team practices.

Megan Butterfly style -- 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8L

Megan Breast Stroke -- 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8L

Ryan Back Crawl -- 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8L

Megan, waiting for next event -- 1D Mark III & EF 85mm f1.2 @ f1.2.

109%

109% -- Canon 1D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8L & 1.4X Teleconverter

Another picture from the OFSAA Swim Championship 2012.  I couldn't take pictures of the swimmers, therefore most of the pictures I took that day were of people standing close to the glass wall where the spectators sat.

Not sure if the glass wall has something to do with picture quality, but I now find that the pictures I took were quite a bit less sharp with the 1.4x teleconverter than the usual very sharp wide open performance of the 200mm f1.8L.  It's very usable, no question, but definitely not as good as the naked lens is.

Lifeguard

Lifeguard -- D Mark III & EF 200mm f1.8L with 1.4x Teleconverter shot wide open through a thick pane of glass.

Dillon and his school swim team made it to the OFSAA (provincial) Swim Championship and we spent a day in Milton's Sport Centre to cheer for him and his team.  The Sports Centre is a very nice and huge facility that sports 4 skating rinks, a large swimming pool, two gymnasiums and a host of other amenities.  Unfortunately, for today's swim competition, spectators were not allowed to go inside the pool to watch, and everyone had to watch the actions through a very thick pane of glass wall.  I brought a bag full of equipment, but taking pictures of the swimmers is next to impossible.  Of course, they want to sell you pictures they have captured for the event.  Very disappointed and this I have been to many swim meets and this is the first that I couldn't go inside the pool or take any pictures.

Today was the first time I used the Canon 1.4x teleconverter with the EF 200mm f1.8L, for an effective focal length of 280mm f2.5.  I was surprised the focusing speed was still very fast.  I only shot the pictures through the glass walls and it's still usable wide open (effectively f2.5).

Canon 5D Mark III -- Is it worth the hype?

Canonites are eagerly waiting for the unveiling of the long waited successor to the 5D Mark II, which has been one of the most successful and best selling full frame cameras in recent history.  So, the Mark III has a big shoe to fill. If the rumour is correct, it will have the 1DX auto focusing system, and a new 22MP sensor with high ISO going all the way up the wazoo! I am happy that Canon listens to its customers and didn't go nuts on pixel count on the popular 5D line, and instead, concentrates on high ISO and more dynamic range.  The only worry is that the price might be too high.  Anything over $2800 is too much, in my opinion.  The 5D II was something like $2800 on introduction.

On the other hand, I am sure Canon won't let Nikon steal the show with the D800's 36MP sensor.  I have no doubt they will have a competing model with 40 or more megapixel sensor, perhaps the 3D, or 5DX very shortly?

This is exciting times, even though for me, they are too expensive for me to afford, but glad to see the technology advances.  Who knows, in a couple of years, we may see a $1500 full frame 24MP camera.

Rock Skipping -- 1D Mark III & EF 135mm f2

753 Stars of Love

753 stars in a jar -- Canon 1D Mark III & EF 135mm f2.8 Soft Focus

Two years after we started dating, Jessica gave me a jar filled with stars, 753 to be exact, with all sorts of colours and sizes. Many of them had Love written on them.  I had the jar in my hand and didn't know what to make of it until she told me that one star represented a day we had been together.  I found my eyes were becoming misty, and my heart warmed.  I was very touched by this gesture of love.  The fact that she counted each day we met, and remembered it with a star, made me realized how serious she was, and how much she valued our relationship.  I knew then, that she had completely captured my heart; that she was the one for me, and that we would spend the rest of our lives together.  Over the years, we went through some very rough times together, and our relationships never grew apart, but got stronger because of that.  Only death will do us part, as in our marriage vows.

Happy Valentine's Day, my love!

Dillon

Dillon -- 1D Mark III & EF 135mm f2 @ f2

I picked up a used Canon XS Rebel a little while back for Dillon, hoping that this time it will ignite the photography passion in him then the last time I got him the 30D, which I eventually sold as he wan't really into it. I am happy to say that he is somewhat more enthusiastic this time around, and we went out together once in a while for a shoot.  Perhaps the fact that his cousin Sally, who has caught the photography bug, has an influence on him.  In any case, it's a good thing.  Some of his pictures are quite good. Hope he will keep it up.

Ryan at Music Recital

Ryan on piano -- 1D Mark III & EF 50mm f1.2L @ f1.2, ISO 1600

My kid's music school had another recital today, and Ryan was asked to play.  I was awed by some of the very young but extremely talented players at the recital.  Few of them are younger than ten years old, but played complex pieces with ease.  Not only that, they played more than one instrument without breaking a sweat, not at the same time of course.  I think it was a great event for kids to learn from each other.

Colours!

Ryan Playing Video Game --1D Mark III & EF 50mm f1.2L 

Itsn't it unbelievable that our digital cameras capture colour images with a black & white sensor?  Ok, cameras using the X3 Foveon sensors are excepted, as it uses a vertical filter on the sensor itself, but majority of digital cameras use a Bayer Array sensor, which was invented by Kodak, and colour is interpolated from the RGBG filter.  Today's Bayer sensors are so good, colour accuracy is truly amazing.  Luckily, we don't have to worry about the technical side of this stuff.  We just point, and click, so to speak.

William

William -- Canon 1D III & EF 50mm f1.2L

I like taking candid pictures of my kids.  It was a lot easier when they were young but as they grow older, they are more aware of my presence, especially with camera in hand.  Occasionally, I am still able to snap a picture here and there without them paying much attention to me.  I look at it this way, any picture I can take of them is a bonus.  A little piece of memory that I will enjoy looking back when the kids have all grown up and live their own lives.  That, I think, is why so many of us love to take pictures.  We are capturing our present for the future to see.

My Love

My Love -- 1D Mark III & EF 85mm f1.2L @ f1.2, ISO 1600

The person in the picture above is my wife, Jessica.  We have been married for just over 16 years, and we dated for 11 years prior to that.  I know for fact that we will be together till the very end; we are made for each other.  You see, we never dated anyone else before we knew each other.  My life has changed in so many ways, to the better, because of her.  I am amazed of her tolerance of my many faults, one of which is the addiction to photographic gear.  She is way smarter than she gives herself credits for, and she never wavers in the principles that she believes in.  She is a person I can trust and believe in; a person who will be there when I need her the most; a person who will never abandon me when I have nothing left; a person who I can't wait to come home to, regardless how far away I am.  I love this woman!