Thursday, January 10, 2008

My New Baby


Be warned…
this post is filled with photo-tech hoo-hah
and mumbo-jumbo that might be a snore
to people who don’t get off on cameras and lenses.
If that kind of thing bores the bejeezuz out of you,
move on along!
**************************************************

Have you noticed?

I have been drawn away from my blog by a new love lately. Can one cheat on their blog with a new camera?

My (good, dear, sweet, generous) hubby got me what I really wanted for Christmas this year! A new digital camera! Even though we didn't neeeeeed it! Not just a digital camera, but a digital SLR camera!

A Canon Digital Rebel XTi, baby!

But it’s not really the camera that I wanted, it’s the lens.

I love to browse through photos in flickr and I kept finding these photos that I was SO drawn to! They were pictures of a thousand different subjects, but they all had this super-tight depth of field where everything in front of and behind the subject was out of focus. But what was IN focus was SO crisp, and I wasn’t sure how to describe it but what was out of focus was… so… beautifully... out-of-focusy!

(There's the tech-talk I warned you about earlier!!)

Now I have taken a LOT of out of focus pictures in my life, and NONE of them looked good. That’s when, reading up on the Canon lenses these photos had in common, I learned the word BOKEH!!

Say it with me, now... BOKEH!!

I think it means “blurry, in a good way” in Japanese or something.

Folks started describing the photos I liked as having great bokeh, creamy bokeh, and even as being BOKEH-LICIOUS!!

The magic, I found, came from Canon’s glorious skills with optics, and the fact that some of their lenses stop down to 1.4, 1.2 and even 1.0 (their aperture opens REALLY wide!) This also allows the camera to let in more light in low light situations. I take LOTS of indoor pics and DESPISE indoor flash! So, another plus.

Am I boring you yet?

Long story short, Michael decided the expense was worth my giddy happiness, and since I take 99 percent of the family pictures, I should have what I want (isn’t he awesome??). And, reselling our current digital camera would offset the cost. So YAY! I started my research.

I found the lens I wanted… It stopped down to 1.2 and it was $1400!!

Hmmm… I found the next step down was very reasonably priced. No middle ground between them. This one stopped down to 1.4. Very respectable.

I hunted on flickr for pics taken with the camera/lens combo I lusted after could afford, and sure enough, lots of creamy bokeh to go around.

Sold!

I had read that the kit lens that comes with the Rebel is not so fab, so I opted to get the body only, and ordered the lens separately. The body showed up in time to go under the tree, but the lens finally came a few days ago.

I have been in hog heaven ever since.

I took a bunch of pics in the tiny backyard brick courtyard we have, and took the kids to our nearby park a few times, and shot about 4000 photographs. Not a one of them was above f/1.4! Even when it wasn’t the most appropriate setting! I just wanted Bokeh, bokeh, bokeh! Creamy Bokeh!!

So, forgive me that so many of my pictures for the next few weeks are going to have a super tight depth of field while I play and learn.

All these pictures were taken with the new gear. Also, my Wordless Wednesday pic of Noah and his friend in the previous post.

Oh, and just so my camera doesn’t get jealous of my lens… I have to say that the usability and ease of the digital rebel is really finding a sweet comfy spot in the corner of my little heart and settling in nicely.

8 comments:

Snowbird said...

Nice camera. Nicer hubby!! I think we will putting that camera to lots of good use in a week or so.

Robyn Jones said...

Those pics are really cool...I want the Nikon D-80...I already have some of the lenses..I have it's equivilant in a manual camera...unfortunatly, my poor baby doesn't get used anymore, because everything is digitalized..and my digital camera isn't cutting it for me...The lenses are transferable...which is cool...

Cindy said...

I want me some Bokeh!! I love that look too, I had no idea what it was called. Those are some great photos, can't wait to see what else you can do.

Shama-Lama Mama said...

Robyn, welcome to my blog! Hi Cindy!

Yeah, I have been having a lot of fun with this camera. I hear really good things about that Nikon too, Robyn. And they do have a lens that stops down way low, too.

I have a backlog, now, of pictures I have taken already. Hundreds that I need to go through and weed the bad things out of. Lots and lots to photoshop before posting.

Loving it, though.

Mom and Dad, Can't WAIT to see you!!

Pennies In My Pocket said...

I came by to thank you for stoppin' by on my blog to enter the contest and then I absolutely fell in love with your bloggie goodness going on here! My hubby bought me the Canon XTi as well, but I haven't a clue how to use it!!!! I wish we lived closer...I'd hire ya to teach me. I just want someone to teach me....I guess I could actually break out the book on it and teach myself, but that's no fun!

I'l totally be coming back here often!!

~melody~

Gumby said...

there is no substitute for an SLR with depth of field options. I love the convenience of my digital. But I do miss the "artsiness" of my SLR.

tracey clark said...

it's obvious you are a true artist no matter your tools. but...nothing beats a good camera!
those images are gorgeous.

Anonymous said...

I'm jealous of your lens. I have the one that came with the XTi and it's "ok", but not "GREAT"!

We need to be bloggy friends, OK?!?! Ok. It's settled.