The Lenses Pt.1
I Think that getting the right lenses is very important and getting to the right lenses for you takes time, research and a lot of trial and error. Obviously price is also a main factor in making the ultimate decision.
I started off with a 15-85mm lens which came with my 7D Camera body. This was a lens that I used for a long period of time and was a great starting point for me when getting into photography. This lens travelled with me to India and Nepal as well as Iceland and other areas of South East Asia.
The Canon EFS 15-85mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens
The great thing about this lens was its focal range which meant it was easy to use in a lot of different situations. However as i came to learn more about the ins and outs of lenses i started to understand its limitations, especially in Low light situations. Here are a few examples of this lens paired with the 7D body.
This Picture of Seljalandsfoss waterfall in the south of Iceland was taken on a tripod with a 10 stop B+W filter on a 7D using the 15-85mm lens. I got as far back as i could and left the shutter open for around 50 seconds to achieve the look i wanted.
Again showing the versatility of this lens i used this when in Nepal when climbing up to Annapurna Base camp. This was taken looking back down towards where i had walked from, following the river up. It was taken at ISO 100 and at 15mm. I Did not have a tripod for this shot but it still came out fairly sharp (except corners)
The main gripe i started to find with this lens was although it was a great lens in regards to practicality (large focal length) its sharpness dropped off towards the corners of an image shot at 15mm or at 85mm and high aperture meant that it struggled in low light meaning a higher ISO was required, creating grain in the image. It was also not tack sharp which i could achieve with later lenses. Still it did me well for my first lens and stayed with me until it was replaced by the 24-70mm L series F.4. I will come to this lens soon but before that i need to look at my other first lens that was bought soon after i got my first DSLR in my next blog post.
