My First Prime Lens + Test Shots

After much research, I have decided to settle with the 50mm f/1.4 and make it my first prime lens. I am stoked! I grabbed this baby from Best Buy on Black Friday for $339.99. Eh, I guess that wasn't really much of a sale because this lens typically cost anywhere between $350 and $400.

I was going back and forth between the 50mm f/1.8 and f/1.4 because there is a significant difference in price. The 1.8 is cost about $100, which makes it totally affordable but after reading the reviews, I felt like the 1.4 was a better investment since it is built better.

Why did I pick this lens?

• Wide aperture, which allows this lens to take pictures in low light, create shallow depth of field, and beautiful bokeh.
• Because of it's wide aperture, it's also considered a fast lens.
• It has the normal focal length and is ideal for portrait photography. Please note that the minimum focusing distance with this lens is 18 inches or 45 cm.
• I also found that the focusing motor is more quiet than my kit lens.

For now these are just a few test shot. These pictures were taken with Canon T3i and have not been edited other than resized and watermarked. This lens takes beautiful pictures. I'm in love with the bokeh.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2, shutter speed 1/100 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash,dim light coming from
the hallway and soft light coming from the base of the candle

Luuux Shared Link

Setting Small Goals

I want my photography to take flight and this blog is my foundation for learning, sharing, and get creative. I am hoping that as time goes by, I can look back to where I started and see some growth :). In order for you and me to get a clear picture of where I plan on going, I've set up these small goals to get me on the right track...

1. Learn how to use and be proficient with at least most of the functionalities of my Canon T3i. I plan on sharing with you everything that I know and learned about my camera.
2. Learn the basics of Photoshop Lightroom 4.2. I downloaded it the other day and let's just say I am completely at lost with the interface and what to do. For years, I have used Adobe Photoshop 7.0...Yes, I know this is a freaking old version but hey it still helps making my pictures look nice though I seriously need to upgrade. Anyways, I was saying I have no clue what the hell I am doing with Lightroom cause it's so different from Photoshop BUT I will share tips and trips once I get the hang of it.
3. Acquire my first prime lens and experiment with it. I will definitely do a review and share lots of pictures with it. The thought of it excites me!

As you can see, my first baby step is getting some of the technical stuff down pat. I'm proud to say that I already have quite a bit of ideas and stuff in my mind that I cannot wait to share.
If you're a beginner, perhaps you'll find my posts helpful. If you're intermediate and pro, I'll probably be no use to you and bore the living daylights out of you, lol...Anyways, I could certainly use some tips and advice from the pros too so feel free to show me the ropes when needed!

My Camera and BFF

Hello there,

I think it's important that I introduce to you my BFF, Rebella (yes, I gave her a name!).
She's a Canon Rebel T3i (AKA EOS 600D) and I received the body plus kit lense.

If you follow me on my beauty blog, then you probably might have seen these images. Yes, they are mine but I still have the watermark of my other blog on them. 

If that is something that interests you, you can click HERE and read more about the specs and feature on Canon's website. It currently retails for $600-$700, depending on where you purchase it from.

Since this is my first DSLR, I'm pretty much a noobie but I have used it for about 5 months now so I will give you my two scents, from a noobie's point of view of course.

Generally, any noobie will be pleased with the picture quality taken with this camera and the kit lense. You will definitely notice a difference in quality from this camera and your pocket digital cam.
It does a pretty good job at capturing colors that are very close to what it is in real life.

For a beginner, you might feel a little overwhelmed but I think overall, this camera is fairly simple to use. Of course, there's probably a zillion other settings I have not tried but what I'm trying to say is it won't take you long to figure the basics. At least I don't think so...unless this is the first digital camera you have ever used. 

The first flaw I quickly noticed is that the kit lens is a little slow. The one that came with my camera is the 18-55mm IS II f/3.5-5.6. It does take a few seconds for it to focus so it's definitely not going to do the job if you plan on using it for taking pictures of sports, kids, and pets. Your subject will get out of your way before your camera has the chance to focus.

The second flaw I noticed is that the lens does a poor job at taking pictures in low light condition. It's widest aperture is 3.5, which makes is slow and background blur isn't the greatest. It's also not the greatest for macro photography and the sharpness leaves something to be desired.

After doing my research, I've figured that the lens play a big part in the outcome of your pictures. In another word, I'm not very pleased with the kit lens that came with my camera. Don't get me wrong, it does take beautiful pictures, especially when you get the right lighting and I'm sure any casual shooters will not mind that BUT you should take into consideration what types of photography you will be using it for.

If you are serious about photography, then I would advise you to buy the camera body and then choose a lens that fit the type of photography you are going for. Lenses are expensive and are probably your best investment so you don't want to end up wasting money on a lens that doesn't work for you. That's the first lesson I learned.

Here are pictures of what is included in the box...

 

In the Beginning

Hi,

I am not a professional photographer. As a matter of fact, I think I only have a basic knowledge and concept about photography but I've always had an interest in it for a very long time. One of the main reason why I never really took it seriously is because I did not have the money to invest on a good camera. They say an artist is only as good as his tools and let's face it, photography gears are expensive! I have finally acquired my very first DSLR camera over the summer, the Canon T3i, which I call Rebella who is now my BFF, hehe. From then till now, I have been getting familiar with my Rebella...understanding how she operates and figuring out her strengths and weaknesses. There is so much about her that I still don't know. Hopefully, as we get more intimate, perhaps we'll discover more about each other.

I still don't know which direction this blog is going but I'm definitely here to talk about my journey as a novice photographer, share tips & tricks, and talk about everything and anything I do and use to produce my photography.


PS: Sorry if I don't have much to show right now. This blog is still brand new. ^^