Second big snow

We had our second big snow of the season yesterday. Snowed all day, from about 9 a.m. until 5 or 6 p.m. Only accumulated maybe four or five inches, though. I went out this morning to take a few shots -- the sun is really shining bright.

I have re-decided (ha!) to get the 85 f/1.8. So I did a little DOF experiment with the tree branch below. I wonder which f-stop the 1.8 of the 85mm will be comparable to on the 50mm. I'm sure there's an equation that would let me figure it out, but adding 35 mms will probably mean that the 85's 1.8 will look something like the 50's 1.6, or maybe 1.4?

So the four shots below were taken in sequence, the first at f/1.6, the second at f/2, the third at f/2.5, and the last one at f/3.2:










































































Obviously I like the bokeh in the first photo the best -- I think it's pretty gorgeous, actually. However, I think the tree limb looks best in the third and fourth photos. If I were to try this again, I'd stand so that the limb was a little more parallel to me and take it at f/1.6 (or even 1.4) again -- that should keep more of the limb in focus, but still produce the lovely bokeh in the first shot.

The 85mm 1.8 is $379.95 (with free shipping) at B&H, which is probably where I'll buy it from. I ordered the 50mm from them, and it arrived really quickly. Seems that only L lenses come with hoods, which is kind of annoying. I know I should probably start investing in accessories like that.

I am also starting to slowly learn about filters and polarizers; we'll be at the beach this June, and I want to (1) keep my glass protected from the sand/salt, and (2) learn to take better coastal photos!

DOF, AF systems

I have somehow just gotten the ability to change the size of the images I post in here. I won't ask questions; I like it.

Went out for Italian with some friends from one of my study abroad groups back in undergrad. This is a photo of our appetizer, before it was completely devoured, taken at f/1.6, ISO 800:

I really like this shot (if I do say so myself, ha). I think the colors are good, and the addition of the hand & fork in the background is awesome. The lighting provided some nice highlights, but still fairly detailed "low lights." I'm pretty pleased. The f/1.6 didn't add a bad effect either ;)

This next photo is one of a series of three paintings we have above our couch. I was hoping that the DOF would look a little shallower, but I think I was coming at it from too straight of an angle, if I had shot at an upward angle from even lower, I think I would have seen more blur. But it's still cool. I do think the colors turned out particularly well. Does it have a greenish tint, I wonder? I try to be careful about that. This is at f/1.4, ISO 800:

The DOF looks a lot better on this photo. Also f/1.4, ISO 800:

I know lots of people take this boring "keyboard DOF" shot, but I had to try it.

My main interest when shooting these few shots was to see how the different AF focus points reacted -- I've been reading up on Canon's AF systems (not specifically the one in my camera, since it's a discontinued model). The center point is supposed to be cross-type, while the others aren't. I can't really exhibit these differences in the shots, but I can say that it was usually much harder to lock focus when I was using a point other than the center one.

I don't mind (technique-wise) using the center point every time and simply recomposing, but I wonder if recomposing can actually throw off the focus in some instances.

I'm particularly interested in this because I've become interested in the 5D Mark II as my body upgrade, and it seems that the only big complaint about that body is the "adolescent" focusing system --- still only the center focus point is cross-type (and high-precision).

Supposedly the cross-type focus points are most particularly helpful when tracking moving subjects (birds in flight, sports), which is why people are so excited about the 7D's focus system. But I really, really, really want a full-frame body. I wish the 5D2's AF was just a tad better. Ah well. We'll see what Canon announces in February. Maybe one of the new bodies will fit me better (at what cost?!).