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Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Lens Review

Barry — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:01:20 +0000

Specifications

Weight	14.3 oz
Length	2.8 in
Lens Type	Fixed Focal Length
Closest Focusing Distance	9.6 in
Diameter	3.1 in
Attachment/Filter Size	72 mm
Focus Type	Autofocus
Picture Angle	94 degrees
Focal Length	20mm
Max Aperture	f/2.8

The Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM was released in 1992 and features a floating system for close focus correction.

Gossip

Whilst researching the lens prior to receiving it I noticed that they were VERY mixed opinions about the sharpness and vignetting that photographers have noted when processing their photo’s, comments range from;

“I used it to shoot from an elevated angle. The result were disappointing…..I paid $300 but I don’t think it is even worth more than $100 to tell you the truth. The colors are lifeless, “burnt-out”. There are no details on the images.” - from FredMiranda.

To the more positive;

“I was a little apprehensive to purchase this lens after reading so many conflicting reviews. I went ahead with the purchase and only regret not picking up this lens earlier. Shooting wide open is completely acceptable as far as sharpness, however, I think sharpness is generally over-hyped. I’d recommend this lens to a friend.” - from FredMiranda.

It would seem that some people are even speculating if a ‘bad batch’ of these filters was released as the reviews and opinions of photographers are SO varied. Below are my thoughts and results from this lens….

First Impressions

Let’s start from the beginning, the lens has a nice weight to it and (as expected from Canon) has a good build quality. The lens is of average size and should fit nicely into most kit bags. Having a 72mm filter fit already was also a bonus as I could share filters already purchased with this lens.

Other than the manual focus ring, the only control is the Auto/Manual Focus switch which keep the lens nice and simple. The distance window is marked in both feet and metres and includes a very useful depth-of-field scale. As the lens does not rotate during focussing (internal workings control this) it is great when using filters and the ‘optional’ hood.

There is no hood with the lens as this is sold separately (a bit cheeky!) .

Practical Use

Now, being in the UK I don’t often get great, perfect sunny days to take photo’s, today was no exception and it was typically overcast and dull. I chose a church for my first round of photo’s to test the sharpness, focus distance and vignetting (as these seemed to be 2 of the complaints featured in many photographers reviews).

This lens has a minimum focus distance of 0.25m and object magnification of about 1:7. In the example on the left this is clearly demonstrated using the flowers in the foreground. I have read that the colours in photographs taken using this lens are lifeless and dull and I must admit I have to agree.

I did notice the dark areas around the edge of the church spire and roof, this effect was only present when the aperture was wide open however.

I notice vignetting at F2.8 which is a little disappointing for a full format lens although this does seem to disappear at about F8.

Although not terrible the sharpness is not all that great either, as seen below you could probably get away with it and correct the sharpness in post processing but it would be nice not to have to do this;

The next day I ventured out again to further test the lens, the weather was no better and the colours not great. Below are some sample shots which are unprocessed;

Sample

Community

There are hundreds of example photo’s using 20mm lenses on FLickr and also loads of groups dedicated to the focal length, some of which are listed below;

I have to say a big ‘Thank you to B&H for sending me the lens to review, you can purchase the Canon 20mm lens from B&H Photo or browse the huge range of photography equipment that they supply by clicking on the banner below.

An alternative lens to the Canon is;

Sigma 20mm F/1.8 EX

Stunning Examples Of Corridor Photography

Barry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:01:00 +0000

: By Julie70

: By khalid almasoud

: By Ali Reza (delashoob)

: By khalid almasoud

: By BertBeckers

: By BrianForbes37

: By 96dpi

: By c@rljones

: By sinkdd

: By 96dpi

: By tanakawho

: By James C Farmer

: By dragon2309

“]: By remuz [Jack The Ripper

: By ajgelado

: By Ric e Ette

: By sinkdd

: By Mike Schmid

: By multisanti

: By jasoneppink

: By Andy Hares

: By kryptos86

: By Shoes on Wires

: By TravelingMango

Preview image by Jay PH

Photographing Buildings – A Guide

Barry — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:01:01 +0000

Whether you live in a sprawling city or a tiny village, there are buildings and structures. You may drive past a certain building or bridge etc every day on the way to and from work. Next time you drive past it, stop and have a closer look to plan how you can capture most effectively what caught your eye in the first place.

Take a look at the building from all angles and, if possible, take a look from the roof down. Consider the time of day that would suite the shot best. As buildings have windows it may be worth waiting for the sun or even moon to be reflected in order to add a bit more to the photograph. Take a look at the building from a far, if the outline of the building is an interesting shape then a silhouette shot may compliment the overall effect.

: By Chi King

Buildings at night take on a completely different look. Lights and shadows add to the overall scene and offer opportunities for different effects such as ‘bokeh’ or light trails. Remember that if you do go for night shots you will require a tripod due to the increased exposure times required.

Obviously make sure that you are allowed to enter the premises if it is private and DO NOT trespass.

If the building’s surroundings tell a story or compliment the general feel of the location then consider including it in the shot, for instance a church may be complimented by it’s graveyard and a museum photograph may look better if you include the steps that lead up to it’s entrance.

: By Dr.Deer

Perfect examples of this are light houses where there are usually cliffs in the foreground or background, churches (graveyard) and stately homes which often have lots of landscaped gardens an statues.

: By tanakawho

Go Inside

Interiors of buildings are often more interesting that the exteriors. light, shadow, colours and textures all play a part inside and make for great images. Churches and museums often have interesting interiors and stained glass windows can smother the scene with vivid colours from the sun shining through.

: By Christopher Chan

Modern buildings often have an abundance of glass which, in turn offers reflections and shapes to concentrate on (a polarizer filter will help to control and also enhance these reflections.

HDR is often a good choice for interiors as it captures high, mid and low tones and can create stunning photo’s.

: By Brandon Godfrey (away)

Other Structures

Bridges, statues, piers etc all offer great photographic opportunities. Again the above applies to all of these locations but for piers especially, you have the added bonus of the see or river and, IF SAFE, yo can also get underneath them for the structure itself.

: By tochis

CityScapes

If you can get up high enough and have a city near by, why not go for a whole lot of architecture in one go!! Some inspiration can be found here. Using several shots and ‘stitching’ them together as a panorama is a great technique to capture large scenes like cityscapes, a tutorial regarding this technique can be found here. Alternatively there is software available that will stitch several images together and adjust the tones so that all photos in the panorama match, one such package is AutoPano Pro.

Abandoned Buildings

Abandoned building offer a different angle as they are often decaying and sometimes a bit creepy. Items that are left in the building offer interesting subjects and the eerie nature of the location adds interest to the photograph.

My previous post about Hellingly Asylum may help to give you some inspiration when it comes to derelict buildings.

: By howzey

Remember to be careful though and make sure you are allowed to enter the premises and that it is SAFE.

Equipment

For daytime shots you don’t NEED any specialist equipment other than the camera. A wide angle lens is an advantage as it will capture more of the scene but if you do not have one of these then you can always take a series of shots and create a panorama in post processing.

A polarizer and ND filter are also a ‘nice to have’ but not essential.

For internal shots it is an advantage to take an external flash and diffuser but, again, during the day these are not essential as there should be enough light for your photogrpahs.

For night time shots and cityscapes a tripod is essential as the shutter speed will be slower. A torch is also a good idea, not only to see where you are going but also for a bit of light painting for those long exposure shots.

: By 2create

Preview image by MarcelGermain

How To Photograph Wakeboarders & Waterskiing

Barry — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:01:23 +0000

When we arrived I asked some questions which would help me during the shoot;

Where on the lake do the Wakeboarders go (the lake is used for different water sports)?
How many people would be Wakeboarding that required photo’s?
Where are the best vantage points (not having visited the lake before)?

One thing that came out of the conversation was previous difficulties that people had come across trying to get in focus shots due to the speed of the boat (and obviously the Wakeboarder!).

Once we had spoken about what they were looking for and what difficulties they had previously come across trying to get photo’s we barrelled around the perimeter of the lake at breakneck speed in an old Ford Fiesta (which has already been driven from the UK to South Africa!). Luckily my friend lives on the lake and his friend owns the whole thing so we had free run over the whole area!

There were 3 main vantage points for the shoot;

Judges podiums – these were stands on the bank about 15 feet high with a great view up and down the lake.
The bank – great for water level shots
The boat – best vantage point but also the most unsteady (especialy when turning 180 degrees without warning at, what felt like, 50mph!).

I started off using the judges podiums to get the correct settings for the light and shutter speeds needed, which were high!

Equipment

I took my Canon 50d with Tamron 70-300mm lens, this allowed my a good range to get both close up shots but also track the boat as it made it’s way towards me on the lake (it also helped that the boat had heavy dance music blairing out from it’s stereo!).

I set the mode to manual, the shutter speed to 1/2500 sec, F4 and the ISO to auto to start off with which worked well as the light was still good (I did not use a flash as I did not want to put anyone off!

As the boat came towards my position I steadied myself and placed my arm on the railing and cradled the camera on bent elbow to reduce camera shake as much as possible. I then tracked the wakeboarder down the lake until they started to ‘show off’ for the camera, at which point I started to take shots, LOT’S of shots!

I made sure that I shot continuously from before they did a trick to after they had finished it, this improved the chances of a great shot, in focus and without the wakeboarder pulling a stupid face!

I tried to get different aspects of the sport into my photo’s, not just jumping in the air but also the turns, the boat and the wash caused by the boat that the wakeboarders use to perform the stunts. I also tried to get the design of the wakeboard to become a big part of the photo as it added texture and colour to an otherwise very blue photo.

Next I moved to the bank (because I was cold and had already nearly fallen off twice!). From this position I could get some great shots of the wave of water created by the wakeboarders turning before a trick….

I think that these shots give a slightly different perspective on the normal shots that people get (although these are great also! ;0))

Finally I jumped on the boat, at this point the light had started to fade and so I changed from auto ISO and ramped it up to 800. The main issue with being on the boat was the movement, I tried to get the shots whilst on a straight as this was the smoothest part of the ride.

Finally I did a bit of post processing which was basically just playing with the curves and applying a bit of sharpening to the shots. Cropping was generous on the more distant shots but having taken over 700 in 3 hours I had plenty to play about with!

My Tips

Do you research – ask about the location and the sport to find the best position and time to get shots.
Change your perspective – move about the area and get shots form different angles, with different exposure etc to change the view.
Take LOADS of shot’s – the more you have, the better chance one will be what your after!
Pick your day - I did not have a choice abut the weather or time of day but the better the light the better the photo, if you can, go for the golden hours for the best light.
Have your camera ready – set up your equipment long before you are expected to start to take photos, the boat and subject will be quick and leave no time for adjustments!
Have a water proof camera bag – your near water, be safe and protect you gear!
High shutter speed – Anything over 1/2000th sec and between F2 and F6 works well.

The article I read before going can be found here.

Low Light Photography

Barry — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Taking photos during the day will usually produce images that you feel are great to average, shooting at night is a little more harsh, the photos will inadvertently be either rubbish or great – unless you know how to adapt to the conditions!

The trick is using what little light IS available, even when you think that there is no light, there usually is. Take a moment to simply let your vision become accustomed to your environment, once you have you will probably notice that there is, in fact light available. Whether this be from distant street lights, the moon or just light pollution from a nearby town, there IS light….

Knowing your camera settings and how they compliment each other is a VERY important part of night time/low light photography. ISO, Shutter speed and aperture all play an important part in the process. Having a tripod to hand is also a must as you will inevitably be using slow shutter speeds.

Shooting at night is often a case of starting with a high ISO and a long shutter speed and then adjusting these settings until they are balanced. Remember that a high ISO will also usually cause noise in the image. You can reduce the ISO by using slower shutter speeds however be careful not to increase the shutter speed too much or you may wash out the photo.

There is also the aperture (FStop), the higher the FStop, the less light that will allowed through the lens to the sensor and the greater the depth of field i.e. F2 would allow loads of light through but produce an image with a very shallow depth of field, F22 would not allow much light through and would produce an image with a greater depth of field.

As a general rule, the longer the shutter speed, the higher the FStop.

Manual focus will also need to be utilised as the automatic focus will probably not work in low light conditions, get to grips with manual focus during the day if you do not normally use it, it’s all about practise!

If you can, shoot in RAW as this captures greater detail than JPEG and is better to work with in post processing. The downside is the size of the photo files, if you have a memory card with enough capacity then this wont be an issue.

With the advances in photo manipulation software such as Photoshop, Noiseware,Noise Ninja etc, even if you do have to use a really high ISO and as a result do get noise in the image, you can always reduce this in post porcessing (just don’ rely on post porcessing to solve all of your photography probelms! ;0))

Remember that you dont have to produce an image with crystal clear detail and perfect definition. Using the fact that you will get blur as a result of slow shutter speeds or shallow depth of field as a result of a low FStop is a Technique which should be embraced and utilised!

Remember

Tripod
ISO
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Patience
Practice
Awareness
Creativity

Aperture Explained

Barry — Mon, 25 May 2009 08:20:15 +0000

The ‘Sunny 16′ rule

The ’Sunny 16′ rule is a way of estimating correct daylight exposures without a light meter. It can also help to achieve correct exposure of difficult subjects.

The basic rule is, ”On a sunny day set aperture to f/16 and shutter speed to the ISO film speed.” For example:
On a sunny day and with ISO 100 film in the camera, one sets the aperture to f/16 and the shutter speed to 1/100 or 1/125 second (on most cameras 1/125 second is the available setting nearest to 1/100 second).
On a sunny day with ISO 200 film and aperture at f/16, set shutter speed to 1/200 or 1/250.
On a sunny day with ISO 400 film and aperture at f/16, set shutter speed to 1/400 or 1/500.

N.B. As with other light readings, shutter speed can be changed as long as the f-number is altered to compensate.

Whats the difference between a large aperture and a small one?

A large aperture gives the photographer more freedom in the kind of pictures that you can take as your camera will perform better in low-light. This is because the larger lens opening allows more light to pass through to the image sensor than a smaller lens opening.

This also allows you to to take photo’s using faster shutter speeds to freeze action shots, such as sports photography. Note: For every shutter speed increment you go up, you need to open up an f-stop of aperture. e.g. From 1/60 sec. to 1/250 sec. there are 2 increments, so you open up the aperture by 2 f-stops.

By Slaff

By micah.e

By iam_photography

Using a smaller aperture allows you to slow the shutter speed down on the camera without over exposing the photo out due to too much light. As a smaller aperture allows less light through to the image sensor the shutter speed can be decreased without the washed out effect.

By Tea, two sugars

By mrschnips

By faceymcface1

Aperture and depth of field

a large aperture will create a shallow DOF

a small aperture will create a greater DOF

By { p r a n a v }

By Kuba Bozanowski

By Anniewil

Preview image credit: Aperture petals by Akira Ikari

Shutter Speed ‘How To’ Guide

Barry — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:35:55 +0000

What is ‘Shutter Speed’?

The shutter speed is the precise amount of time that the camera’s shutter remains open to allow the right amount of light to pass through the lens and hit the sensor. Most of the photo’s normally taken will only require a fraction of a second to complete this process however, digital SLR’s are capable of shutter speeds of multiple seconds, minutes or even hours (this is how ’star trails’ are achieved).

Motion in photography can be greatly manipulated using shutter speed. Fast shutter speeds will freeze the subject, capturing the detail, slow shutter speeds will blur the motion, capturing less detail but enhancing the impression of speed and movement. The shutter speeds on most digital SLR’s will range from 30 seconds to 1/4000sec. There may also be a setting for ‘Bulb’, this is like the manual setting for the shutter where you dictate how long the shutter speed stays open.

What equipment do I need?

Digital SLR – Obvious but you need an SLR that has adjustable shutter speeds, nowadays most do and so you probably already own one.
Tripod – A tripod is essential for slow shutter speeds as any shake during the exposure will result in blurred shots (not the bits you want to blur!). If you do not have a tripod you can improvise by resting the camera on a stationary object or using a bean bag (easy to find on eBay for a couple of pounds!).
Self Timer – If you have a self timer then you should use this to avoid camera shake when taking the shot.
Remote Release – Even better than the self timer is a remote release. This allows you to take the photograph without touching the camera. Many releases also come with a ‘lock’ which works alongside the ‘Bulb’ setting mentioned above.
Neutral Density Filters - When taking photographs using slow shutter speeds during the day or in light conditions a Neutral Density filter acts like a pair of sunglasses for the camera lens and helps to avoid overexposing the image.

How To Control Shutter Speed?

Digital SLR’s have settings that will automatically calculate the correct shutter speed and aperture for you, however, to really take control of the shutter speed you need to swith to the ‘Shutter Priority’ mode, this is usually illustrated as ‘S’ or ‘Tv’ on the camera.

Using the ‘Shutter Priority’ mode allows you to control the length of time that the shutter remains open while the camera calculates which corresponding f/stop to use. The effect that the shutter speed you have selected will have on the subject/scene can be viewed on any camera with a ‘Live View’ option. Alternatively the old ‘trial and error’ approach can be adopted!

The below photographs were taken using 3 different shutter speeds, all at ISO100, notice the f/stop compensation automatically adjusted by the camera.

Shutter speeds are usually referred to as ’stops’, for each stop either up or down the amount of light allowed to enter the lens doubles or halves respectively e.g. a shutter speed of 1/500sec will allow twice as much light to enter the lens as 1/1000sec. Most DSLR’s can also increment in 1/2 and even 1/ stops.

Standard shutter speeds (in seconds) are;

30
15
8
4
2
1
1/2
1/4
1/8
1/16
1/30
1/60
1/125
1/250
1/500
1/1000
1/2000
1/4000

Different shutter speeds can also be used to great effect in Landscape photography. One example of this is if there is long grass in the foreground that is moving in the wind, slowing down the shutter speedwill create an almost ghostly effect where the grass is moving (usually in the same direction) whilst the rest on the image (hills, buildings ect) stay in focus. Another example is using very slow shutter speeds to blur the clouds in the photograph, the effect of this is quite unique.