New Toy: Holga Lens for DSLR

We all have fun playing with the fun filters on Instagram and similar programs, so when, during my daily immersion in the internet one day, I found a plastic Holga lens to fit on a DSLR, I thought it might be a fun thing to play with.

I got the blue version :) because I love blue and because I didn’t really care if it looked a little nutty on my camera (there is a black version, as well as lots of other colors!). It’s a toy lens after all!

Before I got it, I read some reviews, so I was prepared to mess around with manual settings to be able to actually take pictures.  (Thanks, Shoot Fly Shoot, for teaching me how to mess with those!) 

Puppy the cat in the yard

Shadow the dog

Flowering bush

Siberian Wallflowers

The opening on the camera side of the lens is the tiniest hole ever, and the whole thing is plastic, so there are no aperture settings.  You adjust the brightness or darkness of the picture with shutter speed and ISO settings, and even then, it pretty much only works outside. :)  The day I took these pictures was sort of overcast. I can’t wait to get to try it when there’s some cool bright spots and shadows.

Here are some pictures where I was changing up the settings.

1/50 sec, ISO 800

1/15 sec, ISO 800

1/50 sec, ISO 800

1/25 sec, ISO  800

There’s a “focus ring” on the lens…I put it in quotes because it’s pretty primitive :) and really, the point of this lens is that it’s a toy lens, so I wasn’t too worried if the pictures were really in focus or not. I did notice when I took some flower close-ups it looked better when I had the lens set to “portrait” or whatever on the focus ring. The whole thing’s plastic, so I did have to be really careful when I was adjusting anything, for fear that it might pop off the camera! :)

I definitely want to keep playing with this lens and having fun with it. What do you think? Like the pictures? Would you want to play around with a lens like this?

Bigger pictures on Flickr.

Things I Love Thursday: Tamron 18-200mm Lens

Here’s a little review of the Tamron 18-200mm lens that I got for my birthday in August.  I’ve had it for a while, and  in case you need a holiday gift idea or a good all-around lens for traveling this holiday season, this might be your answer!

I’ve already told you how much I love my boyfriend of a camera, as well as my 35mm lens, and SB400 flash!

Let me remind you that I  am no pro photographer. I’m just a picture-happy gal who wants to capture everything I see and keep the pictures as memories. That said, I definitely want to tell you how I use and like my gear because I know that a lot of you are in my boat, and when I'm shopping, I want this kind of review.  It's not techy or geeky or heavy on specs, just how I use it.

So, the Tamron 18-200.  I am so happy I got this lens as an all purpose/travel lens.  I really do have it on my camera 80% of the time now. (I put the 18-55mm Nikon lens that came with my camera into my camera basket on the living room bookshelves.) The Tamron 18-200mm zooms out to the 18mm wide angle so I can take pictures of rooms and large groups of people and it also has the ability to zoom in and frame shots or take nice close up shots of things across the street.  Traveling in Boston with it was amazing. I felt like I never missed a good shot (and was able to put together an awesome photobook of memories with it!)

I chose the Tamron version of this lens over the Nikon version based on weight but mostly price. (Really, mostly price!)  As far as techy/geeky things go, I was a little worried about the lack of VR (vibration-reduction, for when you’re zoomed out all the way to 200mm, a feature that’s on the Nikon but not the Tamron), but so far that hasn't been a huge issue for me.  It's definitely heavier (just read the specs) than my kit 18-55 or my trusty 35mm...in fact, when my mom is using my camera with this lens attached and the SB-400, she gets tired of holding it.  (Remember, I don't, that's just my mom who's used to a point and shoot, but still good for you to know!)  To me, though, the extra weight is worth the amazing versatility. (And when traveling, I don’t normally have my external flash attached.)  Another techy/geeky note, in some reviews comparing the Tamron version to the Nikon version, people talked about sharpness, distortion, etc, of the lens (I say “etc” because my eyes began to glaze over), but I haven’t noticed. Maybe pro or art photographers would, but for my snapshots, I couldn’t be happier with the Tamron!

My Nikon D5100 with Tamron 18-200mm lens, 77mm step up ring, and SB400 flash

This Tamron lens uses 62mm filters, so I did get a nice clear filter to leave attached all the time to protect the lens.  For other filters, though, I did get a 77mm step up ring that I am leaving attached all the time.  I don't always use a lot of filters, but I like to be prepared when I do.  I’ll sometimes use a star filter, warming filter, or polarizing filter, and since my other lenses are 52mm, I was going to have to buy a new set anyway. Well, I would hate to buy a set of 62mm, then need another size in case I do get other lenses later. 77mm seems to be the biggest, non-commercial lens size you can buy, so I’ll be getting step up rings for any future lenses to accommodate 77mm filters.

The lens does creep (zoom out as you’re walking) :) so I use the lock – which is why they put it on there!  The Nikon version may be a "better" lens, but for my picture taking, I couldn't be happier with this lens, especially for the price.  After getting this lens, (along with the things already in my camera bag), I haven't been craving a lot of gear like I was before.  (Though, there are a few things on my Christmas list, like colored gels for my flash and a wired remote, hint hint.) :)

What about you? Do you have a lens like this and like it? Did this rambling review help you choose a lens? Is there another lens that you have and love that I need? :)

A Home for my Boyfriend! (at a great price!)

I found a home for my boyfriend (that is, my camera)…and it’s a great deal now, so I had to share before I even got it.

It’s supposed to be a birthday present from Brandon, but totally I emailed him about this great price and told him to buy! buy! buy!

Here’s the camera bag I’m getting:

 

It’s a BBP DSLR Sling bag…and right now on Amazon, it’s only $49.99!

The beige-zippered version is also available on Amazon…for $69.99. I thought that was a decent price till I saw the red one. Plus I love the red!

I decided to like this bag because it’s a sling bag which seems like it’d be convenient on a day trip around a city (you wear it on your back, but it can easily swing to the front so you can access your gear), it’s super cool looking, especially compared to more ‘traditional’ camera bags, and most importantly, it has an iPad slot (or in my case, a netbook), so I can have a spot for my computer when I’m on-the-go.  I figure I might not carry the computer with me all day, but it’s nice to know it’s got a safe spot with my camera when I’m traveling.

I also looked at this site for lots of pictures and a review.

I’ll update you when I really have this bag and use it…to tell you if I end up loving it as much as I think I will. But I had to share today because it’s such a good deal and I want you to get one!! :) :) :)

Things I Love Thursday: My Boyfriend

And you thought I was married.

No, really, I am married. And what I love is my boyfriend of a camera.

Yes, I really do secretly kiss my camera.  Okay, sometimes it’s not so secretive.

I’m sad my camera can’t take a picture of itself. What a great picture that would be. Alas, I must be content with this cell phone snap.  Nikon D5100 with SB-400 bounce flash.

My boyfriend is a Nikon D5100 DSLR. He’s most often equipped with his kit lens (an 18-55mm) or a 35mm f1.8 lens, and the Nikon SB-400 flash in the bounce position. And I love him.

I could really talk about my camera for hours (pages?) and why I picked it but I’ll try not to.

I am no pro. I upgraded from a hand-me-down point-shoot, but I knew I wanted my next camera to do all kinds of cool things, so I started researching.

Why a DSLR? I settled on a DSLR instead of a more compact (and potentially blue) camera when I realized that the most important things to me were the ability to snap multiple photos quickly and the ability to use an external flash (and also to get the amazing ranges in depth of field that DSLRs can provide). Some more compact cameras have hotshoes for external flashes, but DSLRs have the quickest shooting and the most choices of accessories (flashes, etc.) And I just decided that I’d be willing to carry it around. And I have been willing. And I do carry it everywhere.

Here’s a cute snap I got of my goddaughter, because my camera’s so quick! 35mm f1.8 lens

Why Nikon? Really because Ken Rockwell told me to go with Nikon. Because he likes their flashes. The SB-400 flash is what sold me on a Nikon DSLR. Really, though, between Canon and Nikon, there’s so much quality, it’s really nit-picking when you compare.

Excuse my gruddy hair and makeupless face, but this is a great example of why I love my SB-400 bounce flash. The left picture was taken with the flash straight on and the right picture was taken with the flash bounced off the ceiling. Doesn’t it look better and so natural?

Why D5100? So, there was the D40 that seemed perfect but discontinued.  Then the D3100 had come out, and Ken Rockwell told me that it was the perfect camera for me, but there were a few things about it that I was hesitant about: one being the LCD screen. So, I just waited. I had been waiting for a new camera and agonizing over the decision so long, that more waiting wasn’t hurting anything.

When I discovered that the D5100 came out (a little while after it was really released), it seemed perfect. It was definitely a little more expensive than the D3100, but the features that sold me were the better LCD on the back (so I can learn what I’m doing right and wrong as I take pictures), the articulating screen (I don’t use it all the time, but when I do, it helps me get some awesome angles), the ability to use the ML-L3 wireless remote (family photos with the remote instead of the self-timer! No more running back and forth. Just lots of fun family photos. I call it “tripod time” and my family knows what to do).

Silly family at tripod time!  If you look closely, you can see my thumb pressing down on the remote. :)

When I got it, I immediately ordered these things:

SB-400 flash
Nikon NC filter
ML-L3 remote
extra battery

And a little later, for my birthday, I got this lens: Nikon’s 35mm f1.8. It’s great in low-light and produces a nice, shallow depth-of-field for those pretty blurry backgrounds.

Brandon’s grandma and our goddaughter.
Look at that nice shallow depth-of-field. And really, just another excuse to post a baby picture.

So far, that is my happy little family. I got this book and this book, which I referenced a lot at the beginning and still reference now and again. I liked that they each come with a gray card, which I keep in my camera bag.

I’m looking for a new camera bag, am planning a new camera strap, and of course, am shopping for new accessories. I’ll keep you posted on the additions to my boyfriend’s entourage!

Things I Love Thursday: Eye-Fi Card

When Brian and I find something we love, we are ecstatic. We become salesmen. We become propagandists. We want you to love what we love, or at least listen to why we love it so much. It becomes an obsession to us: to get the word out about what we love and why we love it.

So, I figured I'd add that propaganda into the ol' blog.

My first Thing I Love is this new Eye-Fi card that Brian got me for Christmas. I was on the fence about it. It's not cheap, and I wasn't sure how necessary it was.

Well, it turns out it's the most necessary and coolest thing on earth. If you don't know, it wirelessly transmits photos from your camera to your computer (or mobile device) as you take them!! I mean, who wants to take their SD card out of their camera and put it into the computer and download all the pictures themselves??  Pshaw!

Here is a screenshot of EyeFi wirelessly uploading pictures to my computer! I just took the picture, and this just magically shows up on my computer!!

Especially now that I'm trying this blogging thing, it is so amazing and valuable to have my pictures just show up on my computer as I take them! There are different settings for transfer that you can play with, but I haven't even gotten that far yet. My pictures are automatically showing up and I am loving it. They're imported into Picasa, I upload to Blogger, and BAM, I am done!

Here's a picture of my dog, Grounder, enjoying the sun in the yard. I took it through the window, it automatically downloaded to my computer, so I uploaded it here! I love this Eye-Fi card!