Testing for Thor447's Photo Needs

[TerryMiller]

@thor447

Looking at the Canon lens that you mentioned you had an interest in, I went to my favorite "research" site online to check out photos taken by others using the Canon EF-S 18-200mm IS lens. My research site is called "Pbase." At their home page, there is a link to "Cameras" that allows one to choose specific brand name and models of cameras and lenses to see sample photos taken by others with those photographic devices. In this case, I simply found the link for the lens you mentioned.

That lens is what I would call a "walk-around" lens that allows one the flexibility of getting wide angle or telephoto images by zooming in or out. The images I link below were some I found, although I don't know the exact size of the subjects in each of the photos. Thus, these will only give you a sense of the quality of the images with that lens. Many photographers state that the lenses are more important than the camera body, so I am focusing only on the lens at this time.

None of these images really get as close to the subject as you will want to with regards to taking pictures of the works of the watches. They just give a sense of the clarity and sharpness of the lens.

Close-up of Meter

Purple Flower and Bugs

Splashing Strawberry

Machinery

Corvette Emblem

Hydrangea Photo

In the event that you would also want this lens for family or vacation photos, the link below will take you to the start of the sample photos done by the lens. Each "page" will have a number of thumbnails that you can click on to see larger images. I use this "Cameras" site on Pbase a lot when evaluating lenses or camera bodies. After each series of thumbnails, there is a link labeled "More" in the upper right hand corner that will let you go to the next set of thumbnails.

Sample Photos of Canon Lens

 

[thor447]

I really appreciate this info. I just got an education from a very nice gentleman at Bedford Camera & Video, per your earlier suggestion. I think I know what I'll need to get, but this is great material to go through as well. I appreciate you taking the time to put this together. I'll post updates to this thread in a day or two if I can get it all sorted out. Thanks again!

 

[El Pablo]

I like my 100mm tokina a macro lens. I use it on a canon. Don’t use it too much as wildlife won’t let me get 3 inches away from it.

 

[thor447]

I looked at some of those 100mm lenses. I think for my purposes I can do with a 50mm because I'll still need the room to work on the watches. I'm about to do some testing in a day or two.

 

[67RS/SSx2]

Have you looked into USB microscopes? Those can take photos or display live on an included screen. Been looking at those to view a knife edge after sharpening (or before). Most are less than $100. Pretty cool stuff.

 

[thor447]

Have you looked into USB microscopes? Those can take photos or display live on an included screen. Been looking at those to view a knife edge after sharpening (or before). Most are less than $100. Pretty cool stuff.

I have one. It serves it's purpose, but doesn't do what I'm looking for.

 

[TerryMiller]

I looked at some of those 100mm lenses. I think for my purposes I can do with a 50mm because I'll still need the room to work on the watches. I'm about to do some testing in a day or two.

Did they let you see at what detail the lenses could provide?

While I've got some great lenses, I've not tried any of them yet at really getting in close. I may have to do some testing myself one of these days with my cameras. I've even got a camera that I got back in 2005 as a gift from my family that came with a macro lens. I'll probably give that one a test as well.

 

[thor447]

Did they let you see at what detail the lenses could provide?

While I've got some great lenses, I've not tried any of them yet at really getting in close. I may have to do some testing myself one of these days with my cameras. I've even got a camera that I got back in 2005 as a gift from my family that came with a macro lens. I'll probably give that one a test as well.

They did. I brought a watch with me and we tested a few different configurations.

 

[TerryMiller]

They did. I brought a watch with me and we tested a few different configurations.

I like the folks at Bedford. I hadn't thought of it, but I've bought all three of my camera bodies there and at least two lenses. However, in my case, I went in knowing what I wanted, so there wasn't much need to test much in the store. I think I did test out one lens once. They let me go outside with the lens so I could get pictures at each "stop" in the zoom range of the lens.

I also like the guy that owns Baker Photo and Video in Yukon, but I've not had much need to buy anything that was used. However, I might have to stop by there and see if he has any macro lenses for my Nikons.

 

[thor447]

Well I took the leap and spent some money. I bought a camera, 50mm macro lens, and a few small items.

Things I learned already:
1. There's WAY more technical know-how involved in photography than I had previously thought. This is going to take quite a bit of time to get the basics.
2. My ideas on the tripod I'd need were wrong, so I'm off to Amazon to get one of the correct type.
3. My hands shake more than I thought
4. The photos look better than they appear on the LCD screen
5. I need to pick up some better lighting.
6. This has the potential to be really expensive (more so than it already has been).
7. I'm stupid for letting this idea persist in my head and not dismissing it.

Here's some photos I took tonight of a project I'm tinkering with for myself. All of the settings were on auto, and I took about 3x more photos that what I'm posting, but these seemed to be better than the others. I've got a lot to learn, but it'll be a fun process.