I went downtown last week to check out telephoto zoom lenses at the local camera shop and took this shot on my way back to the car. It’s a wall that divides an empty lot. Many decades ago a building stood on the lot, thus the windows, but it burned down probably before I was born. To my knowledge the wall has not been earthquake retrofitted and has lasted through a few large to moderate earthquakes. It is connected on both ends to buildings so isn’t just free-standing. I’ve always thought it was a cool, old architectural artifact from a by gone era. I’m kinda surprised no one has built anything on the lot, it’s in a prime location downtown. Businesses use it for reserved parking, but that’s
ok. I hope it remains a empty lot with the lone wall for a long time. Hosted on Zooomr with a geotag so you can see the location.
About the lens, I pretty much decided on the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Autofocus Telephoto Zoom Lens. I looked at a cheap Tamron lens, but was not impressed the few photos I shot in the store. This Canon lens costs quite a bit more than the Tamron, but has Image Stabilization. I do like to shoot in low light, especially late in the day, so I figured I would use that feature. It’s not a professional grade lens like the L-Series, but it is in my budget and has gotten a lot of good reviews. Since I’m just a hobbyist and mostly take family photos, I figured this lens would work well. My daughters like to perform in school plays (which have marginal lighting) so the image stabilization should come in handy. One daughter is on a swim team, so I should be able to get some good shots of her at the meets. The best price I found was Adorama, if you recommend an different site please let me know.
While I’m on the subject of lenses, Raoul Pop has a great review of the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Zoom lens. It’s a little out of my price range (right now), but maybe someday I’ll get an L-Series lens. When I get my lens, I’ll post a review.
Thanks Gary! Good lenses sure are expensive, much more so than the camera body, and I can tell you that it’s really hard to make the purchase decision. Since I was interested in this lens with a view to purchase it, I figured I might as well spend $35 and rent it first. It helped me figure out that for my needs, the 70-200mm might work better, so I’ll be saving up for it. By the way, I rented the 70-200mm as well, and I’ll be posting a review soon.