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The fields around the local wildlife refuge tend to flood in winter…part of what makes it a good haven for birds. After the recent bouts of snow and rain, the water was particularly high and I wanted to take advantage of the reflections from the sunset. Here I’ve included the reflection of the fence as well. Photographed on January 3, 2009.
I really like redwing blackbirds. The light could be better here, but I still thought it was a pleasant photo. Hopefully I can work with them again at this same location and make some stronger images. Photographed on January 3, 2009.
It’s a little unusual, but I liked this close-up detail of a dog’s paw. Photographed on January 3, 2009.
Here’s one of the dogs resting on the couch. With her eyes shining out from the darkness, I can’t help but think of some wild animal 
. Photographed on January 2, 2009.
Here I’ve tried to use the bare branches of these trees to frame the stars. The bright cluster of stars just to the right of center is Ursa Minor (aka the Little Dipper constellation). Photographed on December 25, 2008.
Here’s a little winter scene from Maine. I’d prefer if that power line wasn’t in the bottom left corner, but I still like the overall image. Photographed on December 25, 2008.
Okay, it’s not a nature photo, but I’m still playing with that 24mm f/1.4 lens. I just liked this little vignette of chocolate coins on the Christmas dinner table. Photographed on December 25, 2008.
We have forced-air electric heaters in our house, and one of our dogs just loves to sleep right in front of them. Here she is settling down for the night. Photographed on December 19, 2008.
I’m currently renting a Canon 24mm f/1.4L lens. This is the first time I’ve used one, so I thought I would share my impressions. Short answer…I love it!
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| ISO 800, 1/50 sec at f/1.4 |
24mm is probably my favorite focal length, and the super-shallow depth of field from the large aperture is just great. So far I find that the bokeh is very pleasing too. Attached to the 5D Mark II the combo is just about small enough to look like a “normal” SLR and be reasonably discreet. That’s why I felt comfortable bringing it out to dinner, where I took the above shot…not something I’d really want to do with a 1-series body and 24-70mm lens.
The lens is surprisingly sharp in the center, even wide open at f/1.4. It’s not tack sharp, but on a lens like this I don’t mind, since I’m looking for a slightly dreamy feel anyways. I’d imagine that the corners are quite soft at that aperture, but I can’t imagine that mattering for how I would use this lens. The newly released Mark II version of this lens is supposed to feature improved sharpness.
Any negatives? Autofocus seems to be a little slow. However, I’m still getting a handle on the low-light AF performance of my 5D Mark II, so I’m not certain I can blame the lens just yet. It would be nice to have the weather sealing that was added to the Mark II version. On the other hand, the Mark II is slightly larger.
All in all, I’m very impressed. It’s everything I hoped for. I’m very tempted to pick up a used copy as people upgrade to the Mark II version. I have a few ideas for nature images that I want to attempt with this lens…
Note: For more samples, see the “photo of the day” from yesterday and today…they were also shot with this lens at f/1.4.
Here’s one of my dogs snoozing on the couch. Photographed on December 19, 2008.
