A while back the camera doctors told me, regretfully, that the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my Canon Rebel XT had gone to that great darkroom in the sky.
Okay, they didn’t say that. It would have sounded really odd coming from them, or pretty much anyone.
They just told me the lens aperture wasn’t reading right any more and that’s why the camera kept not working, and that rather than spend the money to fix it, I’d be better off replacing it with something better.
Yippee! A reason to shop for a Newer! Better! Lens!
I researched, and various people recommended lenses, both Canon and Sigma especially.
I researched more, and finally settled on Canon’s 18-135mm. It was pricey, but I found a good deal on Amazon, and figured I could use money from a couple of little side projects to cover the cost.
Happy late birthday to me!
One morning earlier this week, or maybe it was last week, yes, it must have been last week, I was reading about the lens AGAIN, and decided I was going to order it NOW. I had the funds, there was no reason not to.
But.
I was hesitant.
There was one little thing bugging me.
In the specs, I’d noted that the shortest focusing distance was a foot and a half, or maybe just shy of that.
It seems pretty close, but I’d been able to get so much closer with the 18-55mm…I could use my beloved macro lens on top of it to get nice and close to things like spider webs, dewdrops, droplets of moisture on top of meringue…what if I couldn’t do the same with this other lens?
And then I bumped into a review of another lens.
Canon had improved on the original 18-55mm. It was better than the original kit lens. And the focusing distance? 9 inches!
Suddenly, I felt everything fall into place.
I checked on the price – much less than the 18-135. And I didn’t NEED all that distance because I’ve also got a 55-200mm zoom for that sort of thing.
I’d come full circle and found my lens.
And without a further smidge of hesitation, I ordered it.
The lens arrived today. I’ve already shot pictures for the next food post – my heart singing the whole time. (It sings “Ode to Joy” at times like this.) And then I went outside to take pictures – from 9 inches away – that I’d been unable to shoot for a while.
It’s not the fanciest lens out there, but it does what I want it to do.
And sometimes plain is fancy enough.
What does it say about me that I was humming "Ode to Joy" after your mention of it?
So looking forward to more photos!
Posted by: RoseAnn | July 25, 2012 at 06:32 PM
Yay!!! I've been missing your photography closeups lately!
You speak of side projects... I'd like to help you with your lens purchase! Is it better to purchase through Etsy or can I order straight from you? You can e-mail me for correspondance. ♥
Posted by: Donna B. | July 26, 2012 at 10:46 AM