Sigma 55-200 – a few months later

On 09.01.08, In Gear, By Chester

PeekabooWhile we were up in Rocky Mountain National Park last weekend, I noticed an elk on the side of the road. We kept going up to Bear Lake, but I knew I’d want to stop on the return to see if I could get some pics of him.

On the way back, it became clear he had apparently moved a bit to the west. This was perfect, as there was a scenic pullout that afforded us some parking. I left everyone else in the car, put my Sigma 55-200 on the camera and headed into the woods. Much to my pleasure, there were actually 4 elk up there. 2 bucks, a doe and a younger one. There were already some people shooting them, and the elk were moving deeper into the woods. I took a guess as to which direction they were going to go and moved that way. A clambered up a hill, and another, and there they were. Good guess! I settled down into a spot so that I wouldn’t appear to be very threatening. With all of the branches in between me and the animals, there was no way that auto-focus was going to work. So, for the first time with this lens, I switched to manual focus and was able to get off a few good shots. This one is one of the better ones, even though that darned branch is covering his eye. Right after I took this one, he bolted down the hill and was gone. I thought it best to get back to the car and resume the reason we were here – Megan’s senior pictures. I was pretty happy to get these shots though.

I don’t break this lens out very often, but when I do, I am very pleased I have it. For the price point (I think it is down to $136 now), this has proven to be a great one to have in my bag. Especially until I can get a 300. If you have been debating on whether or not you want to buy this lens, go for it. I haven’t seen any quality issues, and the pics speak for themselves.

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2nd Round of Senior Pics

On 08.27.08, In Photos, By Chester

Senior pic candidate
Sunday we decided it would be a good day to drive up to Rocky Mountain National Park for round 2 of taking Megan’s Senior Pictures for her last year at Lakewood High School. I don’t know RMNP that well, but my mother in law did and had some good recommendations of places to go. We stayed on the east side of the park, in the Bear Lake and Sprague Lake areas. Bear Lake was packed. Luckily we found some rock star parking up front and were able to get in and out of there pretty quick. There were some good areas to take pictures at, but the background was so dramatic that it kind of overwhelmed the pictures. This was also in her first outfit of the day. I shot probably 30 or so pictures here.

We headed out of there and went down to Sprague Lake. Once again we were able to find great parking (looming thunderstorm might of had something to do with it) and immediately went to work. Megan made a quick clothing change and we got some shots in her cheerleading uniform. Probably 25 or so. Since this was the only other location we had considered, she went back to the Suburban for one more clothing change.

As you first leave the parking lot and walk towards Sprague Lake, you cross a bridge over some beaver ponds. I didn’t think about it much, instead concentrating on the opportunities that might exist around the lake. We were wrapping up being near the lake and heading back when I realized that first bridge I saw was perfect, I just needed a bigger lens (I was only using the 14-42 up to this point). I ran back to the car and got my Sigma 55-200 while Megan walked back to the bridge. The photo above is “the keeper” from that set, at least in my eyes. I think this particular outfit was the most flattering of the day, and to me, it seemed more like the Megan I know. This pic is completely unretouched, meaning it is exactly as I snapped it. I might work on the brightness or lighting a little bit, but I really like how the picture came out.

All told, I think I shot somewhere around 120 pictures in the park Sunday. Some wildlife, some Natalie, but mostly Megan. We got another good one that I’ll write about tomorrow. I think she said something last night about only liking maybe 2 of the pictures we have taken so far. Oh well. It’s a learning experience for me, and it’s free camera time for her. I am getting a book about posing, so that should help me to direct her more. We’ll be doing one more session I think, and she might bring a friend along for that one.

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Sigma 55-200 lens for Olympus

On 07.31.08, In Gear, Popular, By Chester

I wanted to go longer than the 150 that came in my Olympus E-510 two lens kit. Ideally I want the reach of a 300, but the budget isn’t there for that. I had a sizeable Amazon gift certificate to use, and the Sigma 55-200 was reasonably priced. I read a lot of review about it, and had some apprehension as a result. It sounded like some Sigma lenses come out fine, while others don’t. Basically it sounded like a crap shoot.

I was one of the fortunate ones I suppose (and a post on dpreview made it sound like many others had also been fortunate). The lens works really well for what it is, and I haven’t had any issues with it. I still want a fast 300, but until that finds it’s way into my budget, the Sigma 55-200 is working well for me.

BTW – in the photo at right, the left side is at 55mm, the right side is at 200. I did a side-by-side so people could see what they would get at either end.

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