Would love your thoughts and opinions on the value of a Lensbaby Spark versus a Nifty 50!!
Originally shared by +Kate Testerman
Shooting with a Lensbaby Spark
It was a beautiful Spring-like day today in Colorado, and I had an inkling to finally mess around some with my Lensbaby Spark lens. See, I'm two weeks out from going to Bologna again, and after… 7, I think? … years of going to the same place for a book fair, I want to try something different with my photos. So I thought maybe I would try shooting with my Spark.
I got it for Christmas several years ago, put it on my camera that day and was immediately disappointed with the results, and so it hasn't been back on my camera since.
I tried it with some flowers the other night, but didn't notice any huge difference between using the Spark, and just using my favorite nifty 50 lens at f/1.8.
Today, I thought I'd try again, out in the bright afternoon sunshine, with some moving targets as well as some larger scenic shots. The album below represent the best results.
Are they cute? Some of them, sure. Do I know if I nailed the focus? Nope. Do I wish I'd just used my nifty 50? Hell yeah.
Any advice? At this point, I could still bring the Spark to Italy and exclusively use that, or go with my 50 and throw the Spark in to play with if I know I'm taking the same shot of the Fontana di Nettuno I've already got at home on Flickr.
The other takeaway with using the Spark is a recognition of how much I rely on the auto-focus on my camera. After years of wearing glasses and contacts, I just don't trust my own focus, so I think I have a hard time judging it in camera. I got many many more shots where I missed the focus than even came close. Thank goodness for auto-focus on the rest of my lenses!
