Thursday, February 2, 2012

Say Goodbye Sun

There isn't much to say about this picture really. I don't get the chance to visit the coast very often so sunset shots over the sea from me are always going to be very rare. This is another shot though from my recent New Forest trip, more specifically, Barton-on-sea on the south coast of the New Forest. This was the place I had in mind when I planned the trip to the New Forest that day and though the sunset wasn't spectacular that evening in terms of colour, I did manage to capture the briefest appearance of the sun through the clouds with this shot. This was honestly the best it got, it's appearance lasted about 10 seconds.

The Sigma 10-20mm lens has gone

Yes it is with some sadness that say I chose to return the Sigma 10-20mm lens I bought recently. In an ideal world I would have swapped it for another copy but that option was not available, so I settled for a refund. My decision was based on the fact that the images I got back were just not what I thought, they were very soft throughout the picture and left me with a lot of work to do in post-processing. As all photographers know, lenses are not cheap and you have to ask yourself, does the lens I bought for £380 really make £380 difference? I'm sorry but I just couldn't agree with that. £380 will get you a nice few days in Venice and that does make a difference. Is it really that different to the 18-105mm lens I already have? Well it is different (the CA is virtually nil) but again not £380 different. And of course the kit lens is very versatile. I do accept that maybe I just got a bad version and as I said, if I could have replaced it I would have, but I couldn't. I still might buy another copy in future to see if there is a difference with another copy, though if not, I will put the money towards some further photographic investment in the future.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Pete.

    The sun might not have lasted long but you've captured it beautifully. A lovely serene scene.

    Sorry to hear about your lens issue. I have heard some good reports about that lens for the price but quality control on yours must have been wayward. I am going to make a large outlay on a new body and 'L' series lens in the near future (waiting for news on the 5D MK3 or whatever it will be known as).

    I agree with your sentiment. New gear should make a difference otherwise what is the point?

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  2. Thank you so much for the comments!

    Absolutely Tim, it's difficult to know what value for money is with photography, but if you don't think you are getting it, you have to do something!

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  3. Beautifully captured sunset Pete.

    Shame about the Sigma not living up to your expectations. When I got mine I saw a jump in quality from my kit lens for sure. Maybe it was a bad version?

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