Kit and Nifty
To celebrate my first year into photography as a hobby I would like to share this little comparison on the capabilities of the 18-55mm VR kit lens that comes with most entry level Nikon DSLR cameras and the 50mm prime that aspiring portraitists would like to have in their bag.
Throughout my stay at the Digital Photographer Philippines I have for quite a number of times seen questions on which is the best lens to use for this or that sort of photo. While the question is quite valid, it usually comes from the newer camera owners who have the notion that the kit lens is so limited in its capabilities that it is imperative that they get a second or even third lens asap, even before the focusing barrel on their kit lens has felt the salt of their palms.
To be fair, I used to think the kit lens was not up to the job too. This was because I had quite a limited knowledge and understanding of focal length and subject placement at the time. Now when I see questions like the one I mentioned in the previous paragraph I am tempted to experiment to see whether or not the purchase of another and more expensive lens is actually necessary. By necessary I mean the shot you want is absolutely impossible to make with the existing gear you have.
Before I proceed I would like to state that this post is not intended to be a slight against people who like buying lenses. My attitude is always “If YOU can afford it, then go ahead.” This article is more for people who CAN’T afford it but haven’t realized that they might not really need it — YET.
Let’s take bokeh and depth of field as the most common examples of why newer camera users are tempted to buy a prime lens immediately after buying their brand new DSLR.
New users argue that round globs of blurry light in the subject’s background is possible only with a prime lens.
I would like to disagree. In the example I have above (click on the photo for a larger version), you can see that it is entirely possible to get bokeh and depth of field with the kit lens (photo on right) without feeling bad that you don’t have the money to get a prime with autofocus (photo on the left). While for some users getting a 50mm f/1.8 AF (currently priced between PHP 5.5 and 6K, or even an f/1.4 AF-S at PHP 26K) may be as easy as buying a McDonald’s meal, others not as financially endowed like me need not crave for the Big Mac Meal with upsized drink and fries, while settling for Crispy Chicken Fillet with Rice.
The key is the distance between your subject and the background, plus a little available light. In both examples, the subject (the bulldog) is at least 12-15 feet away from the background (green tree). The photo on the right was shot with the kit lens at 55mm focal length and at f/5.6. The photo on the left was shot with the 5omm prime at f/5.6 for purposes of comparison. Point of this exercise is you CAN get very good bokeh and DOF with the kit lens. You just need to know how to position your subject in relation to the background.
Rule of thumb is, the farther away your subject is from the background, the shallower your DOF can be, with the lowest f-stop you can manage. You also have to be positioned as close as you can be to your subject (in this example I was about a foot away from the dog).
Hope this helps anyone pining away for a prime — for now 
Texts of Doom
One of the local security guys at a campsite where I teach asked me about the veracity of a text message he received from a relative just a week ago. It read like this:
President GMA approved the P150 Million budget for the UNIFIED MULTI (666) SSS ID SYSTEM. DZRH reported! Nagstart na…microchip or biochip i-inject in hand or forhead of men which they call Lifetime savings. In US next in Philippines. Dami nagpatatak o nagpa inplant according to TIME MAGAZINE Plz. pas to all CHRISTIAN..
I wanted to laugh but I checked myself, not wanting the security guy to think I belittled the news or his belief (or non-belief) about it. But I had visions of people with lines stamped on their foreheads, walking through barcode scanners to be identified as they enter any establishment or cross any corner of the road.
While it is true that talk of a unified ID system has been ongoing for the past years, the success of an implementation of such a system is highly unlikely in the Philippine setting. The manual system of registration of births and deaths is one of the things that will prevent the successful implementation of a country-wide ID system.
Some people believe that a system is only applicable to the working class, because it is tied up with the SSS and the GSIS. This to me implies that the government is only concerned with documenting workers. This also for me is typical of our government trying to find solutions from the top, when they should be working from the ground level.
Get birth and death registrations computerized and implemented country wide. We need this in place before any effective unified ID system can be implemented.
Missing my bicycle
Auto insurance quotes have never been much of a concern for me as I have never owned a vehicle. Well, not a four-wheeled one anyway. Years back I did drive a motorcycle, and a scooter, sometime around 20 years ago. While I never got insurance for either of those vehicles, I also remember having a lot of fun driving them, even with the few mishaps I’ve had on the road.
What I do miss most is my bicycle. I think if I hadn’t gone into photography as a hobby I would probably have bought myself a bicycle for Christmas. Especially so because I need the exercise and I need to lose weight.
Things start to sound familiar after a year …
It’s been a year and a month since I first got my Nikon D60 DSLR camera, and yearly events are starting to sound familiar now that I’m hearing about them for the second time.
This year’s Aliwan Fiesta will take place on April 22-24, which is Thursday to Saturday. Pretty much like last year’s schedule, now that I’ve looked at my picasa album from the first time I did some shooting at the Aliwan.
I’d like to shoot at the Aliwan again this year, just to see if I can come up with better photos after a year.
About Me
