I bought a new lens (Tamron 70-200mm/ 2.8) a few weeks ago to try to capture some better pictures of my kiddos at their sporting events. Over these past weeks, I have taken hundreds of pictures trying to get the feel for the new lens. I’m not convinced yet. The return policy is within 30 days and I am facing that deadline in about 10 days.
I called to talk to the technical people at the store yesterday to ask about some of my problems with the lens. The kind gentleman was very honest and told me it was most likely a combination of my “older” Nikon D40 (It’s only 3 years old!!!) and what he called, “the operator.” I managed to stay calm, mostly because I knew he was right. I’m still learning all this photography stuff and this fancy schmancy lens might just be too much for my “outdated” camera and my fledgling ability.
Nonetheless, I took the lens outside today to try a few more shots. I tried shooting in a variety of modes, settings, etc.
The Rudbeckia is blooming in the garden and I thought these two shots turned out nice.
The low aperture setting allows some nice depth of field effects. I did a little editing to them in Photoshop Elements: cropping and running Pioneer Woman’s soft and faded action.
The final test for the lens will be over the next two evenings at an indoor swim meet and a Friday night football game. If I still can’t manage to capture some good shots after talking to my friend at the camera store, I might return the lens and try something else. Any suggestions?
This photography stuff is fun, but frustrating.
-Lynell
