We Did It--We Bought the Canon 24-70mm f2.8L Lens

Canon 24-70mm f2.8L Lens

After months of research, we finally took the plunge and purchased the Canon 24-70mm f2.8L lens.   What made us pull the trigger?

Well, it was not an easy decision by any means.  We have the nifty fifty as well as the Canon 28-135 mm lenses and both have served us well.  We have taken over 2,000 portraits using these two lenses.

But we were ready to invest in something new.

We knew we wanted a sharp, fast portrait lens that would would work great in low lighting and provide the much desired bokeh (background blur).  We considered prime lenses, third party lenses (Tamron and Sigma), and the highly regraded Canon 24-70mm f 2.8L lens.

After researching photography blogs, message boards, review sites, and asking every photographer we met what lens they loved most, the decision became obvious--invest in the 24-70mm f2.8L lens.

Santa came a little early and we now have this lens.  We are both eager and excited to try out this lens and we will be posting more pictures soon.  Here are just a few that I took while cutting down our Christmas tree this weekend.

If you have this lens, we'd love to hear about your experience with it.  Please, leave us a comment and share your lens story.



[caption id="attachment_460" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Our tree already has ornaments!"][/caption]

I Now Want a Zoom Lens

I've come to realize that like great shoes, a gal can't have too many great lenses.  I thought I was pretty happy with the lenses I currently own.  I have a nice UWA lens- the Tamron 10-24mm, a nifty fifty for portrait shots, a Canon 17-40mm f4L for group shots and my kit lens (the Canon 28-135mm) which serves as a good walk around lens.

Sure, I'm still dreaming about getting the Canon 24-70mm but other than wanting that, I felt like I had the equipment I needed.  Well, that was until I went to watch my niece play softball.

I was able to get some nice shots, but all I could think was how much better they could have been if I were able to zoom in closer.  So next on my list, a zoom lens.  Any recommendations?

[caption id="attachment_94" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="My niece, rounding second base. "][/caption]

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens: AKA the Nifty Fifty

There's nothing like the excitement a photographer has when testing out a new lens.  In our arsenal thus far we have the following mix of lenses:

1. 17-40mm f/4L Ultra Wide


2. 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6


3. 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom


4. and my very first piece of glass - 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

[caption id="attachment_78" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Canon's 50mm f/1.8 lens"][/caption]

I am adding a new, inexpensive lens to our bag that has great reviews and is often a photographer's favorite.  It is nicknamed the "Nifty Fifty" by Canon users.  This lens, despite the inexpensive (under $100) price tag, offers excellent optical quality and large aperture.  This is an ideal portrait lens and offers outstanding results in low light.  My business partner purchased one a while ago.  We recently tested it in an outdoor setting and it gave us some amazing photos with wonderful bokeh. 

For those unfamiliar with this word, "bokeh" is a Japanese term for the out-of-focus area in a picture, otherwise known as a shallow Depth-Of-Field (DOF) to a photographer.   This blur-like quality gives a wonderful tempo to a photo, highlighting the subject in the photo.  Because the lens also has a wide aperture, it performs extremely well in low light situations. 

We recommend if you don't have this lens in your photo bag, to check it out.  You can't go wrong for the price and you may find this will be one of your favorite lenses of all!

Canon Or Nikon

We realize that their are more options out there than just Canon or Nikon, but in the world of SLR cameras these seem to be the two major brands.  We are curious as to what camp you fall in.  Check out our poll (located in the right-hand sidebar) and cast your vote.  Canon or Nikon?

1..2..3..JUMP! Wordless Wednesday

[caption id="attachment_58" align="aligncenter" width="1024" caption="1..2..3..Jump!"][/caption]

My Search for a Wide Angle Lens

[caption id="attachment_51" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Cathedral--Granada, Spain"][/caption]

This summer, I went to Spain to celebrate my 15th wedding anniversary (sans, kiddies-woot!).  Anyway, I knew that I'd be taking LOTS of pictures (with my Canon 7D) and I wanted to have a wide angle lens for both indoor and outdoor architectural shots.

A little background info on me....

I am one of those people who has to shop around as well as get a lot of information before pulling the trigger and making a purchase.  And, yes, it takes me much thought and deliberation to take the plunge on most of my purchases. So, as you can imagine, I spent numerous hours on various camera review sites and message boards searching for the "perfect" lens.

Due to my inability to make a decision, I ended up going to my local camera store (the day before my departure!) and talking to a sales person who recommended the Tamron 10-24mm wide angle lens.  The $50 rebate as well as the less expensive price tag (compared to the Canon 10-22mm) and the fact that I was LEAVING the next day, swayed me to take this lens leap and I have to say, I'm glad I did.

I am thrilled with the photos I was able to capture of palaces, building facades, cathedrals as well as scenic photos that included people (mostly of my husband).  I found it to be a great lens and even though I brought other lenses with me, I never took it off my camera throughout our vacation.

I read mixed reviews on this lens.  Some photographers loved it and others found it to have some faults- i.e. vignetting, distortion, etc.  But in my honest opinion, the build is sturdy, it is fast-focusing, and it has a terrific wide angle focal range all of which allowed me to get some great shots.  The slight adjustment I had, was getting used to zooming the opposite way of my other Canon lenses, but aside from that it functioned perfectly.

Here are a few sample photos--if you'd like to see more photos or get more feedback, please leave a comment below:

[caption id="attachment_49" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Streets of Madrid"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_50" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Mezquita--Cordoba"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_53" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bull-Fighting Ring--Sevilla"][/caption]

Welcome to Moms Who Click

[caption id="attachment_40" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="This is the only image I could find of the two of us!"][/caption]

Welcome to Moms Who Click.  We are two moms, Kristina and Tina, who click. We click with each other, with our friends and of course, with our cameras.

Our love for photography lead us to trying our hand at creating a photography business.  So with a little  start-up money, we purchased our first SLR cameras (we fall in the Canon camp) and started to click.

Over the past two years, we've immersed ourselves in learning more about our cameras, while taking photos along the way (both good and bad).

Who knew that you could have conversations that revolved around  f-stops, ISO settings, pocket wizards, strobe lights, and light metering?

We've been fortunate to have met fellow photo enthusiasts who have shared their knowledge and more importantly, provided us with inspiration.  We've created this blog to share our love for photography and  we hope that if you are a fellow "clicker" that you will join in too.

Come click with us!