Test drive, long lens

Again, a layman review more than anything else.

This long lens is one of the more basic ones out there and I imagine that anyone stumbling upon this will be worrying about whether they should even get one in the first place, so I'll talk a bit about why I'd even want to shoot with such glass as well.

I first started thinking about something with more zoom when I realised that the concert range that I got with the kit lens was pants.  The Canon EF-S 55 - 250mm seemed like something within a price range that would allow for experimentation and at just below 400grams, it promised to be quite serviceable indeed.

I took it out for a walk on the beach a couple of weekends ago and quickly came to realise that rather than just zooming in more or even adjusting to work with a new lens, shooting with telephoto zoom requires learning a new kind of thinking altogether. 

In the beginning, I struggled with it a little bit but I quickly started to recognise, and relish, the advantages that come with such equipment.

To start with, here are some nonsense test photos to demonstrate range:

At the widest angle possible, without any cropping whatsoever.

At the 250mm end, without any cropping.  You can see how I've honed in on the little sailboat in the picture above.  That's quite a lot of range I wasn't getting before!  The lens isn't particularly sharp on the longest end, but it's acceptable for me.  If you crop the photo, you can even read the words on the ship's sail.

In terms of following moving objects:

This second one is a... shall we say... 15 per cent crop of a plane photo on full zoom.  Again, sharpness is compromised, but you can clearly see it's an SIA plane and the word "Airlines" spelt out on the side.  Given that the plane was taking off at full speed and I was attempting to track it through the viewfinder, I'd say I'm pretty pleased with the performance of this baby.

So first of all, the things I don't like about a zoom lens.

Even with its plastic construction and narrow body, the 250 started to weigh quite a bit around the neck.  The muzzle sags and bobs in quite a cumbersome way.  And the length of the barrel also means that I'm left feeling like it's going to bang into things and I am extra paranoid when walking around in crowds.

I'm not fond of the difficulty with focusing on the long end.  At such close range, every little movement is amplified and the slightest shrug of a shoulder or twitch of a hand escalates into focus sliding completely off the face or even out of shot.  For very distant subjects, focus will be particularly miserable because there isn't a single eye (or detail for that matter) to latch onto.

And of course, at the end of the spectrum, the amount of light via aperture is nonsense (f/6.5 at the highest).

That said, here are all the reasons why these arguments don't matter to me anyway:

1)  That little bit of extra zoom can be key even for slightly hard to reach places.  (I would never have been able to grab that first picture of the kite stuck in the tree without it.)

2)  There are so many situations (concerts, museums, the zoo) where I get stuck behind a velvet rope or mosh pit barricade and this glass is perfect for that.

3)  Most important for me though, is that when you are as green and meek as I am, it's very difficult to sneak shots of people without them realising it or without feeling self-conscious.  Suddenly, in public places I can take pictures of scenes of life and without disturbing the subjects at all - the photography equivalent of watching random strangers through reflective sunglasses.

Case in point:

I was probably about fifty metres away, watching this adorable little boy splash in and out of the waves.  In good lighting, you can easily dial down the shutter speed to get good pictures of motion and water as well; I love that the surf is about to crash into him.

That jet of water, frozen in time, is a perfectly sufficient standard of sharpness for me.

I love people watching and watching people take their children to the beach for the first time is adorable.  (That background blurriness is not so bad either, yes?)  I got to observe everything quietly and unobtrusively (some of the parents even waved at me), and sitting patiently in the sand, I could take my time waiting for the perfect moments.

There was something beautifully peaceful about watching life go on around me and trying to freeze bits in my own special way, without having to close in on the people involved. 

Looking through a longer lens also lets you pick out special details that would've otherwise gone unnoticed.

It was a special afternoon for me.  More and more I'm starting to appreciate the solitude photography allows.  No one bothers the person who remains hidden behind a camera and the world is yours to build within a frame of your own choosing.

At about six, I got up to go home and then realised that I wasn't far away from the wakeboarding pool.  I ended up sitting with a tree root up my butt for half an hour, really pushing myself and gripping the 250 till my wrist cramped up.  Capturing movement with such a narrow field of view is really challenging for me and I ended up with more than a few blurred out duds or unsightly grimaces.

I worked on getting picturesque sprays of water and waiting for the wakeboarders to lean just the right way and as the sun started setting, I managed to get some shots that I really enjoyed.

The guy in the last two shots was particularly exciting to photograph.  A pity he was also the fastest.

In short, if you are looking for a cheap telephoto, the 55 - 250mm is absolutely something to consider.  I can see it working very well in all kinds of distance-causing situations and since no one is likely to shoot dark, indoor shots on the 250 end anyway, lighting is a very minor problem.

More than anything though, I've found a lens that will grant me many meandering, golden afternoons of watching life unfold, even if it's from far away.