BEST OF 2013: The Glass Eye: FIRE!

FIRE!
The Glass Eye: Seeing the world through the lens of a camera.
By Doug Mills

Since the dawn of time fire has warmed a cold night, or given light in the dark.  It has been mans servant to cook his food or to propel him to the moon.  It is,however, not a tame creature.  This same fire that warms a cool fall evening or lights a romantic dinner if turned loose will destroy everything in it's path!  This past weekend I had the opportunity to watch this beast turned loose under the watchful eye of the local fire department.  As a photographer this was the opportunity of a lifetime to watch the beast turned loose on a vacant building.
Every one who has ever tried to shoot at night knows that it presents some interesting challenges,  add to that growing darkness the brightness of an out of control fire and you have a photographers nightmare or the shoot of a lifetime!

Setting the beast loose.

Under the watchful eye of the professionals.

Setting up.

Whenever you are shooting look around sometimes there are some great shots sitting just behind you.

  The Fire Tornado or Fire Devil
When shooting always watch for the unusual.  As I was shooting I noticed the rare Fire tornado, formed by the heat of the fire and the cold air creating a mini tornado of fire.  In forest fire these fire tornadoes can get so strong they can uproot full grown trees!  When I first saw it on the roof I just stood there watching in awe.  I quickly came to my senses and started shooting.  The conditions were so that it spawned at least three of these Fire Tornadoes.

BEST OF 2013: The Glass Eye: Review Sigma's APO 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens

The Glass Eye: Seeing the world through the lens of a camera.
By Doug Mills

The Glass Eye is a new series for the RCN America Network in witch we will explore the world through the glass eye of the photographers camera.

Today we will look at Sigma's 50-150mm f2.8 lens.

Here is what Sigma has to say about it.
"Sigma’s proprietary OS (Optical Stabilizer) system offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible, enabling hand held tele-photography. Six SLD glass elements compensate for chromatic aberrations and provide high image quality throughout the zoom range. The Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting and ensures sharp and high contrast images even at the maximum apertures. The lens design adopts an inner focusing and inner zooming system to provide convenient handling and the HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures quiet and high speed autofocus while allowing full-time manual focus override. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 80cm (31.5”) and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:6.3. The rounded 9 blade diaphragm creates an attractive blur to the out of focus areas of the image. The addition of Sigma’s TELE CONVERTER 1.4x EX DG APO or 2x EX DG APO produces a 70-210 F4 AF telephoto zoom lens or 100-300 F5.6 AF telephoto zoom respectively."

TECH SPECS:
Lens Construction 21 Elements in 15 Groups
Angle of View 27.9-9.5 degrees
Number of Diaphragm Blades 9
Mininum Aperture f22
Minimum Focusing Distance 80 cm / 31.5 in
Filter Size (mm) Diameter77mm
Maximum Magnifications 1:6.4
Dimensions
(Diameter x Length) (D) 86.4mm×(L) 197.6mm/3.4in.× 7.8 in. in

OS - Optical Stabilizer Function
HSM - Hyper-Sonic Motor
APO - Apochromatic
EX - EX Lens
DC - DC for Digital
* Nikon mounts do not have an aperture ring. Some functions may not work
depending on the camera model.
* The appearance and specification are subject to change without notice.

This lens comes with Front and Rear Lens Caps, Lens Case, Hood (LH850-02), Tripod Socket (TS-21)
1-Year International Warranty Plus 3 Additional Years in the USA

So much for the information you can find from any camera dealer.  Here is what you need to know.  Measuring 8.5 inches long and a weight of nearly 3 lbs this is a BIG lens.  With it's lens hood attached it is nearly 12 inches long.  It is a well built solid feeling lens and balances well.  I find that it is
heavy for long shoots, however, the results make the inconvenience of the size and weight worth it.

With a f 2.8 aperture this is ideal for indoor photography especially if you prefer, or would like,
to work without a flash.  I expected it to provide superior photos inside and it did not disappoint.

Today I took it to one of my favorite places to shoot, Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde Maine.
I was very impressed with the results.  In fact I think i would go as far as to say this is the best lens
 I have ever used.  The resulting pictures need very little, if any, post production work This is saving me a
 lot of time on the computer getting the perfect look for my finished photos.

If you are looking for the best professional results but, don't want to pay thousands of dollars for
L series lenses or just looking to improve your photography take a long hard look at Sigma's
50-150mm f2.8 lens.

The following gallery was all shot with the Sigma 50-150mm and have not been modified they are just the

 way they came out of the camera.

BEST OF 2013: The Glass Eye: "The House"

The House
The Glass Eye: Seeing the world through the lens of a camera.
By Doug Mills

On Sunday I went to visit a very old friend.  It is sad to watch as my friend grows older.  I have been shooting The House for the past five years.  I fear it will not be with us much longer.

The Glass Eye: FIRE!

FIRE!
The Glass Eye: Seeing the world through the lens of a camera.
By Doug Mills

Since the dawn of time fire has warmed a cold night, or given light in the dark.  It has been mans servant to cook his food or to propel him to the moon.  It is,however, not a tame creature.  This same fire that warms a cool fall evening or lights a romantic dinner if turned loose will destroy everything in it's path!  This past weekend I had the opportunity to watch this beast turned loose under the watchful eye of the local fire department.  As a photographer this was the opportunity of a lifetime to watch the beast turned loose on a vacant building.
Every one who has ever tried to shoot at night knows that it presents some interesting challenges,  add to that growing darkness the brightness of an out of control fire and you have a photographers nightmare or the shoot of a lifetime!

Setting the beast loose.

Under the watchful eye of the professionals.

Setting up.

Whenever you are shooting look around sometimes there are some great shots sitting just behind you.

  The Fire Tornado or Fire Devil
When shooting always watch for the unusual.  As I was shooting I noticed the rare Fire tornado, formed by the heat of the fire and the cold air creating a mini tornado of fire.  In forest fire these fire tornadoes can get so strong they can uproot full grown trees!  When I first saw it on the roof I just stood there watching in awe.  I quickly came to my senses and started shooting.  The conditions were so that it spawned at least three of these Fire Tornadoes.