Camera update

While I was away I mostly used my 17-85mm f/4-5.6 lens. I was surprised that there were only a few occasions when I really wished I had a better zoom — mainly when I went to see the Great Wall @ Mu Tian Yu, and in the Forbidden City.One thing that Tim advised me to do was to get a 50mm prime lens (Canon make a 50mm f/1.8 and f/1.4), and actually move around so that I could find the right position to take the photo in. M also recommended this, especially since this is my first real camera and I’m a real noob with it.It wasn’t until my second last day that I actually acquired a 50mm lens. I’d negotiated prices at Top Electronics Plaza (next to Hailon and Zhongguancun E-Plaza) quite a bit, but I didn’t actually make a purchase until one of the blokes from the office came along with me. I did get a better price that way .. image:: /images/smilies/icon_smile.gif

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Anyway … I made a determined effort to minimise my zoom usage, to move around a lot and to just take lots of photos in general. And since I was walking to and from the office most days, I was able to figure out a few spots where I should position myself in order to get some nice photos. I think I managed about a 30% strike rate (non-blurry, “worth a second look” photos). I’m mostly happy with that percentage, given that I got the camera just a few days before I flew to Beijing, and I’ve never had a DSLR (or SLR) before now.Hopefully, with experience, practice, time and a bit of research into the technology and science behind the art, I’ll be able to improve that strike rate just a tad.