Disappointment in Marblehead...

The Marblehead lighthouse, built in 1820, is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes. Apparently, it is also the location where I test my happiness with equipment.

For years, I shot with one lens on my camera.. an impressive 28-75mm Tamron that gives some Canon L lenses a run for their money. On a crop sensor Rebel, it did a great job and much of my portfolio was shot with that setup. However, it wasn't wide enough. One of the first signs that I felt limited in my equipment is that I couldn't fit the entire lighthouse in my frame, unless I was standing in Toledo.

Recently, I upgraded to a full frame camera and it came with a 24-105 lens. After all that time with my crop sensor, it felt like I could see the entire world at 24mm! While I was shooting four-shot panoramas with my Rebel, with my new setup I could get the entire scene in one frame. Impressive, for sure. I felt like it opened up a new world in landscape photography.

That being said, this was the last shot that I took with my 24-105. First light at Marblehead that day was marvelous. A bright strip of orange light was on the horizon and the lake was as still as I've seen it in quite some time. Still being February, it was only 17 degrees lakeside.. but it was bearable as there was little wind. As the image shows, I could fit the entire lighthouse in the image. However, during the shoot I was scrambling over the rocky shoreline, desperately searching for a location where I could get the foreground rocks AND lighthouse. The light was rising fast and eventually it would be brighter than I wanted. I got this shot, which I do like. The colors reflecting off the still lake really make the shot for me. However, I was slightly disappointed that I couldn't get as much shoreline as I wanted. This shot did not match what was in my head. The 24-105 simply.. wasn't wide enough for my needs.

A week later, a happy Ebayer got the 24-105 and I used that money to buy a 16-35. At press time, this photographer is gaga. I have no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision and am looking forward to seeing how it tests out in Marblehead. The extra 8mm is going to make a world of difference. Stay tuned.