Lighthaus Camera: The Awesome Sigma 18-35mm Art Lens

Several years ago third party lenses were thought to be sub par when it comes to competing against proprietary lenses.  Sigma is making a splash in the camera world with its 18-35mm f/1.8 Art lens.  If you have never picked one up, it's built like a tank and shoots great photographs.  Maybe my eye is not as good as yours but I can't hardly tell the difference between the photographs shot with the Nikon and Sigma lenses.  I used the Nikon D7100 and shot in manual mode so everything was the same.  What do you think?

The Sigma 18-35mm lens comes in several mounts: Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Pentax K and Sony Alpha.  It is designed for crop sensor cameras which effectively brings the focal length to 27-35mm.  For the geeks: 17 elements in 12 groups, 9 aperture blades, minimum focus distance 0.28m, 72mm filter thread and weighs 28.6 oz..  The lens is pretty sharp even wide open, has low chromatic aberration, low vignetting and the distortion is under control too.  Keep in mind that distortion is visible at the wide end and pincushion distortion at the long end but no more than any other standard zoom lens.

Lighthaus Camera has four locations across the islands to serve you.  The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Nikon mount is currently in stock at our Kihei location and is for sale at a reasonable price of $799.99.  Call us at 808 877-5155 to pick up this award winning Sigma lens.

Lighthaus Camera: Canon Power Shot SX50 HS

Recently Lighthaus Camera brought in some high power Pentax 20x60 binoculars.  Michael suggested that we compare what we saw in those binoculars to the 1200mm zoom capabilities of the Canon SX50.  Without the image seen through the binoculars, its hard to compare just how powerful the zoom is on the SX50.  Let me just tell you that the image seen in the binoculars is spot on to the 1200mm that the SX50's zoom can accomplish.  Being that it is whale season here in the islands, the SX50 is a great option.

The SX50 features 12.1MP, Digic 5 processor, 50 times optical zoom and is image stabilized.  It can shoot 1080p/720p HD video and has an aperture of f/3.4-6.5.  Keep in mind that even though it is a point and shoot form factor, it is a little bigger than your standard p&s camera.  It is not made to fit in your pants pocket or small purse.

There are rumors that Canon is going to replace the SX50 with a camera with twice the zoom later this summer.  Until then you can pick up the Power Shot SX50 at any one of Lighthaus Camera's four locations.

Lighthaus Camera: Tamrac Bags in Stock

Tamrac has been making high quality camera bags for a little over thirty years.  Lighthaus Camera has brought in several different styles of holster bags, back packs, lens cases, camera cases and filter cases for your equipment's protection.  The quantity and supplies may vary at each Lighthaus Camera location.  Come on by to see if we have what you're looking for.

Lighthaus Camera has been serving Hawaii since 1988 and is a family owned operation.  We have two locations on Maui, one in Lahaina and the other in Kihei.  If you are on the big island, our store is located in Kona.  Oahu's location is on King Street which is near Waikiki

Lighthaus Camera: How to Choose Binoculars

Now that the whales are here and putting on shows all across Hawaii's waters, what better way to see them than with a good pair of binoculars.

There are three main type of binoculars to choose from.  The most common full sized ones are 8x42 and 10x50.  The mid sized ones are generally 7x35 and 10x32.  And finally the compact ones sized at 8x25 and 10x25.

Full sized binoculars are usually better in low light situations, have wide fields of view, and are great for wildlife and sports usage.

Mid sized binoculars are moderate in weight and size, are good in above average lighting conditions and good for wildlife and sports usage.

Compact binoculars are the lightest and smallest binoculars and are perfect for backpacking, work well in daytime activities but can be a bit uncomfortable during extended periods of usage.

Now that you know the different kinds, what do the numbers mean?  The first number will be the magnification power and the second is the diameter of the objective lens (lens farthest away from your eyes).  For example, a 20x60 binocular will have a 20 times magnification and the diameter of the lens is 60mm.  Keep in mind that the larger the objective lens, the more light comes into your binoculars.  The other number you will see is the exit pupil which indicates how bright objects will be in low light level conditions.  The higher that number means brighter images.  For example 7x35 binoculars have an exit pupil diameter of 5mm. Use your elementary math skills to figure out how that number was determined.  The brightness levels of those 7x35 binoculars will be 25.  Just square the exit pupil diameter.  Now to throw a monkey wrench into what I've just explained, not all manufactures have identical brightness levels.  Another number you will come across is the eye relief or distance between the eyes and the eyepiece while the whole field of view is visible.  For those of us who wear glasses, look for eye relief of at least 11mm.  The last thing to consider is the field of view.  This spec will tell you the width of the area that you can view at a glance, 1,000 yards from where you stand.  Keep in mind that higher magnification power results in narrower fields of view.  Speaking of higher magnification (above 10 power), using a tripod or having image stabilization in the binoculars will keep your  image from being blurry.

Lighthaus Camera has four locations for you to choose from when you purchase your binoculars.  We carry Olympus, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Leica brand binoculars.  Options vary from store to store.

Happy whale watching!

Lighthaus Camera: Super Bowl Sunday

Today is one of America's unofficial holidays. It is filled with great friends, fantastic food, good times and hours upon hours of being in front of the tv. I know that most of your attention will be on the Broncos beating the Seahawks and by the time the game is over our stores will be closed. For those of you who are not watching the game, with the exception of our Kona store, we are open. Beat the crowds and come on down for your camera needs. Be safe and happy partying.