Mouseover Monday 8 - Depth of Field

100mm at f/2.8 Mouse over to see it at f/7.1

So when I decided that I was really starting a photography business, I made a list of all the equipment I thought I needed to be prepared for almost any job, and I dipped into my savings and bought it. I bought two camera bodies, but I knew what really would make the images would be the right lens at the right time. Since then, some lenses almost never make it off the camera (hello 50mm and 85mm!), some lenses are in heavy rotation (hello Lensbaby!) and some lenses kind of languish (hi 70-200 and 100mm macro).

I decided last week that while the 70-200 is kind of more of a statement lens than I'm ready to bring along with me on casual photo outings, I could definitely use the 100mm more. I mean, it's a beautiful lens, with almost perfect image quality, the bokeh is superb, and it's a macro lens! which I've been wanting for a long time.

So I took the 100 with me on a photo stroll last week, to kind of put it through its paces. We walked around the Panhandle (a smaller park near Golden Gate Park) and we took pictures of whatever captured our fancy.

Some of these you have already seen here and here. The lens is a little long to be a perfect walk-around lens for me. I really like 50mm, and the image quality of the 85mm slays me every time. But the 100 certainly is fun, and there's nothing better than being able to get as close as you want to whatever you're shooting.

Anyway, this Mouseover Monday is a little different than the previous ones. I haven't converted this one into black and white; instead, I'm showing you two different shots of the same leaves, one at f/2.8 and one at f/7.1. Neither one has much depth of field, but they certainly have a different look to them. Which do you prefer? I think I know which one I'm partial to, myself, but I certainly wouldn't mind getting a second opinion.

Oh, and by the way, Happy Independence Day! I hope you're doing something suitably relaxed and pointless.