No Soup for You

No Soup for You! Oddly enough, I wish it were as simple as no soup for me it's more about a recent purchase I made from Sweetwater, an acoustic guitar to be exact.

I’ve been wanting an acoustic guitar for quite some time, and the brand that stuck out for me was Breedlove, a guitar company out of Bend, Oregon. Sure, I have looked at other makers, Guild, Martin, and Taylor guitars to be exact. Breedlove just checked all the boxes for me in playability and affordability.

So, at the time this model was on backorder, I was both excited and a bit anxious. What model caught my eye? The ECO Pursuit Exotic S Concert CE-Tiger's Eye Myrtlewood, priced at $649 (regular $749), was quickly shipped to me within a few days, thanks to my salesperson, the excellent Justin Dunn.

My guitar arrived on a cold and rainy Friday, and my excitement was through the roof. However, this excitement quickly turned to disappointment. The box that contained my new acoustic guitar showed signs of severe water damage, along with damage to each of the corners. The side with the most severe water damage was even held together with tape, and there was still moisture underneath. Despite this, I decided to wait until the next afternoon to unbox my guitar, giving it time to acclimate to its new environment.

I must clarify that the water damage to the outer box was not caused by Sweetwater delivering my purchase, but rather by FedEx during the shipping process. The guitar was in great shape, surprisingly. There didn’t seem to be any water damage to the third, most inner box of my parcel. The guitar was nearly in tune, so I strummed a few chords and realized that this guitar, this model, was not for me. It didn’t match my expectations, which can happen when you buy something sight unseen. The only thing I truly liked about the Breedlove was the entire bridge design. However, that alone wasn’t enough to justify keeping it. So, back it went, and I continue searching for what I really want. There’s a place not far from us that deals in Taylor guitars, and I think it would be wise to hear what I am looking for in person before making a decision and placing my next order with Sweetwater. Below are the images Sweetwater sent me prior to shipping, along with a link to this particular model.

The guitar was in great shape, surprisingly. There didn’t appear to be any water damage to the innermost box of my parcel. The guitar was pretty much in tune, so I strummed a few chords, and with that, I realized this guitar, this model, was not for me. It wasn’t at all what I expected. I guess that happens when you buy something like this sight unseen. So, the only thing about the Breedlove I truly loved was the whole bridge design. That in itself was not enough for me to justify keeping it. So back it went, and back to searching for what I want. There’s a place not far from us that deals in Taylor guitars, I think it would be in my best interest to hear what I am looking for and then (maybe) make a decision and place my next order with Sweetwater.

Below are the images Sweetwater had sent to me prior to shipping, and a link to this particular model.

Breedlove ECO Pursuit Exotic S Concert CE Acoustic-Electric Guitar - Tiger's Eye Myrtlewood | Sweetwater

New Gear : Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM Lens (Part 1 of 2)

This is me putting the cart before the horse, well the lens before the camera is more like it. I finally pulled the trigger and bought the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 G Master lens. Wait, don’t I shoot Nikon, and isn’t this lens for Sony’s mirrorless camera system? Yes, it is. So have I switched over to Sony? Not exactly, I intend to stay with Nikon, I just decided to go mirrorless, and Sony got my attention.

firstly though, here’s a little bit on this lens and why I have been leaning more towards prime lenses moreover than zooms, which I have been using for years, and importantly my choice with this particular lens...

Prime lenses are known to be significantly sharper than zoom lenses; (I think so). Simply because they don’t have the extra glass inside that moves in order to zoom. As a result, you get a better quality image due to less diffraction and distortion, and with that, the debate over this is ongoing with many photographers. I will admit, they [zooms] do offer a bit more convenience when applying focal lengths to your subject. Such as when I was shooting events, now I am more looking into studio and environmental style portraiture.

According to the specs, the Sony 135mm F/1.8 G Master features 13 elements in 10 groups, it also has a near-circular 11 shutter blade diaphragm, the most used in the Alpha lens series. It weighs in at a hefty 2.1 pounds, with a length of 3.52 x 5″ with an 82mm front filter. more can be seen at the link below:

SEL135F18GM Specifications | α Lenses | Sony US

So with this out with the old gear and in with the new, I’ve gotten rid of most of my zooms, I do have one more zoom lens I am debating whether to part with; My trusty Nikkor 80-200mm F/2.8, and like with my other departed gear over the years, I’ll just take those funds and invest in more prime lens, I’ve been looking at the Sigma Art series for some time. I am still on the fence on which Sony mirrorless body I want; Sony a7 III or the a7r III. That is a blog for another time.

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All still images by Brian Cade Photography