Texture through an "L"

I took this image while I was out playing with my EF 80-200mm f/2.8L lens, shortly after I bought it used. Canon's pro-caliber lenses carry the "L" designation, and this is the only such lens I own (for the moment). You can't see it at web magnifications, but this image is scary-sharp; I have been very impressed with this lens' performance. The only problem is that it weighs three pounds and is ten inches long with its hood attached, so I'm not exactly inconspicuous when aiming it on the street!

Good-quality photo gear is a blessing and a curse: like anything else, improving performance past a certain point becomes an exercise in diminishing returns. Lenses, for example, become forbiddingly expensive when you enter the upper strata of quality and performance, not to mention that the best lenses are large and heavy. And, like any creative endeavor, the quality of one's tools pretty much never determine the artistic value of your final product!