Bearly hanging on

I've always had cats, and somehow it just wouldn't seem like Christmas without their apparent obsession with shiny objects. For me, it's just part of the fun that comes with the season.

The Tamron 18-270 PZD was used here without any filters or dioptres. I would move gradually around the tree to find a composition which worked for me, and included some more ornaments as a backdrop. As you can see, the bokeh is not as smooth as it would be with a macro lens, but the limited depth of field at close range helps you to get away with it (please note that bokeh and a narrow depth-of-field are not the same things*). What is apparent is the way the light spreads in the specular highlights, causing star-shaped flare in the brightest areas. It works here, but may not for more technical close-ups like insects (something I'm sure to shoot next spring). In those cases, I'll want a bit more distance between my main subject and any background elements.

Of course, the 18-270 is pitched as a travel lens, a niche which it fills perfectly. It's certainly not pitched as a macro lens, but that's a genre in which it performs capably.

*Narrow depth-of-field gives you lots of out-of-focus areas. Bokeh refers to how good those areas look. This includes the shape and softness of specular highlights. Depth-of field is quantifiable; bokeh is subjective.

Nikon D300; Tamron 18-270mm @ 100mm; ISO 200; F/13; 3s. VC off.