Harvest Jazz and Blues that is! An awesome festival that lasts almost a week here in Fredericton, and runs in early September. We have a few days left. It has been going on for years and is probably THE event of the year here. It is growing all the time and attracts many people from far and wide, and many talented performers.
Every year there is a fundraising breakfast to raise money for the High School band programs. The kids perform and so do a few major artists. All it requires is that you have a few dollars for breakfast and can get up early.
I don’t know the exact details but Matt Andersen (photo right) has been a long time supporter, and plays often. He played this morning, and so did Andy Brown (photo left).
I had to get to work and could not stay for it all, but I liked what I heard! Great job!
Both photos were taken with: Canon 50D, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS, ISO 1250, around f/2.8, and about 1/250 sec.
Cheers!
-André
A couple of weeks ago, my friend John suggested we go to the track to shoot some horses before heading to see the new Batman movie. You see, after much waiting and anticipation, he finally got his Canon 1DX. He also previously picked up a used 400mm 2.8 and was itching to try out the combination on some action. I happily agreed and got my meager Canon 50D + 70-200 2.8 ready to go.
The skies opened up before we left – my wife indicated that she thought our outing was obviously cancelled. I explained that a little rain would not stop John and his weather sealed pro kit. I grabbed a camera rain cover, hand towel and a rain coat for my self and we headed out.
I am glad we did – I made mistakes – but you know what? You really DO learn from your mistakes! I learned that 1/60 sec was too slow for panning – until I improve my technique. I learned that f/4 would probably have been better than f/2.8 to get sharper photos of the horses thundering towards me. I got to try out my new shorty-forty – which worked well for some of the wider angle panning. I also learned that the 1DX has a really bright viewfinder and is built like a tank!
Here are some of my favourites:
70mm
f/4
ISO 250
1/50 sec.
330mm
f/5.6
ISO 1600
1/500 sec.
140mm
f/5.6
ISO 1600
1/500 sec.
140mm
f/5.6
ISO 1600
1/250 sec.
40mm
f/2.8
ISO 250
1/125 sec.
Gear:
Camera: Canon 50D + Grip
Lenses: Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS, Canon 40mm f/2.8, Canon 2x TC II
Manfrotto Monopod
Adobe Lightroom 3.6
I put the little lens on my 40D and swung the dial to the little green box. (it never goes there!)
Just fixed the minimal red-eye in Lightroom 3 and exported it with no sharpening, or anything else. I selected 1024 pixels as the max size. There were no other changes performed in the s/w.
EXIF:
Model - Canon EOS 40D
ExposureTime - 1/60 seconds
ExposureProgram - Normal program
ISOSpeedRatings - 400
ShutterSpeedValue - 1/60 seconds
ApertureValue - F 4.00
SubjectDistance - 1.78 m
MeteringMode - Multi-segment
Flash - Flash fired, Compulsory flash mode
FocalLength - 40 mm
ExposureMode - Auto
White Balance - Auto
At those settings and distance, I have a depth of field of about 1 foot. About 6 inches in front and 6 inches behind.
It is a little tight for standard but more useful than the 50mm.
Happy so far!
Here are some quick shots from my phone of the new lens on my cameras and in comparison to some other lenses. It barely protrudes past the grip and built in flash.
It is a cute lens – so small! Well built and the auto focus is neither slow and loud or quick and silent – somewhere in the middle – very acceptable for the price. Nice metal lens mount, and similar finish to the Canon 100mm f/2.8 IS macro – pebbled solid black plastic. (not like the 50mm f/1.8 – cheap smooth black plastic)
I cannot wait to take it for a proper test drive!
Can you say ‘pancake’? I took the (small) plunge an ordered a Canon 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens – I should have it tomorrow!
The reviews are great – and it is relatively cheap ($229 CAD), I think it may replace my 50mm f/1.8. I have been looking for something a little more close to standard (about 31mm on an APS-C sensor) but either didn’t want to shell out the money, or questioned the quality and usefulness.
According the reviews, this gives me quality for a great price. Also it is a full frame lens, and is very small (1” thick) and closer to standard view for my camera (still a little long at ~ 64mm).
I think it will make a great addition to my Canon 40D (without the grip), it will be small(er) and light(er). Not really point and shoot, but smaller than the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS + a gripped body….
Cheating - I admit it.
This is shot from the comfort of the kitchen…
Canon 50D, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS + 12mm Kenko extension tube.
Settings: ISO 1250, 135mm, 1/250th sec., f/2.8, some RAW adjustments in post, in Lightroom.
Larissa would know what kind it is….
-André
My last tripod head, the 488RC2 was/is awesome – but after 5 years – 5 years! I was surprised how the time has flown by….
Anyway, after 5 years, the pano function has begun to show issues. The ‘ball’ part is going strong, and I would have continued to use it, but I need that feature for my Real Estate photography. So I went to buy another – but they have a new model now: The Manfrotto 498RC2.
It is a little taller than the 488RC2, and it has an extra knob – a friction adjustment. No comment on that yet, but it looks great – a little more stylish, not that that matters…
So far I am happy with the investment, I purchased it at B&H and decided to try their new shipping option for Canada. In the past it was advised to ship things air courier as the customs charges were included – that option typically started at about $32 and went up from there depending on what you bought. Then you paid GST after you got the item. This shipping method would save you from some unknown customs charge which could be $25 or could be $70!
The new method, is Purolator Ground plus an option to have B&H handle customs and taxes. For this order the Head was $103.68, and the shipping was $8.93 (for Purolator Ground – 2 to 6 days delivery.) Then the Duties and Taxes charge was $25.04. It works out a little cheaper as the GST and customs charges are included. The tax on $103.68 would be $13.47 which means the customs/duties are $11.57 (a reasonable and ‘known’ cost) – here is a better format break down:
Head $103.68
Shipping $ 8.93
GST $ 13.47
Customs $ 11.57
TOTAL $137.65
In the past I would have expected to pay $103.68 (head) + $32.75 (shipping/customs incl.) + 13.47 (GST) = $149.90
I am happy so far!
Cheers!
A few weeks ago we (the photo club) had the opportunity to match up with some model train enthusiasts, and photograph their setups. I was blown away by the complexity of the scene and the detail! It was amazing to see the attention paid to creating to each building and tree. Also, it was interesting to
Learn about the differet materials and tricks used to create different elements. I learned that the joy in this hobby comes from the creating - these elaborate setups are constantly being torn down and rebuilt.
