Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Just arrived today! I cannot wait to try it out! Now you may be wondering why the heck I would buy an inexpensive ‘kit’ lens when I have the BOLD and beautiful  70-200mm 2.8 IS ?

Do you know how heavy that thing is? No, really!?

I went out the other day with the kids and a friend, and thought I just want a camera in a small bag to take some snapshots if the occasion arose. I did not want to lug ALL the gear for a couple of snaps….so I brought my Canon 20D and my newly acquired 18-55mm IS ‘kit’ lens, and my old Canon EF 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 USM. But the 70-210 gave me a bunch of err99 messages – hmph. At home I tried it on my 50D and I got err01 – about 1/2 the time….. Oh, well it was a good lens in its day – but I needed a replacement. My first thought was a Canon EF 75-300mm. I knew these were not the best, but I already owned the best, and wanted something cheap and light. Things have changed over the last few years – my research taught me that the Canon 55-250mm IS is now the best of the bottom of the barrel :) Suits me fine – so I saved a few $$ by finding a refurbished one at Adorama!

I now have both kit lenses – the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, and the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS.

 

Pair those with my Canon 20D and I have a lightweight and flexible snapshot kit that will go anywhere is a small shoulder bag!

Dry summer = little water

Here is another detail shot of a waterfall – details are about all you can get when the summer has been as dry as it has. This waterfall is but a shadow of its former self.

Lower Henderson Brook (Shaw) Falls

This was not with my normal gear setup…I shot this with my newly acquired kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS), resting on a beanbag and my camera bag, using the 2 sec. timer and live view. I haven’t really used live view before, oh, and my wife had my tripod…

Details: Canon 50D, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, @ 55mm, f/22, ISO 500, 1 sec., and circular polarizer

more birds

Here is another – the action shots are very challenging with the little birds. Here is a poor go at it, but it illustrates what we typically see. Here are a male and female Goldfinch on  the feeder with a Black-capped Chickadee coming for a snack….

Canon 50D, Tamron 1.4TC, Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS @ 120mm, f3.5 (f4), ISO 400, 1/640th sec. about 60% cropped.

Birding…in the backyard

We have 4 feeders going and ton of birds. We have Goldfinches, Mourning Doves, Grackles, Sparrows, Chickadees, and we actually saw a regular pigeon the other day, oh and don’t forget the Squirrels hanging off the feeders. I have posted a few shots before, but I could not resist adding some more. We got some hooks and moved the feeders to the edge of the deck instead of near the house – much better shooting angle. Here is shot of a female Goldfinch.

The gear: Canon 50D, Tamron 1.4TC, Canon EF 70-200 2.8L IS.

The settings: f2.8 (really f4 due to the TC), 200mm (effectively 448mm with the TC and cropped sensor), IS on, 1/400th sec., –2 EC, center weighted average metering.

Editing: Set cloudy WB in ACR, cropped about 40% from the original photo. Increased exposure by 1/3 stop, toned down highlight on perch, +5 on Recovery, Clarity, Vibrance and Saturation in ACR. Sharpened with Scott Kelby’s ‘portrait’ sharpening settings in PS and used Bicubic Sharper when reducing size for web.

I have a few more to post when I get another ‘round tuit…..

Hayes Falls

 

Canon EOS 20D, Canon 70-200mm f2.8 @ f/11, 70mm, 2 sec., ISO-100.

Save money while carrying your Gear!

I have been buying things recently, and shopping all over (online) for gear, gadgets, and stuff - call them accessories. I know that when I start shopping, am thinking that the items I buy will help me take more and better photos. The truth is, and it took me a while to figure this out, is that I just need to get out and shoot more - I have all the gear I really need (oops - did I say that?).

This time I decided it would be justified if the price tag stayed low, and the items were useful. :)

What did I get?
I recently purchased a large telephoto lens that was pretty expensive. I wanted to make sure it was well protected, so I ordered a Lowepro LC4 padded lens case for about $45 taxes in - reasonable, right? (Henry's on EBAY)

I also ordered another set of Cactus v4 flash trigger/reiceivers. I have one set, and I dropped the trasmitter once (whoops), and it opened up, but it still worked fine after I put it all together. I should have a backup, right? $50 US (shipping in) - Reasonable, and I got a second reciever so I can trigger 2 flashes at once!. (Gadget Infinity)

The cables that come with the Cactus have a PC connector at one end, but it is not a screw lock type, so it could be more secure, so they don't come off unexpectedly and get damaged - reasonable, right?. Couple of cables....$25 or so. (Flash Zebra)

I was surfing around and thinking about the Lens case I ordered, and I have a few other cases which belong to Lowepro's slip-lock system. These can attatch to a special belt, and loops on their backpacks, etc. I looked up the Deluxe Padded Belt....$53 - ouch... I am not saying it is not worth it, I have never tried one, but at this point it was too rich for me. You are probably wondering about the title of the post now, after I listed all the money I spent...I found a padded tool belt that works with the slip-lock system at Canadian Tire for $14.99 (57-0006-4) !!!!

I will try it out this weekend :)

....I am also eying a $20 USD Remote Timer for my Camera from LinkDelight.....hmmmmm (did I mention that the Canon version is $150 USD?)


AUG. 21 Update...I just bought the above mentioned timer remote. :)
...and I forgot to mention that I picked a cheap tripod carrying strap on e-bay and...I cannot forget the $2 lens hood for my new 'backup' lens - the Canon EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 IS - which I picked up on Kijiji for $40. :)

I think I should stop.

Beautiful Prince Edward Island

I was lucky enough this past July to have 2 separate trips to PEI. The first was a working trip for my wife, and we (the rest of the family) tagged along and went adventuring. The second trip was an organized vacation with 3 other families to a rented ‘Villa’ for a week. We had an awesome time!

I did not make much time for photography – as I was having way too much fun with friends and family - but I did get a few scenic shot of the areas we visited. What a great place!