Well this past week has been something of a wash-out. More rain and wind than I care to remember, and today was no different. And today it mattered as there's nothing more annoying than bad weather when you want to test out new toys: these being a 17-40mm lens for shooting landscapes, and a new body to go with it… the Canon EOS 40D.
After an abortive trip to Wakehurst Place (nice garden centre, but too much rain to risk new gear), I didn't get a chance to try anything until late this evening. Snails were the best bet, as they were everywhere, enjoying the dampness as only snails can. Especially when there are sultanas and one or two markies to be had 😉
The other wet weather friend out there tonight was a spider, resplendent in jewels of raindrops.
As for those markies and sultanas, they did have a purpose and they did bring an all too fleeting reward!
The camera itself is a treat to use, and I'm going to look forward to getting used to it properly. The set-up and controls are quite a change from the 400D (some pros and cons, but mainly a matter of getting familiar with it), but I can already see the improvements in focusing (not least because the larger/brighter viewfinder means I can see what I'm photographing), spot metering, reduced noise, improved colour rendering, and a wonderfully quiet shutter. The burst mode is around 6 shots a second which will be great for birds. I plan to keep the 400D as a spare, and for those occasions where I want to have ready access to a long lens and a macro. Now all I need is some decent weather.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon EOS 40D. The snails and spider were taken with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro lens. The fox was caught with the EF70-300mm 4.5-5.6 DO IS.
Vulpes vulpes
10 Aug 2008Congrats on the new equipment! All sounds quite impressive indeed! :yes: My garden slugs and snails prefer my plants….grrrr!! :no:
Words
10 Aug 2008Mickeyjoe, thanks. I'm poring over the weather forecast as I write. Tomorrow looks promising 😀 (then more rain later in the week….. 🙁 )
Words
10 Aug 2008Vulpes, you mean you don't feed your snails nice little snacks! They must be feeling deprived 😉
Mickeyjoe-Irl
10 Aug 2008Have fun with the new kit. I'm sure we'll enjoy seeing the results. :up:
Cynthia23
10 Aug 2008WOW! Words! Fantastic these new pictures are! REALLY – I mean fantastic! Hope the weather lets up for you soon. 🙂
SittingFox
10 Aug 2008Oh! Congratulations on the 40D! :hat: 🙂 Looks like good weather today for experimenting some more with it, too! 🙂
Great spider :up:
cakkleberrylane
10 Aug 2008Great shots! Congratulations on the camera! The second one of the snail looks like an illustration for a children's book.
CedarFox
10 Aug 2008Congrats on the new lens and camera! Nice shot of the nicked ear vixen :up:
Words
10 Aug 2008Cynthia, thanks! Weather was mixed today, but better than Saturday. I'll post some shots later 😉
Words
10 Aug 2008Eric, thanks! The shot of the vixen was grabbed quickly. I was surprised at how sharp it came out.
Words
10 Aug 2008Lois, thanks! I liked the arched posture on that second snail shot. Surprislngly elegant. 😀
Words
10 Aug 2008Adele, thanks! I'm going to enjoy getting used to it. 🙂
chthoniid
10 Aug 2008Aah yes, good to see you finally succumbing to the charms of the 40D. I'm a great believer in having a spare camera btw. I actually find that the burst mode is nice for birds-in-flight, but I still tend to do better by shooting less (composing more carefully) and trying to get more keepers. I'm guessing that the biggest benefit will be with faster AF sensors.
Your weather alas, sounds like a lot like ours 🙁 of late.
Words
10 Aug 2008Brendan, it was somewhat inevitable (as is that they'll announce a 50D in the not too distant future). But the step up is noticeable. The AF sensors are a lot better (different technology). I still need to be more disciplined about composition, though I'm getting better at it, apart from birds in flight where composition is generally limited to two things: "is it in frame?" and "is it within plausible range?"
As for the weather, an English summer being about like a New Zealand winter sounds right :right:
chthoniid
11 Aug 2008🙂
Aah well, I remember prompting you to get the 40D after Andy got his D300 and I got my A700 😉
Canon have tended to do well with their AF sensors for long telephotos, so I'm not surprised you're finding the camera a good option for birds. Got to watch the CF card though at full burst mode…it's annoying missing a shot because the camera is still trying to clear the buffer.
Flying Red Fox Blog
14 Aug 2008Wow what a lot of snails! Nice photos.
Words
14 Aug 2008Mark, thanks! We probably have too many snails, but the plants mainly do ok.