autumn blaze

November 16, 2021November 16, 2021Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Bald cypress dressed in its best fall fashion (North Florida).

My favorite tree in my yard – I have about fifty of which I planted around fifteen or so. The remainder are “babies” from the original two trees that I planted back in 1991. The bald cypress is a member of the redwood family and some call these trees Eastern redwoods.

Camera and lens – Canon EOS 7D with Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 L IS USM zoom lens.

The top of the tree just before the last light of the day. The cones are clearly visible.

Camera and lens – Fujifilm FinePix S9900W with Fujinon 50x 4.3-215mm f/2.9 zoom lens.

This is about the best color my yard will see this autumn. The things that look like balls are actually cones or seed pods that the male bald cypress produces throughout the growing season. They are about the size of a golf ball and just about as heavy. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

Happy SUNday!

November 14, 2021November 14, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Auto Yashinon 55mm f1.2 by Tomioka Optical – 1973

Monster glass from Tomioka. The lens has a super low serial number that puts it within the first few months of production. The camera is the Yashica TL Electro X – ITS made in April 1973.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! – Chris

Canon Gadget Bags for Christmas!

November 13, 2021November 13, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Just in time for Christmas, I’ve added these two very nice Canon camera bags. Both are in new condition with Canon tags – never been used and both are now retired from Canon’s inventory.

My online Camera Shop can be found at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

For those serious collectors out there I have this awesome Canon fanny pack from the 1980 Winter Olympics – also in new, never used condition.

Hard to find (in new condition) Canon fanny pack from the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Not from Canon but pretty cool just the same, a camcorder bag with Walt Disney World logos.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Link, Skyward Sword

November 13, 2021November 13, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I found an unfinished sketch made by my daughter years ago. Link from The Legend of Zelda as drawn by Lindsay.

P.S. I rescued this from the trash years ago and I’m glad I did.

Happy Saturday! Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Friday Fotos!

November 12, 2021November 12, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I needed to take some test shots with my new to me Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi so I did a little walkabout in my front yard. Nothing more than snapshots but my goal was to test the autofocus and various modes on the camera. The Rebel XTi is a 10.1-megapixel from around 2008. I purchased it from the original owner who lives locally and knows I collect cameras.

A bit underexposed but my goal was to test the macro mode and close autofocus.

A nice clean and well-maintained Canon kit. The lens and camera work well together and it’s quick to lock on to the proper focus without a bunch of hunting around.

At least the AF locked on to the central subject (I think this is a butterfly bush).

Yep, that sign! My go-to focus test shot. That sign was erected in front of my home about 27 years ago when my daughter was small and she and her friends would make the driveway their playground.

I like rocks. The big one on the right came from a stream in Otto, North Carolina.

Ground-level transformer right along my property line.

Veteran’s Day and my across-the-street neighbor put out his flag.

2014 Toyota RAV4 with just under 50K miles on it. It needs to be washed (and that driveway needs to be replaced).

Canon made an easy-to-use compact DSLR and put together a nice combo along the way.

Thanks for stopping by and have an awesome day and weekend! – Chris

New arrivals in my camera shop!

November 11, 2021November 11, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Just in time for Christmas shopping, I’ve added many new items from my collection of cameras, lenses, and photogear. Almost everything is on sale at 10% off and most have free or reduced shipping to customers in the USA. I do ship worldwide too. You can shop in my online store at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

More items are being added daily as I continue to list from my collections of things. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! – Chris

Canon EOS 7D

November 11, 2021November 11, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Another DSLR! That’s what Carol said when she saw me bring this lovely duo home the other day.

A Canon EOS 7D mated with the prestigious Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM superwide lens. I can’t wait to give this a shakedown.

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll post some test pics soon. – Chris

wordless wednesday

November 10, 2021November 10, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Thanks for stopping by and have a gorgeous day! – Chris

Canon EOS 50D – finally an affordable 15-megapixel DSLR

November 10, 2021November 10, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I get a big kick out of collecting these late 2000’s DSLRs from makers like Canon and Nikon. Prices for gently used models are quite reasonable and the supply is literally endless. Of course, you want to look for cameras with a relatively low shutter count but since these were semi-pro models they could take some rough use and still enjoy a long life due to their robust build.

Yep, expect old-fashioned CF cards in these beasts. Wow, 128MB!

How many cameras look exactly like this? Looks normal doesn’t it?

I managed to get this many images before disaster!

Then this screen appeared after the mirror failed to return to its proper position which is down. Yep, the locked up and then this. I kind of knew this model was prone to this but I bought this camera from a local client who had purchased it new. It has about 16K shutter accusations (young for this model). When I was testing it this hadn’t appeared yet so I bought it along with a nice (I hope) flock of Canon EF lenses.

In order to get the mirror back into its shooting position (down) I have to turn off the camera, remove the lens, turn it back on and fire the shutter. The mirror then resets itself for the next failure which will be right after the next shot… then repeat over and over again. There may be a way to reset the camera’s brain but I haven’t discovered it yet. I’ve tried four different EF lenses (3 Canons and 1 Sigma) with no change. The last firmware update was in 2012 or so and no help from that update either.

Lesson learned – none really as I know that as these older (2008) digital cameras age all sorts of glitches can happen no matter how well designed. I still enjoy collecting from this period and one “bad” experience won’t turn me off. Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day! – Chris

Carol’s new Canon AE-1, Japan 1978

November 9, 2021November 9, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

When Carol and I lived in Yokohama, Japan back in the late 1970s we were happily acquiring our first bits of Canon gear. Here Carol gets her Canon AE-1 in pro-black complete with a power winder, ever-ready leather case, and 50mm f1.4 lens. She enjoyed using the camera with its case attached as the case covered the body with the winder attached. Fun times! Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

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Month November 2021