It’s always Christmas

January 11, 2022January 11, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Camera and lens – Canon EOS R with Canon EF 24-105mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM zoom lens.

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.

a sky full of mermaids

January 11, 2022January 11, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Always been one of my favorite subjects when testing new camera gear and lenses.

Camera and Lens – Canon EOS R with Canon EF 24-105mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM zoom lens. Shot at 43mm f8 1/125 ISO 100

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Canon pictures Fujifilm

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

The first image taken with my new Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM lens at closest focus. The lens is super lightweight and at f3.2 in the picture above quite pleasing. My Canon EOS R was set at full auto and there’s no post-production of the image. It’s just a bit underexposed.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Happy SUNday!

January 9, 2022January 9, 2022Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Feeling froggy!

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

1909 VDB Lincoln Cent

January 8, 2022January 8, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Lincoln never looked so good. At 113 years old this coin has aged very well and has toned beautifully. It’s in uncirculated condition and I’d say that I’ve owned it for some thirty years or so. The coin was minted at the Philadelphia Mint in 1909 (obviously) and the designer’s initials are on the reverse bottom center of the coin – V.D.B. is Victor D. Brenner. The coin was issued on the occasion of President Lincoln’s 100th birthday. The initials caused quite a stir at the time with many feeling they were too prominent on a US coin. They were quickly removed that same year but not until about 27 million were issued from the Philly mint. The initials reappeared in 1918 but were moved to the obverse just under Lincoln’s bust and are hard to see with the naked eye. Now you know. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

copper rain chain

January 7, 2022January 7, 2022Chris and Carol 2 Comments

I’ve actually had this rain chain for a while and just now finished installing it. I can’t wait to see how it ages in our near-coastal environment.

Camera and Lens – Canon EOS R and Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM ‘nifty fifty’.

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

Friday Fotos! – Dual CS 721

January 7, 2022January 7, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Made in Germany in the mid-1970s, it was considered to be one of the best turntables for the money at that time.

I purchased mine in 1977 at the Yokosuka Navy Exchange while stationed in Japan. I’ve used it for years but now it’s time to pass it along. I’ll have it in my Etsy shop soon.

As always, thanks for stopping by! – Chris

totally random

January 6, 2022January 6, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Canon EOS R with Canon RF 50mm f1.8 USM lens.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

My favorite images from 2021

January 6, 2022January 6, 2022Chris and Carol 2 Comments

I haven’t done a “best of” or “my favorite” in quite a while (if ever) so now is as good a time as any to give it a go. Here are my favorites of 2021 taken from the images I posted to my Flickr site this past year. Most of the images are from my studio work as 2021 just wasn’t a great year to be out and about. These are presented from oldest to newest.

‘Yashica TL Electro X – 1973’ posted March 3, 2021 – Fujifilm FinePix S9900W

Why I like this image. The Yashica TL Electro X was my first 35mm SLR (not this one) so I’ve always had a soft spot for it. This one was made in Hong Kong and was rather hard to chase down as not very many nice examples exist. This studio image is nice and simple – just how I like them. It received 1,175 views and 24 favorites with 5 comments.

‘Classic Klipsch KG1.2 Speakers – 1990s’ posted June 10, 2021 – Samsung Galaxy S8+

Why I like this image. The lighting on the speakers was just right and the shot has balance to my eye. The speakers were set up on the dining room floor with soft natural light from a nearby window providing all of the light. My Samsung phone was the best camera to use for the shot. It’s had 303 views with 3 favorites so far with limited exposure on Flickr.

‘Camera Porn, Contax Style’ posted July 19, 2021 – Fujifilm FinePix S9900W

Why I like this image. It’s just a straightforward studio shot but I like the way the brown strap underlines the camera’s body. The Contax RTS (first model) was a camera that I almost bought when it was new back in the late 1970s but went with a Canon F-1 instead. It’s had 2,041 views with 29 favorites. I like the depth of field in the image as the strap and the lens are in sharp focus as is most of the front of the camera except it gets a bit soft by the logo ‘Contax’.

Autumn Blaze – Bald Cypress, North Florida’ posted November 16, 2021 – Canon EOS 7D

Why I like this image. It was a toss-up with another shot of the same tree slightly shifted over to the right a bit. I love the filtered sunlight through the tree’s needles and branches. It was shot at 16mm using my Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM lens. The Canon EOS 7D is an APS-C camera so I’s say the image is about 24mm or so. It’s had 248 views with 17 favorites and 2 comments so far.

‘ominous orb’ posted November 1, 2021 (original image November 2013) – Samsung Galaxy S4

Why I like this image. The original color image was shot in November 2013 while on vacation at Epcot and Disney World. When I decided to turn it into a black and white image it took on another life so I posted that version on Flickr. It’s had 402 views with 26 favorites and 5 comments – I guess it was popular.

‘Christmas Cactus Blossom’ posted November 29, 2021 – Fujifilm FinePix S9900W

Why I like this image. I’ve taken a ton of Christmas cactus images this season so it was difficult selecting just one. The background is too busy but somehow the blossom overcomes that. It looks the best when enlarged. Here I used my Fujifilm FinePix camera set at macro. I think the camera handled the exposure well. It’s had 385 views with 28 favorites and 2 comments with limited exposure on Flickr (it’s not in a lot of groups).

‘Mighty Oak’ posted December 18, 2021 – Canon EOS 7D

Why I like this image. I love trees so they’re one of my favorite subjects to shoot but they’re also very hard to photograph unless you’re standing far away. This was shot with my Canon EOS 7D DSLR at 18mm so I was able to capture the trunk as the central focus of the picture. I like the lighting too. It’s had 1,185 views and 26 favorites and 6 comments. It’s a close second to the next image below.

‘Courthouse Steps’ posted December 30, 2021 – Canon EOS R

Why I like this image. It’s the first time I got to use my new Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera in town (Fernandina Beach). Shot with my Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM ultra wide-angle lens. Nassau County (Florida) courthouse. It’s had 418 views and 10 favorites so far. It’s my favorite image from 2021.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope to get out and about more this year weather and pandemic permitting. – Chris