North Florida Whine…

January 23, 2022Chris and Carol 3 Comments

When is it going to warm up? Two days straight with highs only in the 40s! LOL

Thanks for stopping by and I hope it’s warm and toasty where you are. – Chris

Testing my new Canon EF 75-300mm f4.5-5.6 III Zoom Lens

January 15, 2022January 15, 2022Chris and Carol 3 Comments

I found a really nice and only slightly used Canon EF lens the other day and so far I’m very happy with the results. Here are a few test shots from earlier today. All images were shot using my Canon EOS R mirrorless camera. The lens new from Canon retails at around $199. No image stabilization and no IBIS on my camera so faster shutter speeds and slightly higher ISO settings when shooting handheld at this focal length.

Old fence with whale knocker. 300mm f5.6 ISO 400 1/400 (handheld)

Cirrus and Cirrostratus clouds high up in the atmosphere over North Florida.

I’m very happy to say that the performance of the lens at all focal lengths has been better than expected. Is the lens sharper than a more expensive L lens from Canon – no, but for the money it’s great. Lighter weight too makes it an easy 300mm lens to tote. When using the lens on the EOS R body an adapter from Canon is necessary as the EF mount does not directly mount to the RF mirrorless body of the camera. It’s about $99 through Canon.

Shown mounted on my Canon EOS R mirrorless camera. The Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R adds a bit of additional length to the lens. Here at 77mm.

The lens is a great value and with the popularity of the newer Canon EOS R mirrorless bodies catching on now is a good time to find EF lenses at a bit of a bargain. 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.

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

around the yard with my Canon EOS R

January 4, 2022January 5, 2022Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Hi all, I’m still getting used to my new camera and today I got to use my new (there’s that word again) Canon RF 50mm f1.8 USM lens. I’m happy with the results except I wanted a bit more direct sunlight.

Canon EOS R with Canon RF 50mm f1.8 USM lens at f5.6 ISO 125 at 1/60

I’d like to compare this lens against my Canon EF 50mm f1.4 IS USM lens. The f1.8 has the potential to be sharper since it was designed to be used without an adapter on the EOS R body. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Canon EOS R test pics – Canon EF 24-105mm f3.5-5.5 IS STM zoom lens

December 30, 2021December 30, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’m still learning my new camera. Today I reset the camera back to its factory settings. These images were taken in P program mode with the camera setting all of the exposures. There’s still lots to learn.

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day! – 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

wordless wednesday

December 29, 2021December 29, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Thank you for stopping by and have a safe and wonderful Wednesday! – Chris

Christmas present – Canon EOS R

December 27, 2021December 27, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Canon EOS R with Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM zoom lens.

My Christmas present this year is from my wonderful wife, Carol. Canon’s full-frame mirrorless camera features 30 megapixels of resolution in a somewhat compact body.

To be able to shoot with Canon EF and EFS lenses, you need to use the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R seen here between the lens and the R body.

Garden cat at 16mm f4 about 2 feet from the cat.

Can you tell that I like trees? This majestic oak is in my front yard. Image at 16mm.

I’ll write more about my first impressions of the Canon EOS R. Now that it’s a part of my camera collection most if not all of my digital cameras will be listed for sale in my camera shop – starting with my Nikon D800. Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day! – Chris

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