wordless wednesday

November 17, 2021November 17, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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.

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

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

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

Canon EOS 500N – lightweight 35mm SLR that’s perfect today.

November 6, 2021November 6, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

When looking for a simple and lightweight 35mm single-lens reflex film camera look no further than this hard-working Canon. Released in 1996 and is still a very capable camera to this day. Mine has the Canon Zoom EF 35-80mm f4-5.6 III attached and everything is in top working condition.

One of the advantages of this camera is its ease of use and as the title suggests is light in weight. With two CR123 batteries installed and with the lens attached (lens cap too) it weighs just 546 grams with is super easy to carry around as the primary or secondary camera while on a photo walk.

The camera is capable of full manual shooting as the lens can be taken off autofocus and exposures both aperture and shutter speed set by the user. It also features 10 creative and programmed exposure modes including macro.