Latest activity

ISv · Nov 23, 2025

One of my neighbors asked me to take photos of her dog... Now it's my favorite dog in the neighborhood! So cute little Doberman (I didn't know Dobermans could be that cute!!!). In the last two photos - he got in some deep foot-print and like a real Sherlock Holmes investigated who put that trap for him

!

SirIssacNewton · Nov 23, 2025

Click said:
Excellent timing. Nicely done.

Thanks, them chickadees are fast little buggers

ISv · Nov 23, 2025

I had really fun time with the Red-crested Cardinal...

ISv · Nov 22, 2025

becceric said:
In October, watching a "suit" of Mallards for several minutes, they suddenly became a flush!.
Luckily I finally heeded AlanF's advice to shoot the 600mm minus the 1.4TC. This gave the R5 a fighting chance against my erratic panning.View attachment 226878 View attachment 226879 View attachment 226880 View attachment 226881
I'm looking forward to more opportunities to capture BIF.
And thanks to online-field-guide.com for the proper Mallard Group terminology.

Time to time Alan is very helpful - actually always

!

ISv · Nov 22, 2025

EricN said:
Increasingly, it seems like first reactions are to assume the worst.

Unfortunately - yes! Not because peoples are always alert, it's because of the reasons for that!
The Bromeliads started blooming again and the Gold-dusted Geckos are there again!

ISv · Nov 22, 2025

EricN said:
The center column definitely is something I hadn't thought about but is obvious now that you told me. Thanks!

I was using Feisol 3441 back in the time and it is good (that time I was taking photos of fungi only and I never used a central column!) until one hike when I drop it on a stone and the "spider" cracked! After that I got a Feisol "Tournament" - lighter and as stable as the 3441, actually on hard ground as stable as the RRS that I'm using now(!!!) but I started using it for birds (with the Nikon 200-500!) and after ~2 years one of the legs disconnected from the spider (!!!). I use to have my camera attached to the tripod and I carry it on my shoulder (ready for all surprises...). After applying Gorilla glue it was OK but for a peace of mind I finally acquired the RRS and it's as stable as the "Tournament"(even more!) even on unstable ground. I never ever use a central column! What I did realized is that even with the RRS (and it has much ticker legs!) if it's not at (+/-) horizontal (both dimensions!) you get vibrations (nicely measurable - I mean you can see it and measure the difference!)*. Conclusions: don't use a central column, and try to avoid a tilted tripod!!!
* = many times the tilt of the lens is compensating the tilt of the tripod (and it depends on the weight of the front element, angle e.t.c.). But you shouldn't relay on these "compensations" because in the field they are "x"?
And finally (I really got tired after that much typing!) few photos!
It was like it will rain any moment there (overclouded with some sun occasionally protruding behind of thin clouds...).

Click · Nov 22, 2025

Excellent timing.

Nicely done.

SirIssacNewton · Nov 22, 2025

We’re back!! Jumping for Joy! Carolina Chickadee taken with my Canon R8 and RF 600mm f11

roby17269 · Nov 22, 2025

Michael Clark said:
Today's newest bright and shiny just released model will one day be discontinued and then, some time after that, be dropped from support. So even the hottest brand new products are beginning their "descent into the inevitable decline" the day they are introduced.

How long products "must be supported by law" varies greatly from one locale to the next. Most companies cover themselves by reserving the right to substitute an "equivalent" or "improved" product in lieu of fixing an outdated product still under warranty.

All true, but there is a difference between a single model going out of support and a whole system being discontinued. If you can't see that, not sure what I can say further.

Michael Clark said:
People who claimed "EOS M is dead!" in 2015 or so were premature. People who claimed "DSLRs are dead!" in 2012 were premature. Everything eventually "dies". That doesn't mean everything no longer being made today is already dead today, though.

Agreed, in 2015 Canon was still releasing new M gear... but the last one was in 2020 and after that it was totally clear that Canon was focusing only on R(-S). The same year saw the last EF new gear.
Of course gear doesn't have a secret kill switch that makes it stop to work when the system is discontinued. But I hope you would agree that it is better to buy something in a system which is being actively developed vs something in a discontinued system

Click · Nov 22, 2025

Another very nice series. Well done, Thomas.

ThomasTH · Nov 22, 2025

Here are my first concert photos taken with a Canon camera. It was the Turbo A.C.'s from the USA playing in Vienna, Austria. It was a really small show in a tiny club. Just how I like it! The only downside was the poor lighting.

All photos were taken with the R6 II and the RF 24-70 2.8 L.

1/250s, ISO 25600

1/250s, ISO 20000

1/200s, ISO 12800

1/250s, ISO 16000

P-visie · Nov 22, 2025

Smallrig has another (new) USB-C charger for LP-E6P (and LP-E6NH) batteries. It can charge 2 batteries simultaneously. It is very compact, barely bigger than 2 batteries. It has indicator lights for charging status and comes with a USB-C cable. I paid 28€ at Amazon (incl. VAT).

See: https://www.smallrig.com/global/sma...it-for-sony-canon-nikon-panasonic-camera.html

EricN · Nov 22, 2025

P-visie said:
If you use the center column: do not extend it too much, i.e. 10-15 centimeters. You can attach something heavy to the hook of the center column to increase the mass to dampen out vibrations. I use spikes on the tripod legs and push them into the ground for extra grip.

The center column definitely is something I hadn't thought about but is obvious now that you told me. Thanks!

P-visie · Nov 22, 2025

EricN said:
Do you have any trouble with your tripod vibration? I purchased a FEISOL 3441, but it vibrates so much for focus stacking something like 40 on an mp-e 65 because I have to make the adjustments and wait at least 5 seconds. For something on ef 100 macro, it's ok

If you use the center column: do not extend it too much, i.e. 10-15 centimeters. You can attach something heavy to the hook of the center column to increase the mass to dampen out vibrations. I use spikes on the tripod legs and push them into the ground for extra grip.

Michael Clark · Nov 22, 2025

SvO2 said:
Using the legal system and DRM to block the use is still blocking. Something they didn't do with the EF mount even though they could have.

Patents expire. EF was introduced in 1987. Patents expired in 2001.

Michael Clark · Nov 22, 2025

roby17269 said:
M and EF(-S) gear will be serviced till 7 years have passed from when they have been discontinued. So your M gear is still being serviced by Canon but the clock is ticking. And Canon does that because a) they are bound by law and b) it would be bad customer karma to not support older gear till the expiration date set by law. Not because they want to keep the M system alive further.

Regardless, when a manufacturer stops developing new gear for a system, the writing is on the wall and the managed descent into the inevitable decline starts. Obviously the manufacturer will not say that openly since they want to keep selling unsold inventory as long as possible. They will use careful language to give the impressions that the system is not being abandoned, while in reality it is. I've seen many people quoting Canon or Sony execs saying that they were still supporting M or A or whatever every time the future of their system was put into question. Sorry to say, but those people were drinking the company's Kool-Aid.

We may call a system dead or abandoned or obsoleted or discontinued or on an undetermined hiatus or whatever term you find not offensive. But the fact of the matter is that such systems are not being developed further and they will be inevitably left behind as technology marches on and new offerings are not compatible anymore.

Having said that, those discontinued cameras and lenses can still take great images till they keep working. I know very well that the HC system is dead. But I still happily use my H5X till it will give up the ghost. I am looking at a H2D II though. Because my H5X is not in great shape and getting it repaired, while still possible, is getting more and more expensive (like $1500 to replace a faulty leaf shutter - it gets to the point where it's cheaper to buy a replacement used lens than to repair one).

I do not harp on a system being on the way to oblivion, because I do not think it's great to lose choices, nor it is great for the ones who have invested in such system, but at the same time I do not put great hopes in the goodwill of manufacturers.

Today's newest bright and shiny just released model will one day be discontinued and then, some time after that, be dropped from support. So even the hottest brand new products are beginning their "descent into the inevitable decline" the day they are introduced.

How long products "must be supported by law" varies greatly from one locale to the next. Most companies cover themselves by reserving the right to substitute an "equivalent" or "improved" product in lieu of fixing an outdated product still under warranty.

People who claimed "EOS M is dead!" in 2015 or so were premature. People who claimed "DSLRs are dead!" in 2012 were premature. Everything eventually "dies". That doesn't mean everything no longer being made today is already dead today, though.

Eloniel · Nov 22, 2025

scottburgess said:
Well, Richard, to repeat the point: it's a business.

Chinese manufacturing is known for brazen intellectual property theft, so it's expected they will steal elements of lens design and camera design, manufacturing processes, and other patents. Remember that Chinese companies do not have to be profitable in the standard sense: unlike in the West, the CCP views full employment and complete control over business activity as political tools to remain in power. Chinese industries are heavily subsidized and gifted ridiculous advantages (like permission for extreme environmental degradation or violating international law) over their counterparts. Most Americans don't realize that Chinese labor is generally more expensive than comparable countries, not less. Higher-skilled Mexican labor, for example, is far less expensive. So is labor in most of SE Asia, Central and South America, and Africa. The Chinese make this work by edging their way into countries' individual business sectors, stealing their technologies, taking over their markets with lower prices, and finally jacking prices up when they have a monopoly. Just look at the buyer's regret that Brazil has: huge chunks of Brazilian manufacturing lie dead and Brazil may take decades to recover if it ever does. Countries in Africa and South America are slapping tariffs on Chinese goods because they don't want the Brazilian experience and China openly set its sights on gutting numerous markets there when Trump hit them with high tariffs.

If Canon is trying to protect their business from this, good for them. I wish them luck, support them by buying their products, and hope hope hope they win out. Heck, I might even buy a Sony compact camera for overseas travel (oh, the horror!). I'm not going to help kill the goose that laid the golden egg. I'd rather have Canon, Nikon and Sony gear as the majority market than Laowa or Siriu cameras and lenses that eventually put photography under a Chinese yoke.

I mean yes we all want Japanese camera companies to survive. But ultimately we also want the best product possible. So who cares if in 20 years the state of art mirrorless body is a Laowa one ? At the end it's still a tool and you take the best one you can afford for your needs. So more competition is better for the consumer to both bring lower price and force improving products.
Look at the tripod market, now you have at least 3 brands that are shaking the long established brands (manfrotto, vanguard, gitzo) with innovative design: Peak Design, Falcam and Heipi. And now Falcam and Heipi are releasing better and cheaper products than peak design (same with pgytech for straps). Of course that goes against keeping industry and manufacturing in US and Europe.

I bought a Heipi carbon tripod while my previous tripod was a manfrotto one, and this brand was founded in 2019.
Who knows which brand we will use for cameras in 20 years ? I hope canon will stays relevant and competitive and that's competition will force them to continue to improve without raising prices.

GMCPhotographics · Nov 22, 2025

AdamBotond said:
Well, you mentioned "pro build" twice, just to make the list of which the R3 superior is look longer. ))

Anyway, for me who shoots mostly wildlife, it would not be reasonable to buy even a used R3 anymore, which has only the benefit of stacked sensor and pro build over the R6 III. I am not sure if there is a major difference in buffer between these two, 150 RAW pics of the R6 III is plenty even at 40 fps. I rarely photograph birds, so rolling shutter is less of an issue for me. More video options, precapture/prerecording, 40fps, 32 MP, lower price etc outweights not having stacked sensor or pro build, which I also like.
Maybe a sports photographer, who can not afford the R1 would gravitate towards the R3, but still precapture, 40 fps, the price point of the R6 III is very tempting.
I also noticed the increasing number of used R3s for sale just prior to the announcement of R6 III...maybe just a cooincidence.

I hear what you are saying. I’ve never owned or bought a 1 series camera, or 3 series.
Most independent photo journalists use a pair of R5 or R6 series cameras.
Like your shooting needs, the R1 and R3 are not a great choice. However, these are mostly sports cameras and as such, they have superior features. But these features are not necessarily beneficial to different types of photography genres.
Please don’t make the mistake of thinking your type of photography is the only type or need. Other shooters value other features more.
I have little need for the improved features of the r6iii over the R6II, but that does mean that those features aren’t valuable to other shooters.
I like the R6ii and my R5, I admire the R6iii and R5ii very much, but at the moment, they are not for me!

EricN · Nov 22, 2025

Nemorino said:
Didn't You ask about the Laowa 25mm? I needed some time to search for images I took
and "making-of-images" I took with my smartphone.
It is a smaller lens compaired to the Canon MPE 65 and not as easy to use as"normal" macro lenses due to the high magnification.
A tripod and a macro rail is highly recommended. I bought it for less then 400€, a black friday deal last year. This made the good value for money even better.

R5m2 +Laowa 25mm macro
18 frames
View attachment 226557
and 43frames (42@ f/4 + 1 frames @ f/16)
View attachment 226558
and the "making of"
View attachment 226559 View attachment 226560

Do you have any trouble with your tripod vibration? I purchased a FEISOL 3441, but it vibrates so much for focus stacking something like 40 on an mp-e 65 because I have to make the adjustments and wait at least 5 seconds. For something on ef 100 macro, it's ok

Jethro · Nov 21, 2025

AlanF said:
For pairs of similar sensors, like the R6 and R5, and R6ii and R5ii, the DR curves are very similar despite the factor of close to two in pixel count.

Remarkable to see it demonstrated like that, graphically! Thanks for the comparison.

EricN · Nov 21, 2025

Del Paso said:
Science has to conform to political opinions, best seen in a former colony...
Isn't it nice? No longer climate warming, co2 issues, or cancer causing windmills, pandemics etc...

Is it only in a former colony where if science can support their political agenda, suddenly they will believe it, but the opposition will dismiss it?

becceric · Nov 21, 2025

Click said:
Very nice series. Well done, becceric.

Thanks, Click!
I meant to mention that these shots also had a good amount of cropping. Even photographing birds 20 or so feet away in my yard, I need to crop quite a bit.