Your Canon Photos No. 32: 10th to 16th December 2023

This weekly thread is principally intended for you to showcase your photos made with Canon cameras of all sorts: SLR, DSLR, Mirrorless, M-series, APS-C, film, etc. But any brand of camera will be accepted, including photos taken with your phone. We do enjoy reading an accompanying text explaining your photo and any special techniques you may have used. Comments and helpful criticisms on others' photos are also welcome: we can all learn something from each other. We look forward to seeing your contributions and new participants to this series of threads are always welcome!

A new thread for the following week will be posted next Saturday around 10 pm UK time.

Digirame and I will be active here and are sharing the hosting, but we are used to all joining in and commenting on others' photos.

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Review of Last Week

Photobygms was the first to post with a large collection of fascinating photos from a hike through leaves, bare trees and snow. His energy makes me feel quite unhealthy! Seriously, there were many superb shots -- some of which should be entered into the weekly competition. Check out his varied portfolio.

Mocha also took a walk -- around Lynch and Gunwade Lakes, taking some classic shots, including a squirrel enjoying a mushroom for lunch (another candidate for the competition!) and a bird taking off.

Digirame shared photos of wood ducks from earlier in the year. He certainly has good luck in finding these and photographing them -- particularly with the 600mm lens. His RF lens arrived during the week and we were treated to evening shots in the dark, for which his RP is highly suited. I am glad that he is happy with this new camera, and that he got it at such a good price.

Meanwhile, snow struck here in Vienna, though noit as much as in the west of the country, and has only just gone away, though it remains cold. As things improved underfoot I ventured out to the Prater and took a shot of the Riesendrad just after sunset with my new camera. This has a fixed 28mm lens and I think I could have framed the shot better with my Canon 16mm; but, as I said before, the ideal lens is always at home! I may return to retake that shot, as the lighting of the ferris wheel is so intriguing, and it will be interesting to see whether I am right about the 16mm lens.

Steve took several fascinating shots looking through his trees as the sun went down, in both colour and B&W, and with dramatic menancing clouds also.

JACS has managed to find a beach where the sun shines and there is no snow. His dogs made an appearance this week, much enjoyed by all of us.

Dunlin has been doing maintenance on his computer, but is still checking in with us and will no doubt return to the fray with a vengeance.

Keep sending them in and supporting each other. Thank you for helping to make this one of the most interesting threads on this site!

David

Sorry, but my Canon camera is taking a brief vacation while I check out the capabilities of the Leica, and I ask your indulgence.

I took these photos just after dark on Friday, mostly in Kärntnerstrasse the main shopping street of Vienna. I deliberately under-exposed them to preserve the Christmas lights and brought up the shadows later. I was amazed how many tourists there were.

This is the Graben -- Vienna's answer to Bond St. and Fifth Ave. -- and shows the cathedral in the background.

Members of Chabad light this enormous Hannukiah every year. Unfortunately, it was hard to find among all the other lights. It has two lights for the second day of Hannukah.

Now in the Neuer Markt. I resisted the temptation to bring up the shadows to avoid spoiling the effect of the stars by revealing the wires that support them.

Happy Holidays!

David

Excellent photos David the amount of detail is incredible

Hi all,

Sunny day but freezing conditions, just had to see what Etherow CP had to offer.

Partially frozen lake. (Aperture f/9 <> (SS): 1/100 <> ISO 200 <> EC: 0 <> PASM Mode: Aperture Priority <> Metering: Evaluative <> Focus Mode: One Shot <> FL: 70mm <> Lens: Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD <> Camera ID: Canon EOS 7D Mark II).

Moorhen. (Aperture f/8 <> (SS): 1/400 <> ISO 1000 <> EC: 0 <> PASM Mode: Aperture Priority <> Metering: Evaluative <> Focus Mode: AI Servo <> FL: 249mm <> Lens: Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD <> Camera ID: Canon EOS 7D Mark II).

(Aperture f/9 <> (SS): 1/125 <> ISO 1000 <> EC: 0 <> PASM Mode: Aperture Priority <> Metering: Evaluative <> Focus Mode: One Shot <> FL: 70mm <> Lens: Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD <> Camera ID: Canon EOS 7D Mark II).

A window into Winter. (Aperture f/9 <> (SS): 1/160 <> ISO 500 <> EC: 0 <> PASM Mode: Aperture Priority <> Metering: Evaluative <> Focus Mode: One Shot <> FL: 81mm <> Lens: Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD <> Camera ID: Canon EOS 7D Mark II).

The Mandarins weren't into skating. (Aperture f/5.6 <> (SS): 1/500 <> ISO 12,800 <> EC: 0 <> PASM Mode: Custom <> Metering: Partial <> Focus Mode: AI Servo <> FL: 300mm <> Lens: Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD <> Camera ID: Canon EOS 7D Mark II).

Mocha,

I'm sorry, but this is a very strange shot.

Why is she standing in the frozen bushes?

Why is she standing in the frozen bushes staring at a garbage can?

It's like something out of a Franz Kafka novel. 😀

PS: Nice Manarin duck BTW

Steve Thomas

David,

I can see why so many tourists were there; it's spectacular. What a beautiful display of lights! I'm glad you are enjoying your new toy. What improvements have you discovered, over what you were using previously?

Mocha,

I really like the first photo with the hills and all of that vegetation. With the lake it must be a good spot for wildlife. I'm glad you had some sunny weather even though it was cold. I hate it at those times where I live. I'll wear mittens (and not heavy gloves), so I can still operate the camera buttons. That's neat to see the Moorhen out of the water. I don't think I've ever seen that. The image with the person in red looks interesting. Was she walking along on a trail? Also interesting is your window into winter, with the green ivy and icy background. At lastly, you got a great photo of the male Mandarin duck at 300mm FL. When our pond freezes over, I've seen the wood ducks walk on the ice. They don't like skating either. 😀

Subject: The Canon RP

I just thought I would share with you all some neat features on the Canon RP that I just purchased. I was playing around with them on our rainy day. First I found that there is a silent shutter. But it's fixed with a certain shutter speed based on the focal length (using the scenic mode). But someone on the Dpreview R series forum told me that there was a workaround, where I could get a higher shutter speed. What I did was enable focus bracketing in the menu and choose two images to stack (the minimum that Canon has for that feature). Then after taking the two images with this silent shutter, you have to delete the one image that is not as sharp. This is useful when taking photos at an indoor performance on a stage where you don't want to annoy people in the audience of the constant clicking of the camera. Then another person suggested I create a custom menu (called My Menu), where I could enable or disable that focus stacking quickly. That was really cool.

Here's a photo from the Canon RP that I did not do correctly. But I was just messing around with it, to understand it better. I think it needs straightening. I should have taken this at a much slower shutter speed to reduce the noise (high ISO level). I had a fence nearby that I could have set the camera on and then activated it with the timer. OK...next time.... But this is what you can expect to see (without much noise etc.) once I start doing this correctly. I just thought it was a neat image if you ignore the flaws.

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/6 seconds
FNumber - 4.50
ISOSpeedRatings - 40000
ExposureBiasValue - -0.67
FocalLength - 29 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

OK, now I'll get ready to show my Wood Duck photos that I took in November with better lighting.

Subject: Wood Ducks In November

Here's some of the photos of the Wood Ducks I captured in November. I had better lighting than what we saw in October. I hope you like these.

Photo No. 1

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/320 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 3200
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 226 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 2

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/320 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 2000
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 3

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/320 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 2000
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 4

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/320 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 2500
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 5

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/400 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 640
ExposureBiasValue - -0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 6

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/400 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 1250
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 7

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/400 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 4000
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 8

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/400 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 6400
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 9

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/400 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 5000
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 10

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/400 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 4000
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 11

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/500 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 1600
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 12

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/500 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 1600
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 552 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 13

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/800 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 2000
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 14

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/800 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 1250
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 15

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/800 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 3200
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 16

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/800 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 1600
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 500 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

I am not sure your interpretation is corrrect, Steve. Look more closely: she is being taken for a walk by her dog, who is probably making for the litter box, with obvious intentions!

David

Obvious improvement is the higher resolution sensor and the ability to crop without ending up with a photo that is poor quality. There are, however, disadvantages. One is the fixed focal length of 28mm. Cropping helps to cover up to about 90mm, but longer focal lengths need the Canon. I also need the Canon for the super wide angle shots that I like to take. The Leica is not lighter than the Canon with the RP16mm lens, but the menu system and adjustments are much easier for me. With the Canon one sets ISO, F no, exposure, etc on the screen. The Leica has these available either around the lens (F no), or on a dedicated wheel (exposure). ISO, etc, are easily accessed on the Leica screen, whereas I always have to think on the Canon to find what I want and change it. (By the way, I recommend Fv mode on your RP.) All these things can be easily set to auto on the Leica and switching to manual focus is simple, with good indication when focus is right.

It is swings and roundabouts in a way, but I shall soon know which situations need which camera. The big advantage of the Leica is that, when the 28mm is suitable for the shot, which it is more often than not, you are dealing with a top quality lens, on the level of the canon L series, which are large, heavy and ultra expensive! I only have the EF17-40 from this series.) For me, the superb clarity of the Leica lens is its key feature.

But none of this is any reason for you to be disappointed with your RP. The Leica just makes certain things easier to achieve for a lazy person like me!

Best,

David

Hi Steve,

You can imagine I'm on the other side of the stream looking across at a white foreground and drab background and a woman comes along walking her white dog but wearing a bright red anorack, that to me made the picture. 😀

Hi Digirame, Thank You.

It seemed like a good time to be out with the camera, all the lakes and streams were partially frozen. The woman in red was on the path that has the stream on her left and the River Goyt on her other side many feet below in the valley, the path leads to the Weir, she stood out in her red attire surrounded by white and greyness. The 'window into winter' caught me by suprise, me being in the warm Sun and the pathway and vegetation ahead frozen.

I had to go and visit the Mandarins whilst in the Country Park, where they congregate the stream wasn't frozen at all, they must know the warm spots. 😀

Mocha,

I was just being facetious.

I didn't even notice the dog until you and David pointed him out - he's pretty well camouflaged.

The woman in red really stands out doesn't she. Reminds me of the Chris DeBurgh song - Lady In Red
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt2YIpZWBqA

It's a good capture Mocha.

Steve

Hi Digirame,

Super Photos of the Wood Ducks, you're right it's the lighting that helps lift the pictures, the colour of the water in your first photo makes it. The others have that warm autumn colour in the water also. 👍

Mocha,

Thanks. The lighting was brighter, but there were still shadows as this pond is surrounded by trees. But everything looks better. I was still impressed although, when I was taking pictures of the Wood Ducks in October, that my Canon T7i (800D) camera did so well in low light up to ISO12800.

Hi Digirame,

I've noticed how these new cameras deal with high ISO's whilst ten year old + Sensors like my two, the 70D and 7D MKII struggle particularly the 70D, I've always shot in RAW back when I was using my 400D and it's paid off for me. Now using the latest software, for me that's DXO PureRaw it removes the noise like magic.

Two photos below:-

(Aperture f/7.1 <> (SS): 1/500 <> ISO 16,000 <> EC: 0 <> FL: 500mm <> Lens: Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD <> Camera ID: Canon EOS 7D Mark II).

Both 100% enlargement. 1st RAW out of Camera 2nd Clean up by DXO.

This evening we went to Schloss Schönbrunn, on the SW side of Vienna. This palace, about 5 miles from the center of the city, was where the Emperor Franz Joseph was born and died. As Emperor, he commuted to his office there from the palace in the city every day, usually driven by horses in his carriage. A train line (now part of the U4 subway) was also built, with a special station for him. More details on the building and its grounds are here.

As this was a long holiday weekend, the traffic was dense and slow, and it would have been smarter to travel on the subway. (Imaps brought us back faster via the Autobahn!) The Christmas/Advent market was not as interesting as the one at the Rathaus, but it was visited just as enthusiatically by lovers of Punsch (mulled and heated wine).

I do not find it easy taking pictures in the dark with crowds around me, and these two were my only successes. (The lighting of the eagles defeated me.) Photolab was very helpful.

David