Getting my first mirrorless camera: A Canon R5

I bought this amazing camera to take with me to The Arctic thanks to the generosity of a cash gift from Michael in tribute to Sue.  I was absolutely blown away by the camera, especially by it's incredible face recognition and eye tracking. It automatically focuses in on the eye of an animal or bird, allowing you to concentrate on the composure of the shot instead. It allowed me to get amazing photos of polar bears and birds in flight. It really is ground break technology that allows you to take wildlife photography to a new level.

I bought a series of lenses to go with the camera. My favourite is the 100 - 500 mm lens which is an incredible wildlife lens. It focuses really quickly and is wonderfully sharp.

Specifications

• Sensor: 45-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
• Image Stabilization: 5-axis in-body image stabilization that provides up to 8 stops of shake correction
• Subject Tracking: Deep learning technology to detect humans, animals (dogs, cats, birds), and vehicles
•  Up to 12 fps with the mechanical shutter and 20 fps with the electronic (silent) shutter
• Video Capabilities: 8K Recording
• Viewfinder: 5.76-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with a 120 fps refresh rate
• Rear Screen: 3.2-inch fully articulating touchscreen with 2.1 million dots
• Storage: Dual memory card slots featuring one CFexpress slot and one UHS-II SD slot
• Build: Weather-sealed magnesium alloy body
• Weight: Approx. 650 g (body only) or 738 g with battery and card

Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM

The Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM 

Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM

 Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM

Topaz Photo AI

This amazing software allows one to sharpen images, remove noise and increase the resolution of an image. It has proven invaluable, especially on my trips to Antarctica, The Arctic and Iceland to really make my images pop. 

Canon 90D

I upgraded to the 90D from my 70D. I retrospect I shouldn't have. I should have invested in a mirrorless camera. 

Fotojet Collage Maker

Picasa was discontinued so I needed to find another app to create my collages on Life Trove.  Fotojet has been a wonderful find.  It gives me far more control than Picasa in determining the layout and what photos show where.

Canon 70D

I upgraded to a 70D from my 40D.  

Specifications

• Sensor: 20.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor featuring Dual Pixel CMOS AF for fast live-view and video autofocus.
• Image Processor: DIGIC 5+ processor.
• Autofocus System: 19-point all cross-type AF system.
• ISO Range: 100–12,800 standard, expandable up to 25,600.
• Continuous Shooting: Up to 7 frames per second (fps).
• Video Recording: 1080p Full HD at up to 30 fps (NTSC) or 25 fps (PAL) with stereo sound via an external microphone jack.
• Display: 3.0-inch fully-articulated (vari-angle) touchscreen LCD with 1.04 million dots.
• Storage: Single card slot supporting SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards.

The wonderful Tamron 16 - 300 mm lens

The Tamron provides an incredible focal range, providing excellent versatility without needing to replace lenses. I used to much prefer prime lenses for sharpness, but am now sold on wide zooms like this one.  It's aperture is f/3.5-6.3 and it can even focus, allowing macro photography.

Editing photos with Viveza

I love this amazing software. It allows me to make localised adjustments to parts of the photo to really make parts of it pop or bring out details. It integrates with Lightroom.  I like it so much I did a presentation to the Mosman Photography Club on editing photos and included it, along with Lightroom.

 

Editing photos with Lightroom

Craig introduced me to this amazing software and it has revolutionised by photo management and editing.  It is built by photographers for photographers from the ground up and is so much more intuitive than Photoshop. 

Canon 40D

I upgraded to a 40D from my 30D. 

Specifications

• Sensor: 10.1 effective megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor (22.2 x 14.8 mm) with a 1.6x crop factor.
• Image Processor: DIGIC III processor producing 14-bit color depth.
• Continuous Shooting: Up to 6.5 frames per second for up to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW frames.
• Autofocus: 9-point cross-type AF system (center point sensitive to f/2.8).
• ISO Range: ISO 100 to 1600 in 1/3-stop increments, expandable to 3200 via custom functions.
• Shutter: Top speed of 1/8000 sec with an X-sync of 1/250 sec.
• LCD Screen: 3.0-inch LCD featuring a Live View mode.
• Body & Build: Magnesium alloy shell with an integrated sensor-cleaning dust reduction system.

Canon EF 500 F4

This lens was my greatest ever extravagance. I lusted after it for months, reading all the reviews. I bought it in a massive rush of dopamine. It took sublime photos of birds, but was so bulky and heavy, I hardly used it.  I ended up selling it to my photography friend, Craig, but obviously for less than I paid for it.

 

Bigger is better! Well perhaps not for my back...

My, how my cameras have grown as my photography passion has grown. OK, so I am showing my largest bird lens here, but you get the picture. From ixus i to camera S21S to canon 30d with a mega 300 2.8 lens. Its heavy, but then as the saying goes, one has to suffer for one's art.

My first digital SLR: A Canon 30D

I bought the SLR camera in Hong Kong and the lenses in Sydney. What a wonderful camera. It's revolutionising my photography, especially my bird photos with my powerful 300 mm and 400 mm lens.

Specifications

• Sensor: 8.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor (22.5 x 15.0mm) with a 1.6x focal length multiplier.
• Image Processor: DIGIC II image processor.
• ISO Range: 100 to 1600 in 1/3-stop increments, expandable to ISO 3200.
• Autofocus: 9-point AF system featuring a high-precision center cross-type point (f/2.8 compatible).
• Continuous Shooting: 5 fps or 3 fps selectable modes, supporting bursts up to 30 large JPEGs or 11 RAW files.
• Shutter Speed: 30 seconds to 1/8000 second plus Bulb, with a durability rated up to 100,000 cycles.
• Metering: 35-zone evaluative, partial (center-weighted), spot, and center-weighted average metering.
• Display: 2.5-inch LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 pixels and a 170° viewing angle.
• Body Construction: Sturdy magnesium alloy cladding.
• Storage: CompactFlash (CF) card slot (Type I and II).
• Video Recording: None (stills only).
• Dimensions & Weight: Approx. 144 x 106 x 73.5 mm and 700 grams (body only).

Lenses

Canon 17-55mm f/2.8

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens

Canon EF 100mm f2.8 L Macro IS USM

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM 

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L USM 

Picasa Collages

I love Picasa's ability to create collages automatically. I used it extensively from 2005 to 2019 to create the collages on Life Trove. Picasa is owned by Google.

Hiding behind the camera

I love this ixus-i little camera so much. It's helping me to notice the world around me and capture special moments and beauty.

Getting a Canon Powershot S2IS

Before I went to Canada, I bought this wonderful 5 megapixel camera with a powerful 12x zoom.  After my Ixus i, this camera would allow me to get close ups of wildlife. It was the camera I took to South America in 2006 where I would get countless wonderful photos and would solidify my lifelong passion for photography

Specifications

• Sensor: 5.0 effective megapixels (1/2.5-inch CCD sensor)
• Lens: 12x optical zoom (36–432mm 35mm equivalent) with f/2.7 (wide) to f/3.5 (telephoto) maximum aperture and USM (ultrasonic motor)
• Image Processor: Canon DIGIC II with iSAPS technology
• Image Stabilization: Optical Image Stabilizer (3 modes)
• Display: 1.8-inch tilt-and-swivel (fully articulating) LCD monitor with 115,000 pixels, plus a color electronic viewfinder (EVF)
• Video Recording: VGA resolution (640 x 480) at up to 30/15 fps with stereo sound
• ISO Range: ISO 50 to 400
• Shutter Speed: 15s to 1/3200s
• Continuous Shooting: Approx. 1.5 fps (standard) or 2.4 fps (high-speed large/fine mode)
• Storage: Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot (supports up to 2GB standard SD cards)
• Power Source: 4x AA batteries (alkaline or recommended NiMH rechargeables)
• Dimensions: 113 x 78 x 76 mm
• Weight: Approx. 405g (body only) / up to 505g with batteries and card loaded

Purchasing a Canon IXUS i in Cambridge for blogging

I bought this sublime little camera in 2004 when I started this blog and thought it would be nice to add images of our daily lives in Cambridge. It was my second digital camera. It was a tiny camera with no optical zoom but that limitation gave rise to wonderful creativity. I fell in love with photography in 2004 and 2005 and have been hooked ever since.

Key specifications

• Image Sensor: 1/2.5-inch CCD with approx. 4.0 effective megapixels
• Maximum Resolution: 2272 x 1704 pixels
• Lens: Fixed focal length 39mm equivalent (35mm format), f/2.8 aperture
• Focus Range: 10cm to infinity (normal), 3cm to 10cm (macro)
• Shutter Speed: 15 to 1/1500 sec
• ISO Range: 50–400
• Display: 1.5-inch TFT LCD screen (approx. 78,000 pixels)
• Storage: Secure Digital (SD) card (came with a 32MB card originally)
• Video Recording: MJPEG format, up to 180-second clips with mono sound
• Battery: NB-3L lithium-ion rechargeable battery
• Dimensions & Weight: 90 x 47 x 19 mm, approx. 140 grams (including battery)