hadi_khademi

<p>I always liked the way a prairie dog is standing on hind legs and observing the surroundings! This last weekend I had a chance to take few pictures of those animals and here is one of my favorites.<br>

Cheers, Hadi </p><div></div>

<p>Darn it I missed Mark's critique by a split second!</p>

<p>My contribution is from last weekend's local 10K run in which close to 19000 people participated. These young runners appeared to have most of the fun when passing the sprinklers!<br>

Regards, Hadi </p><div></div>

<p>Quite few of the good photos this week. My contribution is from a roller coaster ride in local amusement park. I like the expression on the faces of joy riders; some don't look that amused!<br /> Cheers, Hadi</p><div></div>

<p>Last Saturday these two white pelicans put up a show for about 2 minutes; I took some pictures and this one is my favorite.<br>

Cheers, Hadi </p><div></div>

<p>Like other parts of the midwest we had unsettled weather with plenty of rain and fog after that. Hence I had to retire the telephoto lens for few days and got this shot from dew covered tulips.</p>

<p>Cheers, Hadi</p><div></div>

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<p>This photo is from a photo shoot two weekends ago. That afternoon was supposed to be rainy but turned out beautiful and mild in upper 60’s.<br>

Cheers, Hadi </p>

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<p>Ken,<br>

Thanks for your comment on the young horse photo. It was a beautiful day I truly enjoyed the photoshoot. I also liked the series of photos you used to post from ferry across the bay. It was interesting to see how you can see the otherwise ordinary commute, with a phographic eye.<br>

Cheers, Hadi</p>

 

<p>Outsanding photos this week; hard to pick! This is from last weekend taken from a month old horse. He was a big baby, almost size of a three month old at birth. </p><div></div>

<p>I apologize to Nathan about posting twice but since question came up you get the point! <br /> I have the same lens and I like it very much. There is more than one way to get ride of the shadow. A simple way to do it, without globally affecting the image, is to use the Heal and Clone Stamp in PS CS4 or newer. Few minutes and you will have one like this.</p><div></div>

<p>Wow those swings are captured skillfully! Mine is a forgotten piece of farm machinery (god knows for how long) in a wild life reserve.</p>

<p>Cheers</p><div></div>

<p>Hello everyone,<br>

Great photos this week; hawk by Dan, Osprey by Robert, Karen's daughter, (tree?) swallow by Nathan to name a few.<br>

Last Sunday I was able to get out and shoot some pictures of the birds and this is one of the better ones.<br>

Regards,</p>

<p>Hadi</p><div></div>

<p>Dan,<br>

I have a Sigma 50-500 mm OS and you can take decent bird photos with that (like this one). Pricewise it is within your budget (~ $1600)and you don't need a teleconverter. I never used 300mm or 400mm primes so I cannot compare those with Sigma. </p><div></div>

<p>Last Sunday was unusually warm in 70's and I had a chance to get out and shoot some pics. This is a swallow (tree swallow?) which let me get close and take the picture. </p><div></div>

<p>Last weekend I was under the impression that its about the time to put the shovels and snow blower away; boy I was wrong! Yesterday we got slammed with 17.3" of snow. This is a scene from third day of the spring!</p><div></div>

<p>A fruit you see more often around Valentine's day!</p><div></div>

<p>Its that time of the year; its cold outside! </p><div></div>

<p>Here is more information I found on <a href="http://www.batteryuniversity.com">Battery University</a> website concerning Lithium batteries.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Although lithium-ion is memory-free in terms of performance deterioration, batteries with fuel gauges (like Canon LP-E6) exhibit what engineers refer to as "digital memory". Here is the reason: Short discharges with subsequent recharges do not provide the periodic calibration needed to synchronize the fuel gauge with the battery's state-of-charge. A deliberate full discharge and recharge every 30 charges corrects this problem. Letting the battery run down to the cut-off point in the equipment will do this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate.</p>

</blockquote>

<blockquote>Batteries with fuel gauge should be calibrated by applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. Running the pack down in the equipment does this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate and in some cases cut off the device prematurely.

<p>Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.</p>

</blockquote>

<blockquote>Do not buy old stock, even if sold at clearance prices.</blockquote>

<blockquote>f you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge.</blockquote>

<p>Based on this info I think calibration of the battery (fully discharging and recharging) is the right step to take and see what happens. The only caution to take is avoid letting battery sit for long time while fully depleted.<br /> Hadi</p>

 

<p>For your current LP-E6 I would be cautiously optimistic, it may or may not fix the issue. But for next one it should definitely help.<br>

Wishing you good luck, Hadi</p>

<p>For your current LP-E6 I would be cautiously optimistic, it may or may not fix the issue. But for next one it should definitely help.<br>

Wishing you good luck, Hadi</p>

<p>Harry,<br>

Are you using Live View a lot while shooting? This thing alone can drain the battery fairly quickly. Another thing I never turn my 7D off (except when replacing the battery, memory card or switching the lens) but I don't think this can affect the battery much. Also there is a general rule for all rechargeable batteries that the first time you put those to use you charge in full. Then use it until it's completely drained. Then recharge in full right away and repeat the cycle; avoid recharging a half full battery. This enables the battery to reach its full potential. The first few cycles are extremely important and set the stage for battery's long term performance. I have had brands like Energizer performing really poor because of not following this simple rule. On the other hand I had less know brands outperforming Energizer by 40-50%. One final note is using auto focus feature; the motor in the lens is using the battery power a lot and you might want check that too.<br>

Hope this helps, Hadi </p>

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<p>Jennifer,<br>

Based on your intended use of the equipment (Portrait, event and wedding photography) you may be better of buying 60D instead of 7D hence saving at least 600 bucks on the body (perhaps buying a 580EX II with flash diffuser and some left over!). I have 7D and it is a fine camera with some features like 8 frames/sec that you don't need for event photography. On the other hand a fast lens is a must for your intended application and it better be EF so you can use it on your full frame camera (whether you buy or rent the body) too; which leads you to 24-70 f/2.8. The idea of buying a used 50D seems plausible; I have heard rumors (even in a recent PN forum) that 5D MK III is in the Canon's pipeline. Buying 50D will give you enough time to get the right equipment. When you get that you can still keep the 50D as a fine backup camera for another 2-3 years.<br>

Good luck,<br>

Hadi </p>

<p>You are a runner before you know it!</p><div></div>