zakslm

EF-S 24mm f2.8

Late bloomig cactus flowers. Rebel T7, EF-S 24mm f2.8 STM

Rebel T7, EFS-55-250 IS II

EF-S 55-250 IS II @250mm

EF-S 24mm f2.8

First wildflower/cactus flower shots of Spring 2024. EF-S 55-250 IS II & EF-S 24mm f2.8 STM

Rebel T7, EF-S 24mm f2.8 STM

Albert vigilantly keeping the backyard safe from bunnies, birds and other intruders since 2018. Rebel T7, EF50mm f1.8 STM

Rebel T7, EF 85mm f1.8 USM The 85mm was not the best lens to use for these shots. I would have preferred my 55-250 to get in tighter. But it was on the camera at the time and I didn't have time to changes lenses (before the bee left) so I went for it and cropped theses from the original images.

I've cleaned dust specks off of the sensor of my T7 a couple of times with a lens cleaning brush with good result. I would characterize those cleanings as removing a few specs of dust that were visible to the naked eye and visible on the RAW files under the right circumstances like in clear blue skies, etc. The last time there was also a speck of dust on the underside of the focusing screen and I took care of that with the brush as well. However, I've read post that said a "rocket blower" is the best tool for dust removal and not to use a lens brush. I went to Amazon and searched rocket blowers appear to be basically a bulb type blower with a soft plastic or silicone tip that have been around for years. There were different sizes and shapes of them including one that indeed looked like a rocket (albeit Flash Gordon's rocket) but I didn't order one and came here for recommendations first. I know that there are also sensor cleaning swaps for full frame and APS-C cameras like these (https://www.amazon.com/AAWipes-Sensor-Cleaning-Full-Frame-Sensors/dp/B082PS6Z91/ref=pd_bxgy_img_d_sccl_1/131-5125795-0130419?pd_rd_w=4rMJD&content-id=amzn1.sym.2b132e63-5dcd-4ba1-be9f-9e044543d59f&pf_rd_p=2b132e63-5dcd-4ba1-be9f-9e044543d59f&pf_rd_r=9Z8N0AV59ZJ2Z77BFAVG&pd_rd_wg=cf5T7&pd_rd_r=0b7a5e2c-ce58-4bbd-8182-9cee82ed83ae&pd_rd_i=B082PS6Z91&psc=1). The type of cleaning I did with the brush was very minor and entailed removal of superficial dust specks and not really a cleaning of the entire sensor, so I'm not sure that even if I had a sensor cleaning swaba I would have one. I'm curious as to what those of you that clean your own sensors use and recommend? Your input and recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

John, I know what you are talking about and pretty much "ignore the noise" and do what works for me until I'm stumped or get curious - then I read the manual. I've found that the Canon Speedlites seem to work very well with compatible cameras and at the end of the day, are "smarter" than I am in figuring out how to get very good or excellent results. So I trust and maybe "tweak" E-TTL modes and adjust accordingly if needed.

I found this https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/Speedlite-Flashes/Can-I-use-my-Canon-Speedlight-199A-with-my-Canon-T2i/td-p/62273 that Mike wrote 10 years ago. From what I gather, you probably have to set the camera to M and set the ISO, shutter speed and f/stop based on dial or readout on the back of the flash - just like Mike suggests.

Sedona, AZ - some of the "Red Rocks" Canon T7, kit lens