RickDB

<p>Dave C: Kyoto is my favourite city in Japan - must go there again with a camera bag instead of a brief case. Phil R: Great white pelican shot.<br>

Stopped off in Quito on way back from Galapagos - here are some shots of La Basilica, the largest Gothic church in Latin America.</p><div></div>

<p>Mocking bird on the beach</p><div></div>

<p>Mocking Bird in flight</p><div></div>

<p>Some stunning shots again this week guys. I'm still working up all those raw files from Galapagos. Here are some shots of the ubiquitous Mocking bird.<br>

#1 Mocking bird looking to snag a snack from this drooling Swallow-tailed gull<br>

#2 Mocking bird in flight (BG is a bit too busy)<br>

#3 Who needs a telephoto lens to photograph birds? - shot with 8-15mm fish-eye at 15mm. They are so tame this one actually came up a pecked the front element!</p><div></div>

<p>Philip - I agree, I'd love to get my hands on a 600mm or 800mm FD lens for a reasonable price. I meant to say that the lenses Joshua was looking at were not going to be better than what he already had.</p>

<p>Welcome to PN Joshua. I agree that FD lenses are not going to help you with landscape photography. Lens technology has really improved a lot since the days of FD lens resulting in improved contrast (amongst other things). You will be able to take fine landscape shots with the EF-S 18-55mm lens you already have. I would suggest you find a sturdy tripod first - that will allow you to shoot with small apertures for greater depth of field. Looking at your sample picture, the light is not at its best for landscapes. You can experiment with in-camera settings but you will have much more control if you make adjustments using software such as Photoshop. So, my other suggestion would be to get a copy of Photoshop Elements (you can find an older version very cheaply) - some simple adjustments can really improve a photo.</p><div></div>

<p>Third, one for Laura and Thom - a fungus covered "Spanish moss" (or similar epiphyte) seen on the slopes of Sierra Negra volcano, Isabela. This fungus (?) was the only thing that stumped our wonderful naturalists guides. (5D2 / EF24-105L at 0.6m)</p><div></div>

<p>Second, a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) plunge-diving into the clear waters off Espanola. (7D /EF 100-400L @ 400mm; 4 shots combined)</p><div></div>

<p>Just back from Galapagos with lots of pics, so no problem finding three this week! <br />First, the brilliant Vermillion Fly-catcher (Pyrocephalus nanus, a fast declining subspecies.) - saw it on Isabela Is. just long enough to get three grab shots. 7D /EF 100-400L @ 400mm</p><div></div>

<p>Busy week getting ready for trip to Galapagos, so this one is from the previous week. 5D2 / EF 24-105L.</p><div></div>

<p>FYI - Here is a shot I took a few days ago (5D2 / EF 24-105L) which shows significant flare. Hood used, no filter, no problem with other shots (ie not condensation issue). There was a spotlight off to the top right which was the problem. Once I shaded the front of the lens with my hand the problem was solved. Conclusion: the EF 24-105L is susceptible to flare under certain circumstances.</p><div></div>

<p>A couple of thoughts.<br>

I have had flare problems with this lens in the past with filters - do you have a protective filter on the lens? If so, it would be worth removing it and seeing if things improved.<br>

In very early models of this lens, a very bright point-light source positioned in the corner of a full frame viewfinder with the lens set to 24mm and not stopped down much was prone to flare. <br />Canon has posted a Service notice acknowledging the flare problem and will repair <br />any affected lenses (Control number less than UT1000)</p>

<p>The SD cards have much more robust connectors. There have been several posts on this forum regarding bent pins as a result of forcing CF cards into the socket when the card is not quite aligned - and it is rather expensive to fix. SD cards would eliminate this problem.</p>

<p>More great shots this week. Peter: I thought you had adopted an heroic position to get the shot, then I saw you used a radio trigger - much safer! Paul: very clever mouse shot - seems to have taken all the cheese without releasing the trap. This week a Scarlet Shield Bug (Eurydema dominulus) feeds on sap from Hibiscus bud. Markings on back vary considerably - this one seems to have a face which ever way you look at it. I wonder if facial recognition function would work ;) 5D2 / EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM; 1/160s @ f/8.0 ISO 1600 (tripod).</p><div></div>

<p>duplicate...</p>

<p>Loaded FW 2.0.3 and am pleased to report that ACR now saves raw file adjustments. I've not seen this problem reported anywhere else - perhaps there was some corruption of FW 2.0.0 file during upload. Thanks all for your suggestions.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>No multi-direction stick on the back.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>...Looks like the multi-direction stick might be integrated within the Quick Control wheel.</p>

<p>Some great shots, as usual. Lupo, I would never have thought a 85mm f/1.2 lens was good for birding; Dennis love your galloping heron. This week met an old photography friend from Florida in Conques (France) and went looking for photo ops at dawn. Here the sun catches the Abbaye de Ste-Foy. 5D2 / EF 24-105L at 35mm; 1/80s @ F/11.0 ISO 200.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks Keith: I'll give it a try and let you know if it works for me.</p>

<p>Good idea Daniel - up graded to V 6.7.0.339 now, but it hasn't made any difference.<br>

Peter - the .xmp files are there and the directory isn't read only (adjustments are saved for old 7D firmware files and 5D2 in the same directory)<br>

Puppy Face: Checked out DPP (Version 3.11:31.0) - it seems to work as it should. I can make adjustments to 7D FW2 raw files and the adjustments are saved to .CR2. I can transfer the file to PS and edit further. However, when I open up Bridge, the adjustments made in DPP are not seen in the .CR2 file - also, there is no symbol showing file has been adjusted. <br>

Mark A: I seem to have a work around, so I do indeed consider myself lucky! Hope you get your 7D sorted.</p>

<p>Thanks JDM - before I let Adobe / Canon know there's a problem I want to establish that it is not something I have missed - which seems to me to be the most likely scenario!</p>

<p>Since updating EOS 7D firmware (to Version 2.0.X) I have found that ACR (V 6.4.1) does not save adjustments to .CR2 file either after "Open Image" or with "Done". I have no problem with photos from previous 7D firmware or with 5D2 files. I can make ACR raw adjustments, open in CS5 and save in any available format without a problem. Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?</p>

<p>Try again...</p><div></div>

<p>After a hot and dry August in the south of France the weather finally broke for some welcome rain. 5D2 24-105mmL @24mm; 102s @ F/11.0 ISO 100.</p>

<p>If you are spending lots of money travelling to exotic places or shooting weddings for a living, a back up body is essential. The 5D2/7D combo is an outstanding choice for such once in a life-time events - and much cheaper than two 5D3s.</p>