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Iceland – a city view
15th October 2018
Reykjavik – the capital
I hope you’ve enjoyed the colorful and picturesque city landscapes, architecture and very walkable areas of Reykjavik.
Drive By Cross Country
22nd August 2016
From the Midwest to the West at 75 mph
It’s a long way from Grand Rapids, Michigan to the western USA and when you’re driving there’s an awful lot of space between here and there. For those of us who enjoy traveling, there are many familiar sites along the amazing interstate highway system that connects the great expanses of our country.
My journeys are accompanied by a camera or two. These cameras usually stay packed until we reach our final destination. However, I have a nice little point-and-shoot which sits on the dashboard – waiting for me to grab it to capture “stuff” as we pass by at highway speeds. Below is an abbreviated scrapbook that shows you some of that stuff that we saw along the highway as we made our way from Michigan to California. Excuse me if some of the photos are 75mph blurry.
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I hope you enjoyed our most recent cross-country adventure in these few photographs courtesy of my handy Canon SX710 camera.
Written by: Arnie Lee
SuperBloom
11th March 2016
The Desert Explodes with Color
Nature never ceases to amaze me.
Death Valley National Park is the driest, hottest place in North America. Although its climate isn’t very hospitable, wildflowers do appear each Spring. However this past October, a series of rainstorms set in motion the favorable conditions for a literal explosion of colorful wildflowers that blanketed the normally harsh landscape of the park.
This phenomenon happens seldom, perhaps once in every 10 or so years and arrived in mid-February. When I visited Death Valley in early March, I was fortunate enough to see many fields still shimmering in the SuperBloom.
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I’ve visited Death Valley more than a dozen times previously, but I’ve never seen as many visitors taking in the colorful wildflowers as I saw in March.
Click here to see one of the DV Park Rangers describe a “once-in-a-lifetime” visit to Death Valley.
How lucky I was to be able to see this unexpected event.
Written by: Arnie Lee
Canon 5DS
23rd March 2015
WOW – 50MP Sensor
The Canon booth at Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Expo certainly drew a lot of visitors who wanted to view and ask questions about the upcoming Canon 5DS.
The reason for the crowds was Canon’s earlier announcement that this new camera features a sensor with a whopping 50MP! This is a giant leap in resolution compared to existing full-size sensor cameras.
The camera body is remarkably similar to the 5DMkIII, both in size, weight, LCD monitor and controls. But it’s the inside where the action is. The sensor alone has more than twice the MkIII’s 22.3MP resolution. The 5DS uses a pair of the next generation DIGIC 6 processors to handle the additional pixel load.
A new feature lets you crop to either 1.3x or 1.6x to match the lens factors of the EOS 1D and APS-C respectively. In turn, camera blurs the cropped portion of the image in the viewfinder and provides resolutions of 30MP and 19MP. The mirror lock-up has also been improved to minimize camera shake. Canon has also added an intervalometer for time-lapse photography without requiring a remote control.
So while Canon has drastically increased the resolution of the sensor, the tradeoff is in the sensor’s sensitivity. The normal high ISO for the 5DS is 6400 compared to 25,600 for the 5DMkIII. So this is the price you’ll pay for higher resolution.
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The 5DS autofocus uses the same 61AF points as the 5DMkIII. The metering is composed of 150,000 pixels RBG+IR found in the 7DMkII and is said to provide better exposures with artificial lighting.
In addition to the 5DS, Canon is also offering the 5DSR. The 5DSR cancels the low-pass filter to provide higher edge sharpness – useful for detailed subjects such as landscapes. Both cameras are scheduled for June release for prices of $3700 and $3900 respectively.
You’ll also notice that one of the photos above shows Canon’s new 11-24mm super wide angle zoom lens. This is not a fisheye, it’s a rectilinear but comes at a hefty $3000 price.
Written by Arnie Lee
Taking Flight
08th February 2015
Things With Wings
Like many others, I’ve been fascinated with flight and things that fly.
On a recent trip to the parts of the USA where the sun is bright and warm, I had another chance to look skyward.
Here’s a short gallery of some of the sitings that caught my eye.
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For those who are interested these photos are from Death Valley National Park, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, McCarran International Airport, Creech AFB, Nellis AFB and Everglades National Park.
Written by: Arnie Lee
This Morning’s Western Sky
08th October 2014
Mother Nature often stages wondrous events for us to see. One of these arrived today.
Those of us who arose early on this crisp Michigan morning had a perfectly clear sky to witness a full lunar eclipse. I peeked out my bedroom window and against a dark, black backdrop viewed a single bright orb slowly become a silhouette behind the earth’s shadow.
To get an better look, free of trees and leaves, I headed to my office a few blocks away to take in the magic show from an unobstructed balcony.
Once there, I grabbed a camera, a long lens and a tripod.
Here’s the lovely scene that graced the western sky.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sights. In case you missed this morning’s, we’ll be treated to another lunar eclipse in April 2015.
What a wonderful way to start the day! Thanks again to Mother Nature for a fine performance.
Written by: Arnie Lee
Am I Equipped Right?
30th September 2014
Like many other dedicated photographers, I’ve somehow accumulated a sizable stash of photo equipment over the years. I’ve also gained a lot of experience knowing what equipment I’ll need for a particular type of shooting.
My last two assignments were a combination of travel and outdoor shoots. My aging back and wobbly knees beg me to travel as lightly as possible for two reasons: a) to minimize the size and weight of the load that I carry and b) to reduce the amount of time I need to get ready for any given shot.
Since I don’t like carrying camera bags or backpacks, I rarely carry extra lenses. On hikes, it’s a chore for me to search for the right lens and change it on the fly, especially if wildlife is the subject matter. It’s far faster for me to slide the desired camera/lens setup on its shoulder strap up to my eye and be ready to shoot in a few seconds.
After these two recent assignments, I’ve zeroed in on a reasonable set of cameras and lenses to use when traveling long and far. I based my choice on the range of the lenses that I typically use: a very wide angle, a medium range telephoto zoom and a long range telephoto zoom.
For several years, I’ve come to rely on Sony’s NEX series of mirrorless cameras. Not only are they compact and lightweight, but they have several features that I appreciate such as the electronic viewfinder which instantly previews your exposure adjustments and a mode that captures in-camera panoramas. One drawback of these mirrorless cameras is that there isn’t a long telephoto lens available. For this I have to stick with a full-frame Nikon DSLR.
So there you have it, my equipment of choice for outdoor photography. Of course, not everyone has the same preferences or requirements in the field as myself so this set up may not work universally. But for me being properly equipped has proved to be an ideal way for me to work comfortably, quickly and efficiently.
Written by: Arnie Lee
What a View
27th August 2014
Wide Angle to the Extreme
It’s eye-catching when I see a photo that “bends” the horizon.
This bend comes from the camera’s lens. Use a very wide angle lens and you’ll see the curved “barrel” distortion on the images. One well-known type of wide angle lenses is the fisheye. These lenses typically have a field of view approaching 180 degrees – allowing you to capture the entire scene in front of the camera.
Until recently, fisheye lenses were expensive. I have one that cost well over $1500. But when I was looking for an ultra-wide angle for my Sony equipment, I found an inexpensive lens made by Rokinon. With its $300 price tag, I was a little skeptical of the quality of images from such a low cost lens but decided to try it regardless.
Here’s a short gallery of some of the scenes that I captured during my first outing with the lens a few weeks ago.
After my short time with this lens, I am no longer skeptical of it’s quality. The images are tack sharp with very good color reproduction. If you’re on the lookout for an ultra-wide, include this lens in your search.
The Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 fisheye is also available for other camera models as well: Fuji, Samsung and Canon M mount. Other similar versions with a maximum f/3.5 aperture are available for Canon, Nikon, Sony A mount, Pentax and Olympus 4/3.
Written by: Arnie Lee
The Sony A6000 Mirrorless
14th August 2014
My 6300-Mile Field Test
On our recent vacation, my camera of choice was Sony’s newest mirrorless camera. While I also brought a much larger Nikon D700 conventional DSLR, I relied mostly on the the Sony A6000. As a comparison, I captured about 150 images with the Nikon D700 and more than a thousand images with the Sony A6000.
My setup was the A6000 coupled with Sony’s 18-200mm lens. This combination is lightweight and compact, produces quality images and just happens to fit beneath the driver’s seat for fast, convenient access.
Hopefully, the following photographic sampler illustrates the A6000’s versatility. I’ll add a few techie details afterwards.
![]() The A6000 is smaller than a conventional DSLR so it’s both lighter and more compact. |
![]() You can compare the sizes of the A6000 next to the conventional Nikon D700 DSLR. |
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![]() The A6000’s high resolution 24MP sensor renders scenics with very high detail. |
![]() Additionally, the camera can capture subjects that have a wide range of exposure levels. |
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![]() The A6000’s articulated LCD makes it easy to capture stills and closeups. |
![]() The much improved focusing system works well for wildlife shots. |
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![]() With the 18-200mm lens, I can keep dry while still in on the action. |
![]() Here’s some quick, responsive focusing |
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![]() The A6000’s bright viewfinder makes it easy to compose and frame in bright sunlight. |
![]() The electronic viewfinder previews the scene with the camera adjustments applied. |
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![]() It handles action shots well and can capture up to 11 frames per second. |
![]() The exposure system works quite well with a wide variety of subjects. |
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![]() I used the camera’s sweep panorama feature often to automatically produce some very pleasing large images. |
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How lucky we are to be able to capture the smiles on their faces like this. |
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Photographs are certainly a powerful way to record memorable events.
Whether I’m on vacation or not, I try to keep the most meaningful memories as part of my photos.
Written by: Arnie Lee