Jun 162013
burt
Jun 152013
Jun 102013
Jun 042013
Whenever I look out over the bush like this, I wonder what’s out there in those hills? I’m skeptical on Bigfoot, but this seems like the perfect place for him to be. Of course this picture doesn’t do it justice, but I’ll work on that.
Jun 032013
I’ve been hearing this odd noise since I’ve come up here. I suspected it was bird related, but I had not spotted the culprit just yet. Tonight, coming back from a bush cruise, I spied this noisy bugger. I backed up the trucks as far as I dared without spooking it, and snapped a few shots out the window. I also captured some cool video, but for some reason the sound didn’t recorded, need to check my settings. #noob 
Jun 022013
I was out walking the dawg when I took this, I wasn’t planning a sunset shot, just had camera with me, no tripod, nothing…but seems like a good spot to return to. 
I just moved to a new pad where I’ll be staying for a few month over the summer, I’m still in house/area hunting mode, so I’m checking out the surroundings. I guess this is a my view for the summer, and this spot is only a minute drive from my little pad. Out there is basically where I’ll be hanging out for the summer, so this is like my back yard…and there’s logging roads in them hills too. I really miss my Jeeps though!
May 272013
May 192013
May 042013
Apr 262013
I fired some shots of that CF18 as it made passes over my pad. I didn’t realistically think I could get a decent shot, to make matters worse, it took a few seconds to find and track it through the viewfinder, and then think focus. You get the hang of it quick enough, but then it disappears behind the trees, and where or when it pops back into view can be hard to judge…especially since you don’t hear it until it’s right over your head. It would sure suck…to be stuck in a tank, trying to hide, when one came hunting in a ground support role!
I got some decent shots as it landed, but then those were shot through a fence, I liked the effect, but it limited the ability to get good shots. Of the few that I did get, as it made passes overhead, I was totally pumped with the lenses performance, especially given the fighters distance from the camera…and its obvious speed! No doubt the full sized sensor helps too.
So below is a series of pics, ranging from the full uncropped frame, down to a zoom on the tail section. I don’t even think I managed getting to optimal focus in this shot (or any), but given how small the jet is in the picture, and then at the detail in the zoom, though noisy, is still pretty cool when I think about it.
Canon 70-200 f2.8L lens on a Canon 5Dii { f/13 – 1/250 - ISO1600}
CF18 Demo Hornet.
blurb, my photos, not my video, photo, video
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Apr 262013
Since I’m living right beside an airport, I get to see a lot of planes come and go…since I live right beside a military airport, I get to see a lot of cool planes come and go. For the last few weeks the Snowbirds have been here, doing their practicing for the air show circuit they will embark on pretty quick. These guys are awesome, the formation flying is pretty amazing too, but to be honest, the Tudor jets they fly are far from exciting, and as awesome as the Snowbirds are…the best pilots in the Canadian Air Force I’d imagine, after a few days it gets a little old, and it gets a little loud.
A little while after the Snowbirds arrived, and the thrill had worn off, this new jet arrived to do its practicing, and the CF18 Demo Hornet is no Tudor, this thing is freaking awesome….er…and loud too…but the kind of loud I could listen to all day.
And the maneuvers this jet was going were uber cool! It is amazing what this thing can do with nothing attached to it, no tanks or bombs or missiles, just the jet itself. Wow, I would so love to take a flight in one of these (though I’d imagine I’d be spraying my lunch all over the back seat).
And the guy flying this thing, when you think about who they would select to fly the demonstration jet, this guy has to be top dog in the Air Force for sure, a totally amazing level of skill he must have. Rising to this level as a pilot has to be up there with being a top athlete, or tops in any field you can think of.
Too bad the practicing seems to be done, I’ll miss the sound of that thing screeching around a few times a day. It reminded me of being an Air Force kid and living on fighter bases in Europe. And to think that is what I dreamed of doing as I grew up. Man, where did I go wrong!
CF18 Demo Hornet landing at Comox.
Apr 262013
I may just be a photo hack, actually, I am just a hack, but I still know a good lens when I use one, and the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 is an awesome lens. And the best part, considering I’m kind of cheap, is the price of this lens. I think I paid about $425 for it brand new from Amazon.
At the time I bought this lens, I had just finished saving up enough to buy a Canon 16-35mm f2.8L, which would have ran me about $1300…used! I almost bought the Canon too, but the more I looked into other options, the more people kept mentioning the Rokinon lens (also sold as the Samyang), so I bit on it, and I’m glad that I did, because with the money I saved, I was able to buy the Rokinon AND a Canon 100mm macro.
I feel like I made a good choice, both have turned out to be awesome lenses. Not that the Canon isn’t an awesome lens, don’t get me wrong, and I still want one, but like I stated earlier, I am a hack, I get as much value out of researching alternatives as I do dropping down on the L series lenses. I’m not a pixel peeper, I don’t need to be, I just like to have decent glass at a decent price. Rock on Rokinon!
Apr 142013
Jari on patrol.
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Apr 142013
Apr 142013
I’ve taking a lot of pictures lately, well a lot of pictures for me. I’m sure there are those who take as many pictures in a day as I have in the last few weeks, time-lapses included. Anyway, today I started going through my files, finally, and I have lots to go through, and likely an equal amount to delete…and man that archiving/editing part is a lot of work!
I suppose what I would like to do is start posting pictures on this site, and that is the ultimate goal, but for now, until I edit the site to the way I think I want it, I’ll just post the odd shot I like. Not meaning it is a great shot or anything, just that I like it, and that’s all that matters to me. I’m not out to impress the masses, only myself, and if friends and family enjoy looking at the pictures, all the better.
The only problem I have with posting my pictures is they look different on every monotor I view them on, that can be frustrating!
‘er wait…it looked way better on my screen!’
Below are a few shots with my macro of the same branch but on different days.
Today is time-lapse day.
Karma strikes a viscous blow!
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Apr 072013
The other day I was driving and I saw some dude riding his road bike along the sidewalk in the same direction as me. I noticed he had a tag hanging out the back of his apparently new biker outfit. I chuckled to myself as I drove past.
‘Silly bastard forgot to rip the tag of his new fancy biking duds hahahaha.’
Yesterday I popped into a Starbucks up in Campbell River on my way through. As I stood at the cream station and fixed up my grande in a vente cup Pike’s Place (coffee), I felt a tap on my arm. I turned to these two dudes sitting at the table next to the cream station and they let me know I still had the sticker on the back of my new cargo shorts…I had just bought the previous day at Costco.
Doh!
Not so low impact camping.
blurb, iPhone photo, my photos, rant
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Apr 072013
I took a trip up to Campbell River and beyond yesterday, turns out there is some nice back-country access up there. Unlike these parts, Comox/Courtenay, they actually have back roads that aren’t blocked by the logging companies who own the rights to the area. They also have BC recreational camp sites all over the place, lots of them. I drove in to a couple to check them out and was quite impressed. One of these, Strathcona Dam Recreational Area, even had a dozen tent sites occupied…not bad for early April (not going to see that back in Alberta).
The other site I went into was the Long Point Recreational Area. Awesome spot. Like the other it is right on the shore of Lower Campbell Lake. Beautiful spot, too bad the rednecks that were in there last decided against taking out all of their garbage and shotgun casings. They also left the remains of a TV set, which I can only assume they took in strictly as their target. Lowend scumbags I say. And apparently not hard up for cash either, I’d say there was ten bucks worth of empties in there too.
Of course I am being slightly self righteous as I write this, I did not in fact pick up any of this garbage, nor did I take the time to salvage any of the empty beer cans. I know, in a way that makes me a hypocrite. I take some solace in the fact that I did consider it for a minute or too. I had a time-lapse going on the shoreline and while waiting around I pondered packing some of the crap out…but I didn’t. Other than I good piece of rope I salvaged, I never lifted a single finger to make the situation better. But hey, they’re still scum for leaving the mess, even if they did leave it in two nice little piles.
Not that funny at all!
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Apr 052013
I’m sure the cheeseball who drew this cartoon thinks it’s pretty funny, as does the halftard who thought it would be really funny on the front cover of a national newspaper. But sadly it is not funny at all. I suppose one of these two has a family, maybe even kids. I wonder if they think it will be funny if lil Kim lobs one of his low tech missiles, or scuds, into downtown Seoul in South Korea. Maybe they would find that humorous too. Maybe it could be funny to some, but not to the families of the hundreds of people obliterated by even just a conventional explosion. I guess since it isn’t their families in harms way, they can stand back and laugh it up. Buy hey, isn’t it true that we in the comforts of our western living rooms like to lap it up when things go bang in other parts of the world? Gives us something to watch on the tube, a chance to wave our little flags at the TV.
The truth is, it’s not funny. People dying on the TV screen is still people dying. Maybe it’s entertainment to some, but not to those involved. They’re people just like the rest of us, trying to get through their days, hang out with friends, trying to enjoy life like everybody else, even like some big shot editor at some big important newspaper. It’s too bad that we in the west don’t see it that way. We use drones to launch airstrikes at places all over the planet. Often the guys at the stick are sitting in an air conditioned room back in the US. More times than not, when they actually hit their intended target, innocent people in the vicinity are whipped out. We’re so used to it we don’t care. We’re insensitive to reality because it isn’t happening within our own little bubbles. So we have no problem coming up with some funny little cartoon and don’t think twice about throwing it on the front page…because we know the bulk of the readers will get the joke, but it’s actually not a joke…not even as a cheesy fucking cartoon!
The leaders of North Korea are nuts!
blurb, not my photo, rant
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Apr 052013
Sucks to be a North Korean eh? They have no idea what their leaders are up to on the world stage. For all they know, their country is a world power and all the bluster is something they can back up. They have no idea they are barely out of the Stone Age when compared to the countries they’re yapping at. And they likely believe their military is up to the challenge!
I sure hope they step back from the brink. They have enough artillery to level half of Seoul in twenty minutes, not to mention their old school nuke technology! Add to that the fact that they’ve spent the last fifty years digging in, and building extensive underground bunkers and elaborate tunneling systems (or so sources say). That could make taking them out a little tough, if not costly. And you know they’re never going to give up once the shooting starts. Heck, they still haven’t accepted peace from the last go round. Yikes!
World’s Largest Plane…cool!
blurb, not my photo
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Apr 032013
I have a few posts saved as drafts, I’ve had company for the last four days, been slacking on the blog front. But hey, someone sent me this picture of a massive Russian cargo jet. Look at the size of this thing! It makes you wonder how something this size can get off the ground. I saw something similar take off from the Vancouver airport once, as we watched as in lumbered along the runway we got the sense that it was never going to lift off. But it did. Simply amazing.
Mar 272013
People are morons!
iPhone photo, my photos, rant
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Mar 262013
I went out for a bush cruise the other day, seemed like a good idea, heck, they say Vancouver Island has over 400, 000 km of logging roads. So off I went, I figured I’d start my exploration of the roads around here by heading around to the back of Comox Lake, and maybe even a little beyond, the day was young, the cameras were packed, the dog was loaded…time for a road trip. Not! The first thing I run into is a gate. The gate was open but the sign was ominous…’No Entry’, something about logging company access only and then violators will be prosecuted. Huh? This is a main road into the back country behind where I’m thinking of living. What a bummer, I had spied that area back there on Google Earth and it looked promising. Now I’m thinking I may never get back there at all. Surely there must be something I’m missing?
So I do the right thing and turn around. I have no alternative plan, and I don’t really know the area, so I just go for a drive in general, take a look at a few houses I’ve spotted online, and generally check out a few neighborhoods I might like to buy in. Not exactly the bush ride I was looking forward to, but hey, there will be another day, just have to figure out the ways of the land.
By pure freaking coincidence, I then tuned into CBC radio and guess what they were talking about? I caught the very beginning of an interview on the topic of back road access on Vancouver Island. Talk about timing, not like getting caught reloading in Call of Duty kinda timing…but good timing!
The first guest was a fisherman/outdoorsman from Victoria. He was explaining how, having grown up on the Island, he had spent his entire life enjoying the hunting and fishing on the Island and using the elaborate network of logging roads to get into all cool spots in the back country. He was relating how the big logging companies have in recent years decided to block off a lot this access. It is their private land so they figure they have the right to do so. This guy was an advocate for change, for getting the logging companies to relent and let people in, at least on weekends. So far he has been totally cock blocked. He’s gone years now without gaining any concession for any of the groups he represents. He also claims this means there is nobody in there seeing what the logging companies are actually doing. Sad times.
The next guest was a dude from one of the bigger logging companies, and exec of some kind. I didn’t catch his name, but I later read that he is referred to as ‘the gate man’ or something. His take…too bad! It’s private land and they don’t need to let people in, even if he is referring to something like the entire eastern half of Vancouver Island. He claims people don’t respect the land, they vandalize equipment, and a lot of people accessing the bush are basically pain in the ass assholes. Besides, his workers need to rape the forest seven days a week, and that makes the roads too dangerous for civilians, even on weekends. Sad times.
Wow, this is brutal news for a guy like me. I like nothing better than to grab some logging road and head into the hills. That is half the allure of BC. Now it seems the southeastern half of Vancouver Island has as many gates as the foothills of Alberta.
So then I went onto the forums to find more info. The news isn’t all bad, but not too good either. I think I need to join some club or something to find people in the know. There is access, just not as easy as it should be. So much for a quick trip into the bush.
The shitty thing is, the dude from the logging company is partially right. Aside from the insurance concerns for people getting hurt on their property, the concerns for douchebags leaving a trail of destruction is legit. I live on a beautiful stretch of west coast beach and every other night there is a random group of people having a little beach fire and enjoying nature. Too bad most times when I walk through the spot with my dog the next morning there is usually garbage and empties all over the area. People are morons. In fact, below is a picture of what I found just short of the gate I mentioned above. Fucking sad times!
Doggy ramp.
asides, iPhone photo, my photos, photo
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Mar 242013
My dog is getting old. He may still think he is young…and fast…and athletic (sounds familiar), but in reality he just isn’t as spry as he was as a young German Shepherd in his prime.
Anyway, I bought this truck (another post maybe), and after a few trips with him comfortably nestled into the back seat I thought I was going to lose my mind due to the colossal amounts of dog hair getting everywhere in my new truck. I was vacuuming the truck on a daily basis. The combination of the truck being new (new owner’s obsession) and the color of the truck’s interior was quickly edging into grown man in tears territory. The only solution I could come up with, aside from leaving my bud at home all the time, was for him to ride in the box.
Now Jari may be a scary looking Shepherd, and he even acts scary by barking at everyone who looks his way or tries to say hi, but in reality he is a big baby. He likes being close to dad at all times, especially on road trips. Riding in the box of the truck was going to be a demotion, but it was either his feelings or dad’s sanity… so the decision was made, and Jari would need to suck it up and embrace the view from the box of the truck.
Now the last thing I was about to do was just load Jari into the box of the truck and drive around, I wanted him to be safe and secure as well. Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing dogs riding in the backs of pickup trucks, to me it seems dangerous and somewhat irresponsible. And even though I have a canopy over my box, I still didn’t want him to have free reign back there, the footing sucks and I wanted him to be able to lie down and relax, especially for the longer rides. So the idea was to secure his kennel back there, something he is familiar and very comfortable with, and then enclose him in there when we’re actually driving from place to place…and then when we stop, I open the cage door and he can have the freedom to move about, bark out the windows, or go back to his blanket and lick himself in comfort, whatever he wants.
This was all working out, he even seemed to like it back there. He would excitedly rush around to the back of the truck and then you could tell he was stressed about getting up there. He could take a running leap no problem, but you could tell he didn’t like it, and after long walks he was even more stressed because he didn’t have the juice to make the leap. I tried lifting him up there, but that sucked for both of us, he’s 100 lbs and he just doesn’t like being lifted, he seemed more stressed by that proposition than the jump. We needed a solution and the fix was obvious, a trip to Home Depot to get the material to build a doggy ramp. And here it is…
It still needs a little work. I need to apply a sticky surface for better grip, maybe a few roofing tiles or something similar, but I don’t want to make it too heavy. The length was determined by the need to store it in the box, but it’s not to steep, he did well in the doggy trials.
Mar 222013
Okay, I think I’m finally ready to start posting on here like it’s a regular thing. I’m sort of settled into my new digs. I have roughly ten weeks to either buy a house, or find another cool rental like this one. I suppose there is always the possibility I will just leave here for three months, as it returns to a weekly rental for the summer months, and then come back for a longer stay in the fall. I haven’t ruled that out, this is an awesome spot, and with a few minor tweaks it could be an awesome HQ for myself and the dog. And at only a few minutes to the commercial terminal of the airport (I’m physically a minutes walk through the trees to the airport fence), it is a quick trip to pick up special guests.
Anyway, as you can see from the view above, shot from my chair at my desk in the kitchen, it is a pretty sweet spot. Now that I’m settled in I think I am ready for a little exploring, and by that I mean a little further afield than the walks up and down the beach, or through the surrounding woods and along the airport fence.
On the coast…finally!
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Mar 192013
Jari chases back the tide.
blurb, just sayn', my photos, photo
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Mar 192013
Phase III update. :)
blurb, not my photo
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Feb 022013
I found a pad to rent…on the water…on the coast. I can only rent it for ten weeks but it will be a great base of operations for house hunting…er…and learning the art of ocean kayaking. Not to mention I should be able to do some cool time-lapsing while I work. Oh, and it is totally furnished, and it comes with high speed Internet. Below is my view…
Phase II complete!
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Jan 242013
Okay, so if Phase I was selling my house, and Phase II was officially leaving the office, then I am officially onto Phase III…getting my butt out to the West Coast!
The first two phases weren’t that simple. Both came with stresses, and even a fair bit of second guessing, but like one of my heroes among technomads says (somewhere on his blog) “there can be no growth without change, and change is never comfortable”. I can get behind that.
So what’s next? Well, I think I’ll rent a simple place on the island where myself and my dog can hang out until we decide where to take Phase IV. Maybe we’ll buy a place, or maybe we’ll leave the wad in the bank and roam around for a while figuring it out. As a technomad I can do that. All I need is an Internet connection and I can do my job. Where I sit is a matter for me to choose. Shit, I’m almost tempted to buy a sail boat and do it there. We’ll see, I don’t think a lot of marinas like live aboards too much…and I do need Internet, the Net is my anchor on this journey. But heh, I’m out of the ‘office’ now. Currently my office is a $tarbucks, with free WiFi and an americano. And yes, I work, I actually love what I do, but now it is time to do it on my terms.
Bought the damn lens…and it rocks!
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Jan 122013
I bought the EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro and not the 100mm F2.8 L IS USM Macro. In the end I saved $500 dollars and that was the decider. I know, the L series is a ‘better’ lens because it has L series quality glass, or so you would think, but I found very few reviews, or examples, online that really backed this premise up, in fact, I found it overwhelming that the image quality (IQ) was almost identical, and for a hobbyist/hack like myself, well, that’s good enough for me. Sure, I’d like the weather sealing and image-stabilization (IS) that also comes on the L, but really, $500 is $500! I can, and will, use that money for something else.
I’ve tested it out but I am loathe to post the pictures here because they suck, not lens wise, me wise. But what the frick, I will do it anyway. Got to get it off me tower first.
Wow, I’m not a conspiracy nut but…
blurb, not my video, rant
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Jan 042013
I just watched this video on the 911 attacks…all I can say is wow! Sure, I’ve heard some of the conspiracies over the years, and I’ve never been too keen on the whole ‘official’ 911 story, but this video bring it into a much finer focus for me. The evidence is as plain as day…and if just one part of the 911 story is sketchy, then the rest of it has to be sketchy too. There is no way I can believe the official story anymore, and now I have to wonder if I can believe anything at all!
The whole Pentagon thing says it all. There is no way a 757 hit the Pentagon! The damage is minor and there is no airplane debris anywhere, how is that possible? Add to that the fact that ‘they’ refuse to release any of the surveillance footage from the building itself…or from the buildings near by, even though surveillance footage was confiscated from a gas station across the street shortly after the incident.
It seems obvious that something else hit the Pentagon, it’s almost too hard to believe otherwise. If the story from the Pentagon is a lie…well, then the rest is likely a lie too.
And what about all the rest of the story? Building 7 collapsing, even though it was never hit? No black boxes were found…but they find a passport from one of the ‘terrorists’ in the rubble, a passport made of paper!? Explosions in the basements of the towers? The list goes on and on and the video above covers a lot of it. Watch it now!
Ending the lens spree…
gear, not my photo, photo
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Jan 022013
The important thing I have to remember in all this…I am not a professional photography…not by a long shot…I have never earned a cent selling any photography. I’ve placed in a few photo contests, I’ve done some marketing and portrait shoots for friends, and heck, I’ve turned down more than a few offers to shoot weddings too…but really, at the end of the day, I’m just a hobbyist bordering on gearhead.
So the time has come to finally put this lens purchasing streak to an end! Originally I had saved up some cash because I wanted the Canon 16-35mm f2.8L, but then I thought, do I really need to spend that much scratch on one lens? $1600 is a lot of ching ching after all, and if I did some research, I figured I could come up with a different combination of lenses (plural), and even save a little cash in the process.
So that’s what I did, I did some research, I read a ton of reviews, and eventually I ordered the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 (Samyang) for widefield star shots. And at $420 delivered, it’s a lot of bang for the buck (on the downside, however, it’s a completely manual lens and requires a totally manual approach, but that’s okay, I often work in manual mode anyway!).
But having said that, that doesn’t mean I don’t want good glass, it just means I don’t need to spend the wad on the latest greatest. I don’t mind buying the older version of a lens off the pros. If it was good enough for them while it was the latest version, it sure as heck is good enough for me now. That is the logic I used to buy the Canon 5DII; I saw what it was capable of…decided there was no way I needed the III version near as much as I needed the 5DII price reduction that resulted from the 5DIII’s release.
So now that I have the remaining $$ from the cancelled Canon 16-35mm f2.8L purchase…and subsequent Rokinon 14mm f2.8 purchase, it’s time to move onto the next decision. I was considering the Canon 17-40mm f4L but I really want to stay with the faster lenses, strictly because of my plans to delve deeper into nightscape and moonscape photograpgy. But then, after ruling out the f4 (which is a great lens from everything I hear and read) I ended up going into a completely different direction anyway! I’m buying the macro lens I totally forgot I was jonsing for over the summer!
I may have gone on about it in an older post, I’m sure I have, but I really need a macro lens. Over the summer I decided to go cheap and try extension tubes for macro photography, but the results were mixed, and the extremely shallow depth of field a royal pain in the ass. So while I was surrounded by bugs and flowers, I resolved to save up for a macro lens, so I could get some decent creepy close-up spider shots, but as the fall rolled into kill everything off, I started back to looking up at the sky instead of looking down at the critters…and the macro lens idea went to the back burner. But I’m older and smarter now. While looking at, and ruling out, the Canon 17-40mm f4L, I started to think back to the days when I really wanted a macro lens. I started to look into what I could fit into my remaining budget.
Any Canon user looking at macro lenses doesn’t have to look far. The 100mm F2.8 L IS USM Macro seems to be the shit, the cat’s ass! But wait, there is an older version of this newly released lens. The EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro is a very similar lens…and it’s about $450 cheaper! But not so fast, one is an L series lens and the other is not, is it better to go big in this case? So back to the Net to do some research…and not surprisingly, it seems I’m nowhere near the first person to try and make this decision, and lucky for me, there is a lot of relevant info out there.
The short version is both are basically equal image quality wise. The primary advantages to the newer L series is the weather sealing (like all L series lenses) and the image stabilization (IS). So while both these features are tempting me to go L series, which fits into the budget at around $1100 new, I am tempted to go back to what I said earlier. If the older version was good enough for the pros before the new one came out…
So that is where I am. Leaning towards to older version but tempted by the newer. The older version is cheaper, and if I go that route, maybe I can squeeze in that tele-converter I want as well AND maybe even a decent tripod head. That would be the smart thing to do, and while I’m older and smarter, I’m still not immune to the lure of an L series lens.
So with that, it is time to pull the triggr on something. At this moment I have feelers out looking for prices, on both versions, in used camera gear circles. If a deal comes up on an L version, I may go that route (missed one before Xmas for $700), if not, I will but the older version. I can deal with the non IS stuff, I think a tripod is an important tool in macro photography anyway. And as for weather sealing…I’m off to the Net to see what people are doing to combat that.
Taken with non L version
Stress ball new year…
my photos, my video, time-lapse
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Jan 012013
My first crack at time-lapse animation…sad, I know. But it was fun, and the motivation was to do it for the friend who gave me the mug for Xmas.
Dec 222012
I really hate Xmas! I know it’s a cliché to say so, but I really do. I mean sure, I like getting together with family and other folks, that’s fun, but why do we have to rely on the Xmas season for that? And I like the time off from work too, I’m pretty sure everyone does, but that’s because we live in a society where we all work forty plus hours a week, often doing nothing close to what we really wanted to end up doing, just so we can keep the whole thing we call life purring…well okay, sputtering along. We’re just feeding our machines! To me Xmas is just an expensive, and completely annoying, distraction!
And I think the good parts of Xmas just mask the truth behind Xmas. People are out over spending, blowing up their budgets (if they even have one) because they have no choice. Xmas itself is a machine that has to be fed. Every year I’m ready to puke by mid November, just from the Xmas commercials on TV and radio alone! Then there’s all the planning nobody can agree on. ‘Where are we spending Xmas eve?’…’But we spent Xmas with your family last Xmas eve!’…’I thought we were limiting gifts to $50 this year!’…’You can never decide what you want?’…’We’re going to drive all that way just to spend twelve hours with someone?’…’I'm sure if it came down to it, they wouldn’t be too offended if we didn’t make the trip!’…’So gift certificates it is then?’…’So $300 max then?’
And I’m lucky, I don’t have kids. I don’t really have to blow the wad on Xmas. I buy what I want when I want anyway. Xmas is just a reason to get what I want in wrapping paper from someone else…it all comes from the same account. And I can never decide what I ‘want’…because I don’t ‘need’ anything! Yet everyone needs an item for their list because they ‘have’ to buy me something…because it’s Xmas…and if they don’t they will feel awkward because I bought them something…because I have to, because it’s Xmas. And maybe I can afford it and they can’t…and their money would be better spent feeding their own machine, and I’d be totally cool with that, but it’s fucking Xmas, that’s not the way it works!
So ya, I hate Xmas. It really is just a commercial holiday. I haven’t been to an Xmas church service since before TVs had remotes. That aspect of it means squat to me. It’s just time off, time with family and friends, and above all else…a royal pain in the ass.
Merry Xmas!
Rokinon rocks…I think!
rant
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Dec 182012
I got my new lens a few weeks back and it’s pretty awesome. Well, it looks pretty awesome anyway…and the build quality seems pretty good too, but so far, I haven’t really tested it on the subject I bought it for.
I think we’ve had two clear nights since it arrived in the mail (slight exaggeration), and while I was able to snap a few shots of the stars on one of those rare (lately) nights I actually stayed up late, it was hardly enough to preform what I would consider a test.
In fact, I’ve barely had my cameras out of the bag in the last month or so, I’ve been too distracted and worried about other things. I’m living in a temporary condo arrangement and I’m in the slow motion move towards the west coast. Work has been busy, to the point of nuts, and I’m gearing up to go to remote home office situation…starting the first of the new year.
It’s the going remote that is the key to all the rest of the plans…and it’s coming soon! I wish I had been able to dash for the coast before winter set in, and work went into the high gear that comes with the frozen months, but it didn’t happen, so now I’m in a bit of a holding pattern…and for some reason everything else seems to have gone on hold too, though I don’t know why.
So, and this is in no way a New Year’s resolution, I’m going to change that and get going towards the next phase…and I’m going to test my new Rokinon (Samyang) lens too!
Nov 252012
So I never ended up buying the Canon 16-35mm f2.8L after all, I suppose I may at some point, but $1600 is a lot of ching, and that is the wishful thinking price, somewhere between best price anywhere and used. In the end, I decided to do something different and go outside the box. After a ton a research, reading forums and reviews, and then shopping on the net, I ordered the Samyang 14mm f2.8. It gets pretty good reviews for widefield astrophotography, and the sample shots seem to back these reviews up. And of course the best part…price, it is a great lens for around $400 new…which means I can fit in the Canon 17-40mm f4L into my budget to go with it….and save $400 or $500 in the process. And, I no longer need to sell my Tokina 11-16mm…so even better!
GSP! GSP! GSP!
cool, not my photo
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Nov 172012
Remembrance Day!
my photos
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Nov 112012
Nov 102012
I finally finished moving and finalized the sale of my house. I suppose now it’s time to focus on what my next move will be. I’m going to stay put for a little while, at least until I can come up with the next step in my plan, but not for too long. I’ve come this far into the plan, no point stalling out now.
While I sit idle though, I do need to start shopping around for a new lens. I am pretty sure I’m after the Canon 16-35mm f2.8L. It’s an awesome lens, especially for nightscape type photography, too bad that quality comes with a heavy price tag! If I want it new, I am looking at around $1600, maybe cheaper if I shop around. On the other hand, if I want a used version, I can likely get one for around $1300. I actually have a line on a used version for $1400 through a co-worker, in fact he already let me use if for a week while I was away on vacation, it was a very impressive lens to be sure, but I think his price is a little high, even if there is already a comfort level with the actual lens and its condition, still though, I want to shop around a little more.
I also need to consider whether I should sell my Tokina 11-16mm to help offset the cost of the Canon. Thing is though, I really love the Tokina, it too is an awesome lens. The trouble is, now that I have moved into the full frame sensor class (with the recent purchace of a new 5DII), the Tokina is only useful on my T2i and it can’t even be used on the 5DII. All my other lenses are compatible with both camera systems, but the Tokina is only useful on an APS-C format camera (crop sensor). My thinking is this, I sell the Tokina, put the $500-$600 I get for it towards the 16-35mm, thus bringing the cost of the new one down to a much easier number. Also helping me lean towards this plan is the coming of the new crop sensor cameras from Canon, but then again, I doubt I’ll rush out and buy the new 6D when it does shows up, I mean, I’m a bit of a gearhead but not that much so. I think I’d rather score the 60Da instead, if and when I replace the T2i that is…which I don’t need to…but kinda want to. But I still love that Tokina lens!
Anyway, all this depends of how much I get for some stocks I just dumped. I also want to surprise my wife with a new laptop too (she doesn’t even know I have this page…as far as I know anyway, so no spoiler here). We’ll see, either way though, I will buy a lens, and I am pretty sure it will be the 16-35mm. Hmmm, but a prime would be nice too….
Phase I complete!
blurb, iPhone photo, just sayn', my photos
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Nov 022012
Finally got moved! Now I’m ready for the next phase…a few more weeks in the office and then I am going remote. Who knows where I will live. All I need is high-speed internet and a Starbucks close by. I’m thinking Comox Valley.
Oct 172012
Looks like it has been a while since I posted. I sold my house so I’ve been moving. I was also on holidays for a little over a week as well. I should have time to go through my pictures and post something from my trip soon, maybe even a time-lapse or two as well. I had a friends 16-35mm lens with me and wow, what a great lens. I’m considering buying it from him, or a new one even, it was amazing at catching the stars.
Other than the house sale and holidays, I did attend an Alan Dyer Astrophotography workshop which was pretty awesome. It focused on deep sky imaging using telescopes with DSLRs attached or DLSRs riding piggyback (he didn’t go into cooled CCD imaging because he doesn’t use them).
His site is The Amazing Sky, and yes, a lot of his work is amazing too (the dude has a comet names after him!). It was my second workshop with him and I highly recommend it if the chance ever arises. I am looking forward to his next workshop in April, it will focus on nightscapes and astro time-lapsing. I’m going to put a post together about the workshop soon, well after a little more moving that is.
Sep 302012
I love my dog, he’s a really cool German Shepherd named Jari (Kurri). Sadly though, he’s getting old.
I’m not sure what’s worse, the fact that he’s getting old, or the fact that his age reminds me how long I’ve had him, which in turn makes me feel old. Anyway, he still gets around pretty good, and at nine, I think he has a few years left in him yet. And he still thinks he’s young…and tough, so I guess he is young at heart, which is all that really matters…so I should take that as a lesson from him. And he still loves to run…and he still tucks his ears in when he runs, which I think is hilarious because of course, he thinks it makes him even faster. And even though he isn’t as fast as he once was, he still seems like he’s actually moving pretty fast, but he just doesn’t sound as fast as he ‘zips’ past me…the pounding of paws and the rush of wind. But hey, he can still move a lot faster than I can, and he did get a chunk of escaping cat just a few weeks ago, a cat who dared to think he could just hang out in our back yard and even prance around on the deck as Jari growled out the window at it. So I guess he is still kind of fast, but no matter how I spin it, he is slowing down…and he seems to limp around a little after an active day of ball chasing and fence patrolling. But we have meds for that, and in the mornings he’s raring to go. He seems to sleep a lot more, and not worry quite so much about what he sees move out his windows patrols…but he can still jump up into the back of the Jeep no problem, though the standing jump isn’t quite as graceful as it once was and he usually likes to take a run at it now. And he still likes to search for hidden treats and run around with a squeak toy when he thinks it’s time for everyone to go to bed. So ya, he is getting old, but I still love him. He’s an asshole, but he’s my asshole, and I’m committed to him until the end.
Streaming football because I’m cheap!
blurb, not my photo, rant
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Sep 242012
I cancelled my cable! I had too, I could no longer justify the $90 a month on my Shaw bill that went towards the cable TV portion, especially since I almost never watch TV. Sure I watch sports, but even so, the other few hundred channels are a waste of money. Why should I shell out money to get channels I don’t watch? Why do I have to have these channels in order to get access to the few channels that I do want? If the NHL season starts, I can simply buy the NHL package and stream it to my PS3 or directly to my smart TV. I don’t need to pay Shaw to deliver it as an added package. No thanks.
And TV shows? Sure there are a few shows I like. Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy to name a few. I just download these so I can watch them without the commercials and then share them with friends.
So now I am streaming NFL football for free. It isn’t as nice as watching on my big LG, but whatever, I can still watch my team. I gave up on watching all the games a few seasons ago anyway, so now that I only watch my team, and maybe the Seahawks a little too, I can handle watching a game or two a week on my computer screen. I’ll save that $90 a month, thank you very much. Next to go will be the land-line!
My buddy is a prick!
blurb, cool, not my photo
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Sep 172012
Ya, my buddy is a prick! He quits his job at the office, buys an awesome blue water sail boat, and is preparing to sail around the South Pacific for the foreseeable future. Am I jealous, a little.
I admire the fact that he is living his dream. He isn’t just following the rest of the sheep around the pasture, he’s broken away and exploring what is on the other side.
Anyway, above is a picture of him playing with the irons, or something, at the top of his boat’s mast. The view below his feet is his boat, an 45 foot Island Packet. The picture below is the motivational poster I made from his picture, which he got a big kick out of. He’s a prick!
How dare yee!
blurb, just sayn'
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Sep 162012
As I was standing in my local Starbucks this morning, lined up to get my Grande Pike in a Vente cup, a serious looking older fellow turned to me and asked if I knew where the Catholic church was. He seemed flabbergasted that I didn’t know where this church was, especially after his follow-up question confirmed that I was, in fact, quite local. I told him that I was aware that there were churches in town, and that I even knew where some of these things were, but I had no idea what denomination any of them were (that was a lie, the Mormon church is easy to spot). He seemed disgusted with me at this point, he seemed to even mumble under his breath. Then he took a half step back, looked me up and down, and then bolted straight out the door, abandoning his spot in line and no longer, it seemed, interested in his Sunday morning beverage! It was as if he either wanted get away from me as quickly as possible or, as I mused to myself, he needed to go get some of his church buddies help, so they could apprehend my heretic-ish ass and tie me up to the nearest stake!
I suppose in some way it is kinda sad. Even though I’ve been living in this smallish town for going on seven years or so, I still have no clue where this church is. Sure I can recognize a church like anybody can, but I could care less about the details of their designation. To that point, I barely even know the names of any of streets around here either, other than the one I actually live on. On the other level though, I don’t think I understand the guy’s reaction. I mean, he was standing in line in front of me. and had been for a minute or two. If he was just lining up to ask directions, why didn’t he ask someone else? He could easily have asked any on of the other ten or so people within earshot. Was he standing there waiting to order, pondering the menu, when he suddenly had an urge to get to a Catholic church as quickly as possible? That would seem to line up with his reaction…maybe, he still could have asked another person on his way out. In fact, I did see a lady in there making notes in a journal and she had what appeared to be a bible sitting on her table…she was likely on her way to a church!
No, I think it was his reaction to me that made him leave. He was clearly disturbed that I, or likely anyone, would not know where a Catholic church was. I have a feeling that if this was suddenly the 1500s, rather than me sitting here babbling away at my keyboard, Starbucks is hand, I’d be tied to a stake, watching this guy, and a throng of his like, throwing down one last bundle of sticks at my feet before they tossed on the match!
Selling a house is a stressful time!
blurb
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Sep 112012
I’m in the process of selling my house, it has been a royal pain in my ass. And though it looks like it may actually be sold, that would mean the work has only just begun. Next I have to find somewhere to move, and failing a permanent solution, find somewhere to store all my crap until the ‘perfect’ place can be found! Then I have to physically move it all!
Oh well, it is all a step forward along a path to a specific goal. I always say it is just to get away from Alberta’s prairie winters, but really it is much deeper than that. I have a dream, and I am slowly working towards it. Shit, even this site has a role to play in the future. Even though I am treating it as a blog today, down the road I hope it will be a whole lot more.
Kananaskis was a bust!
my photos, photo, time-lapse
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Sep 022012
Earlier tonight I drove out to Kananaskis. I had hopes of capturing a time-lapse or two, but I left town much too late, leaving me no time get anything set-up once I got out to my favourite spot, at least Stage Zero set-up wise anyway. And besides, the the sky and clouds didn’t seem to cooperate much, so even a simple set-up with just a tripod wouldn’t have amounted to anything.
I then thought I could stick around and wait out the sunset and maybe do some star shots, the skies would have been nice and dark out there, much better than my back yard anyway, but I decided against it. The combination of being well out of cell coverage and nobody knowing where I was made me decide against it. I didn’t even decide to head out there until last minute, which is why I got there too late to do anything, and my vehicle, though reliable enough, is still a 2003, and I did need four wheel drive to get in to where I was.
Anyway, enough with the laying down of excuses, I still fired off a bunch of shots but nothing worth keeping. The only shot I remotely liked was this one I converted to B&W. Again, nothing special, not that I shoot a lot of special anyway, but I like this one, it makes me want to head back out there. But next time a little earlier.
Sep 022012
Frame grab from moon time-lapse.
cool, my photos, time-lapse
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Aug 252012
Aug 222012
I installed the Magic Lantern Firmware onto one of my cameras tonight. I was too afraid to try it with my new 5D so I used my T2i as the guinea pig. I had a little scare when it didn’t seem to work at first, but when I went back and re-read the instructions, I realized I needed to upgrade my T2i to the latest factory firmware first, once I did this, the ML install went flawlessly.
Now to figure out how to navigate around and use it. It doesn’t seem all that difficult, and from what I’ve read, it’s supposed to be fairly intuitive. Besides, there are help files right in the firmware; each setting has a brief blurb about what it does at the bottom of the display.
The built in intervalometer is sweet…and the unlimited and automatic HDR bracketing looks like an uber cool feature too. While I think the Canon factory max is three bracketed exposures, the ML firmware will calculate the number of exposures required to cover the entire dynamic range…based on the initial photo. I think that will be the first thing I play with.
Found it!
blurb, gear, time-lapse
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Aug 202012
It took awhile but I finally found the telescope mount for my time-lapse rig I was looking for (well, it was only a week, but that seems like a while).
I ended up ordering the Merlin multi-function, one of the pan heads that will work with my MX controller. It’s just a photo head with dual axis motor drives that’s optimized for panoramaphotography. Nothing too fancy or complicated really, just not that easy to find any more. It seems to be discontinued in North America. I ended up going through a store in Austria to order one. It used to be sold under different names and under three different brands (Orion, SkyWatcher and Celestron), but most are no longer available. Which is unfortunate, because it seems there are a lot of folks like me looking for these too, well, according to all the time-lapse forums I frequent anyway. But I found it and ordered it.
Thing is, do I really need it? Sure it will be nice to have, and I hope to get some good use out of it, but really, do I need to keep buying toy after toy? I think it is time to stop buying for a while and start getting some good use out of the toys I have.