New Radio Poppers

Well the new Radio Poppers have been announced. Anyone interested in wanting ETTL without the concerns of line of site will be interested in these. Check out the video below for a review or go to the Radio Poppers Blog for details.

I'm just giddy...

This will be a short post, but I just had to tell everyone that my new Canon 5D Mark II arrived today with the BG-E6 grip and an extra battery. Thanks to Paul at Calumet Photo in Chicago for getting it so soon after release and thanks for shipping it to me in Florida while I'm on business. This way I get to play with my new toy without waiting until the weekend.

Below is a quick pick of the boxes. I'll post some body and sample pics once my batteries finish charging.

Woohoooo....

My dog ate my camera strap

A bit a story I wanted to share...with a little bit of a point.

So, on Saturday I am getting things ready to go to our the Christmas Festival of Lights here in Chicago. Well my POTN Strap (a OpTech strap branded for a photography forum I visit quite a bit) had been off my 40D for a while as I've been using my R-Strap...so off I go to find it. Well, its not where I left it, where could it be? Hmm, asking my wife she says, is it black? "Yes I say." And she tells me our 8 year-old has been using it for some play. No worries I think, he is a good kid and doesn't break things. I go to his room and ask him where it is and he hands it to me, or should I say what is left of it. Ends up he had been using it to play tug of war with our German Shepard. Lets just say there was not enough of this strap left to use.

Here is what it looks like uneaten.



I was heart broken, I always liked the POTN strap, it was comfortable and as a person that normally did not like neck straps, it was the only one I ever found which was usable. Since I needed a neck strap for that day off I go to Calumet Photography to see what I can find. I come across the Domke 1.5" Strap.



It looks so simple in comparison to the POTN strap, however, I love my Domke bags so I figure what the heck, lets give it a try.

I have to admit, I was suprised, this is the perfect strap for me! Just the right size around my neck (I did think the POTN strap was a bit wide), held like iron on my shoulder as do my Domke bags and when hanging the strap next to the camera it did not feel too large. I hate to say this but I may never get another POTN strap.

I'm willing to take any ribbing my forum buddies have to offer me. This strap is that good. Well, thanks for reading I wanted to tell my story. They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

"My name is Paul and I use a Domke neck strap." There I said it!

I did it!!!!

I did it, I just had to, I couldn't help myself. As a Canon fan I found the new 5D Mark II very exciting and I've been wanting to go full frame for some time. Well, I caved and pre-ordered the 5DII last week. I'm so excited I just can't stand it. Hence the happy dance.

Sorry for the pointless post, but I couldn't help myself.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Playing with Extension Tubes

So our family was off to Guatemala last week. Knowing there were great flowers there I picked up a set of Kenko Extension Tubes so I could start doing some macro experimentation. Below is a link to the tubes I purchased from B&H Photo


Kenko Extension Tubes for Canon EF Lenses

I have to tell you, these things are very cool. They do as advertised and allow you to focus in very close. Of course the first thing I did was stack all three together, toss on my Nifty Fifty and snap away. While this was very fun, it tought me a lot.

• First off, the depth of field is razor thin. This is very neat, but makes one very aware of apeture and the like.
• Puting these on my 70-200 f/2.8 causes the focus to be fixed and I had to use the zoom to focus. I was suprised by this but got used to it quick enough.
• Don't be over zelous, use one tube a time to start. I wanted to toss the 36mm on or stack all three when I later learned that using the 12mm is much more effective. Be patient and start simple, you will get better results more quickly.
• Use a tripod when ever possible. With the thin DOF any movement will make a shot out of focus. Look at the flower below. While all was still most of the flower is out of focus because of the ever so think DOF.
• Finally, get the Kenko tubes. They are fantastic at at $169 for 3 you save yourself lots of money over the Canon version.

The point here is if you are considering some macro play and don't want to lay out the cash for a dedicated macro lens, extension tubes can be a great way to experiment. Give them a go and see what you learn.

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