Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

I'm still playing with the new lens on my EOS 70D. Today's morning walk was the long one over through Cohoes to Route 32 and back up and over through Waterford.

I used a polarizer filter for all of these shots and all are five image HDR composites processed with Photomatix Pro 6. I'm finding that while the close focusing capability of this lens is nice, the best thing is the image stabilization. An f/2.8 normal focal length equivalent with four stops of stabilization at this price point is a nice lens indeed.

Old Champlain Canal Trail Scenics and Closeups

When I wrote back on June 5th that my gear was set for the rest of the year I was just kidding. Kind of like Donald Trump when he says - well, anything. Another Canon instant rebate for an item in stock at my local Best Buy relegated that plan to the dustbin. It's hard to resist the immediate gratification of a fifteen minute drive to pick up a piece of new gear.

This time it was Canon's EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM lens which only works with crop sensor bodies and has a full frame equivalent field of view of 56mm. This lens, with my 70D, will constitute my default small setup for things like street events, etc. The combination of f/2..8, image stabilization and focusing to 1:1 make it a unique package.

It's wide enough for scenics, close focusing enough for macro(ish) images and the image stabilization helps with handheld bracketing and closeups. The wider view than usual for closeups means more of the background will be included and needs to be taken into account when framing.

My first opportunity to try out the combination was this morning's walk up the old Champlain Canal path north of Waterford. I've posted a lot of photos from this stretch over the years.

Here are some shots starting with a couple of HDR scenics along the trail leading out to where it opens up and the wildflowers take over.

Corning Museum Glass Barge at Waterford Harbor

The Corning Museum of Glass's Glass Barge and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's canal schooner Lous McClure have been touring together up the Hudson River and this weekend take the left hand turn into the New York State Canal System for the trip West. You can follow the trip at https://www.cmog.org/glassmaking/demos/hot-glass-demos/glassbarge.

This morning was overcast but with enough light for shooting under the canopy of the barge. I used my Canon EOS 5D Mark III and F 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. The shots inside the barge are cropped as 105mm wasn't long enough to frame properly.

The C.L. Churchill is the tug that accompanies the Lois McClure around on it's travels. You can read about the Lois McClure at https://www.lcmm.org/visit/lois-mcclure/.

Early Light on Peebles Island

I was over on Peebles Island before 6:30 AM this morning with the two camera setup and the Op/Tech Dual Harness. While I did check out the Bald Eagles - the two eaglets are still on the nest - and I did see the usual deer and a beaver swimming in the Mohawk, I'm posting some shots sans wildlife.

Second Island w/duck blind and Goat Island to the right
EOS 5DIII, EF 24-105mm f/4L at 58mm

Morning Dew on Milkweed Leaf
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II at 300mm

Fire Road Trail, Peebles Island State Park
EOS 5DIII, EF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm

Morning Dew on Phlox Blossoms
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II at 300mm

Vine in Chain Link Fence
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II at 300mm

More Samples From the New Gear

It's tempting when you have new gear in your bag to concentrate on using the new gear to the exclusion of everything else. It's more than tempting, actually, it's a compulsion. So, every time I've been out since I got the 70D and 70-300mm lens, that's what I bring. Here are some samples from the past few days.

My Gear Is Set For The Rest Of The Year

I mentioned in a recent blog entry that I had picked up an EOS 70D and that planned modifications to the contents of my gear bag were just about complete.

My only other planned gear upgrade over the course of the summer is a better telephoto zoom lens. I'm currently thinking the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM. When that is taken care of I can sell either the 50D and the 55-250mm lens or the EOS M with its 18-55mm lens, adapter and the 55-250mm zoom. At that point, my big ThinkTank Photo backpack will be at the Goldilocks place. Not too empty and not too full.

While the 70-300mm L lens remained my main target, Canon added an instant rebate to the well reviewed and less expensive EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM lens. While the L lens has some image quality benefits on full frame bodies, the difference on crop sensor bodies in negligible. As I expect the lens to be mostly used on my 70D that's not an issue. And I think the autofocus accuracy and speed is actually superior to the L lens. With a cost only a bit over half of what a used L lens would cost it was an easy decision.

Here is a photo of both bodies and the three main lenses made with the EOS 50D, 40mm pancake lens and 270EXII flash.

As far as pairing bodies and lenses, there are three possible variations that will make sense for various occasions.

• The 5D Mark III and 17-40mm lens paired with the 70D and 24-105mm lens. The 17mm to 168mm focal range is covered, almost a 10X range.
• The 5D Mark III and 24-105mm lens paired with the 70D and 70-300mm lens. A focal length range of 24mm to 480mm (except for 106mm to 111mm) are covered, a range of 20X. I expect this will be the most common pairing.
• The least likely pairing would be the 70D with the 17-40mm lens and the 5D Mark III with the 70-300mm lens. This would cover the focal length range of 28.8mm to 300mm (except for 65mm to 69mm), a touch over 10X.

Here are some photos from the 70D and the new lens over the past five days.