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.