Common Loons

 Ashokan Reservoir. Canon EOS R, Minolta MC ROKKOR-PF 58mm f/1.4. Cropped.

Canada Geese In Flight

Canon EOS R, Minolta MC ROKKOR-PF 58mm f/1.4, cropped to 4:3 plus a little to eliminate empty space.

Forest Fern

Along the Wilkinson Trail at the Saratoga Battlefield with a vintage Minolta MC ROKKOR-PF 58mm f/1.4 lens.

Poplar Seed Ground Cover

 Canon EOS R, Minolta MD ROKKOR-X 50mm f/1.7 lens.

Snake on Junk Engine

This old car/truck has been decomposing on Peebles Island since I first visited there about 40 years ago. Back then, it had a body, roof, doors, etc. All that's left now is the frame, engine and suspension parts.

I was walking around the island this morning with an EOS R and an adapted Minolta MC ROKKOR PF 58mm f/1.4 lens and I decided to check out the corpse. 

The snake departed after the first photo.

Southern Cassowary

 A female Southern Cassowary eating a Kiwi at the Detroit Zoo.

Seasonal Cell Phone Wallpaper

 Here is a nice seasonal wallpaper from a photo from last May. Click on the image twice and save it.

Saratoga Spa State Park

 Some rain has Geyser Brook running a bit high.

Great Sacandaga Lake Boat Launch

 

No Sunrise This Morning

 

Emerging Foliage

 

A Minute of Frogs

 Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve

An Afternoon Above 70 Degrees

 It was raining and below 50 degrees this morning. Then it cleared up and temperatures rose above 70 degrees. By midnight it will be raining again with temperatures back below 50 degrees.

Here are two shots from the time between the rain from the Champlain Canalway Trail in Halfmoon.

Kit Decisions for 2023

In recent weeks, I've swapped out the 100mm macro lens for the 70-200mm lens and the EOS RP for a second EOS R. With trips planned to Maine and Michigan coming up in the next few months I also wanted to have a single bag with the ability to carry two cameras on a harness, as I have in the past.

I will continue to use the Peak Design straps and cuff for single camera carrying but will go back to the BlackRapid Double Breathe Harness, which attaches to the tripod mounts on the cameras, when hiking. I don't expect to make further changes or gear additions for the foreseeable future.

Here is a shot of the Airport Essentials backpack, not showing the BlackRapid Harness which is stored in an outer compartment of the bag.

Colorful Gravesite

Today's exercise was to shoot the 70-200mm lens wide open at f/4 to test out the quality of the bokeh. f/4 isn't really fast enough for nice creamy backgrounds but at 200mm you can get some separation.

Here is one example from today at Oakwood Cemetery at f/4 and 200mm. If you look at it full size you can see that there's not much except for the highlighted front row of artificial flowers that are perfectly in focus and the distant objects are decently blurred.

Gear Changes

Well, I didn't hang on to the RF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens for long. It didn't, in the end, make much sense to duplicate that focal length with the 24-105mm f/4 lens. 

The additional one stop and macro capabilities ended up being less important than some extra reach so I traded that lens and the EOS RP for a like new RF 70-200mm f/4L lens.

Here is what the Streetwalker backpack looks like with the current gear. Left out are my RF STM prime lenses which will get used when I want a smaller setup. I put the battery grip in the bag because I've been using it some lately and, in the absence of the EOS RP, it fills the space without adding much weight. Empty spots in bags are not a good thing.

Common Mullein

 New growth (?) in the gravel on the Champlain Canalway Trail, Halfmoon, NY.

Sycamore Tree

 You should view this image at full resolution by clicking on it and then clicking on it again.

This 100mm macro lens is very sharp.

January Noon

 Canon EOS R, RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, f/16, 1/1500 sec., ISO 200

Full Resolution Sample

 A full resolution sample with the 100mm f/2.8 lens at f/2.8. Click twice for full size.