Life Goes On

I suppose. Even in a fascist country. 

It's very possible that the majority of my focus in the future will shift back to state parks and other locations going forward. We'll see come spring.

This morning there was a brief period of sun between rain and total overcast skies. I had a quick walk around Peebles Island State Park in that period. I carried the newer of the two EOS R8 bodies and the 35mm lens.

#I❤️NY

EOS R8, RF 35mm f/1.8, f/6.7, 1/1500 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 35mm f/1.8, f/6.7, 1/1500 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 35mm f/1.8, f/6.7, 1/180 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 35mm f/1.8, f/6.7, 1/180 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 35mm f/1.8, f/6.7, 1/350 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 35mm f/1.8, f/6.7, 1/1500 sec., ISO 200

Now

 I used to love election days.

        Now they make me sick.

I used to love reading and watching news coverage.

Now it makes me sick.

I used to accept and respect political opponents.

Now they make me sick.

I used to have pride in the progression from bigotry and greed toward 

liberty and justice.

Now greed and bigotry are wrapped in the flag.

It makes me sick.

Now they say they’ll ban vaccines if elected.

It’ll make us all sick.

But not as sick as they are now.

Maine Coast - Day 4

This morning's sunrise was so good I decided to skip over yesterday's and post this morning's today. Yesterday's sunrise was not great but at least better than Saturday's. I had both camera bodies ready to use, one with the 28-70mm lens and the other with the 85mm lens.  Some of those shots were posted to social media and a few are in the Maine Coast gallery at https://www.trulandphotography.com/Maine-Coast.

This morning's forecast was for clouds building to about 50% sky cover by sunrise. I figured the clouds would be coming from the west and the rising sun would light up those clouds sometime before sunrise. Accordingly, I had the 28-70mm lens on one body and the 24mm lens on the other to get more sky coverage. It worked out nicely.

I made a dedicated gallery with 40 images for this morning's sunrise at https://www.trulandphotography.com/Projects/November-Maine-Sunrise. Here are some with shooting information.

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/5.6, 1/350 sec., ISO 800

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 56mm, f/6.7, 1/60 sec., ISO 800

EOS R8, RF 24mm f/1.8 STM, f/8, 1/45 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/125 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 56mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 24mm f/1.8 STM, f/8, 1/125 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/5.6, 1/1500 sec., ISO 200

Maine Coast - Day 2

Yesterday's sunrise was a bust with almost completely overcast skies. While there were still some nice scenes along the dunes, it wasn't until almost sunset that there were breaks in the clouds. 

Halloween displays are still up along Shore Road also. And I made a visit to York Harbor including Hartley Mason Reserve and Steedman Woods.

Here are some of the scenes throughout the day.

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/180 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/60 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/180 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 35mm f/1.8, f/2, 1/500 sec., ISO 100

EOS R8, RF 35mm f/1.8, f/2.8, 1/500 sec., ISO 100

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 59mm, f/8, 1/125 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 55mm, f/8, 1/90 sec., ISO 400

Maine Coast - Day 1

Yesterday afternoon saw temperatures on the Maine coast twenty degrees above normal and thirty degrees higher than the date last year. While temperatures will be normal for the rest of the weekend, sunshine will predominate.

I took advantage of the mid afternoon weather immediately upon arrival in Ogunquit. Ogunquit is the traditional territory of the Pennacook, N'dakina and Wabanaki peoples although if you look online you would think it was devoid of humanity until white people first occupied the area in 1641.

Here are some of the scenes from the Marginal Way and Perkins Cove.

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/5.6, 1/1500 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 40mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 200

Duplicate Bodies Eras

I have had two copies of the same camera body simultaneously eight times since I got serious about photography again back in 2009. The most recent time was from February to July in 2023 when I had two EOS R bodies. I sold them to get one EOS R6 body to have the in body image stabilization for use with non stabilized lenses.

Then, in May of this year, I picked up an R8 and ended up liking the smaller, lighter body with a bit more resolution so much I sold the R6. My plan was to stick with the R8 and three image stabilized prime lenses. Then Canon came out with the compact and weather sealed 28-70mm f/2.8 IS lens. A lens I couldn't resist and I'm very glad I acquired. 

These four lenses and a single body do not an ideal kit make. There are several practical options for a second body. I even considered crop sensor bodies but I quickly ruled out mixing sensor sizes. The R6 Mark II is a better camera than the R8 but having just sold my R6 I didn't want to go that route. I would be constantly feeling the need to decide which to use with what and for what. And I don't need in body stabilization with these lenses.

So, I picked up a second R8 body. This second body will mostly stay paired with the 35mm f/1.8 IS STM lens. Occasionally, I will carry both bodies with the zoom lens on one and, depending on the situation, either the 24mm or 85mm lens on the other. 

I have the extension grip on the first body to use with the heavier and larger lenses so I put Peak Design Anchor Links on the strap ends of my OP/TECH Dual Harness so I can avoid using the Black Rapid tripod mount system which doesn't work well with the extension grip as it attaches to the screw mount wheel of the grip which could loosen while in use.

I would very much like to maintain this kit for the next year or so only adding necessary replacements such as batteries, filters, memory cards, etc.

UPDATE: I have picked up a Lowepro Flipside 300AW III backpack to store most of the gear. I can also hike with this bag which weighs 112 pounds as currently constituted. The chargers, speedlites and batteries are in a Canon shoulder bag which does not get carried around. That bag, the dual harness, tripod and some smaller carry bags are organized in a foldable tote.

R8 Noise Levels and Software

One of the images from the other day was shot at ISO 800 which can start to show noise in out of focus areas. The DxO PhotoLab 8 software I'm using has a handful of noise reduction settings but I rarely get into them, relying on the standard, mild noise reduction setting. 

Here is a downsized file of the image for context purposes, with normal noise reduction.

EOS R8, RF 85mm f/2 STM, f/5.6, 1/350 sec., ISO 800

Here is the upper right corner of the image from that original file. If you click on the image (and click on it again) you can see some graininess in the transition areas in the background.

Hugh Quality

I processed the RAW file again with a more aggressive noise reduction setting and it cleaned up quite a bit. DxO has named their "denoise technologies" High Quality, PRIME, DeepPRIME and DeepPRIME XD. And there are sliders to adjust settings within each "technology."

DeepPRIME

I have rarely had a need to get into this level of processing but it's nice to have a familiarity with it in case it's needed.

Using the Prime Lenses

I more or less made myself use the prime lenses at the battlefield today. I don't carry the 35mm lens as that focal length is covered by the zoom but both the 85mm and 24mm lenses saw some use. I especially wanted to get some more images with the 85mm lens to add to the fall project gallery which wraps up next week.

EOS R8, RF 85mm f/2 STM, f/6.7, 1/250 sec., ISO 200. CPL

EOS R8, RF 85mm f/2 STM, f/8, 1/180 sec., ISO 200. CPL

EOS R8, RF 85mm f/2 STM, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec., ISO 800. CPL

EOS R8, RF 85mm f/2 STM, f/8, 1/180 sec., ISO 800. CPL

EOS R8, RF 24mm f/1.8 STM, f/22, 1/250 sec., ISO 1600

EOS R8, RF 24mm f/1.8 STM, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 24mm f/1.8 STM, f/8, 1/500 sec., ISO 400

A Problem With This New Zoom Lens

I can't seem to force myself to use any of my other lenses. I used the 24mm lens for one shot since I got the 28-70mm lens and that's it. I have actually had other lenses on the camera but other than that single image, I haven't used them.

I'm sure the newness will wear off and I'll be able to use a variety of lenses before too long. Here are some shots from the past few days. Champlain Canalway Trail in Halfmoon, NY, Woodward Lake in Northville, NY and Schodack Island in Schodack Landing, NY.

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm STM at 28mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 100

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm STM at 70mm, f/2.8, 1/1000 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm STM at 70mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm STM at 53mm, f/5.6, 1/350 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm STM at 70mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm STM at 28mm, f/22, 1/250 sec., ISO 800

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm STM at 28mm, f/8, 1/250 sec., ISO 200

Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM Lens

Hopefully, the last of my gear transitions is now complete. I have added the brand new RF 28-70mm f/2.8 lens to my three prime lenses and the EOS R8. The 35mm lens will sit in a small shoulder bag for use with the R8 when I want a very compact camera. The new zoom will join the 24mm and 85mm lenses in the Think Tank Speed Freak bag with the R8.

One reason I decided to add this lens is that it's weather sealed unlike the lenses I currently have. It also gives me the 50mm at a reasonably fast f/2.8 aperture. Canon does not make an image stabilized 50mm prime lens. Although the lens does not focus as closely as the half life size prime lenses, it does get to about a quarter life size. 

The lens is a little smaller and a touch lighter than the 85mm lens and has the same 67mm filter thread. The shoulder bag is heavier with the zoom in place of the 35mm lens but it wasn't really noticeable on my hike around Saratoga Battlefield this morning. 

The lens is so new that I had to update my DxO PhotoLab software in order for the lens profile to work with RAW files. The lens has some quirks but I like it so far. I haven't had a need to use it wide open at f/2.8 yet but that will certainly come with shorter days and holiday activities.

I created a gallery with samples made with this lens at https://www.trulandphotography.com/Projects/New-Zoom-Samples where you can view full size files. Here are some shots from this morning's hike.

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 28mm, f/22, 1/125 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 70mm, f/8, 1/180 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 38mm, f/8, 1/500 sec., ISO 400

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 33mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 200

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 40mm, f/22, 1/180 sec., ISO 800

EOS R8, RF 28-70mm f/2.8 at 42mm, f/2.8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100