New Addition - Canon 17-40mm Lens (L Series)

Last week I added another lens to the arsenal, in the form of a Canon 'L Series' 17-40mm Ultra-Wide. This is my second 'L' purchase, following the 24-105mm lens that came with my Canon 5D MK2 body (Full frame upgrade). For anyone who is unfamiliar with L-Series, these are the 'Luxury' lenses in the Canon EF family line, and what a difference the results are, compared to the EF-S series that I was using alongside the now departed Canon 7D crop body. Naturally, the L-Series glass comes at a price, but they're worth every penny. So, what is the difference between EF (L-Series) and EF-S lenses, you may ask...

EF-S lenses are specifically designed for APS-C digital bodies and optimised for the fact that they have smaller sensor and mirror. EF-S lenses are marked with a white dot on the mount instead of red one that EF-glass has, and can be only used on EF-S compatible bodies (almost all of smaller-sensor Canon DSLRs, up to EOS 7D). Film and larger-sensor digital cameras (5D, 1D, 1Ds) take only EF lenses. If you have a camera with EF-S mount support (such as EOS 7D, 50D or 500D), you can use both EF and EF-S lenses. EF-S lenses are a slightly different format whereby the rear element sits closer to the lens, this is possible due to the smaller mirror with APS-C sensor. The distance from the back of the lens to the image plane is known as the back-focus distance, hence the S in EF-S standing for short back focus. Other manufacturers have lenses designed for smaller sensors with appropriately smaller image circles but they don't have a different back focus distance. Having the lens sit slightly closer does make it slightly easier to design wide angle lenses, however I've heard the reason Canon introduced EF-S lenses was so they could scale down existing lens designs as a base for the optical design to avoid having to start from scratch. It's often said you can't use EF-S lenses on a full frame body (such as the 5D, 1Ds) but this is not strictly true. Canon use a different shaped rear baffle to physically prevent you mounting as the mirror could hit the lens and cause damage. However this can be removed to allow mounting, and since the rear element moves when zooming there are positions that allow shooting. Vignetting is a problem as EF-S lenses project a smaller image circle, but again the image circle can get bigger while zooming so some focal lengths work ok.

EF (L-Series) is Canon's professional line (though used extensively by non-professionals) of EOS EF auto focus 35mm SLR and DSLR still camera lenses. Some say L stands for "Low Dispersion" - achieved by the UD lens elements found in these lenses. But, the true answer is probably the one in Canon's Lens Work III Book - "L" is for "Luxury". Watch the sidelines at the next professional sporting event you attend or watch on TV. Look for the identifying L-lens red stripe around the end of the photographers' camera lenses. These are the people who make a living with their equipment - and they frequently trust the Canon L Lens Series for their income. About their L lenses, Canon says "these lenses use special optical technologies [such as] Ultra-low Dispersion UD glass, Super Low Dispersion glass, Fluorite elements, and Aspherical elements to push the optical envelope."
OK so what does that mean - practically speaking? What you can get when you use Canon L lenses (if you do your part right) are amazing pictures. In fact, this amazement is said to cause a disease know as "L-Disease". Once caught, it is incurable.

After upgrading to the full frame 5D MK2 with 24-105MM lens, I couldn't wait to get started. If you trace back my blog entries you'll find many photographs that I've taken with my new kit. To the viewer there may seem little difference between the photographs on my blog from each camera, but there is a noticeable difference between the prints, especially at A2 (25x17 inches). Obviously, when you factor in the full-frame side of things, the upgrade has been a master stroke in my opinion, as it has opened up more capability, mainly the ability to get that much more subject onto a full frame sensor. As for my two lenses - the 24-105mm is my everyday 'Walk around' lens, which covers most aspects of my photography needs, whereas it doesn't quite cut the mustard up close, hence the need to go wider in that pursuit. That's where the 17-40mm glass makes an appearance. A popular misconception with some photographers is that Wide Angle lenses are to 'Get it all in'. I tend to disagree. Ultra-wide's are for getting yourself, and therefore the viewer, right smack into the middle of something. If you can't or won't get close, leave the Ultra-wide at home. These lenses have the ability to rub the viewer's nose in your subject. Properly used, Ultra-wide's grab your viewer and yank him into the middle of your situation, bringing the viewer into the photo, not for fitting a subject into a photo. Ultra-wide's require you to get very close and personal to anything you are shooting. Even a fraction of an inch (or cm) will make a massive difference in your composition, so you need to be very deliberate with your movement. If you use them properly, you should be rewarded with dynamic images. I find that regardless of which lens I use, and however many photos I make on a trip, the ones I like the most are always those made with a wide angle lens. My old 10-22mm Wide was a brilliant lens and gave me the experience I now carry forward. As the weather up North has been sh1te recently, I haven't had a decent chance to road test my new 17-40mm Wide, but rest assured it will put through its paces soon enough. Until then I'll twiddle my thumbs and plan my next outing. Lots of printing/framing to get through, which is ideal when the weather is poor. Indoors all the way, but not for long. Until then...

Ash

Easter In The Lake District

Welcome back to my blog page, brought to you by the roaming Mackem Photographer!
The Easter weather in the North-East of England has been a bit of 'Hit and miss', with bright sunshine and broken cloud one day, followed by overcast skies and light showers the next. Then again, this is the North-East, where unpredictable weather is almost the norm, so we take what comes our way and duly plod on. I don't take a lot of notice of weather forecasts these days, even though I'm a regular viewer of the Tyne-Tees TV weather bulletins, to which I often contribute my own photo's. Although the forecasts are quite accurate they can also be inaccurate, even one day in advance, so I tend to go with the flow and adapt my photography to the changing weather conditions. In most cases you have to suck the proverbial lemon and make the most of what you've got, sun, rain, wind or snow. A typical example of this confronted me last Sunday, when I made the trip west to the Lake District National Park, during what was billed as 'Mostly sunny and occasional cloudy weather.' Well it was cloudy alright, make no mistake of that, but as for 'Mostly sunny', someone was surely having a laugh! The sun did show for a few minutes during the whole day, but that was all we got, so it was quite disappointing in that respect. Plan B has a timely habit of kicking in under circumstances like this, when a lack of colour has me eyeing up those potential moody shots, and what better place to be than the Lake District. Today's photo offerings are almost Black & White, give or take the odd carpet of green grass here and there. My first shot is by far the most colourful of the bunch - a classic Lake District scene, captured at the Keswick Launch, on the shoreline of Derwentwater. Taken shortly before lunch time, I was lucky the cold weather didn't attract tourists who fancied an open boat trip across the lake, so all of the rowing boats sat exactly where I had hoped, tethered to each other, ready to be photographed. Anyone that did take to the water was ferried across by a sheltered tourist boat, which can also be seen in my first shot, as it pulls in alongside the jetty. The backdrop of High Spy & Catbells, to the left, plus Causey Pike & Barrow to the right finish the shot off quite well. These are fells of the North-Western Region, topped by a sprinkling of snow, and definitely on my list of fells to climb in the Summer.

After my brief stop at Keswick Launch I headed to Buttermere, part of the Western Fell Region. It was still overcast when I arrived, some minutes later. I parked up near the Fish Inn and started my walk down to the Buttermere shoreline, and cold it certainly was. There was quite a few like-minded folk on the public footpath, braving the chill, en route to the waters edge and the view that greeted all. I could only imagine how much better this view would have been on a hot Summer's day, blue sky, broken cloud and all that comes with it. But once again, it was here and now so there was no time to dwell on what wasn't in the glass, but to be thankful for what was in it. Onward I went, round the lake from the Northern end and back again, in a mere two hours, which wasn't bad considering the amount of photo stops I chalked off. At the Southern End of Buttermere I reached one of the most popular photographic locations in the UK, the Sentinels, which are a row of tree's at the waters edge, sitting in front of two dominating fells, Haystacks & Green Gable. Another location that has to be top of my list for the Summer, but I will need to be awake early for this one as the sun comes up directly behind these two massive fells. To view a Google based image of exactly what I'm describing, 'Click here.' Ten minutes or so into my walk around the lake, I was immune to the cold, climatising quickly to the conditions that I was presented with, although I admit to being wrapped up well from head to toe (Be prepared). As Alfred Wainwright once said 'There is no such thing as bad waether in the Lake District, just unsuitable clothing.'

On my return to the Fish Inn, I popped in for a quick glass of Coke, to wet the owld whistle, before sitting my arse down in the car for a well deserved breather. I tucked into a bag of crisps to fill a hole, before leaving Buttermere and driving up Honister Pass to Keswick, then back onto the A66, homeward bound. Of course, the roaming Mackem Photographer needs his body fuel, so a pit-stop at Penrith saw me handing over £5.20 for a big portion of the finest Fish & Chips, washed down with Diet Coke. Now that was worth the wait. I had me little heart set on a Kebab, with hot chilli and garlic sauce, but I found a chip shop and got myself in. Just about to pull away with the goodies when I noticed a young couple walking out of a shop a few doors up the bank where I was parked. They had a carrier bag with those white polystyrene boxes in it, ya know, the ones you get KEBABS in.
As I drove away I looked towards the shop front and the sign above the front window said 'Turkish Kebab House' !!!!  Typical eh. These Fish & Chips better be good or else I'll not be a happy bunny. Ah well, I shoulda looked around first instead of jumping the gun. Anyway, the Fish Supper was very, very good, so it worked out well in the end. I've gone off Kebab's anyway (wink).

And that is all once again. Hope you like the latest batch of photo's. It was a good trip and despite the dull weather, the Lake District always has something to offer - it's photogenic all the way, rain, wind, snow or sun. It's there for the taking...
To view more photo's of my Buttermere visit, look out for a site update at www.ashleycorr.com.

Ash

Another Visit To York

Last month Mr & Mrs C had another weekend away in York, which is one of our favourite places to visit and it's only a 90 minute car journey at a steady pace. Mind you, although we visit York at least twice a year we never seem to hit on good weather, for some odd reason, and our latest visit was no different. That said, it was February, so it was no surprise that the North of England was once again under a dull overcast sky, with accompanying cold winds and the odd bout of snow and sleet. What to do eh, other than grit thee teeth and get on with it - this weather is not for the soft lad. Or maybe it was, as I headed into warmer territory that is York Minster, while the Mrs went for a spot of retail therapy, which is not my cup of tea whatsoever, so a canny compromise was made to pass an hour or so before meeting up. I kept my entrance ticket from my previous visit, which guaranteed free entry to the Minster for a full year, so there was no crossing palms with silvers on this occasion, as I went on my way, into The Nave. It's £9 a go these days, but there were plenty of takers, especially foreign folk, eager to see what was on show in this ancient building. There was one noticeable absentee however, my tripod, which was given the day off,  as I wanted to see what the 5D Mk2 was capable of in a handheld situation with high ISO settings. Every shot inside York Minster was captured this way and the results were stunning, especially the ceiling shot in the Chapter House (Shot 2, below). As you can imagine, there was very little available light to play with inside the Minster, so the Auto ISO setting was necessary to give me a fast enough shutter speed in low light, even though it cranked itself right up to 3200 in the dimmest areas to get a fast enough shutter. Reviewing the images, I couldn't help but notice how pin sharp they were when magnified on the monitor, so off I went, in search of more. I covered all of York Minster, apart from The Quire, which was out of bounds due to an ongoing hymn practise. Handheld delivered some great shots, if I say so myself. Oh, and there's a rare shot of me too, capturing a mirrored reflection in the South Transept.

After a 30 minute sesh in the Minster I had just enough time to head over to the popular Shambles area of York City Centre. The Olde Worlde character of this place is tailor made for photography, although my shots don't show its popularity on this occasion as the place was almost deserted when I got there. It was almost 4pm and Sunday shopping was near its end, so the majority of folk had cleared off by this time, which wasn't a bad thing as the camera got to see what it wanted, with no crowds obstructing its view. Shambles (or The Shambles as it is often referred to) is a street in the city centre of York with a long and interesting past. Today it features great shops, cafes, restaurants and tourist attractions. A fine place to stroll on a day in York or visit to take in some shopping, history and culture - also this year's winner of Google's Most Picturesque Street in Britain. As the snow started to fall I packed the camera away and headed off to the pre-arranged meeting place, where my other half was already waiting, laden with shopping bags. Oh aye...what's the damage? She had a big smile on her face when I arrived, but I still don't know whether it was due to the bargain she'd bagged, or the state of my hair, which was looking very sorry for itself by this time. Ah well, time to sit down for a beer and a bar meal. It's not all trudging around in the cold, this York malarky.

As usual, click on an image to enlarge. And on that note I shall disappear once more, only to return with more photographs, made in the North-East of England. Until then, stay safe.

Ash

     

Seaham Harbour, Revisited

It was seven days ago when I put my Canon 5D MkII to the test for the very first time at Seaham Harbour, County Durham (See my recent blog entry here). Today I revisited that same location, and although the weather conditions were similar, there were no big waves, but a much calmer North Sea. Because of this, the pier gate was open to all, so the vantage point I wanted was very much up for grabs. I passed through the open gate an hour before sunrise, giving me ample time to set my gear up to prepare for what would hopefully be a good sunrise at 7.41am. I had an odd feeling as I walked along the first stretch of concrete, bearing in mind the battering this pier received a week ago from those 80 foot waves. There was evidence of more recent waves too, judging by the many pools of saltwater I passed as I walked further along a pier of ageing concrete, peppered with pot-holes galore. These add to the character of Seaham Pier and most definitely give the photographer food for thought when looking to add some foreground interest to the frame. Many a Seascape composition 'Checked out' with good foreground detail, and I was ready to join the list of those like-minded folk who had made the same mental prep's before getting down to work. I wasn't alone on the pier, as I chatted to another photographer for a while before the sun showed up. He too was hoping to pull in some good sunrise shots, so we stood almost side by side, waiting for something to happen. His dog was standing on the edge of the pier, gazing down into the icy water, causing a worrying distraction for his master. Several shouts eventually brought the hound back to safer ground, although it wasn't long before he was off again and looking to engage in more mischief. 'Jasper, come here man, are ya friggin deaf or summat' was the sudden holler, much to my amusement, but the docile mutt never flinched as its eye was transfixed on the waters below, which appeared to be stirring up somewhat, despite the outgoing tide.

More chat followed, covering aspects of photography and social sharing sites like Flikr. He showed me a few of his shots on a mobile phone, which were female models under specialist indoor lighting. Quite impressive they were too. By this time I was kinda wishing I was indoors myself, as my hands were almost numb and the toes were having none of it. The sunrise wasn't too far away, so after 45 minutes of good photo-chat and zero minutes of photography, I reluctantly decided to move on as I was being distracted far too easily for my liking. At this point I took my first real shots, following two or three earlier test efforts. The situation was tailor made for my Lee ND filters, so out they came, along with their filter holder, and immediately the f-stop calculations were being made. I was up and running at last, with no distraction, and the shots were beginning to roll in. A combination of two filters, 0.6 and a 0.9 soft grad were used, stacked in the filter holder, delivering some great shots as cloud colour peaked in front of me. These filters are most definitely 'The doggies danglers' and a must for every serious landscape photographer - expensive, but worth every penny. Balancing exposure between shade and highlights is a very important part of exposure, so the need to introduce Neutral Density Grad's is very often a wise one, resulting in the type of shots shown here.

The sun rose on the horizon at 7.41am, as predicted on my Weather Channel app. I've included three shots here. A pre-sunrise shot, another when the sun appeared, plus a Black and White conversion - hope you like them. At 8.00am I was off Seaham Pier and climbing back into the car. On came the heated leather seat, once again, a regular feature during these cold Winter mornings. And that was it, another job done, another Sunrise outing, another freezing arse - but not for long, he he.

Might be out again tomorrow, some time, some place, putting this fantastic camera through its paces once again. This Canon 24-105mm L series lens is ridiculously sharp, although slight distortion at its widest setting, which is easily corrected with a single mouse click in post-processing. A new era of photography is under way, so let's see what I can pull in with the Canon 5D MkII. Judging by the photo's shown here, it's gonna be a smooth ride. Let's hope so. And on that note I shall bid thee farewell until the next time. Ta ta for now.

Ash           

Canon 5D MkII - First Test Shots

As promised, here is a handful of test shots that I captured yesterday with my new camera. The location was Seaham Harbour, County Durham, a fifteen minute drive from my home in Houghton le Spring. The weather forecast on my mobile phone was accurate enough, predicting a cloudy and windy day, with the odd burst of sunshine. Wind direction was ideal for some big waves, breaking over a pier, so I decided to check the tide tables for Seaham. I was in luck, the tide was incoming around mid-day, so I expected ideal conditions around tea-time when the sea was high and Seaham Pier would be on the wrong end of a good old battering - well, hopefully, but more often than not the roaming photographer doesn't get what he wants. With nothing to lose, and the overwhelming itch to get my first run out with my new toy, I was quickly on the road and heading to the coast. As I reached the junction near Seaham Hall I got my first glimpse of the North Sea. It didn't look at all menacing, despite the dodgy weather, but as I drove along the coast road towards the harbour I could see some big waves rolling towards the beach. Hmm, I might hit lucky here. I parked up on the promenade opposite the shops and walked the short distance towards the cliff top, excited at the prospect of testing out the 5D MkII for the very first time. Looking across towards Seaham Pier I could see some big breakers bashing against the pier walls, which was exactly what I was looking for, so my decision to check the weather conditions on my mobile phone proved to be a good one. From a decent vantage point I still didn't have enough reach with my 24-105mm lens, so I fitted the 70-300mm telephoto and pulled in the first shot (shown here).

Focus lock was instant, with no hunting, even though I was spot focusing on the lighthouse, which was quite small in the frame due to the composition I had chosen. One click and the shutter fired - the image review was also instant, fading in from almost black to the perfectly exposed final image, which is a nice extra feature that the 7D never had. I was running with Quick Burst, 3 frames per second, capturing the waves at different formations, giving me the opportunity to cherry-pick the best hots from the bunch. A fast shutter and Auto ISO was chosen in P setting, which worked very well in these conditions. I got a soaking as I photographed next to the pier wall, taking a few on the back as I shielded the camera under my jacket. Very happy with what I got. Hopefully the start of many more.
I'll be back soon with more test shots and feedback, so stay tuned...

Thanks, Ash