Sky Watch Friday: First Shots With A Different Lens

Canon 40-D: 17-40mmF4L 1/90 sec. f8 ISO 100

I finally decided it was time to upgrade from the 28-135mm Canon EF that I purchased shortly after I got my first digital SLR. While that lens is an excellent value for the price, it does not compare in construction quality to the Canon L telephotos that I am used to using and the image quality while good is nothing to be excited about.

It was a hard decision between the Canon 24-105F4 L and the 17-40F4L, but I was able to find a used 17-40mm in good condition. I especially liked the option of having more on the wide angle end as 24mm was not that much less than 28mm. It didn't hurt that this lens was only slightly more than 1/2 the price of a new 24-105.

Reviews indicated that is not the sharpest lens in Canon's arsenal, but that it does acceptably well especially if one uses unsharp mask in Photoshop. So far, I have found this to be true. All in all I am pleased with the lens and look forward to using it extensively.

Sky Watch Friday: An Unplanned Shot!

I was returning from my usual wildlife observation spot. It had been partly to mostly cloudy all evening. As I reached an excellent vantage point, the setting sun broke through and I took advantage of the opportunity. The blazing colors were there for but a brief moment!

Canon 40D : 70-200mm F2.8 at 200mm

Telephoto Sunset

I cannot get a got photo of the sunset from where I usually watch for wildlife, but on the evening of the day after Christmas I manged to capture this sunset just a few moments before the color was gone from the sky. Taken with a Canon 40D and 70-200mm at 70mm, ISO 100 with 2 stops underexposture.