Canon 1200 D DSLR (T5, T6)

[Karl_Mcknight]

I went walking out by the lake this morning just after sunrise and carried my Canon 1200 D with me. I talked about this camera on another thread a few days ago and was commenting on how much different Film and Digital is, especially with the Slower Lenses that usually comes with most cameras today.

Anyway, picture 1 is Looking across the lake, sun to my left. ISO - 100, Ap - F5.6, Shutter - 1/200, Focal - 75mm.

Picture 2, a Herron resting on a log. ISO - 800, Ap - F10, Shutter - 1/200, Focal 100mm.

Picture 3, A Friendly Squirrel that allowed me to get close. ISO - 3200, Ap - F4, Shutter - 1/100, Focal 85mm.

Picture 4, A Turtle on a log, not sure what type of Turtle, possibly a Slider. ISO - 200, Ap - F8, Shutter 1/500, Focal - 300mm.

And last Picture, a young Deer was browsing and I was able to get very close before she spooked and ran off. ISO - 2000, Ap - F4, Shutter - 1/160, Focal - 90mm.

Was hoping to see some snakes but not a one today.

I like this camera, but I feel that "picture 4" (the Turtle) is lacking in detail. You can't really see the vivid coloring, and if I had used a film camera with an F1.4 Lens, I know I could have obtained a better shot. But I'm happy with the others none the less.

[Karl_Mcknight]

I saw 2 baby owls sitting on a branch together this morning and grabbed the camera. I (regretfully) let the camera Auto-Focus and looking through the view finder the picture looked good. Of course now we can plainly see the camera focused on the Leaves several feet in front of the owls and the 2 owls are blurred.

This is the sort of situation where it would be better to turn off the auto focus and do it manually. "Live and Learn."

[Karl_Mcknight]

The Mama Owl of the 2 babies pictured above was guarding her young from another tree branch. I actually did not even see her at first but she screamed at the babies as I walked past and only then did I spot her. I was able to get closer to her and grabbed this photo.

I manually focused this time (although I probably didn't need to in this picture) and my camera was set as such: F5 aperture, ISO 3200, 1/40th Shutter, 140mm Focal. No flash, this picture was taken at about 6:00am this morning under cloudy skies. I'm surprised it came out this good.

[Karl_Mcknight]

The camera Auto-Focused very well for me this time. My settings for this picture: F4 aperture, ISO 3200, 1/13th Shutter, 80mm Focal. No Flash.

[Karl_Mcknight]

There is an old Railroad Refilling Lake built about 100 years ago during the old steam engine days only a few miles from me. It is called Radnor Lake.

Today it is a National Park and Wildlife Refuge.

People go there to hike, walk, enjoy nature and take pictures. That is where all these pictures have come from.

(Below) picture 1 - Two Turtles on a log engulfed in lots of Green Pond Scum. Yummy! Focal - 55mm, ISO - 100, Shutter - 1/125, F7.1

picture 2 - An Observation Deck overlooking the Lake. Focal - 18mm, ISO - 100, Shutter - 1/60, F5

picture 3 - A Flower on a tree. (Not sure about what kind of tree this is.) I got as close as my lens would focus, about 9 inches away and focused manually. Focal - 18mm, ISO - 100, Shutter - 1/125, F7.1

and picture 4 - A young Buck with new antlers still covered with Fuzz. The deer in this area know we (the people) can not hurt them so they are not scared of us. You can't feed them or pet them but they will sometimes walk right up to you. I got about 50 feet from this guy when I took this picture. Focal - 300mm, ISO - 3200, Shutter - 1/200, F5.6

[Karl_Mcknight]

I was out very early this morning, first light. The sun was just up and all pics were taken at ISO 3200. All pics were in "Auto Exposure mode" but I manually focused on everything. All pics were taken with the 75 - 300mm lens.

Pic 1 - a female Ruby Throated Hummingbird enjoying some Honeysuckle. (Only the males have the red throat.) Focal - 300mm, ISO - 3200, 1/400 - Shutter, F7.1

Pic 2 - The Park Rangers sometimes take tour groups out in canoes. This is the only time you're allowed on the water. Focal - 300, ISO - 3200, 1/400 - Shutter, F7.1

Pic 3 - Momma Deer and her 2 Babies. Focal - 300mm, ISO - 3200, 1/160 - Shutter, F5.6

Pic 4 - She turned around and smiled for the camera. Focal - 220mm, ISO - 3200, 1/200 - Shutter, F5

And last pic, (#5) This is what a young Buck does when a Flea bites him in the butt. Focal - 75mm, ISO - 3200, 1/100 - Shutter, F4

[DollysMom]

Nice work, Karl. It certainly helps to be able to zoom in on the wildlife!

[Karl_Mcknight]

yup. I've been hoping to get pictures of the pair of Bald Eagles that have recently made the area home as well as the variety of snakes that live here. There are 2 species of harmless water snakes as well as Cotton Mouths, Timber Rattlers, Copperheads, 3 species of Rat snakes (which include our friends the corn snake).

But so far after obtaining my New Camera, the only guys that want to come out and pose are Birds, Squirrels and Deer.

[DollysMom]

Always the way, Karl! Murphy works overtime sometimes.

[Karl_Mcknight]

More pictures from Radnor Lake.

Pic 1. I was standing on top of the dam looking down on the creek below and spotted this Green Herron hunting in the water. The Green Herron is a cousin of the Great Blue Herron, but is much much smaller. I especially like his red cheeks. My camera settings - Focal 300mm, ISO - 2000, Shutter - 1/500, F7.1, No flash, Manual Focus.

Pic 2. The same bird, a slightly different angle. Focal 300mm, ISO - 3200, Shutter - 1/400, F6.3, No flash, Manual Focus.

Pic 3. An American Bittern perched on a Limb over the water. The camera exposed on the water and so the bird is under exposed. I should have exposed manually on this one. Focal 300mm, ISO - 1600, Shutter - 1/500, F7.1, No flash, Manual Focus.

[DollysMom]

I've never seen a green heron in person but I recognized it immediately. I like the first of this trio the best but they are all good, Karl. I've got to get out more with my camera!

[Karl_Mcknight]

Yeah I'm starting to like this new T5, but it has been a learning curve to go from a Film SLR to a DSLR.

[DollysMom]

True, Karl.

I have an advantage in that though I used several family member's film SLRs through the years, I never owned one of my own. I never knew the cameras so well they were second nature. The first time I picked up the DSLR, I was amazed at how different it was; but for me in a good easier to use way! Still, I'm thinking of signing up for a photography class this fall.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Another thing I like about this camera, it has an adjustable viewfinder diopter to make up for my "Old Man Eyes" and it enables me to manually focus the camera without the need for glasses. Of course if somebody else looked through the viewfinder everything would probably look blurry.

Anyway, a few more pics from the Radnor Lake Historic park and wildlife refuge:

Pic 1. A view from Otter Creek Road. 20 years ago you could drive this road, but today it's slowly crumbling away and now too unsafe to drive on. It winds around the lake and pedestrians are allowed to walk it, but vehicles are no longer allowed. You can see part of the lake on the left through the trees. Camera Settings - Focal - 75mm, ISO - 100, Shutter - 1/200, F5.6, Manual Focus

Pic 2. Standing on top of the Dam and looking over part of the Lake. In the upper left there is an Osprey that was circling the lake looking for fish.
Focal - 75mm, ISO - 100, Shutter - 1/320, F7.1, Manual Focus

Pic 3. Looking across the lake from Otter Creek Road. I manually focused on the treeline on the opposite side of the lake. The trees are in clear focus, the shimmer on the water is slightly blurred. I thought it made for a nice picture.
Focal - 75mm, ISO - 100, Shutter - 1/250, F6.3

Pic 4. I came upon a Resting Buck this morning. I see deer out there all the time, but this is the first one I have seen on the ground like this. I was able to get about 60 feet away from him when I took this picture. He stood up and walked away right after.
Focal - 300mm, ISO - 3200, Shutter - 1/50, F5.6, No Flash, Manual Focus

Pic 5. One of the Baby Owls was screaming for his breakfast. I heard him in the trees and it took me several minutes to find him. The owls have become "Celebrities" of the park. 2 babies were born there this spring and we've literally watched them grow up. I only saw 1 this morning. He is a "Barred Owl" and is now almost as big as his parents, but still requires on them to bring him food. He will have to learn to hunt for himself soon. I was able to get about 100 feet away when I took this picture. Sadly, I'm not too pleased with the quality, it was just too dark under the trees to get a decent shot. Focal - 300mm, ISO - 3200, Shutter - 1/60, F5.6, no flash, Manual Focus

[DollysMom]

Beautiful, Karl. Looks like you live in a part of paradise.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pretty close to it.

I have lived in Kentucky, Virginia, New Jersey, New York and Tennessee and I can honestly say this is the most beautiful area I personally have ever lived in.

[Karl_Mcknight]

supposed to be a stormy day today in the Nashville area, the sky is very overcast, and I've been dodging rain drops.

This kind of weather does not deter a Great Blue Herron from flying overhead (Pic 1) or a Flock of Canadian Geese from "Honking" in for a landing on the water (Pic 2).

(Pic 3) I was able to sneak up behind a Cinnamon Backed Turkey Hen.

(Pic 4) I love the baby deer while they still have their spots

(Pic 5) I'll call this pic "Submerged log and Rain Drops"

All shots were taken with the 75mm to 300mm lens, all shots were at ISO 3200, and all shots were Manually focused. The aperture and shutter were both selected automatically by the camera.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Here is an illustration of Focal Length for those that are just learning or interested.

Here are 5 pictures, all taken from the exact same spot, and all focusing on the exact same spot. (I was focusing on the trees at the far end of the scenery). The only difference is Lens selection. Pic 1. Taken with the 18mm focal length. Pic 2. a 35mm, Pic 3. 50mm, Pic 4. 100mm, and Pic 5. the longest lens I have, a 300mm.

You can plainly see in the first 3 pictures, almost everything in the scene is in Focus. In the 4th and 5th pictures only the items I was actually aiming at are in focus. You can see for example in the last picture, the Trees in the back are in focus, but everything else is sort of blurry and out of focus. Even the lake in front of the trees is out of focus. I actually focused on that far treeline in all 5 of the pictures.

As focal length shortens, the scene gets wider and the focus is deeper. As the Lens gets longer, the scene narrows and the ability to focus usually becomes one specific spot.

There is a "trade off" or some "give and take" when selecting and choosing lenses. Up close photographs require a "Short Focal Length" giving you great depth of field, but in large scenes you see not specific items. Nature photos are generally taken with a long lens giving you the ability to zoom out and pull in a distant object, but you can't focus up close with that type of lens. Some folks opt for the "Happy Medium" and select a Mid Range lens hoping it will serve all their needs. A Typical Mid Range would be about 70mm. But in reality, there just isn't "One Lens" that will do it all. Most photographers have several lenses for specific purposes.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pic 1 - it's either Alvin, Simon or Theodore. I never can remember which is which. (300mm, 2500 ISO, 1/400 Shutter, f7.1)

Pic 2 - 2 of the babies. Ooops- one of them spotted me! (300mm, 3200 ISO, 1/60 Shutter, f5.6)

Pic 3 - The whole Duck'n Family (300mm, 640 ISO, 1/640 Shutter, f8)

Pic 4 - An American Bittern scanning the water for a fish (300mm, 320 ISO, 1/640 Shutter, f8)

Pic 5 - These guys give me the creeps. I usually walk through their webs and then freak out. Fortunately today, this girl made her web high in a tree. I just happened to look up and see her. Not sure what kind of spider she is specifically, I just call them "Garden Spiders." (270mm, 250 ISO, 1/500 Shutter, f8)

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pic 6 - An Eastern Kingbird that perched right over my head. (300mm, 100 ISO, 1/400 Shutter, f7.1)

Pic 7 - a Green Herron that caught a fish. I was able to snap the picture just seconds before he swallowed it. (300mm, 2000 ISO, 1/500 Shutter, f7.1)

Pic 8 - another Green Herron not so Lucky. Still looking for his meal. (300mm, 3200 ISO, 1/200 Shutter, f7.1)

Pic 9 - the Baby Owls are almost as big as their parents now. (300mm, 2000 ISO, 1/500 Shutter, f7.1)

Pic 10 - "Tom" the turkey was showing off in front of The Ladies this morning. Poor guy had no luck, they paid him no attention. I was ale to get abut 30 feet away when I took the pic, but he would not stand still, and I was in very dark conditions. Had to shoot without a tripod at 1/13 sec, so unfortunately the pic is a bit blurred. (120mm, 3200 ISO, 1/13 Shutter, f4.5)

[Karl_Mcknight]

I have only seen Bald Eagles on TV Shows, in Magazines and at the Zoo. But Yesterday I was able to photograph one in the wild. This is the first real Wild Bald Eagle I've ever seen. I feel fortunate I was at the right place at the right time.

This picture was once again taken at Radnor Lake which is where I take the majority of my wildlife photos. I have been told by Park Rangers that there were 17 sightings of Bald Eagles around the Lake last year (2015) and the numbers for this year are not in yet. So this is sort of a "Rare" event.

The picture is not the best of quality as it was very early morning, low light conditions. I had to shoot with an ISO 3200 setting. The bird I would estimate was about 1/4 mile away. He was on the opposite side of the lake. I was using a 300mm lens with no tripod. My shutter speed was 1/400 and my aperture was f7.1.

[DollysMom]

Very nice, Karl. Awesome, majestic bird. Congrats on the sighting!

[Karl_Mcknight]

If you guessed "It's an Egret" you are correct.

And We thought they were only found in Florida.

I was "Lucky" to see this bird and grab this shot. One of the Local Game Wardens told me that there has never been an Egret Sighting on this lake before. Never! This 1 Egret showed up 3 days ago and everyone is talking about it and grabbing photos.

He/She was fairly close to the bank so the picture was easy. I had the 70 to 300mm lens set at 210mm. Light was early morning partly cloudy, F5.6 was the aperture, the ISO was 3200 and the shutter speed was 1/320.

[DollysMom]

Beautiful! You are lucky to among so much beautiful wildlife. Thanks for sharing.

[Riost]

Cool photo -congrats! The next time take a tripod, please.

[Karl_Mcknight]

ummm..... no thank you. I travel as light as possible.

Besides, I don't remember asking for your critique or opinion.

[Karl_Mcknight]

I'm no duck expert, so I can't say what type these are.

They were just slowly swimming across the lake.

200mm lens, Early morning light, ISO 400, F11, 1/40 Shutter. All manual selections and focus.

[DollysMom]

Wow, Karl. I love this photo. The white and blue pattern with the black silhouettes is so neat.

[Dragonling]

Does the Canon 1200D have a manual focus assist? It's pretty useful for handheld shots especially. On Sony cameras it's called peaking?

[Karl_Mcknight]

Not sure what you mean by manual focus assist. I can Auto Focus or Manual Focus.

I try whenever possible to Run in Manual Mode.

[Dragonling]

Not sure what you mean by manual focus assist. I can Auto Focus or Manual Focus.

I try whenever possible to Run in Manual Mode.

It's called focus peaking on the Sony a6000, but I'm not sure if it's an option on Canon. Here's a video that shows it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VemUev-CIpM

[Karl_Mcknight]

There is an option on the Canon to fire multiple quick bursts from the flash when in auto focus mode to help the camera focus in dim light or darkness, but if you're out of range of the flash or working in manual focus mode, there is nothing like what you are describing to assist your focus.

I noticed in your video link, it shows the picture being focused using the display screen on the back of the camera. I usually leave that turned off as it drains battery, and I just focus through the view finder as in the "Good Ol' Days" of film cameras.

[Dragonling]

I do too for outdoor stuff especially, but my view finder is also digital. ;) Keep up the good work, looking forward to more pics. Do you have a flickr account?

[Karl_Mcknight]

No flickr account. I've never messed with it.

Actually I took a lot of pictures years ago with both Pentax and Canon "Film Cameras" when film was the only medium.

When film became obsolete I sold the 2 film cameras and bought one of those cheap Point and Shoot digitals. I really haven't taken any serious pictures in 30 years or more.

This is my first Digital SLR and I'm just getting back into the swing of it. I am fairly knowledgeable of SLR's of the film type, but it's been a learning experience with the Digital. There is a big difference, mostly with the ISO. I hate the way the digital cameras Want to boost it to let in more light, thereby ruining the "True Light" that you are trying to capture. The only way to do that is by switching to manual.

Anyway, I may some day look into Flickr, but right now I'm just having fun shooting nature and wildlife, and I don't think my skills or abilities are worthy of showing to the whole world. Ha!

[Karl_Mcknight]

When you start to see these guys, umm, I mean these Ladies, everywhere you go, it's a sure sign that cooler weather is coming soon.

I don't mind the spiders and seeing them from a distance, but I still kind of freak out a little bit when I walk through one of their webs and then wonder....... "Where is she?"

1st picture - ISO 200, F8, 1/500, 290mm

2nd picture - ISO 400, F5.6, 1/40, 300mm

[DollysMom]

The first one is nice but I love the second one!

[Karl_Mcknight]

Was at the lake this morning as the Sun was just coming up. Very little light, this is a picture of a trail I was walking in the woods beside the lake. I did not have a tripod so I steadied myself and the camera against a tree.

All Manual selected settings as well as Manual focus - ISO 400, F5.6, 1/30, 75mm

[Karl_Mcknight]

I was standing on the Dam this morning watching the Sun come up and sipping my morning coffee when this Massive 747 made a noisy landing on the rail right beside of me. I took a picture, and the Noisy thing took to the air again.

All Manual settings and focus - ISO 640, F4.5, 1/200, 130mm

[Karl_Mcknight]

Spiders are both fascinating and creepy to me. I hate walking through a spider web and not knowing where the spider is.

Right now I'm seeing a lot of spiders as they are fattening up for the colder weather.

I have recently posted some other pictures of spiders, but this one shows what's left of ??? something as she gorges herself on her kill. It might be a Katydid but I'm not sure. If you think you know, chime in.

I was about 9 feet away from her. This particular lens wont focus closer than 5 feet so I had to stay back far enough to get a good focus. (yeah right)

Once again all Manual settings and Focus - ISO 400, F5.6, 1/40, 220mm

[DollysMom]

We'll never know for sure but looks like katydid to me. Very nice shot, Karl!

[Karl_Mcknight]

I was out this morning before sunrise. The Sun was not yet over the Horizon but it was shining its light on the clouds overhead.

This is a Hand held shot of the Red Sky with manual focus and settings

I was at 100mm on my focal length (I wish I had the wide angle lens on at the time but I didn't)

ISO - 400, F10, Shutter 1/50

It's not really spectacular, but I still think it's a cool picture.

[DollysMom]

Beautiful! Almost looks like a painting.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Actually it's steam or fog.

We've been hovering around the high 90's, Low 100's daytime and the Low to Mid 80's night time now for about 3 months. After strong storms and a cold front, we woke this morning to 52 degrees in Franklin Tennessee. This is the coolest it's been in a while. It felt good to go out walking this morning, and I caught the warm lake water evaporating into the cold air above.

All of these pictures are hand held, 70mm focal length, manually focused, and manually exposed. My Chosen ISO was 400.

[Karl_Mcknight]

This is "The Beaver"

I spotted him (her?) swimming along the bank this morning so I followed and the critter crawled out of the water right in front of me and proceeded to strip bark from a tree. "Yummy!"

All shots are Hand Held, Manually focused, and Manually exposed. My Focal Lengths vary from about 100 to 200 mm, and my chosen ISO was 400.

[Karl_Mcknight]

The sun was so bright, this Great Blue Herron is silhouetted in the picture.

Once again, Hand Held, and everything set manually.

[DollysMom]

Nice Karl. So many cool wildlife and nature photos. Yep, that fog forms when cooler air moves over warmer water. Beautiful!

[Karl_Mcknight]

Ahh, but the real question why did the Turkey do it?

The answer is obvious, "To rejoin the rest of the Flock."

All hand held, manual focus, manual settings, 100mm focal.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pic 1 - I got a picture a few days ago of a Blue Herron in bright sun and it was Silhouetted. Today's picture also featuring a blue Herron in bright sun but from a different angle, and you can actually see more detail of the bird.

Pic 2 - This is another picture of one of the many Beavers living on the lake.

Pic 3 - A Chippy Chipmunk posed briefly for this picture. Actually I don't think he knew I was there. As soon as I moved, he bolted.

All pics were taken with the Canon T5 (1200D) Hand Held, manual focus and settings. Lens was 70 to 300mm.

[DollysMom]

Well done Karl! Beautiful nature shots. I have to travel to see things like that, or more accurately see things like that in the wild. I live less than a mile from the entrance to Brookfield Zoo. Somehow it's not the same thing.

[Karl_Mcknight]

well this is almost like a zoo. Yes, they are wild animals, but it's also a Wildlife Refuge and somehow the animals Know that we Humans can not touch them or hurt them, so they have no problem tolerating us.

A lot of people come here to walk, jog, ride bikes, get exercise, or just enjoy the scenery. A few people like myself bring cameras.

The Deer and Turkeys will literally walk right up to you. There are Otters, Beavers, Birds of all types, Raccoons, and everything else you can imagine.

They are very strict out here and the Game Wardens and Park Police keep a watchful eye. You can't so much as Pick a Flower without being fined. You're not allowed to get in the water. You can't stray from designated trails and roadways.

It seems interesting to photograph so many different animals in one location, but I have to tell you it's really quite easy when the animals walk right up to you and strike a pose for the camera.

[DollysMom]

Very cool, Karl! It still takes a lot to get a good picture of wildlife!

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pic #1 - Sunrise on the Lake, Pic #2 - A "Downy Woodpecker." I heard him long before I saw him. It took me a moment to find him. Pic #3 - A Beaver standing to reach the Good Stuff. Pic #4 - The Old Valve House. Pic #5 - The Valve. It's all rusted now, but it was opened and closed every day back at the turn of the century to allow water from the lake to flow to Radnor Yard where the old steam Locomotives would stop to refill with fresh water and coal.

All shots hand held, Manually focused and Manually set using the Canon T5 (1200D).

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pic 1, an American Cardinal. A very common bird to see in Tennessee, but I still think they are beautiful.

Pic 2, A Turtle covered in green slimy algae, trying to sun himself on a log.

Pic 3, Another Downy Woodpecker. He was making a Hell of a racket up there.

All Pics hand held, shot with the Canon T5 (1200D) manual focus and manual settings. Using the 70 to 300 mm lens.

[DollysMom]

They are all great, Karl. But I absolutely adore Cardinals! We have those here an they have a beautiful song as well. I know they are glorified finches, but I just love 'em! Ty for my morning nature fix!

[Karl_Mcknight]

yeah big red finches is all they are. They're all over the place here.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pic 1, full moon - this morning at about 5:45 I was sitting in the Starbucks drive through buying a Cup to go and I snapped this picture from the Jeep.

Pic 2, Yes Canada, We have your Geese. If you want them back you'll have to pay a small ransom.........

All Pics Hand Held (of course), manual settings and focus.

[Rich Z]

Sigh.... I wish I could shoot that well with all manual settings. Guess I've just gotten lazy and let the camera make it's own best guess. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Well, sometimes the Manual Stuff works too and sometimes it doesn't. I probably toss out more pics than I keep. You'll probably get more and better pictures with the Auto select options than with the Manual selections unless you're a really good photographer.

I use the Manual Settings more often because I believe it makes me a better photographer. I learn what works and what doesn't. If I simply let the camera "Auto" everything, I may end up with some good pictures, but I'm not learning anything. Back when I used film cameras many years ago, the Instructor I had in my photo classes would not let us use Auto on our pictures. She wanted us to use the Manual options whenever possible. I guess that's still in my head today.

[DollysMom]

Karl, JMO but anyone worth anything in photography these day tosses a lot of pictures. They also do postprocessing.

I use autofocus and aperture priority most of the time. It gives me a lot of control but also lets all that fancy software in the camera do its job.

With the snakes, the best way for me to get a focused pic on any camera is to use a touchscreen and tap to set the focus point. I let the camera take it from there. But the bottom line is, whatever works for you. If you like full manual, and obviously you can pull it off, go for it!

I believe the product is more important than the process, though it is always interesting to know how it was done. I'm also learning not to let the higher ISOs the camera uses bother me within reason. I limit mine to 1600 tops. These digital cameras are just different animals than the old film SLRs were.

[Pumpkin D. Cat]

Well, sometimes the Manual Stuff works too and sometimes it doesn't. I probably toss out more pics than I keep. You'll probably get more and better pictures with the Auto select options than with the Manual selections unless you're a really good photographer.

I use the Manual Settings more often because I believe it makes me a better photographer. I learn what works and what doesn't. If I simply let the camera "Auto" everything, I may end up with some good pictures, but I'm not learning anything. Back when I used film cameras many years ago, the Instructor I had in my photo classes would not let us use Auto on our pictures. She wanted us to use the Manual options whenever possible. I guess that's still in my head today.

I shot 35mm film for years, and, after having two cameras stolen, I finally got back into the game a few years back with a Canon DSLR. I shot in Auto a lot at first, mostly because I was out of practice. I challenged myself to shoot only in Manual mode for a month two years ago. It really helped me understand my new camera. These days I shoot Manual, or in Aperture Priority Mode (Av) if I'm shooting fast.

Excellent work, by the way. I wish I lived so close to that much wildlife!

Take care, and I can't wait to see a better shot of that bald eagle.

[Karl_Mcknight]

I carried Rufus with me to the Lake this morning and he got in on some of the pictures. All pictures were taken with the 50mm ~ 300mm Lens. All pictures were taken in "Auto Mode" as I had my hands full with Rufus, I couldn't take the time to manage the camera.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Went back to the Lake this morning.

Picture 1 - The herd (I count 5 deer) came down to the water's edge for a drink and a splash in the water. I was on the opposite side of the lake and heard the splashing. I estimate I was about 1/4 mile away using the 300mm Lens. I had the camera set to auto focus and auto settings.

Picture 2 - This young female walked right out in front of me. I quickly snapped a picture and she wandered off. The animals are protected as it's a Wildlife Refuge and state park. By law you are not allowed to touch them, harass them, feed them...etc... You can't even pick a flower out here without serious consequences. So the animals "know" it's safe and they will just walk right up to you sometimes as if to rub your nose in it.

Picture 3 - A Blue Herron sunning itself on a partially submerged tree.

[DollysMom]

Thanks, Karl. Beautiful!

[Karl_Mcknight]

Tomorrow (Monday 8/21/17) at about 1:30 pm local time (Nashville Tn/ Central Time zone) we will experience a Total Eclipse of the Sun. I will be at work when this happens, but I will be carrying my camera with me as well as some mylar sheets for filtering. I will have various things at my disposal, including a makeshift solar projector. Hopefully if all goes well, I will have some projected images of the sun as well as actual images of the sun, before blackout, during blackout, and post blackout. We are only supposed to have about 2 minutes of Totality here in my location so I'll have to be set up ahead of time and work fast. If I'm lucky, I'll have some pictures to post here in a day or so.

I did some practice shots with the mylar sheeting over a lens, and 2 sheets worked really well. I was able to play with my settings and get some ideas of what I will need to do.

When in automatic mode, a digital camera "Wants to Expose" correctly, and of course you can't do that and get good pictures when aiming directly at the sun.

But when in Manual mode, with 2 sheets of Mylar, I was able to set my ISO to 200, my Focal to F22, and with a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second had some decent shots.

Of course this could vary tomorrow depending on sun angle, clouds or no clouds, and whether I continue to use 2 sheets of mylar or I may have to go to 3 if it's too bright.

And of course when doing this (I / You / Nobody), should ever look at the sun with their unprotected eyes, never aim a digital camera at the sun without some filtering media, and never look through a camera or telescope at the sun without proper filtering media.

[DollysMom]

Wishing you clear skies, Karl. I'm going to be a bit north of you in Gallatin. I'm just going to watch.

[SilviaDanner]

So interesting tread! There are so many professional photographers here!

[Twolunger]

Karl, your pictures are wonderful. Makes me want to invest in another high quality camera. I had a great camera with several lenses I brought back from Japan, but unfortunately I lent it to a friend and it disappeared, supposedly stolen. :>(

[Karl_Mcknight]

Karl, your pictures are wonderful. Makes me want to invest in another high quality camera. I had a great camera with several lenses I brought back from Japan, but unfortunately I lent it to a friend and it disappeared, supposedly stolen. :>(

The Canon series T5, T6, and 1200D is actually a "Starter Camera" most photography experts would tell you. (They're all basically the same camera, owner's manual for all 3 were in my kit). Depending on where you live, one may be available and one may not be. For example, the 1200D is sold in Japan, but is the exact same camera as the T5 sold here in the states. The T6 is just a newer version of the T5, and has a few more "Touch Screen" options.

I got the complete kit, Camera, 2 lenses (an 18mm to 55mm and a 75mm to 300mm, a case to carry everything in, camera strap, and manual for less than 400 bucks. I have since bought a few lens filters and a flash unit. But I probably have no more than 600 bucks invested so far in everything.

If you buy the "Pro" series equipment, you can spend well over 1500 dollars just for the camera body.

The Cheaper "Starter" cameras like mine take pictures just as good, they just have fewer pixels and a smaller screen than the pro stuff. You'd never notice a difference unless you were wanting to "Blow Up" a picture to mural size. But for basic computer images and small framed images, the qualities are the same.

I used to take a lot of pictures "back in the day" with actual film cameras. I've had Pentax, Fuji, and Canon equipment before, and with a SLR type camera, the operation is basically the same. Just learning the "Digital" stuff is the only difference.

What I like is, instead of having to wait for the film to be developed and possibly having terrible pictures, with the digital cameras, I can instantly view them and I can tweek the color or exposure on my computer if I don't like the originals.

But the point is, you don't have to spend a lot of money to take good pictures these days.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Back last summer we had a Total Solar Eclipse in my area, (Nashville Tn.) and it occurred while I was working. I carried my camera with me to work, and I ran outside several times to get pictures. It rained off and on that day and was cloudy for the most part. Fortunately the clouds started to break up that afternoon right before the eclipse. There were times when I would look up and see nothing but clouds, but minutes later the Sun would be out again, so I had to grab the best pictures when I could.

I don't have a solar filter for my camera, and the only places that sold them were completely out of stock so I had to improvise. I placed a sheet of Mylar over my lens and secured it with rubber bands.

I posted many pictures of the event on my facebook page but never posted them here. Better late than never I guess.

The website here only lets you post up to 5 pictures at a time. I have well over 20, but I'm not going to try to post them all. Here are 5 that came out pretty good for a "Hand Held" Cheap DSLR with a piece of Mylar stretched over the lens.

The pictures are in order, 1 being full sun before the eclipse, 2 being partial about 30 minutes into the eclipse, 3 being partial nearing totality, 4 being Totality, and 5 the last picture coming out of Totality.

[Karl_Mcknight]

Pictures 1 and 2, a "Red Ear Slider" swimming below the dam. I had one of these as a pet when I was kid. It was legal to buy them 50 years ago and mine was about the size of a silver dollar. This guy here was bigger than a frying pan. They are protected now and illegal to own.

Pictures 3 and 4 are of a "Cinnamon Colored Turkey Hen." All the locals here have nicknamed her, "Cinny." This is an unusual coloration as most of the wild turkeys here are a grayish color. She had 4 babies with her, but they stayed in the weeds and I never could get a pic of them.