Category: camera

My second trial and error pictures with new camera and lenses

See previous posting.

Now only with the macro lens. Still have to figure out settings. Canon is not as users friendly as Sony but also has certain great advantages. BUT I’m getting there.

bee
pelargonium
Echeverea
Passion fruit flower opening
forgot the name

The change (what do you think?)

5 Years ago I bought a Sony A77 with some A-mount lenses. I love to work with this camera; it’s very ergonomic and, once all settings in place, a great camera to work with. Unfortunately Sony withdrew itself from the South African market and ‘rules’ the African continent now from Dubai with offices in Botswana and Namibia. So I was thinking about buying the A99ii with a macro lens and guess what: they don’t sell these anymore; at least not on this continent.  But in the rest of the world still available. So I tried Amazon and other suppliers and guess what their answer was: (something like) ‘US-law prohibits export of lithium batteries’ …

To make a long story short: I acquired locally a brand new  Canon camera with lenses:

So here I am, waiting for the delivery tomorrow or the day after. Hopefully Canon stays in South Africa 😉 and I hope I made a good choice (mind bogging selection in the choice between Nikon and Canon but those Canon lenses are ‘state of the art’ that’s why.
BTW I will still use my Sony camera and lenses. They are very dear to me.

A collector’s Dream

Most probably by far the largest (private) collection of curiosity and antiques in the Overberg region in the Western Cape, South Africa, can be found in some barns in the ‘outback’ of Napier. Skilled craftsman Mike Pope has been collecting the items during his entire life.

 

When visiting him he apologizes himself for the mess. There are still rooms where parts of his collection are piled up, waiting for restoration. The barns and his house are stacked with surprises from floor to ceiling. It’s different world out there and wandering through his collection I find it no surprise that there is an interest from diverse museums.

The age of the thousands of items goes back to far beyond the Boer War but there are also newer things like an electric grass cutter which, he says, will be a curiosity in a hundred years time …

By picturing his collection I did not use artificial light nor did I use a tripod. Some indoor pictures are shot with an ISO of 640, A 2.8 and S 1/6 second. On special personal request and for security reasons no indication of the location of this PRIVATE collection is given.