Canon 5D MkII – Body Number 5!

Reference the earlier article on the problems experienced with black dots on the sensors of new Canon 5D MkII bodies, I took delivery of body number 5 today.  At last, I have a camera (a very expensive camera!) with an acceptably clean sensor. When viewing an image on the PC at ‘fit-to-screen’ size, there is one visible black mark, almost central on the sensor and at 100% magnification there are a small number of other marks but overall this represents a huge improvement over the previous four bodies.  So, I have decided that I can live with this and get on with learning how to make the most of the performance and features of this marvellous camera.

The great pity is that in rushing to manufacture enough bodies to meet the demand, Canon appear to have let their quality standards slip.  On the other hand, the response and positive actions from the staff at T4 Cameras in Swindon mean that I can whole-heartedly recommend them to anyone looking to purchase photographic equipment.

So the brickbats go to Canon, the bouquets to T4!

New Canon 5D Mk II Bodies – Black Dots on Sensors

Ten days ago, after pondering for weeks I upgraded from my 5D to the 5D MkII. Initially I used it with my 24-105 and 100-400mm lenses and was mighty pleased with the performance and extra features. However (you just knew a however was coming…), when I tried-out my new 100mm f2.8 Macro on a subject against a plain background then on my PC zoomed in to 100% to check the focus/resolution, I was horrified to see numerous black dots that looked just like the proverbial ‘dust bunnies’. I just could not believe that a six-day old camera could have gathered so much dust, particularly as the 5D MkII goes through a sensor-clean procedure every time the camera is turned on or off.

I then photographed a section of plain blue sky with the other lenses and had the same result when viewed at 100%. To try to determine if it was dust or a defective sensor, I went through the ‘dust-delete-data’ sequence. Uploading into DPP and clicking on dust-delete made no difference, so it seems that the camera was not recognising the dots as dust.

Describing the situation to the dealer, (T4 Cameras, Swindon) they agreed I should come in and exchange the body for another new one in stock. At the shop, I showed them the files with the black dots and they said that the problem is NOT the same as that that affected earlier MkII’s and they had not seen the problem before. Prior to taking the the replacement body, we tried it out and found it had a similar problem – unbelievable! The dealer then physically cleaned the sensor on the first body but this made no difference – the dots were still evident.

This morning I tried the 3rd brand new body at T4′s Swindon shop. First with my new EF100mm f2.8 Macro and then with a new (T4) EF70-300mm. Both lenses set to 100mm, f22 and min focus distance. Result? Black dots could be seen on the shop’s computer screen without even zooming in! I despair, indeed T4 staff also despair. The attached shot is a slightly enlarged section of the centre bottom third of the image. this example is by no means the worst – the first two bodies exhibited a great profusion of black dots.

Latest update: Fourth body delivered and this one is by far the worst!

If I did not have so much invested in Canon equipment, I would seriously consider jumping to the ‘dark side’.

Another Sad & Sombre Day in Wootton Bassett

When I hear a C17 heavy cargo plane go over my house on it’s approach to RAF Lyneham, I know only to well that it probably means another repatriation cortege proceeding down Wootton Bassett’s High Street.  So it was today…

As on previous occasions, emotions ran high this afternoon and as the Church bells sounded, flags were dipped and many tears were shed.  How many more of these corteges will pass down our High Street?

Bailey Senator Oklahoma – Third Birthday

This week sees the third birthday of our Bailey Senator Oklahoma caravan. In the three years since taking delivery it has been towed nearly 16,000 miles in at least six countries and we have spent circa 435 nights in it – an occupancy rate of about 40% (better not tell my wife that!).

Yes, there have been one or two niggles, but compared with the Eldiss caravans we owned prior to switching to a Bailey, the past three years have been plain sailing.

As is sometimes the case, once the initial hiccups have been sorted, the unit then settles down to a (hopefully) long period of reliability.  Certainly, since the window leaks etc were fixed, we have enjoyed the caravan as it should be enjoyed – fault-free.  So it is perhaps a blessing  that Bailey have dropped the Oklahoma layout from the Senator range as it means that there is nothing currently on offer that we would contemplate changing to.

Update

I should have mentioned that details of our travels with the Oklahoma can be found on my Caravan Touring web page.

The Hawk Conservancy Trust

As previously written, I bought my Canon EOS 5D body from T4 Cameras, their Swindon branch being quite local to me.  In conjunction with Canon, T4 laid on an Open Day at the Hawk Conservancy near Andover on Sunday (22nd) for which I obtained an  invitation. 

I had no preconceived idea of what to expect from the visit, other than an opportunity to photograph birds of prey, possibly in flight as well as in a captive scenario.  Well, the Hawk Conservancy easily exceeded my expectations, providing a superb day out.  At the various flying displays, the commentaries were not only interesting and informative but also very amusing.  The displays themselves, which were staged at intervals throughout the day, were astonishing in that numerous eagles, vultures, kites, hawks and owls were released and then encouraged to perform for the audience and to do so in very close proximity, necessitating members of the audience to rapidly duck out of the way at times! 

 Yes, the above vulture was at my eye-level and close enough to call for a rapid zooming-out of my EF 100-400mm lens.  At other times they came over far too close – I would have needed a wide-angle lens to fit them in!

I highly recommend a visit to the Hawk Conservancy and applaud their dedication, skills and endeavours in the conservation of birds of prey.  Also, thanks go to T4 Cameras for laying on the day and for their comprehensive display of photographic equipment.

More images from the day are being slowly added to the Bird-life subalbum of my Photo Gallery.

Spring has Sprung

The first day of Spring!  After the beautiful, warm long periods of sunshine this week, the English countryside has burst into bloom with a vengeance.  Much as I have enjoyed quite widespread foreign travel over the years, the English countryside in early Spring still takes some beating.  Of course, it is impossible to resist the temptation to be out and about avec camera in such weather so an early-morning foray to the Stone Circle at Avebury was made, in order to try to capture the magnificent megaliths against the early-morning mist as the sun broke through.  There was still frost on the ground and by the time I was on my second lap around the stones, my tiny fingers were frozen – but the results were worth a minor discomfort.  Canon EOS 20D + EF 15mm f2.8

The daffodils, of course are out in great abundance and making bright splashes of colour across the countryside.  However, that cannot be said for one that popped up in the garden – it’s paleness gave it a very delicate appearance so I could not resist taking a macro-photo of it.  Canon EOS 20D + EF-S 60mm f2.8

Old-Fashioned Winter!

Well, this winter is turning out to be a bit of a ‘blast from the past’.  All those frosts in December and January, followed now by substantial (in UK terms) snowfall.  The trouble is of course, that as a nation we just seem to be incapable of coping.  ’Elf & Safety runs riot, schools close willy-nilly, traffic slithers to a halt, trains are delayed/cancelled and runways are closed.  Wiltshire has now just about run out of road salt.  Now, where did I put my winter hiking gear…

What is needed now is a bit of sunshine to add sparkle to the snow and I will be off out with my trusty Canon 5D to capture the local scenes.

UK Defence – What Next?

Ex-Defence chief in call to cut new aircraft carrier order down to one – The Scotsman

Astonishingly, the quote comes from Marshal of the Royal Air Force The Lord CRAIG GCB OBE MA DSc FRAeS – a major patron of the UKNDA.  Very recently, this same gentleman and his fellow UKNDA patron were calling for Labour to avoid delays to major UK defence programmes, including the two planned aircraft carriers.

Similarly, the Sunday Times carried an article:-

RAF launches dogfight for control of navy’s aircraft – The Times 21 Dec 08

“The RAF is trying to take over the Royal Navy’s historic Fleet Air Arm and assume control of all army helicopters in a plan to cut more than £1 billion from the defence budget.

The navy clashed with the air force at a meeting of senior officials last week. Its admirals are furious about a campaign, waged under the slogan “one nation, one air force” which would see the Fleet Air Arm scrapped in 2013, a few months before its centenary.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, chief of the air staff, is proposing to scrap all 75 Harrier jump jets shared between the navy and the air force. Helicopters operated by the Army Air Corps, formed in 1957, would also come under RAF control. Its aircraft include Apache gunships which support troops on the front line, although transports such as the Chinook are already flown by the RAF.

The changes would leave the navy with no planes for its carriers until the new Joint Strike Fighter is introduced, which is unlikely before 2017. RAF chiefs want their pilots to fly the new aircraft from the carriers.”

By far the worst aspect of this inter-Service internecine fighting (becoming a fight to the death?) is that the Service Chiefs are doing the Government’s dirty work for them. It is a classic example of the ‘divide and conquer’ tactic and there is no-one better than Nu Labour in applying it. If we are to preserve (or better, achieve) the Armed Forces that the UK needs and deserves, the Service Chiefs need (for once) to put down their back-stabbing daggers and turn their forward-facing armament onto the Treasury and Downing St.

Monetary Machinations & Mysteries

In an article in Friday’s Daily Telegraph, it was stated:-

“The economies of Germany, France and Italy all contracted in the first quarter and may now be in full recession, shattering assumptions that Europe would prove able to shrug off the effects of the credit crunch.

The picture is darkening so fast in Spain that Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero cancelled holidays and called his cabinet back to Madrid yesterday for the first emergency session of its kind since the Franco dictatorship. The crisis meeting agreed to a €20bn (£16bn) blitz on public works, tax cuts, and a mortgage rescue to halt the downward spiral.“

So why, if the Eurozone is in such deep trouble, has the £ weakened so much against the €? Should we care? Well, on a personal standpoint yes, as we tend to spend four months or so a year in mainland Europe. The fall in the exchange rate from circa £1 = €1.45 to £1 = €1.20 (17%) hits the budget hard. Factor in the other inflationary price increases and the personal budget becomes very stretched indeed.

All industrialised countries are affected by the rapid and dramatic increases in the price of oil, other raw materials and foodstuffs, so why has the £ weakened so much against the €? Is it the price we, the voter, pay for being blinded and bemused by ten years or more of budgetary smoke and mirrors by one G. Brown? Yes – emphatically yes – and unless the somnolent Tory Party get off their collective backsides and offer some real opposition and alternatives, we are undoubtedly going to suffer more.

Macro Photography – Beasties

During our sojourn on the island of Rügen (on Germany’s Baltic coast), our caravan awning was visited by a variety of insects, the most common being various types of hoverfly. I found these to be quite interesting and entertaining little beasties, so set to with my Canon 20D and EF-S 60mm macro lens to capture their antics. A selection of photographs can be found in the Hoverfly album in my Gallery.

We had various other visitors too in and around our pitch, some of which can be seen in my Gallery albums Reptiles and Insects.  Perhaps some kind soul can tell me what they are!