Did you go out in snow yesterday?

[Charline]

I could hear birds, but didn't bother looking for them.


Here is what I took.

[Bird Brain]

Very cute. I love squirrels! One out front of house this morning sitting on branch dusting snow off crabapples with his paw then eating the crabapples. Frozen fruit? Ha ha! 


One on back fence with a slice of bread, another with a large orange


Light snow today more tomorrow!

[Dinusaur]

Yes I did. I walked around Downsview Park for two hours and ended up seeing a pair of Northern Harrier hunting in the snow. Also saw a lone male Kestrel.

[Charline]

Wow, Dinu, that's fantastic!!


I think I should crop mine.

[Shortsighted]

Wonderful shots in the bright snow. Getting the subject well-exposed under circumstances of circumferential snow is a matter of programming deliberate compensation to the right of what the light meter is measuring. Taking a few test exposures long before a subject appears is certainly in order to fine-tune the settings and is worth the effort. Seeing shots like this mitigates the inconvenience of the snowfall. Keep em coming!

[Charline]

Thank you, SS.


Actually if you edit in RAW,  you have plenty of space for adjustments.

[Shortsighted]

Noted. I don't shoot in RAW because it uses too much memory and my PS program does not handle Canon's RAW files designated as "CR". I guess the driver for allowing CR files was missing. None of the shots I take are worth RAW capture. To use it would be pretentious and my head might swell to tumescence. Je ne suis pas pretentieax!

[Charline]

SS, you may wish to consider PS Elements, which can convert Canon RAW. It is not subscription, and costs very little. This squirrel shot was taken by my old Canon because I am waiting for Boxing Day sales for a new camera.

[Shortsighted]

If you already have a DSLR why do do need a new one? Is the old camera on its last legs? My old Canon 650D still works after eight years, although I would not be surprised if it crashes. I hope that it doesn't expire soon because buying a new camera is not really an option considering that I'm unable to hit the trail while still engaged as a caregiver. I am glad I have something to shoot out of the window with. I'm always gobsmacked by the amount of money that so many people seem to spend on photo equipment. Some of the new cameras are over three grand! A 500mm f4 lens runs anywhere between $6,000 - $10,000. I didn't spend that much on a car back in the day when I actually owned one. It's common for some people to have multiple DSLRs and then also purchase a mirrorless model.I live in a different world.
 

[Dinusaur]

Well SS, a camera or a lens doesn't make a photo, for most of us it is a way to compensate for the lack of skills, which you have plenty of as proven by some excellent close-up photos with the gears you have.


I most often use Nikon's own software (ViewNXi - free) for converting from raw to jpeg and minor adjustments.

[Charline]

Exactly what Dinu says. Each one has a good reason to buy a new camera or not.

My travel insurance may compensate me for the losses. Besides, I need a mirrorless cuz my injuries don't allow me to carry heavy old gears.


By the way, Canon also has its own RAW editing software. I think it's called Digital Photo Professional?