No Traces

I froze my face off out there tonight! - but man oh man, I had the best time. The temp was right around 20F -- the wind blowing right in from the east -- I felt like my nose was going to fall off. I have no idea what wind chill was - it didn't matter. I'll write some of my thoughts regarding the 20D in the READ MORE area - so click on there, if you're interested.

The moon came up around 4:30 this evening - the sky was perfect - there were big fluffy clouds, and the sky was a beautiful midnite blue -- outstanding colors in the sky. Stars twinkled brightly. I find being out alone next to such a huge body of water, with the waves crashing in, to be so thrilling and exciting. I also find it to be a little eery and frightening - all at the same time. Being out there, makes one realize just how big this world really is. I needed to be out there tonight - I needed some solace - a perfect remedy for what ails me.

This tree is exactly the way I saw it. The moon was behind me and hiding behind some big fluffy clouds. It came out just long enough to help paint the sky in the background. A wonderous thing, the moon.

Favorite Photo of the Day

Shooting data: exposure - 171 seconds - f/11 - Canon 10-22mm @ 10mm focal length.

I REALLY love the 20D -- LOVE it. John at Orbit 1 wrote a little something shortly after he got his, so I won't repeat - but damn, this camera rocks. Yes, I love my D70, too -- but the 20D is the camera to have when shooting at night - it's just the right damn tool.

I'll say all my images were very clean when I popped them up in iView and then into Photoshop CS. No hot pixels - just clean. I did notice some dust spots, which sorta irritates me since I've shot less than 200 images so far - but I did change the lenses a few times (not while I was out there) - and with the wind the way it was tonight, I'd have to expect to see a few spots..... BUT -- that's nothing -- the images look great -- no purple pollution, as I call it - like I get when using the D70 for long exposures. I believe I did several 6 and 8 minute exposures tonight - and they are just wonderful (with the exception of the crooked horizon you've come to expect from me)...

I got the $49 remote with my camera (works great, Rannie!) -- can't remember the model #, but it's a simple gizmo. You click up to start the exposure, then press it back when you're done. That's it. Yes, it's tethered to the camera -- but I like it that way. It takes no battery - so there's nothing to worry about there.

I went through 2 batteries - and started on my third. I think I took 20 -24 shots in total -- I was out there for about 2.5 hours -- in SUB FREEZING temps -- not bad... I will say I think I get better battery performance from the D70 - much better -- but I can live with changing the batteries if it means I don't have to see the purple pollution.

The one thing I LOVE about the 20D is while your exposure is going, you can see the elapsed time displayed in the LCD -- very very useful.

I have zero complaints after my first time out. Zero. Not bad, huh? I expected to see some hot pixels - saw none -- The lens I used is just outstanding -- the wind was blowing HARD -- so some, if not all, the softness was caused by wind. I LOVE the 10mm side of the 10-22mm lens I used. It's outstanding, and really adds to the effect I'm looking for when shooting at night.

There you have it. Great camera for night shooting. I've used it during the day, too - and have no complaints other than it seems to shift a little heavy to the red side of things -- where Nikon (in my opinion) shifts a little towards blue. I prefer blue... I know there are some preference settings I can adjust - I just haven't gotten to them yet... I'm shooting everything in RAW, so I can make my adjustments there before final processing.

Love the 20D... nice nice camera. I hope to be back out again tomorrow night.

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