7D Mark II High ISO Thoughts

October 11, 2023July 28, 2015 by Dan Carr

7D Mark II, ISO 6400, f/4.5 250mm 1/250 I’m still in the Canadian Rockies at the moment and shooting a mixture of landscape and wildlife stuff, as well as working on this cool project with Adobe. I’ve settled into a routine of using the 7D Mark II for the wildlife stuff, even though I have my full-frame 5D Mark III here as well. Originally I had planned to only use the 7D when I need extra reach on my 200-400 f/4 L IS 1.4ext lens. In fact, I’ve quickly become much more confident with its image quality than I was …

My New Pocket Camera – Sony RX100 IV

June 26, 2024July 20, 2015 by Dan Carr

I’ve been on the lookout for a camera that would serve a specific purpose; I wanted something that would literally always be with me. Enter the Sony RX100 IV The camera was to serve two main purposes: #1 – I like to share my adventures on the blog, my social media accounts and on Shutter Muse, as well as creating plenty of behind-the-scenes type images for reviews and articles that I write. It needed to be good enough quality that I could publish large images from it and also connect to it via WiFi so that I can upload to …

New MindShift Gear First Light Packs! Exclusive First Look

June 26, 2024July 2, 2015 by Dan Carr

Over on Shutter Muse, I’ve just published a super in-depth look at the brand new MindShift First Light backpack series. This is a new series of packs that’s designed specifically for outdoor/adventure/wildlife photographers, and they’re perfect for super telephoto lenses up to 600mm. The bags just launched yesterday, but I’ve been using them for some time so my MindShift First Light review is already posted!

Checking Out The New Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM

June 26, 2024June 4, 2015 by Dan Carr

The so-called “Nifty Fifty” has been around for 24 years, so it’s high time Canon came out with an upgrade! The new Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM will replace the f/1.8 II, and began shipping a couple of weeks ago. I wasn’t sure if I was going to take a look at this lens, but I came across one in a nearby store so I thought, why not? I know a ton of people will be curious about it, and I’m always recommending the old version to beginners since it’s such a great way to learn about shooting with a shallow …

“Macro” With The Canon 100-400 L IS II

August 5, 2025May 30, 2015 by Dan Carr

Investigating the near-macro capabilities of the new Canon 100-400mm on a recent trip to Vancouver Island.

Tamron 150-600 Samples

June 26, 2024April 21, 2015 by Dan Carr

I’ve been playing with the Tamron 150-600 f/5-6.3 for a while now and I’ve had it out with me on a couple of good wildlife trips alongside my Canon 200-400 f/4. It might seem like an odd pairing but I’ve been curious to see how the seemingly incredible value Tamron lens compares with the cream of the crop. There’s no doubt this Tamron lens is a bit of an anomaly, it’s incredibly sharp for such a ‘cheap’ lens. I use cheap in the relative sense, of course, because $1060 isn’t small change, but compared to the other options out there, …

Gear I Like: Senal Headphones

June 27, 2024April 17, 2015 by Dan Carr

Sometimes I stumble across some gear that’s useful, and I want to share it with you guys. I’ve been using these Senal SMH-1000 headphones for my video and audio work for over a year now and they do a really great job at a good price point (under $100). I use them plugged into my Canon XA-20, or into my Sound Devices Mix Pre-D when I’m recording tutorial videos at my computer. They have a detachable cable which is great because if the cable or plugs ever fail, you don’t have to replace the entire set of headphones, just get …

Canon 7D Mark 2 at 1254mm – You Won’t Believe This!

June 27, 2024April 1, 2015 by Dan Carr

Download this full resolution sample image shot with the Canon 7D Mark II + Canon 200-400 f/4 and TWO 1.4x extenders. That’s a 1254mm equivalent.

Canon 7D Mark 2 – ISO 3200 – Download High Res Samples

June 27, 2024March 29, 2015 by Dan Carr

I’ve been using the 7D Mark II for a few months now and the more I use it, the more I like it. Of course when it came out, the first question that people wanted to know was: “How is the high ISO performance?” Before the 7D Mark II arrived, my main camera was the 5D Mark III (I just LOVE the smaller form factor of these cameras Vs. the 1-D style). I was looking to use the 7D Mark II for wildlife photography, paired with my 200-400 f/4 L IS and my main question was what the performance was …

7D Mark II Saves The Day

June 27, 2024November 20, 2014 by Dan Carr

Last weekend I set out on a quick camping trip to make the most of some gorgeous clear weather we had here in British Columbia. Of course, I took the 7D Mark II with me as part of my ongoing test program for it and this time I’d planned to shoot some night sky images, particularly some star trails. Since I needed to carry both camera gear AND camping gear, I transferred things into a much larger hiking pack. I thought that I’d got everything, but I was in a rush and unfortunately the one thing that I managed to …

Canon 7D Mark II + Canon 100-400mm L IS II – Perfect Match?

October 10, 2023November 11, 2014 by Dan Carr

For Canon folks, the 7D Mark II is definitely the most exciting camera announcement of 2014, particularly if your hobby (or job) is shooting sports or wildlife images. The original 7D was popular in these niches as well, but Canon have gone after these markets in a much bigger way with the 7D Mark II. The 65-point AF system is generally on a par with that of the 3-times more expensive flagship EOS 1-DX, and in fact features a much wider spread of AF points across the frame. I think it’s the best AF system I’ve ever used, and the …

Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS Review

June 27, 2024November 11, 2014 by Dan Carr

Hey guys, I don’t like to cross post too many things on here but I did want to point you to my review of the very popular Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS that I posted on Shutter Muse this week. If you are in the market for a travel photography lens, or a general walkaround lens, then you should definitely check it out.