timsdd aka Tim’s Digital Darkroom

HERE is my camera body and lens, the body is the Canon 40D

Key features:

* 10.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
* 6.5 fps continuous shooting, max. burst 75 JPEGs
* New AF system with 9 cross-type sensors
* DIGIC III processor
* 3.0” LCD with Live View mode
* EOS Integrated Cleaning System
* Clear and bright viewfinder
* Customizable Picture Style processing parameters

The live view mode is a lifesaver. I did not realize it at the time but I am ever so thankful that it is on this camera. It is ENTIRELY useful for macro work AND makes using my TSE lens quite easy, a lot easier than if you didn’t have one!

The lens is the 24-105/4L.

I had to take these pics with my small P&S, Canon Digital Elph (SD1000)

This is my main hot shoe flash, the Sigma EF-500 Super DG.

It is very versatile and of course leaps and bounds better than the pop-up flashes that come with DSLR’s. The flash is a very over looked component for many I think, myself included. There are probably 100’s of other ways I could be using it and who knows how many different settings I have not harnessed yet.
I think it’s a lot like my familiarity with Photoshop, sure I can use it and get good results but I’m probably only tapping into < 25% of the overall potential that is available to me.

I bought the Sigma model b/c they are usually a lot cheaper than Canon and for the most part I don’t think 99% of users would miss the difference (if any) that the Canon model has to offer.

And then this is my Sunpak FP38 Flat Panel flash. I use it as a slave for water drops, breaking bulbs and stuff like that. Might actually be good for portraits too…I have never tried it!

This is the most recent flash I have purchased. It is a Sigma EM-140 DG TTL Macro Ringlight Flash.

It’s stellar for macro images. The only problem is that it is so good it enables my laziness of not using a tri-pod for all of the shots seen in this backyard macro gallery.

It could also be used for portraits and product lighting, the latter of which I have done, used it as the main flash for all the lens pictures I have posted to date!

Moving on to the big gun, my Canon EF 70-200 mm F4L USM lens. They make a version that has IS (Image Stabilization) but anytime a lens has that feature tack on an additional $500 @ least.

Of course the coveted lenses are the 70-200/2.8 but those are twice as expensive and truly, I do not use this focal length often enough to warrant the additional expenditure. However, the 2.8 would be far more helpful to those that shoot sports for instance, of which I rarely do.

The lens is fast, great images and the most economical L lens that Canon offers TMK (To My Knowledge). Plus it looks impressive too :-)

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Ok, this one definitely falls under the category of being “my precious”

This is my Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens. It is far and away my most versatile and therefore most used lens. Not only does it go from wide angle to a decent mid zoom but it’s also F4, a L lens, AND it has IS (Image Stabilization)….win/win/win/win. Not surprisingly it is also my most expensive lens or maybe a close 2nd to my Tilt/Shift.

In any case, I use this about 88.4% of the time, unless of course I’m doing macro shots. The only ‘drawback’ that I see with it is that it’s not 2.8. So while it does have IS (making it possible to achieve slower shutter speeds akin to a 2.8 lens), the DOF does not drop off as fast as a 2.8 lens would. While that may not seem like much, it can make a difference in a shot in my experience.