As I Xi It

I downloaded EOSInfo to check the shutter count of my vintage 40D. With a rated shutter life of 100,000, it hasn’t even hit half-way yet.

Must shoot more.

No excuse for a new camera just yet

My macro lens had been suffering with AF issues for the past year or so, it gradually got increasingly sluggish as the months wore on. I first noticed something wasn’t quite right when it wouldn’t lock focus properly last year in Singapore, but put that down to using it in low light. More recently, when trying to take photos of my chinchilla, it would often not lock on focus at all even with a bit of manual assistance. I’m not sure how it could have occured as it rarely leaves the house and that was its first trip abroad. It’s never been dropped or abused in any way.

So, I decided to take it down to Fixation in Vauxhall and I’ve got to say, I’m pretty impressed with the service. It’s like having a brand new lens, focuses perfectly and smoothly. As I had suspected, it was the AF motor that was at fault and has been replaced. Total cost of the damage, £178.38 (parts + labour + VAT@20%). I’m just haemorrhaging money these days. *sigh*

Test shot in the car

The iPod's seen better days

No problems focusing up close

Eye poppingly sharp even at f2.8

Welcome home

….and a G11 heavier. An early Christmas present from me to me.

A line up of my Canon compacts. The A590 in the middle will be “disposed” of via the eBay route while the teeny Ixus i5 will still stick around as the party cam… not that I’m an avid party fan. Hmn… perhaps I’ll get rid of that too.

I could post a review of the G11, but there are so many about already. It’s really neat and solid. If my 40D and A590 had a baby, the G11 would be it.

Family portrait

What better time to test the long shutter speed capabilities of my Canon Powershot A590 than Christmas when I can snap one of my neighbour’s gaudy festive lights. This picture grossly underestimates the lumenosity of the ligts. I can see the refections off the houses opposite. I’m surprised that no one has complained to the residents association.

Here’s a couple of macros with my A590 IS. Not bad for £66 delivered.

In search of a more capable point & shoot to complement my big 40D and very small Ixus i5, I picked up the A590. It’s kinda chunky, but quite nice to hold. The pics it takes aren’t bad either. I’ve managed to get CHDK to run on it, but haven’t had time to really fiddle around with it all that much.

For a while now, I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a battery grip for my 40D. Saw one for what I thought was a good deal on a used BG-E2N. Would’ve got the older BG-E2 but the BG-E2N came up first, it was actually cheaper than its predecessor second hand. The only difference between the two is weather sealing which is really just a bit of foam around the battery compartment, cosmetically they’re more or less the same. It did occur to me to pick up a third-party knock-off for less than half the price of a grip brand spanking new, but I figured I’d use it enough to warrant a second hand Canon one.

The build quality of the grip feels pretty solid, the front of it has the same kind of rubbery material as on the body itself, the back is smooth. I wish it was a bit more textured. It adds a bit of weight to the whole shooting rig but I’m not sure if I’ll notice that much of a difference if I’ve got something like the 100-400mm mounted on.

With my recent foray into time-lapse photography, the increased battery life is a welcomed addition. Together with an invervalometer, it makes for a portable time-lapse rig.

Handling wise it’s not bad. It’s kinda squarish and a touch angular. If it were rounder like the grip on the body itself, it’d be easier to hold for those with smaller girly hands like myself. This might be less of an issue for people with larger hands however.

The buttons work as they should but feel a bit springier than on the actual body. It’s quite nice having a verticle grip for portrait shots. It increases stability and puts less strain on the wrist for prolonged portrait shooting. Also, it balances the camera quite nicely then you’ve also got a flashgun mounted and are shooting in portrait.

One of the issues with the BG-E2N that’s frequently popped up on the forums is that you can snap off the internal gears from over-tightening resulting in the inability to remove the grip. To prevent that I stop turning as soon as I feel resistance and it stays on fine. No ratting, no problem. It’s enough to be able to hold the camera by the grip and not have it fall off.

Overall it’s not a bad piece of kit. It’d be nice if it were rounder. I’ll leave you with some pics.