ALL ABOUT CAMERA LENSES

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens + 58mm UV Glass Filter + CapKeeper Lens Cap Strap + Cleaning Kit for Rebel XS, XSi, T1i, T2i, T3, T3i EOS 40D, 50D, 60D, 7D Digital SLR Cameras

Kit Includes:
¦ 1) Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens
¦ 2) Vivitar 58mm UV Glass Filter
¦ 3) Cap Keeper 2 Lens Cap Strap
¦ 4) Precision Design Deluxe 6 Piece Lens & Digital SLR Cleaning Kit
The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Zoom Lens is a compact and lightweight 4x telephoto zoom lens ideal for shooting sports, portraits, and wildlife. The improved zoom mechanism makes zooming smoother than ever and the lens an absolute pleasure to use. It shares the same sharp 13-element optical system as the 75-300mm USM lens. while using Canon's standard, time-tested DC motor for accurate and quick autofocus. Close-focusing down to 4.9 feet (1.5m) allows filling the frame (at 300mm) with a subject the size of a dollar bill.
This Vivitar UV Filter is a multi-purpose, fine-weather filter that is designed to optimize your photography experience. UV filters block out unwanted ultraviolet light and prevents the UV "fogging/haze" effect", which can result in inaccurate color and lower the apparent sharpness. This filter is also ideal for protecting your valuable lens from scratches and dust, and it can be kept on the lens at all times. Perfect for digital, video and photo.
Keep your lens cap securely attached to your lens with the convenient, simple-to-use CapKeeper. Never lose a lens cap again!
This 6-piece cleaning kit contains everything you'll ever need to properly clean your lenses, including a Hurricane Air Blower, Lens Cleaning Tissues, Lens Cloth, Lens Cleaning Liquid, Brush and Cotton Swabs.

Jan. 11, 2010 - "The (F)1 that started it all"

This afternoon I wrote a blog entitled "Why photography?".

This evening, having no photos from the day that I was happy with enough to post... and taking that blog into consideration, only one subject seemed right... my first "real" camera.

My grandfather (my father's father) was a photographer. When, at age 16, I decided that I wanted to get into photography as a serious artistic interest, I turned to my grandfather for advice on choosing a camera. He asked me what I wanted to shoot... then told me to "come down to the house next weekend and we'll discuss it".

I arrived at my grandparents house the following weekend, only to find the dining room table absolutely covered in cameras and camera equipment... and my grandfather practically glowing! A 35mm camera body... and at least a dozen lenses... plus flashes... motor drives... light meters... and other accessories - and we discussed the details and nuances of each and every one.

My grandfather seemed more "alive" that night than I had ever seen him in my entire life. We talked for hours - and not just about photography... but also about music (he had been a musician, playing a variety of instruments from flute to sax to, I believe - trombone) - as well as "deeper" subjects, like marriage.

We had a wonderful day together... and I thought that that was that. I had a wealth of information about cameras... and basically learned that if I was going to buy a 35mm SLR camera, it HAD to be a Canon - or it simply wasn't worth buying! I figured that I now had enough information to go out and buy what I needed... probably a used Canon AE-1 or something like that.

Then my grandfather shocked me... and told me that what I saw on the table was now mine. A Canon "New" F-1 body with an AE Finder... a dozen Canon FD lenses, each with filters, hoods and cases... Canon Speedlite flashes... Canon Power-winder/Motor-drive... and all of the accessories. This wasn't a simple 35mm camera... this was Canon's absolute top model professional manual 35mm camera... their last manual 35mm camera before switching over to the EOS system of Auto-focus. It was absolutely beautiful to me!

I was shocked!

Enough "Thank You!"s could never be uttered! I swore to put the camera to good use... and it wasn't long before I had blown through ten rolls of Kodak T-MAX B&W film. My first "real" photographs.

The black metal rings which capped the cartridges from those first ten rolls were placed on a ball-link chain... and became my "Creativity Mojo". I've worn them on my belt almost every day of my life since then.

And the camera? Obviously I still have it... and while it's no longer my primary camera (having switched to a digital SLR several years ago) - I do still use it from time-to-time. The camera is almost 25 years old... and still works absolutely perfectly!

Since receiving the F-1 almost 20 years ago... I've used a half-dozen other cameras... and every single one of them has been a Canon. While I plan to purchase a Leica within the year... and a Hasselblad after that - Canon is just part of my life... and I can't imagine ever being without one. I certainly won't ever get rid of that F-1!

So... this is "the camera that started it all" for me. After all these years I still find it to be absolutely beautiful!

* * *

So this is how the story went
I met someone by accident
That blew me away
That blew me away

It was in the darkest of my days
When you took my sorrow and you took my pain
And buried them away, you buried them away

And I wish I could lay down beside you
When the day is done
And wake up to your face under the morning sun
But like everything I've ever known
I'm sure you'll go one day
So I'll spend my whole life hiding my heart away
And I can't spend my whole life hiding my heart away

camera reviews consumer reports

So I have more incentive to get my new camera...... I have a wedding to shoot in May! I'm so excited. The camera I am getting has been labeled as the best overall SLR camera for under $7500!! And thankfully my lenses will all work with the newbie!!! And then my current Nikon will either be kept as a back-up or given to one of the girls.


I took the girls to see Beastly tonight. It was an awesome movie!

With examples of photographs taken with all kinds of lenses - from ultra-wides to ultra-telephotos, via macro, soft-focus and zooms - this book describes their performance and applications. It is aimed at all photographers from the absolute beginner to the semi-professional. The authors, a husband-and-wife team who are both professional freelance photographers, discuss the difference between "marque" lenses from a camera's manufacturer and independent lenses from well-known firms. There is also information on adapting lenses from one camera to another, and a look at the problems and advantages of buying second-hand.