Grey

Contrary to the forecast - again - it was overcast. The light went from merely bad to shockingly bad as the afternoon went on. I am convinced that 2024 has been cloudier than normal.

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons, spring being the other, but the declining light levels and deteriorating weather make it a bit depressing sometimes. Therefore leaving the house is a priority, especially as my time off is rapidly coming to an end and I go back to work on Friday.

I went to St Helens Duver, an area of sand dunes, and Bembridge Harbour to try out a Canon R7 that, on a whim and against my better judgement, I bought in Currys last week. I put the 200-800 on it which, with the crop sensor of the R7, gives ridiculous reach equivalent to 320-1280mm. It doesn't physically change the lens' focal length of course, but the subject will cover a larger area due to the smaller sensor.

All photos were taken with this camera and lens, apart from one of a friendly Jackdaw which was taken with my 5D Mk III and 500 f/4 L IS prime lens.

Click on each photo to see the largest size.

Carrion Crows with a dead rabbit in the car park

Jackdaw with 5D Mk III and 500mm f/4 L IS lens

The photos would definitely have benefitted from a dose of sunshine but aren't too bad. I was initially unimpressed when I looked at them in Lightroom but, once imported into Photoshop, looked massively improved.

I had the camera set to cRaw which is a lossy Raw file and recommended by more than one person on YouTube but, as I've found out, neither Lightroom nor Photoshop's AI Denoise functions work with it. I'll go back to using Raw instead as my attempts at manually removing or reducing noise leave a lot to be desired. People are scared of AI, it seems, but - used correctly - it is a great tool. If it makes life easier, then it's all good.

Foibles aside, the R7 is a decent camera and a good addition to one's equipment alongside a full frame device. I think I'll offload the 5D Mk III at some point, even though I'll keep the 500mm, as I need cash for a photography trip to Skomer that I have booked for May 2025 with Nature's Lens.