This isn’t exactly photography related, but I must say good-bye to a dear friend that I was lucky to have with me for over 10 years. On Thursday, October 25, 2007, we had to make the difficult decision to put down Buffy, our 10 1/2 year old Jack Russell terrier. Buffy was the family’s best friend, and also one of my favorite photography subjects over the past 10 years.

Buffy was a very unique dog, if for nothing else that she was deaf. That small handicap didn’t stop her from leading a full life though. She was loving, loyal, mischievous, and always, ALWAYS full of energy right up until the end. Once we figured out her handicap as a pup, she quickly learned to respond to hand signals so we could communicate with her. She loved to run around the yard, chase rabbits, and at the end of the day she would snuggle up next to my wife or my daugther on the couch…truly part of our family. She was with us even before my daughter was born, quickly taking over the role of protector when our daugther came home from the hospital.

Unfortunately, a week ago she became very ill. For no apparent reason at all, she became lethargic, refused food and water, and was only walking around very slowly. The vet attempted to treat her, first with antibiotics thinking it was an inner ear infection, then with corticosteroids to try and stimulate her. Her condition gradually worsened over the course of 6 days, and I couldn’t bear to see her suffer anymore. On the last day I came home from work, she couldn’t take more than a few steps without falling over, and shaking violently. I knew it was time to say goodbye. The vet confirmed this, telling me if she didn’t improve with the medicine he gave her, it was probably something on her brain, and that more tests or medication would most likely only prolong her suffering for a short while.

The last week was the most difficult in my 36 years. But at least I know we did what we could, and I know her pain has ended. I will always miss you, Buffy, and I’ll never, ever forget you. asdfasdfasdf

Some pretty exciting announcements this week…Onecall is taking pre-orders for these new Canon DSLR’s:

Pre-order your Canon EOS 40D
Pre-order your Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

I’ll post the links for the Nikon DSLR’s as soon as their up. Your purchase through OneCall by clicking these links helps support this site.

Today, Canon announced the EOS 40D, the successor to the EOS 30D.  Some notable specs on the camera:

• 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor
• 6.5 frames per second for up to 75 jpeg, 17 RAW
•  Digic III image processor
• New 9-point AF system, with all 9 AF sensors being cross-type sensors
• 3.0 Inch LCD panel on the rear

You can get the full scoop from Canon’s website at this link:

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=15653

First I apologize for not writing here in awhile…things have been crazy for me…but I plan to pay more attention to the site going forward. I plan to finish my review of the Tamron 200-500 as I have all the samples I need…and that will be finished shortly.

For various reasons I won’t get into…I decided to make a switch from the 30D to the Pentax K10D. The main draw on this camera is the in-body image stabilization, which Pentax brands as ‘SR’ or ‘Shake Reduction’. I’ll write more about this camera in the coming days, as it’s a different beast than the 30D and I have a bit of a learning curve…but I thought I’d share some of my first images from the camera, all of Buck, my 5 Month Old Golden Retriever:

Continue Reading »

FOR our very first gear review here at Shutterzone.net…we’ll be taking a look at the Tamron SP 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF lens.

Announced in 2003, the Tamron 200-500mm lens was an instant hit. It provided a lower priced alternative to the Camera manufacturers own long lenses. I like long lenses for birding, as you can NEVER have enough reach when you’re shooting birds…so naturally it was inevitable that I would have this lens in my arsenal eventually.

This lens provides a good telephoto range, covering you from a medium telephoto 200mm, up to a comfortable long reach of 500mm. It’s a little slow on the long end, having a maximum aperture of f/6.3. It’s very light for such a long lens, weighing in at only 1237 grams (about 2.7 lbs). This is compared to Canon’s 100-400 L IS (1380 grams, 3.1 lbs) and Sigma’s 50-500mm (a whopper at 1840 grams, 4.1 lbs). The length of the lens is about 9 inches long without the hood (add another 6 inches when the hood is attached). The lens has a minimum aperture of f/32, and has a minimum focusing distance of 2.5 meters.

The lens looks good based on the specifications…but as everyone knows, what’s important is how it operates in actual use, and of course, Image Quality is a huge factor as well. So how does this lens perform? STAY TUNED!

Like what you see? You can buy the Tamron 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF by clicking the links below:
Canon EOS Mount
Nikon F Mount
Sony/Konica-Minolta Mount

Just a note…some other photography related websites out there have begun charging for the privelege of posting in their forums, or certain forums…building up a user base over the years and then slamming people with a fee if they want to continue to post there. Shutterzone.net makes the promise, that our forums will always be FREE at no cost to our members. I strongly believe that charging people to share ideas in a forum is a bad idea…the idea of a forum is for members to freely exchange ideas, thoughts, critiques, etc.

Yes, websites cost money to run…and we’ll deal with that by placing discreet ads here and there (nothing too obnoxious, I promise!)

Welcome to Shutterzone.net, a brand new website for all things photography.  We’ll cover everything from Photography techniques, gear, image editing, and printing.  Look for our first article to be posted in the next few days.