Here's a photo from the Easter weekend, which we spent in Dunsborough. The very distinctly shaped Sugarloaf Rock is one of the attractions in the area, and I watched the sun set behind the rock one evening.

Sugarloaf Rock after sunset

Cape Naturaliste, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @11mm, 5 sec, f/22, ISO100

At this time of the year, when viewing the sunset from the lookout near the carpark, the sun sets right behind the highest peak of Sugarloaf Rock.

I'll be posting some more photos from the Easter weekend, once I get some time to finish processing them.

There was a guy shooting next to me, using a 5D Mark II and 24-105 lens, who was using blue-tac to attach filter holder with Lee filters onto the front of his lens. I'm not sure why he was using blue-tac - I prefer to use a lens adapter, as it's a bit more secure....as he found out when the filter holder fell off the lens when he was moving his tripod...
Does anyone know who the blue-tac user might have been?

A couple of days ago, Canon released updated firmware for the Canon 50D, 450D (Rebel XSi) and the 1000D (Rebel XS).

The firmware updates are available from the firmware updates page on Canon's website.



Changes in the version 1.0.6 firmware for the Canon 50D include:

The only change in the firmware version 1.1.0 for the Canon 450D and firmware version 1.0.5 for the Canon 1000D is added support for the Speedlight 270 EX.

For people who have a 450D or 1000D, there's little value in installing this updated firmware, unless you are intending to purchase a Speedlight 270 EX later this year.
However, for 50D owners, it's certainly worth installing the updated firmware, as the error reporting is now more detailed, providing error numbers that specify where the error is, rather than just reporting the generic "Err 99".

(Even though this firmware version is numbered 1.0.6, it's the first publicly available version since version 1.0.3.)



Be sure to read Canon's firmware update procedure when upgrading your firmware, because you don't want to brick your camera!

Links to the firmware downloads and firmware update procedures can be found on these pages:

• Canon EOS 50D
• Canon EOS 450D (Rebel XSi)
• Canon EOS 1000D (Rebel XS)

I like silhouettes, and with an early morning sun low in the sky, I took the opportunity to take some photos of my children with the sun directly behind them.
Here's one of my youngest son, taken in South Perth a couple of weeks ago.

Nicholas silhouetted

South Perth, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 70-200mm f/4L @73mm, 1/8000 sec, f/4, ISO320

The Hero LiveView Wireless Remote is a very new product from Phottix, and was demonstrated at PMA in March 2009.
It is designed to provide the photographer with the ability to remotely monitor the viewfinder via a 2.4" colour LCD, and trigger the shutter remotely, from distances as far as up to 100m away from the camera.

In other words, the Hero is a remote control for your DSLR camera, but unlike most wireless remote controls, it also provides you with live video from your camera's viewfinder.

The Hero is designed to work with DSLR cameras that do not have any LiveView functionality, by using a small camera to look into the camera's viewfinder. The Hero can also be connected to a DSLR camera that does support LiveView using an AV cable.

Thanks to HK Supplies for providing this pre-release sample for review.



A LiveView remote for a DSLR camera is an interesting concept, and has a number of applications. While there are plenty of other wireless remotes that allow you to remotely trigger a DSLR camera shutter (such as the Cleon and Cleon II), those remotes do not give you any indication of what is within the camera's frame.

A LiveView remote provides the same functionality as those wireless remotes, but also allows you to have a remote view into the DSLR, and see exactly what is within the viewfinder of the DSLR.
This can be particularly useful for situations where you might want to set up a remote camera, such as sports, wildlife, etc. You can then remotely monitor whatever the camera is pointing at, and then trigger the camera's shutter to take a photo if there's any action occurring.

The Hero may also be useful for KAP (kite aerial photography, where people hang a camera from a kite for aerial photos), as the video feed will allow you to easily see where the camera is pointing.

I find this photo interesting, because at first glance, it looks like it's a composite image, with the left half from a sunny day, and the right half from an overcast day.

However, it's definitely a single frame, and clearly shows the impact of the blue sky on the water colour, with the ocean in the right half of the photo looking rather dull compared to the left hand side.

waves breaking on the rocks

Point Peron, Rockingham, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 10-22mm @15mm, 1/200 sec, f/9, ISO100