JDMCQ's Garage

Morning boys....what's shakin?

 

Hope the camera works out!

Still busy, the new guys are catching on so the work load is a little bit more evenly distributed. Will be crazy until fall I'm sure.

stop that

 

Mmmm...Cabernet with a Benadryl chaser must be allergy season!

 

How's the stump removal going?

 

Time for some Taco intervention in the removal process...

Weesa was having a bad allergy night. Its been so rainy that no one's been able to mow their lawns for weeks and the last couple of days EVERYONE in town has been mowing. Plus its been super windy so the combination of the mold (from the rain), pollens and dust (from the mowing) and the wind keeping everything airborne was killing me. Took a double dose of Benedryl and crashed into bed. Blech...hate allergy season. Hope these shots work....

Morning OTG - pedal safe!

Glad she liked them both! If she has any questions about the camera I'd be happy to help, just let me know.

 

Filters: yes, good to protect the lenses - my theory is I'd rather replace a <$100 filter than risk damaging the front glass of the lens as that's usually >$200 to replace
I have a UV and a circular polarizing filter for my lenses - UV for general outdoor shots, polarizing for anything with snow/water or super sunny days. Always have one on the lens when I'm in Yellowstone too. Most people dont realize that the steam from the geysers and such is highly acidic and will etch glass. I have an old filter that has tons of little speckles on it from repeated exposures at the park.
Downside to filters is that unless the quality of the glass in them is equal to the quality of the glass in the lens it will take away some of the quality of the images so dont cheap out when buying filters! And you'll get a little vignetting (shadows in the corners) in the pictures from the filters too but it easy to fix in photoshop or elements.
I have a bunch of filters from my Sony that I don't use any more. Can't remember what diameter they are but if they would work for you I'll give them to you.
Caps: the lenses should have come with a front cap and rear cap...seems odd that they didn't. But it wouldn't hurt picking up a few spares as they get lost easily. If you want I could check the bin at the local camera shop I frequent - they have a giant tub of random lens caps for like $1 ea.
Hoods: they will help keep some glare out but you can shoot without them just as easily. They also provide protection to the front of the lens from any accidental damage.
You can keep a lens on the camera body at all times, just depends on if there's room in the camera bag/case that you store it in.
Cleaning: I leave that to the pros and pay the local shop for an annual cleaning. For simpler smudges, etc on the lens pick up a lens pen - its got a little brush on one end and a microfiber pad on the other - for dust and lint removal, an air blower, and a nice microfiber cloth for smudges on the glass. Always keep the lens caps on unless your shooting to keep the lens clean and when you're changing lenses do it fast and not in dusty/windy conditions to keep the camera clean.
Screen protectors: I have them on my camera - I found a stick on plexiglass type and its held up great, the thin plastic peel and stick ones just don't last very long. Once an edge starts to peel up there's no way to stop it. Lemme see if I can find the one I have....

Does that answer everything?