AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed. Hopefully I’ll get the next post up tomorrow or Tuesday, I’m just getting home from another trip today.

Definitely a very cool area. I was especially looking forward to it since I’ve been to the maze and the needles districts previously, but never island in the sky. Of course, I want to go back to all three, LOL.

OK, so I clicked through that on my phone, and don’t really understand what it is. Comments on someone else’s blog? Anyway, I’ll spend a little bit of time when I’m in front of a computer to try and get it.

I will say, I much prefer this type of famous (As in, not really famous) two some overly sponsored YouTube Instalander.

(Not) sorry to disagree about this. It is as bad as it sounds to be sitting around a lantern in 31 degree weather.

...Unless you do it like Will @willhaman21, and put a Mr. Buddy heater under your blanket while you sit around the camp lantern.

Speaking of which, I hope you guys are having a good time out there, with an actual fire this time! Sounded like Mike @Digiratus was loving the site when I chatted with him.

 

Winding Our Way Around White Rim - Canyonlands #2

Having gotten to bed early, the only thing that made getting up difficult was the cold. I quickly fumbled to silence my alarm - which was blaring some obnoxious ringtone that I was sure must have awoken all of my camping companions - before pulling on every layer of clothing I'd brought into the tent. Only then did I climb down the ladder - to clear skies and an orange glow on the horizon.

Desert sunrise.​

With not a cloud in the sky, I knew I wasn't going to get the most spectacular of sunrises - but a butte behind camp seemed like a good place to get a different perspective in the morning light. I headed that direction - unsure if it was even possible to reach the top of the ridge - eventually finding my way up a slightly-more eroded section, where the layers of sandstone were as interesting as the climb.

Confused layers.​

I'd beaten the sun to the summit - though I could tell it wasn't far behind. It was at Alstrom Point, on our F.U. Rain trip that Mike @Digiratus first told me about the special time - with the sun just below the horizon - when the lack of shadow makes for great lighting. Boy, that was never more true that on this morning, the orange sandstone radiating into the sky, lending a tinge as it transitioned to its daytime blue.

Camped under the tower at Airport A.​

And then, as I turned around, the sun crested the horizon in the distance. I still couldn't see the great ball of fire - I was just a little too low - but its rays on the canyon walls were a sure sign of its imminent arrival.

This, apparently, is why it's called White Rim.​

And then, my camera battery died. I couldn't believe it - just as the sun was going to start painting the tower behind our camp! With no other choice, I envisioned myself sprinting down the side of the butte, though in reality it was probably a fast walk. A couple minutes later I reached camp - as quietly as I could given that everyone else was still in bed - and settled for a much nearer photo than I'd been expecting. Still, nothing to complain about.

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Having enjoyed my time up on the ridge, but now in no rush at all, I headed back to the top to soak in a few more minutes before everyone else was up and about in camp, the sun now fully spilling across the landscape - it was going to be a beautiful day!

Camp perimeter.​

With only one thing on the agenda for the day - to continue our adventure along the White Rim Trail - there was no huge rush to get out of camp early, and it was 9:30am by the time we had everything packed away and ready to roll. With Ben @m3bassman and Kirsten leading the way, Will @willhaman21 and Angie, and I fell in behind as we pulled out of camp.

We are - apparently - a travelling CVT commercial.​

Having camped at Airport Tower butte, it didn't take long for us to pass Washer Woman Arch. The only catch - for me at least, having done no research at all for this trip - was that I had no idea the arch was even a thing, and so we - or at least I - drove by, completely oblivious.

That pinnacle formation that I thought looked like a cool background is in fact, Washer Woman arch.​

I even happened to capture the arch in a photo, without realizing it! ​

Most of the White Rim Road travels along a middle-tier of the canyon, with steep cliffs to the bottom, and a second set of canyon walls and buttes rising up to the top layer. Winding its way over the rocky and dusty terrain, the road flirts with the edge of the canyon time after time, allowing plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy the undercut cliff edges and geology of the lower tier.

A trail where being comfortable with heights is beneficial.​

Hey look, there's Washer Woman arch again.​

Though I missed Washer Woman arch, we all stopped for a few moments at our closest point to Mesa arch, high on the upper canyon wall, to watch ant-size people walk around and under the magnificent structure.

Mesa arch.​

Then, it was back on the trail, the view in my side mirrors just as splendid as the one though the windshield. Maybe better even, as I stopped again, and pulled out the camera.

Oh hey, Washer Woman arch. Again. From the wrong angle.​

With that, the trail wound itself away from the edge and we all enjoyed the views from one turn to the next - sometimes surrounded by tall cliffs, other times seemingly looking out over the top of the world.

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I'll never tire of the La Sals.​

Some of the overlooks - when the trail worked its way back to the canyon edge - were more dramatic than others. For me, the places with thicker white-rock layers on top of the softer red rock were especially beautiful. We'd stop at each one for ten minutes or so, all of us getting closer to the edge than Kirsten was comfortable with.

Note the tree growing at the top of the crack, for scale.​

I found myself wondering how canyon fingers like this are created, no ongoing river to erode the walls.​

Several spots along this section of trail seemed to have more hoodoos than the rest, perhaps an indication of the geological make up of this part of the canyon. (Hoodoos typically consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements.)

Giant hoodoos.​

Hoodoo arch.​

On we went, our progress quick when we were moving, but slow overall. By now, we were all starting to get a bit hungry, so Ben suggested we stop for lunch at an overlook known as White Crack. Just as soon as we could get there - of course - since it wasn't as though we were going to stop looking over the edge of the canyon when the opportunity arose!

Looking out to the aptly named Monument Basin.​

We arrived at White Crack - the halfway point of the entire trail - right around 1:00pm. With views in every direction, it was clear why this was one of the more popular camp sites. However, given that it was mid-day, the place was empty so we parked the trucks, made our sandwiches, and trekked the half-mile or so to the canyon edge.

Trusty steeds waiting under Junction Butte, at White Crack.​

The views are better out there.​

From our spot on the point - way off in the distance - rose a series of Needles. This of course was the Needles District, another of the three districts in Canyonlands National Park, each district separate and disconnected (at least via vehicular travel) from the others.

Another great place to explore.​

We poked around for a while - the views easily overcoming the sandwiches we'd prepped to fill our bellies - and then Ben and Angie got the great idea to jump over the white crack. There was no real danger here - the gap between hoodoos was no more than 16 inches, but imagine the following that could be gained on #TheGram.

Looked good till she landed.​

The problem - as often seems to be the case when showboating - was that the focus was on the in-air-time, rather than the landing. As such, a misplaced foot led to a drop-and-roll, and ultimately a seriously sprained (though suspected to be broken at the time) ankle. Oops.

Resting the foot and filling the bellies.​

Eventually - and with a little help from also-a-good-crutch-Will - we all headed back to the trucks to continue our journey, the track now following the Green River rather than the Colorado, along which we'd meandered for the last 24 hours. Except for that slight change however, the views and terrain were consistent, and we availed ourselves of the cliff edges, frequently.

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To this point, nothing along the trail had been the least bit technical. I mean sure, I'm not sure I'd have wanted to drive the family sedan, but I think we were all starting to wonder - if even just a little bit - why does the National Park Service have requirements in place that require not just 4WD - but high-clearance, 4Lo capable vehicles?

The answer - most likely - are the few places like Murphy Hogback. Even this section doesn't really hold a candle to the more technical trails in other parts of the park, but I suppose that the requirement helps ensure preparedness all aspects of this remote road.

Up the Murphy Hogback. No problem, even in the reasonably stock Tundra.​

It was here - as we crested the hogback - that the subject of Will and Angie heading to camp ahead of the two green trucks was broached. With her foot in significant pain - and temptation to get out and look around at each stop so great - we all understood. The problem was, Angie - like the rest of us - wanted to see everything. We all understood that too.

For the time being then, we stuck together, down the west side of Murphy Hogback and into Soda Springs Basin. Our next destination was the Black Crack, but before that we had a few miles of winding trail in front of us.

Descending into Soda Springs Basin.​

Candlestick Tower.​

Our first peek of the Green River.​

It was during this segment of the trip that things got a little more unfortunate. At a rather chewed up section of the trail, my suspicion is that Ben thought the flexiness of of the terrain would make for some fancy photos, and so asked Kirsten to get out and snap a few shots. He was right, I'm sure. However, while making her way backward up the hill, Kirsten stepped into a hole - or off a rock, I'm not entirely sure - and took a significant tumble onto her side and back, mashing up her elbow in the process.

It wasn't turning into a good afternoon for the ladies. :cry:

The flexy section of trail.​

After removing a sizeable chunk of apparently-looked-like-a-bloody-maggot dead skin, Kirsten got bandaged up and dusted herself off, a requirement according to Ben who, "didn't want to get the truck dirty." Let me tell you, Kirsten took that a lot better than I'd have expected her to in that situation!

And with that, we were back on the trail - a couple hundred vertical feet between us and our destination.

Going down.​

Before long, we'd arrived. At the time, I thought it was just another one of our normal stops - some view over the edge of the canyon to something breathtaking below - but as we walked out over the white sandstone, Ben ran ahead and then laid down and peered down between the rocks.

"This is so crazy!" he said with a big smile on his face as he looked back up. We'd arrived at the Black Crack.

A fault, surely.​

Running through the sandstone for hundreds of feet, Black Crack and ranges from a several inches to a few feet in width until it reaches the edge of the canyon. There, looking over the edge, the crack extends hundreds of feet down, raising the adrenaline a bit as you jump over! Of course, it's not quite that deep along it's entire length, but I'd rather not fall the 65' of some of the shallower areas, either.

We explored the length of the crack for a while, but the thing I found most interesting here was actually a horseshoe bend in the Green River. I don't know why, but these formations are always so intriguing - the inefficiency of them adding to their allure.

Long way round.​

As we enjoyed the views, Angie was finally at a point where she could take it no longer. Hobbling back to the truck, she and Will called it an afternoon and headed towards camp while Ben, Kirsten and I took a more leisurely pace with frequent stops.

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Never-ending rim.​

Unbeknownst to me - a trend through this trip - Ben had one more stop for us before we'd make our way, slowly, to camp for the evening. And, as he pulled over along the side of the road in the middle of a wash, I asked over the CB radio, something along the lines of, "what's going on."

We'd arrived at the Holeman slot canyon. With narrows only a few hundred feet long, it was clear from the get go that the biggest challenge with this little jaunt was the water. Several tanks in the bottom of the canyon were full, and required ~7 foot leaps to foot-sized holds in order to keep our feet dry.

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It wasn't too much of a problem as we descended the canyon, and the narrow walls and tight turns were exceptional in this little gem. Even the floor of the canyon was interesting, dry, curled, mud adding interest in the shadows.

Chocolate shavings?​

The problem came as we made our way back up to the trucks. Foot placement was less optimal in this direction, and a splash followed by profanity were all I needed to hear in order to know that Kirsten hadn't made one of the holds. And the water was deep - up to her thigh; no fun! Not a good afternoon for the ladies.

Always the gentleman, Ben took the opportunity to ask her to carry the camera the rest of way, wading through the puddles, so he didn't have to as he anteloped his way up the canyon. Smooth Ben, smooth.

From the slot canyon, we had only a few miles to our camp at Potato Bottom, miles we covered (relatively) quickly - enjoying the early evening light but still wanting to arrive prior to sunset.

Heading to camp in the orange glow of evening.​

We'd lost a lot of elevation, bringing us much closer to the Green River at this point.​

My roaming gnome.​

As we pulled into camp, Will and Angie were already set up - Angie's foot raised and several anti-inflammatories ingested. They'd been there only half an hour waiting for us - not too bad given the time we'd spent along the way, and an indication of the speed we must have carried over this section of trail.

Everyone set up and ready to enjoy the evening.​

Like the previous evening, dinner and conversation carried on for a few hours before the chill in the air pushed us all towards our tents. As the moon rose, I reflected on the long - but a great - day on the White Rim trail. So great that some of the sights became almost monotonous. Crazy how that happens!

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Warm under the covers, there was almost no breeze as I dozed off to sleep, happy for what I thought was going to be a peaceful night sleep. And it was, until about 2:00am...

 

I wonder what Mesa Arch looks like at sunrise from that POV? Is it a giant mirror like reflection from all those cameras?

 

Murphy’s Hogback wasn’t that easy when I did it. I had to get off my bicycle and push it the last 50 feet.

 

When I ran White Rim in the taco a few years back I came across a bunch of college kids on bikes at the top of the hogback. They were all on acid and taking a break from riding lol

 

Probably not the ideal place for that. Its a long fall, but would be one hell of a ride till the end.

 

Artifacts to Arches - Canyonlands #3

Having weathered some significant winds on our last couple of trips to Eastern Nevada (Mid-Winter Mojave) and the Mojave Preserve (Short Days and Long Hikes), the gusty winds that kicked up around 2:00am didn't bother me in the least - even as they blew directly in the door of the tent. Happy that I'd put in my earplugs, I just snuggled down into the comforters, cozy as could be.

The next thing I knew, it was about three minutes before I'd set my alarm to go off, a partly cloudy sky fueling my hopes for a dramatic sunrise. In search of a similar experience to the previous morning, I decided to head up an intermediate mesa behind camp to watch the moonset and - hopefully - sunrise.

Oh look, we had a neighbor at Potato Bottom, and didn't even realize it!​

The clouds - I suppose, since I couldn't see the horizon - must have stretched quite a distance over the sky, a subtly striking sunrise the result of the limited light making its way over landscape.

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Once I realized that dramatic pinks were unlikely to spill across the sky, I found myself curious about the formation on which I found myself. Sure, I could just head back down to camp the way I'd come, but the more interesting was the terrain behind me - the mesa continuing up a couple of levels, and then a series of small canyons working themselves down into Potato Bottom Basin. With everyone still asleep, I opted for the more interesting route.

After climbing a few hundred feet, I dropped into a side canyon/wash at a slickrock dry fall.​

As I wound my way down one side wash after another, I realized that while I was in no trouble of getting lost - this maze would ultimately spit me out into the main was of Potato Bottom Basin - I was definitely in for a longer hike than I'd planned!

Even in these small side canyons, lots of undercut sandstone. And, it's turning into another beautiful day.​

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Layers and fins. Almost reminiscent of Little Finland in Gold Butte National Monument.​

Turns out, I need not have worried. I arrived back in camp just after 8:00am, just the way I'd left it - everyone else still snuggled away in their tents. Ben @m3bassman was the first one up once I started getting my breakfast assembled, and I was surprised to hear how windy he'd felt like the night had been - he'd even gotten up to close up his swingout; worried about the wind catching it and wreaking havoc on his hinges.

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As everyone began to stir, talk of the amazing wind storm of the night before initially filled the conversation (clearly, I must have been more tired than I thought to have slept through it), and then shifted to our agenda for the day. Ben had planned on a hike not far from camp - to the ruins at Fort Bottom - as one of the highlights, but Angie's foot, while better, was still not in any shape to make the three mile trek. And so, we decided that Ben, Kirsten and I would head that direction as Will @willhaman21 and Angie took it easy in camp and then made their way to Moab and the urgent care center ahead of us.

It was 9:00am when we parted ways, hoping to meet back up just after lunch to form a plan for the afternoon. As we ascended out of Potato Bottom we began our climb up Hardscrabble Hill - probably my favorite section of trail so far - before pulling off the side of the road at the trailhead to Fort Bottom.

Up we go.​

Setting off on foot.​

The first half mile of the hike to Fort Bottom is deceptive. Reasonably flat, it makes its way over a peninsula that was formed by a large horseshoe bend in the Green river. Even from the trailhead - with young enough eyes or a pair of binoculars - one can see the highlight of the hike: an Anasazi ruin perched on the top of a butte at the end of the peninsula, a few hundred feet below.

None of us were young enough to see it.

Let's meander out there.​

We only noticed (could see) the ruin as we got closer.​

Though there were a couple steep sections as we climbed between buttes on the peninsula, the trail was not difficult, and the best section of trail - in my opinion - was a narrow rock bridge that transported us from the base of the peninsula to its head.

Wider than it looks.​

As we made our way out, we spotted the remains of a small cabin far below. Angie had told us of this cabin - rumored to be a stopping point for tuberculosis patients on their way down-river, but more likely the cabin of an early homesteader and rancher who found the fertile soil a perfect place to call home - and I think we all started looking for a side trail to make our way down.

A typical 12' x 14' footprint - the size required by the Homestead Act.​

With plenty of eye candy along the way, it felt like we arrived at the Fort Bottom ruins in no time. A final scramble to the top of the mesa, and we were greeted with a tower whose function we'll never definitively know. Perched in this location, and with line-of-sight to Turks Head further downstream, perhaps it was part of a communication chain. Or, with such a well-positioned and defensible overlook of the Green River, perhaps it served a military purpose.

A taller tower, and attached side room.​

Looking up from the inside.​

The tower has survived surprisingly well over the years, though it's clear that some old wooden platforms on the inside have disintegrated, and an old access hole, its top header made of wood, has been filled in with rocks in order to keep the structure standing.

Our primary goal reached, it was a quick discussion to make the decision to find a way down to the cabin closer to the river's edge. The trail ended up being obvious as we got closer, and I found the cabin construction nearly as interesting as the rock ruins above.

Home or hospital?​

When you've got holes in the wall, good heat is a must.​

Hand hewn.​

Location, location, location.​

Having accomplished our goal for the hike, we made relatively quick work of the trek back to the trucks - a mile and a half with maybe several hundred feet of elevation gain, no big deal. We had maybe a dozen or so miles of the White Rim trail to run - wrapping up the twisty narrows of Hardscrabble Hill, and then making short work of the reasonably well-graded road would lead us to a final set of switchbacks, up and out of Horsethief Bottom, and the end of our two day journey.

A trail of never-ending views.​

An arch-in-training.​

A lot of work went into BLM-129, and this section would make a good rally route!​

At the top of the switchbacks, dirt continued, but it was clearly of a more graded caliber than what we'd become accustomed to. We encountered little traffic as we made our way to UT-313 and back toward Moab, stopping only for lunch at a roadside information kiosk where the wind whipped through our sweatshirts, making lunch a quick proposition!

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Arriving in town, we met up with Will and Angie - just wrapping up at the Moab Urgent Care Center - and got the good news that Angie's foot was not broken, and they were 100% up for finishing the rest of the trip with us. Thrilled to have not lost our travelling companions, we all pointed our trucks north and headed out of town and toward a trail I knew well from the only other time I've been to Moab - one we'd travelled at the tail end of the De-Tour - a short section of the Kokopelli Trail, and Dome Plateau.

For me, it was a bit of full-circle - this trip having started across the highway at the Dewey Bridge as I ventured up to Top of the World just a couple days earlier. Today, we'd head west - first out into the plateau, but then to a place I'd never visited: Arches National Park.

Will had aired up on his way into town, so we spent a few minutes getting him back in shape for the most technical trails of the trip.​

The entire Dome Plateau area is a spot worth exploring, and while the trails aren't terribly difficult, there are a few places where experience and a good line can mean the difference between a fun day and a bad one. Luckily for us, nothing outrageous happened as we climbed up ledges and through the rock fields that serve as gatekeepers for what lay ahead.

Good clean fun.​

Winding our way along the Kokopelli Trail.​

The sun finally broke through the clouds that had been increasing throughout the day, and bam! Orange.​

Stepping up onto the plateau.​

Easy going from here, mostly.​

It was right around this time that we had a decision to make. See, Ben had scoped out a new-to-everyone camp spot that he thought would give us a good view down onto some of the arches of Arches National Park. Of course, we also knew of an amazing spot - at the edge of Dome Plateau - that continues to be one of my all-time favorite sites. The problem was, we had about an hour of sun left, and about the same amount of time to drive to either location. We had to make a choice.

I radioed ahead to Ben that we should stop and take a quick look at the map in order to make our decision - perhaps even turning back to another nearby site that I knew of, since I wasn't sure we'd even make it to either of his planned camp sites prior to darkness setting in. I was quickly convinced that pushing forward was the right idea however, when Ben said something along the lines of, "Should we go to the site we know is awesome (Dome Plateau), or should we go to the one we've never been to before (Arches)?"

For me, everything clicked at that moment; maybe it did for Ben and Will too. We were here on an adventure; exploring. We had to go to the site in Arches, because it was the unknown!

Steeper than it looks.​

The side steps and trailer hitch of the Tundra did not appreciate this set of ledges.​

Having made our decision, I suggested one final stop on the way to camp - at the La Boca Arch. Not within the boundaries of Arches National Park, this little gem was only a quarter mile or so off our route and happened to have the sun dancing across its gentle curve just as we climbed out of our trucks. An indication of things to come, perhaps!

A common perspective, but not the best one.​

Ahh, that's better.​

From the La Boca Arch, it was another 10 miles or so to our own little spot along Winter Camp Ridge, just inside Arches National Park. The road here was in surprisingly good shape - a fact that would come in handy as we exited the following day - but that didn't mean we made good time. In fact, this was one of the slowest sections of road for me in particular, as the views to our southeast - of Castle Valley and the La Sals, as well as arches along a ridge in the park - enough to stop my Tacoma several times as I made my way west.

Evening rays.​

Dramatic arch.​

Eventually I got to camp, the other two trucks already set up and everyone out enjoying the view from what was a beautiful spot. The views - while perhaps not quite so dramatic as Dome Plateau - were spectacular, the sun even highlighting Delicate Arch for us in the distance.

Delicate Arch.​

Soon enough, I got my tent deployed as well, and we all set about dinner preparations, hoping to get cleanup done with a little bit of daylight still available.

Camp with a view.​

Of course, the sun had a different plan, peaking below the clouds for a couple minutes as it raced towards the horizon, all of us scurrying for our cameras to capture the final rays on the undulating sandstone to our south.

Overlooking the sandstone bowl of Salt Wash.​

And then, it was gone.​

Dinners were quick as the cold set in. We huddled for a while, none of us wanting to admit that the trip was nearly over, and yet all of us looking forward to the warmth of our beds to shield us from the relentless gusts of wind that seemed to claw its way through every layer of clothing. In the end, we didn't survive long, calling it a night not long after 8:30pm.

It'd been a fantastic trip over the course of three days. Two trails I'd wanted to run for several years done in one shot. Time spent with buddies around the "fire." Even though I'd be headed home at 3:30am the next morning, I went to sleep with a smile on my face, and dreams of the next time I'd make it to the red rocks of Utah.

 

@turbodb - Excellent as usual !!

 

Trying to figure out if this is the same spot....

IMG_0424 by Michael Halat, on Flickr
IMG_0428 by Michael Halat, on Flickr
IMG_0429 by Michael Halat, on Flickr
IMG_8275 by Michael Halat, on Flickr
IMG_8274 by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Came across it after camping Dome. Sure looks like it

 

Thanks! Hard to tell a bad story about any time spent in Utah it seems!

Yeppers, that's the one! I think I still like the Dome camp site better - you're just so much more "on the edge," but this one isn't a bad backup; not by a long shot!

 

Oh 100% the other site is better. But agreed, getting to see Arches in the distance like that is a pretty damn cool camp view. I have so much catching up to do on this recent trip report.

 

Great trip reports! Your buddy with his mostly stock Tundra, what size tires was he running ?

 

Thanks!

@willhaman21 - are those 33's? 35's?

 

You take a lot of awesome pictures. So many so that I sometimes find myself reminding myself to slow down and enjoy them more. This one, however, forced me to pause and just remark at the contrasting beauty. Hard to imagine that such a site exists, and you seem to have stumbled upon it at exactly the right time of day to capture some remarkable lighting.

 

Involuntary Evolution to a New Camera and Glass (Canon R6)

Well, I ran over my 80D and favorite lens with the Tacoma. It wasn't pretty and I wasn't happy, but it happened, and you can read about it in Tragedy in the Tablelands. I'd already been pining after a new, full-frame mirrorless camera, but of course, with a perfectly working setup, I was unlikely to get one.

Ultimately, I used this opportunity to pick up a brand-spanking-new Canon R6, and two lenses - an RF 24-240mm f4-6.3 IS USM and a wide angle RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM. It was an expensive day, to say the least.

Candy store.​

How I Decided on the R6
Before we get into how I like everything so far, it's worth looking at why I went with the gear I did. There were several aspects I was considering, including brand, full- vs. cropped-frame, and mirror vs. mirrorless. Oh, and cost, sort of.

Let me cover brand first. I knew I wanted to go with Canon again, for two reasons. First, I've owned Canon and Sony cameras in the past, and I never really liked the color profile on a Sony, where I've very much enjoyed the color profile on a Canon. I know that's completely tweakable in post processing, but it is what it is for me. Second, I found that I really liked the in-hand ergonomics of the Canon 80D (Note: I'd get a Canon 90D now if I were just going for "replacement"), and the Sony bodies are so different that I didn't really want to make that change.

Sony A, and Canon R series, overlaid on my existing camera (80D) for reference. Understandably, the Canons are more similar; the Sony seems too small to me.​

There were a couple other minor things with the Canon. First, I felt like in the traditional DSLR market, Canon and Nikon are the two big names (at a reasonable price point). In the mirrorless market, Sony has been the big name but the Canon R5 and R6 were suddenly giving Sony a run for its money. So, that puts Canon in a "leader" role across both markets; something I liked. And, I admit, is an opinion.

Next, cost. I knew this was going to be an expensive proposition, and while I wanted to keep cost down, that was mostly because I didn't want to have an accident and run over a new multi-thousand dollar camera setup, given my recent experience! Having decided on Canon, I'd basically limited myself to one of the following bodies: Canon 90D if I wanted cropped frame, Canon 5D Mark IV if I wanted full frame, and either the Canon R5 or R6 if I wanted mirrorless full frame.

Three cost tiers I was considering. 1DX Mark III included for reference only.​

I recognize that the cost difference between the lowest and middle tiers is 100%, but the absolute difference didn't bother me as much as the cost difference between the middle and top tiers, which was another 100% (or 4x the low tier), so I began favoring the middle tier price point.

Next was cropped- vs. full-frame sensor. This wasn't much of a decision for me - I figured that if I was buying a new camera, I might as well go full frame. It would give me better low light performance for things like star photos, sunrise and sunset, the interior of cabins, and the views out of mine shafts. The drawback as that it would mean going with all new lenses, since my existing EF-S lenses were crop-sensor. Given that I'd run over my most expensive lens at the same time as the camera body though, this was a no-brainer. So, now I was down to the 5D Mark IV or the new R-line.

The last decision point was whether I should go mirrorless or not. I think I knew at the time - but didn't realize the extent to which - this was biggest and most impactful decision. Not because of the varying cost of bodies, but because this decision would determine which line of lenses (EF or RF) I ended up investing in. Knowing that the lens decision will (hopefully) have a longer time horizon than whatever body I ended up with, I ultimately decided I should go with the newest Canon had to offer - the RF line.

My process then narrowed me down to the Canon R5 or R6, and I began weighing off those two cameras, or really, weighing off two aspects of the two cameras: sensors and cost. The sensors are the same physical size between the cameras, but the R5 squeezes 45MP onto the sensor while the R6 uses a 20MP sensor. For reference, my 80D used a 24MP sensor.

Comparing the Canon R6 resolution (20MP) to the R5 (45MP, and my previous 80D. Lots more ability to crop with the R5.​

The newly designed 45MP sensor on the R5 would allow for more cropping in Adobe Lightroom, but could make for cumbersomely large file sizes. Additionally, cramming more megapixels onto a sensor has - historically - meant introducing more noise in low light situations. The 20MP sensor on the R6 wouldn't allow the same cropping capabilities, but would generate more manageable files and might have better low light performance, since each receptor on the sensor is larger and absorbs more light. Also, while not as new as the R5 sensor, it is the same sensor Canon uses in its highest end camera - the 1DX Mark III - so it had that going for it.

So in the end, I opted for the Canon R6 due to its cost and my hope that I'd be happy with its great sensor, and that I wouldn't miss the ability to crop quite as much in Lightroom.

Lens Choice
I've been extremely happy with my Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS USM (with a 1.6x crop sensor, this is effectively a 27-216mm lens) as a walk-around lens, and I wanted something similar for the new setup. Being relatively new, the RF line of lenses doesn't have quite as much variety as the EF series, but I was happy to see that there was a Canon RF 24-240mm F4-F6.3 IS USM lens that I thought would work quite well. In fact, I wondered if I'd be able to use it for all my shooting - even wide angle - because it was slightly wider than my previous setup.

I'd find out after a single trip (Right Back to the Owens Valley) that I still needed a real wide-angle lens, and this is where the RF lens lineup showed its limitations. The only wide-angle zoom option was the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM lens - part of Canon's trinity - which being an F2.8 L, cost nearly as much as the R6 body.

Arrival, Unboxing, and First Impressions
To say I was giddy with excitement when boxes started showing up would be an understatement. Everything was well packed from Canon, and it was like Christmas in January, which is sort of just like extended actual Christmas now that I think about it. First impressions:

• R6 body: seems great. Pretty much just like the 80D and feels good in my hand. Some of the controls are different, so I'll have to learn those; no big deal.
• RF 24-240mm lens: seems great. Pretty much just like the 18-135mm lens, except a bit longer and heavier which I'm OK with because I feel like that just means it has better glass.
• RF 15-35mm lens: holy shit this thing is big. Not at all like my 10-18mm EF-S lens, which I liked to slip into my pocket, and I wonder if its going to be a problem carrying this monstrosity around.

One thing was for certain - I was going to need to use all this stuff for a while to see how I liked it for real.

Real World First Impressions
I've used the new setup for about a month now. Over the course of three trips, I've been on the trail for 15 nights and taken about 6000 photos. And just to be clear, that's not necessarily quality photos - there have been far fewer of those.

Let me start by saying that the photos that come out of the whole setup are great. Anyone considering the R6 body and either of these two lenses doesn't need to worry about photo quality - it is tremendous. Here are some of the things I really like:

• Ergonomics. I expected to like the ergonomics, since they are so similar to my previous setup. I'm happy to say that they are, and while I have to learn a few different actions with various buttons/controls, it's incremental and I can tell that I'm going to like the new setup better once it becomes muscle memory.
• Autofocus. The autofocus system on the new Canon cameras has been touted as amazing, and I agree. There are so many more focus points, they focus faster, and the resulting images just seem sharper.

Dual Pixel CMOS AF II features 1052 selectable focusing points, which cover approximately 100% of the image frame.​

• Focus point selection. On the 80D, when the screen on the rear was activated, I could tap in a location to focus there and take a photo. The R6 takes that a step further - when using the viewfinder, the back screen becomes a "focus trackpad," and is exactly where my thumb rests, so I can quickly move focus around in the frame and then let the amazing autofocus take over.
• Low light. As I'd hoped, the full-frame sensor is great in low light. Mornings and evenings, as well as night (star) shots are great. Two big differences over the previous setup: shutter speed is faster, and noise in the resulting image is reduced. I never really considered Milky Way shots in the past, but I'm going to start figuring some out now.
• Exposure Preview. As a mirrorless camera, the R6 has an electronic viewfinder. That means that when you look through the viewfinder, you're actually looking at a screen instead of looking out the lens. One benefit of that is that any settings you change are immediately reflected in what you are looking at - the viewfinder shows you the exposure you'll get in the end result.
• Bluetooth and GPS. This has been a nice surprise. The 80D also had Bluetooth communication with a phone, but only for shutter release, and establishing/maintaining a connection was tedious and unreliable. The Bluetooth on the R6 is great. Pair it with a phone running Canon's app, and it will automatically (and quickly) re-pair any time the app is running. Then, the phone can be used for shutter control, settings control, and will send GPS coordinates to the camera for each photo. Now that's cool. Note: Maintaining this connection uses much battery, so I use it sparingly.
• Lens overlap. What I mean by this is that the lenses overlap in the 24-35mm range. It turns out I take quite a few photos in this range, since I shoot a lot of landscapes. That means I can use either lens for a lot of my shots, which reduces the number of lens changes I need, and in certain situations means I can carry one lens around where I may have carried two previously.
• Shutter speed of the RF 15-35 F2.8 L USM lens (esp. in low light). Wow. I was told prior to purchasing the 24-240mm F4-F6.3 lens that I should get something "faster," and I didn't really understand what that meant. Now, with the F2.8 L, I do. This lens is magical from a shutter speed perspective, allowing handheld shots in near dark conditions. It's amazing. I find myself wishing there was an F2.8 version of my 24-240mm lens now.

There are of course, things I don't love about the new setup, too. Let's start with my biggest complaint:

• Power management. This is really the management of the camera's power state and is due to the interaction between battery life and the electronic viewfinder. With the 80D, I rarely turned the camera off. When I wasn't depressing the shutter button, the system was essentially in some deep sleep mode, using almost no power. With the R6, because the only way to "see" anything is to illuminate the back screen or electronic viewfinder, the camera has to be "on" much more. In fact, a sensor below the viewfinder turns the viewfinder on any time something comes near it (presumably your eye, but in practice, anything). Because of the way I hold the camera when I'm hiking, my hand is constantly passing over the sensor, so the viewfinder turns on. I didn't realize this on the first day I was using the camera, and the battery died after a two hours - just before I reached the destination of my hike! The solution is to turn the camera off between shots (when I'm walking around), which is just a new workflow I'll have to get used to. Frankly, I'm already starting to get used to it.

Then, there are other things that are less than ideal, but really just annoyances:

• Battery life. After my first battery died after half a day, I wasn't sure I was going to keep the camera - it was that bad. Compared to the 80D, where I could go 3-4 days and maybe 1200 photos on a single battery charge; on the R6, I have averaged about 1.5 days and 400 photos, though this has started to climb as I've started to modify my workflow to turn off the camera between shots. In the end, as long as it lasts a through a day of shooting, this is probably no big deal.
• Electronic Viewfinder. While I like exposure preview, I don't like that I have to have the camera on to see out the viewfinder - it's disconcerting to put the camera to my eye having just taken off the lens cap and see "black." And, no screen can update as quickly as clear glass, so panning around takes getting used to as well. I'm sure I'll get more used to it over time, but I don't think I'll ever love it.
• RF mount lens caps. I don't know what Canon was thinking here, but the caps that cover the end of the lens that connects to the body can only engage the lens in a single orientation. With my EF-S caps, they engaged in maybe 4 positions, so I didn't have to get them lined up perfectly, which was great for sightless operation. With the RF covers, concentration is required.
• The size of the RF 15-35mm F2.8 L USM lens. My old wide-angle lens was 2.4" wide x 2.8" long and weighed 8.5oz, easily fitting in my front pants pocket. The new wide angle is 3.5" wide x 5" long and weighs nearly 2lbs. Those sizes may not seem like much, but they are significant.

Old vs. new wide angles. The new lens is not pocketable.​

And, a couple things I'm not sure about:

• Megapixels. There have been a couple times already where I've wished I could "zoom in" more in Adobe Lightroom post processing. As in, places where my 24-240mm lens wasn't quite long enough, and so even zoomed in all the way, I still need more cropping than I'd like when I edit. So far, this has happened twice. Probably not worth the additional $2,500, but hey, it's only money, right?
• Battery life and star trails. I haven't had a chance to setup the camera for star trails yet. I do wonder if the reduced batter life will mean that I can't capture as many exposures as are needed for long trails. Time will tell.
• Necessity of lens profile correction for the RF 24-240mm lens. there's some pretty crazy corner vignetting that happens with this lens at 24mm. It's by design for the lens (which actually shoots slightly wider than 24mm and is then corrected in Lightroom or Canon's DPP app to a 24mm equivalent, but it's a little disconcerting when you see it the first time.

So, overall, I'd say that I'm optimistically happy for now. There would have been less friction moving to a Canon 90D or 5D Mark IV - since the battery life issue is my biggest complain - but I think in the long run, moving to the new R line is a smart choice. The RF mount is Canon's bet for the future, and I'm sure that over time I'll become accustomed to the differences in the setups.

Plus, it's hard to argue with the quality of the results.



Curious about my approach to photography? A bit tongue and cheek, but I always tell people If You Take Enough Photos, Some Are Bound to be Decent. Of course, I also find that the saying, the more I practice, the luckier I get also applies.

 

Excellent write up!

I picked up the R5, the 24-240, and a Rokinon 14 mm. I've noticed the same poor battery performance. I think it's related to the video screens (no optics for the viewfinder means two separate displays). I bought a couple extra batteries. The autofocus is by far, Canon's best.

 

Just read an article about Canon discontinuing multiple popular EF lenses. I hope this isn’t showing the writing in the wall for us DSLR guys. I’d like for mine to last me at least 5 years before having to make the inevitable switch to mirrorless...

 

The secondary market will always be there. One of Canon’s more popular lenses, the 200/f2 has held its value pretty well even though it’s been unavailable for some time. Not all have retained as much value but many are still available and for a reasonable price.

 

I had trouble with this idea for a while too. Then, I messed around with manual and discovered how the overall exposure was the same for the following settings:

f32 1/15th
f22 1/30th
f16 1/60th
f11 1/125th
f8 1/250th
f5.6 1/500th
f4 1/1000th
f2.8 1/2000th
f2 1/4000th
f1.4 1/8000th

Another way to do that is to set the camera on one of the priority modes: Aperture, or Shutter and then roll the dial for a given scene and watch the settings chosen by the light meter - it'll follow a pattern like the one above.

Anyway, there's always something new to learn - and your photography is a great example of what the rest of us could learn from, *very* nice work. Thoroughly enjoy your write-ups.

 

I learned this in high school photography class ... in 1969. Though most of us didn’t have cameras that had shutter speeds faster than 1/500, maybe 1/1000 at best or lenses faster than f2 or a half-stop faster, f1.8 which was pretty common then. And of course, if you didn’t have a light meter, there was this rule of thumb https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule