Two New Used Canon Lens Listings. And George Lepp's Amazing Focus-stacked Flower Images

What’s Up?

Pickings have been slim photography-wise since we got home from DeSoto. A very few not-very-good flower keeper images have kept my streak alive. Anita North purchased IPT veteran Keith Kennedy’s Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L macro lens and ordered and received the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) from B&H. She used them yesterday morning for the first time with her Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital camera body to create her first flower images. As it turned out, she has quite a good eye for flowers.

Today is Tuesday 5 OCT 2020. We hit the road at 5:35am for another crack at Sebastian Inlet despite the “scattered thunderstorms” forecast … Continuing with my plan to share some really good photos with you here on the blog, you get to enjoy two spectacular focus-stacked flower images by my long-time friend and colleague George Lepp.

They’re Playing Our Song

Even if you never saw They’re Playing Our Song on Broadway (I did twice!), you will enjoy this amazingly clever YouTube video of Lucie Arnaz and Robert Klein reprising their starring role from 1979 in 2010. The synching of the two performances is superb and Robert Klein is too, too funny.

The BAA Used Gear Page

Right now, the Used Gear page is red hot! It is BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list at the bottom of the page.

Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens (with a great extra!)

Art Leyenberger is offering a Canon EF 100mm Macro USM lens in near-mint condition with a great extra for the silly low price of $349.00. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear lens caps, a near-mint Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set DG (36mm, 20mm, 12mm) for Canon EOS lenses (a $129.90 value), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Art via e-mail.

This, the original non-IS version of this hugely popular very sharp macro lens, was Denise Ippolito’s favorite for many years. It is great for flowers and bugs large and small. The tripod collar for this lens requires a separate purchase. This lens, still in production, sells new at B&H for $599.00 (though it is currently on back-order). The IS L version II sells for $1299.00, artie

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L Ultrasonic Lens (with TCs!)

Art Leyenberger is offering a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L ultrasonic lens in excellent condition and both series I teleconverters for the very low price of $650.00. The sale includes the original box, the lens hood, the lens pouch, the front and rear lens caps, a Canon EF 1.4X teleconverter with both caps and the lens pouch, a Canon EF 2X teleconverter with both caps and the lens pouch,, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Art via e-mail.

This sharp, super-fast, mid-range telephoto zoom is incredibly versatile and is the favorite zoom lens of many nature, wildlife, and landscape photography pros. It kills in point-blank flight situations; I used mine on flying gannets in Scotland, for Bald Eagles at Homer, and with the pelicans at La Jolla, CA. And often for granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals. This lens is still in production and sells new at B&H for $1299.00. artie

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Topaz Stuff

As I said on Sunday and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link, can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop). I amazed myself yesterday by completing this guide in the car on the way to and from Sebastian. Huge thanks to Anita for doing the driving. Please include a copy of your Topaz order when requesting the guide.

Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro back in stock!

We received a dozen Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pros via DHL. We ordered twenty … Anita North has been using one and said, “With my weak fingers, the Levered-Clamp is a Godsend.

RawDigger e-Guide and Video Advance Copy Available

Save $10 Now

The RawDigger e-Guide and Video is almost finished. It will sell for $51.00. If you are anxious to get started with RawDigger, learn to mega-Expose to the Right, and wind up with the highest quality image files, you can save $10.00 and have a chance to review a pre-publication copy of the guide by sending a PayPal for $41.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words RawDigger e-Guide and Video Pre-publication Copy cut and pasted into the Subject line.

You will of course receive a link for the completed PDF when the guide is finished.

Please Remember

If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so will not cost you a single penny and if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save at least $50.00 on all orders greater than $1000.00. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and will be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This focus-stacked image was created from 180 images by George Lepp. He used Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens and the Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 200: 1/60 second at f/8. In-camera focus-bracketing. Image courtesy of and copyright 2020 George D Lepp Image #1: Gladiola blossom

George Lepp

I often said that George Lepp knows more about the technical side of photography in one fingernail clipping than I do in my whole brain. George has been a friend since the early 1990s. He inspired me early on in many ways. I learned a ton about gear, photography, and presenting by attending several of his one-day programs. At a show he did in Tampa, FL sometime in the 1990s, I first learned about Canon AF and about the only telephoto lens I could afford then — the 400mm f/5.6L, which went on to become my beloved toy lens.

In addition, he has always been glad to lend a helping hand whenever I asked. We were both founding members of NANPA and both were invited by Michael Newler and the late Dave Metz to become part of the original group of Canon Explorers of Light. When I was let go as an EoL about seven years ago, George was as puzzled as I was.

George is one of North America’s best-known contemporary outdoor and nature photographers. His passions for natural beauty, technical precision, cutting-edge technology, and environmental responsibility are revealed in his beautiful and compelling photographic images. He is also widely recognized for his unique dedication to sharing his photographic and biological knowledge with other photographers through his seminars and writing. In both realms, George Lepp is a leader in the rapidly advancing field of digital imaging.

Focus Stacking

When you are working at high magnification, it is pretty much impossible to have enough depth-of-field to render the entire subject in sharp focus. In order to do that you create multiple images focused as various points and then combine those to create an image with the entire subject in sharp focus. George has mastered that technique to the extreme.

George on Image #1

The lighting for Image #1 came from several small (inexpensive) LED light panels and a couple of LED Lume Cube photo lights. The focus bracketing (stacking) feature on the EOS R5 can only be used with continuous lighting. I enjoy this technique in part because I can see the effects of various lighting approaches as I stage the subjects. The focus-bracketed captures are compiled in ZereneStacker software and optimized in Photoshop. It’s good to remember that you can take too few focus- bracketed images, but seldom too many. At such high magnification and f/8, each capture covers only a fraction of an inch of depth of field, so it takes many more images to cover a complete flower than most people realize.

This focus-stacked image was created by George Lepp. He used the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens with the Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body and the Canon MR-14EX II Macro Ring Lite. Focus-stacking via Cognisys StackShot: from 274 images. Image courtesy of and copyright 2020 George D Lepp Aster blossom at 4X

George on Image #2

In the studio, I can take close-ups to another level. I saw this blooming aster plant at a nursery and noticed the intricate forms in the centers of the flowers. So naturally, I bought it. Each individual blossom is only about the size of a quarter. At 4x (above) you can begin to capture the detail with the Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x Macro lens with the MR-14EX macro flash. The flower was lit by the Canon MT-24EX macro twin flash. At 4x, the focus-stacking was achieved with Cognisys StackShot and the results were compiled using Zerene Stacker software. The beauty of this series of images is that they show you the flower in ways you could never have seen with the naked eye.

Learn More …

You can learn more about George Lepp (and about photography!), view his image galleries, and sign up for his LEPPPHOTOSPAM EMAILS buy visiting his website here.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).