In a dead market you can pick up some real bargains
Just a quick post today as it's a day late for #marketfriday initiated by @dswigle but I'm sure Denise won't mind :-)
I picked up a sweet Canon 70-300 mm lens at a knock down price. Some of you will know that I've been doing a bit of astrophotography lately and went out today looking for a telescope when I came across this lens and thought I'd give it a try before I dive in and get the full scope.
Canon 70-300 mm lens
Here's my sample photo first time using the lens
Dead markets
For a Saturday the market was very quiet and the streets were pretty empty. I guess everyone is shopping online these days? You can pick up some real bargains on the high street as they try to compete.
The Market was Dead
Next we went to a covered market near St.Ives and that was just as dead and the few people that were there didn't seem to be buying anything? Just wandering about aimlessly browsing stuff.
This piece of topiary caught my attention outside of the covered market.
Think I may go play some golf? :-) Have a great weekend folks.
My internet connection has been patchy for the last few days now and both steemit and busy kept crashing out today. Luckily we still have #steempeak working.
A Canon lens is a good find for a day at the market! Looks like the crowds were sparse and let the deals come to you.
Hi Lydon, it's like a ghost town out there and this was midday today (Saturday) the lens was a real steal at 90% off list price! The high streets in England are battling to stay alive.
Hey I like the golfer. :)
I have a 75-300mm kit lens, came with my Canon. Used it today.
I can't wait to see your astrophotography.
I had a quick go with the new lens just now and it worked a treat. Not bad results for the first attempt and I got a nice photo. It's a sign I tell ya lol
That bright star on the left is Capella.
gotta love a bit of astrophotography !! nicely done and that's a lovely lens. 2 things you might want to take into account.. the rule of 500's .. <<< here's a link - and the speed (f-number) of the lens.
A fast short lens will allow you to expose longer, brighter shots before smear sets in.. the closer (longer focus) you get to the sky, the quicker the stars will move across your frame, thus the rule of 500's.
Stacking software can make a HUGE difference. I am a DSLR only astrophotographer while my friends use a big old 8 inch telescope. The advantage they have is an autoguide / tracking mount..which means they can follow the stars and take really long exposures. DSLR only users without a mount have to improvise with shorter exposures but stacking them can help create great results..
I use DeepSkyStacker which is free software. All you really need to remember is to take some dark shots in your session (with the lens cap on) and add them to the stack. the software will then be able to work out what is noise on your sensor..and read up a bit about stacking first.. it's trial and error really.
it takes a while to get your head around astrophotography... it took our astro group a couple of years experience to get really good shots and we live in a really light polluted London.. and British weather can make a well planned evening a total write off... but always in good company.
keep trawling for bargains - assemble some half decent equipment. a cheap (£10 from ebay) remote controller is one my favourite things. you can set it to automatically shoot a stack of images, (on a steady tripod) over a period of half an hour so and then you get great shots. you could actually buy a really cheap telescope 2nd hand on ebay, with a tracking mount included and put your camera on the tube.. I would if I had the space ! When we move house, I am planning on getting a decent telescope.
I've said too much cos your post excited me, but am more than happy to answer questions, if you have any
check out http://eggstronomy.tumblr.com
and this article I wrote a while ago on steemit about DSLR astrophotography
Thanks for all the great information @outerground that link on the 500 is the best explanation I have seen on this tricky topic.
I've been experimenting with various settings but this should make things a lot more precise.
The tracking mount that I'm thinking about is one that I could use for astrophotography and daytime time lapse.
I've got my son's remote control but haven't used it yet. I'm still getting my head around the basics of focusing. :-)
I heard about the stacking software from @astrophoto.kevin too. I'll give it a go on the next clear night.
Thanks again for the info much appreciated. Glad you liked this post. :-)
Pretty scary no one around on a Saturday.
It was very odd on the busiest day of the week? Things are getting very strange? Some of the stallholders had come from as far away as Germany!
I'm quite excited to see what that lens does for you! Why do you think the shops were so dead?
The lens is a great addition to my kit. It worked lovely.
As to the market. Things are pretty dire over here for working people and they have just stopped spending I guess because many are up to their necks in debt. There has been a freeze on pay rates for 10 years and it's just catching up with folk that they will never be debt free!
I wonder if people here will ever come to that understanding?
Who knows? People can be very deluded and ignorant of the world they have helped to create for themselves. Baffling really.
saw your night photo..great work.. photography is so much fun!
Looks like you got a great deal on the lens.
I couldn't believe how low the price was. It was a gift at £40!
Wow! What a steal! I just read what you paid for it and that was a true gift if you ask me!
Those streets were deserted for sure. I do internet shopping, but, I still like to get out there and touch things. There is something satisfying about it. But, with the freezes still going on, everyone is counting their pennies. Having a buying slowdown is not a bad thing in this world of instant gratification.
I love what you are doing with your lens. I can hardly wait to see more. You are never late with me... always on time. :) Thanks for posting to the #MarketFriday challenge. It is always and forever appreciated, the time and effort spent.
Upped and Steemed
I agree there is nothing like seeing the product/produce first hand to get a feel for it plus we had some groceries home delivered once or twice and the quality of the fruit and veg was very poor.
Under normal circumstances I would also go along with:-
Unfortunately this slow down is the result of official government policy.
They call it 'austerity measures' lol
I call it economic ignorance :-)
The free market has never existed in the entire history of the world
The crazy low price of the lens indicates market collapse :-)
Lucky me ha ha
Stack that crypto pronto :-)
Please send some for me to stack! Thank you in advance. :)
Ha ha here's a couple of cents for the time being :-)
It's a start!
Bravo! Thanks! ;)
Nice lens! I'm totally jealous. I'd love a good camera one day.
Keep blogging and it will happen.
I started blogging in the 1990's with a Fujifilm coolpix snap camera and just bought stuff as I earned money from my blogs. This was way before steemit was even an idea.
Nowadays I do have some good kit but it is definitely not essential for success. Consistency is.
Good luck on your journey :-)
Maybe all people are on vacation ... yet! I would like such an objective, but it is far too expensive here, more expensive than the camera. Congratulations on your purchase! The astrophotography is something special, I want you to discover something special in the sky.
That may explain it at another time but many people are not on vacation at this time of year?
England is a very expensive place to live and getting more expensive daily for many of the people.
Oh, I understand! This tends to be valid all over the world. More and more people who can not afford more and more things.
You're right about the holiday ... I did not even realize we were already in September.
Time certainly does fly! :-)
Yes, of course, I feel this more and more.