Why Queen Victoria's birthday sucked, with some cruddy souvenirs.

[JeffR]

Well, yesterday was Victoria Day up here among the friendly socialists to the north. Every Victoria Day, the city puts on a fireworks display at Ashbridge's Bay. We usually watch it from our front yard, which is about 1.75 miles north of the bay (I can't get my head around kilometers). Decent view, but useless for photos. So this year I thought I'd brave the crowds and a cool night and head down.

Battery charged? Check.

Lenses chosen? Check. (Packed the Tokina 12-24mm and 80-400mm, and the Canon nifty 50 for good measure.)

Tripod? Check.

Flashlight? Check.

Notes on a few settings I wanted to experiment with? Check.

Arrive early? Check.

Got there about 40 minutes before the show, walked around scouting out a likely vantage. Finally found a great spot on a hillside with not too much foot traffic nearby. Wind at about a 45 degree angle from right to left, so smoke shouldn't be an issue.

Set up tripod, took a few test shots to make sure I knew what my field of view would be with each lens. Set mirror lockup.

Waited.

Decided to start with the 50mm, then switch to the long zoom, maybe trying some wide shots also.

Fireworks start. My spot was absolutely ideal! Thank you, Google Earth.

Take first shot.

Get Error 99 on the LCD (Canon's equivalent to Microsoft's blue-screen-of-death.)

Switch camera off, then back on. Try again. Error 99.

Remove and reinstall battery. Error 99.

Repeat above steps several times. Error 99. All the while, the fireworks blazed in the sky.

Error 99. Error 99. Error 99. Minutes pass. Crescendo approaching. Error 99. Error 99.

Finally in despair of getting anything, I reach into the bag and grab the 12-24mm, change lenses and shoot. No Error 99.

So in the end I got a few shots, but with a focal range that was inappropriate for my vantage. I was just in the process of lunging for the 80-400mm when it all came to a spectacular finish.

Walked home, did some mad cropping and here are a few of the results.









Next year, well, it's going to be a triumph.:eyes:

And as to Error 99, I'll be cleaning the contacts on the camera and on the 50mm tomorrow, as a first step at least. Error 99 is Canonspeak for "There's a problem here, but who knows what it might be?" It might even be the shutter going, though after just under 10,000 captures, it had damn well better not be.

[CC]

1. At least you got some shots.

Pretty spectacular ones too.


Try putting the lens back on when you are not doing anything else and adjust the f stops to either the lowest or highest setting on the lens. See if that helps. I have a lens that gives an error unless it is at the lowest f-stop since the camera really controls the aperture.

[JeffR]

2. Appreciate the advice. Thanks!

I haven't used the 50mm too much, so this was a surprise. I'll try your suggestion. It was at f/16 when I started getting the errors. I had a grim laugh over the fact that the errors stopped when I slapped on a 3rd-party lens.

[CC]

4. After having near heart failure

with a 400mm prime lens I now know to try the simple things first.

[JeffR]

8. I wish that response could be pinned permanently at the top of the forum.

:D

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Nice shots, Jeff.

Fireworks are always a challenge. I think the third one here is my favorite.

[JeffR]

6. Thanks. I was happy to come back with anything.

It was quite a show. There's another one on July 1st, but I'm expecting to be sitting in a friend's back yard that night getting a buzz on, a nice tradition she offers in celebration of Canada Day, and in considerate deference to Nance and me, Independence Day.

[Mira]

5. Number 4 to me is very cool. It looks like 3 separate things are going on and

masterfully superimposed.
Sorry you had such a frustration, I'm naturally clueless what might have gone on, am still trying to read printouts about "raw" photography
:)

:fistbump: for keeping your cool and telling a good story.

[JeffR]

7. Keep studying up on RAW.

I swear you won't regret it.

As for keeping my cool, all that kept popping into my head on the walk home last night was Eric Cartmann saying, "I am so pissed off." It was hours before I calmed down.:)