Canon Red Bus Tour with Cameraland

Since getting my Canon 100D in February this year, I haven’t had the chance to actually post about my experiences using it… 2 reasons: I am an absolute novice and didn’t know where to start to describe my experience; and I wasn’t consistent in taking pictures (life got in the way!). After going for the introductory course that’s complimentary when buying the camera, I haven’t had the chance to invest more time in it (but I’ve posted a few photographs on my Instagram account if you’re interested in giving it a squiz).

The Photo Tour

On Saturday, Canon South Africa and Cameraland hosted a Red Bus Tour for a group of Canon shooters. I was both nervous and excited – I didn’t know what to expect so I went along without any expectation.

A group of us had the opportunity to be tourists in Cape Town (home for most – if not all – of us). We hopped onto a City Sightseeing red bus and had 3 stops: Groot Constantia, Hout Bay Harbour and Camps Bay, to shoot whatever tickled our fancy. And we did.

Apart from the glaring fact that we looked like first-time tourists to South Africa (backpacks/slings, comfy shoes and clothing, water, cameras in hand), the weather was certainly on our side. The chilly morning air quickly met with the hot sun and the day turned out to be a scorcher. This meant clear shots all the way!

Along with Cameraland’s hospitable rep, Lana, we were accompanied by two camera experts (one from Canon and one from Cameraland), who were available for advice and tips. A few Canon EOS M10 cameras were brought along the journey for those of us who wanted to try shooting with them.

The Details

I’m still learning (my photographs do speak for themselves 🙂 ), but if you are also just joining the club, here’s some basic camera-talk to give you the details:
I shot using an 18-55 mm lens, on AV mode and manual focus for most of the pictures. I have a specific interest in getting into macrophotography, so taking photographs of landscape was a challenge for me. For those kinds of shots, I simply changed the AV mode to Landscape on the dial and winged it. I haven’t adjusted the shutter speed, ISO or aperture settings for anything.

I would like to invest in a 50 mm prime lens. I’ve played around with one during the introductory course earlier this year, and regular shots instantly become amazing.

The tour went off well; the 3.5-4 hours were enough to get some good snaps and meet and mingle with other Canon lovers.

PS. If you are visiting Cameraland for any gear, make a stop upstairs for coffee. The lounge area is cosy with awesome photography books and camera lenses on display, and a roof garden with pretty views of Cape Town’s streets (perfect opportunity to try out your new gear 🙂 ).

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Do you have any tips to share? Please do!