Tag Archives: two

Quick Report on Canon EOS 5D Mark II Battery Performance

After four days photographing – in sometimes stunning conditions – in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite, it seems odd to make my first post about a technical issue. But, here I go.

People wonder about the LP-E6 battery performance of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera. While I haven’t conducted and “scientific” tests of battery performance, what I have observed thus far is quite encouraging. Over the past three and a half days or so I made 533 exposures plus a few more that I deleted in the camera. I do a fair amount of “chimping” and I used the live view feature just a bit. After all of that the battery life indicator still showed two our of four bars.

All in all, I think this seems like great battery life. Many 5D II shooters will find that one battery is sufficient, and very few  should need more than one spare. (I currently have one spare. Because of some unusual use patterns – including backcountry pack trips of one to two weeks duration – I’m considering one more spare.)


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

At the Front – American Velodrome Challenge

At the Front - American Velodrome Challenge

At the Front – American Velodrome Challenge. Hellyer Park Velodrome, San Jose, California. June 26, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two track riders at the front of the group and coming out of a turn in front of the stands – American Velodrome Challenge, Hellyer Park, San Jose, California.

I’m curious… there were quite a few other photographers at this event. Has anyone seen any other photographs from them yet?

This is yet another in the recent “motion blur photographs of bicycle track racing” series. To add one note to this series – it occurred to me today that these are a type of night photography. I do quite a bit of night photography, though it is usually the more typical tripod-based stuff. However, these images were made in lighting conditions not all that different from some of my urban night photo work.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: bike, bicycle, racing, track, velodrome, national, professional, san jose, california, usa, two, rider, racer, competitor, sprint, bank, curve, turn, santa clara, county, hellyer, park, night, pack, group, peloton, american, challenge, stock

Birds and Winter Surf

Birds and Winter Surf

Birds and Winter Surf. South of San Francisco, California. January 12, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Birds congregate along a stream with winter surf and bluffs above the Pacific Coastline in the distance – south of San Francisco, California.

I frequently stop along this section of the Pacific Coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, in a location where the road descends to almost the level of the beach. On this winter day the low clouds and fog were backlit by the sun as large winter surf rolled in. These birds appeared to be feeding in the creek near where it entered the surf and were just starting to take to the air as I exposed this photo.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: seascape, landscape, beach, bluff, surf, wave, pacific, ocean, coast, sand, water, reflection, bird, gull, flock, flight, creek, stream, hill, seaweed, two, people, highway, one, california, usa, fog, mist, cloud, travel, scenic, stock, black and white

Templo la Hermosa

Templo la Hermosa

Templo la Hermosa. San Jose, California. January 4, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Front doors and entrance of Templo la Hermosa de los Asembleas de Dios, San Jose, California.

Very late in the day, as the low sunlight hit the front of this rather plain brick church near the train station in down town San Jose head on, I walked past and noticed the very thick arch and old wooden doors, along with the bushes casting shadows on the front of the entry.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: afternoon, building, california, city, county, downtown, evening, san jose, santa clara, urban, church, temple, templo, de hermosa, asembleas de dios, arch, brick, wall, steps, porch, entry, two, doors, wooden, sign, bush, plant, railing, wrought iron, usa, stock