What would you buy for your current R camera

Suppose you came across some extra cash and decided to buy something for your R-series camera—what would you choose?

Tough question, right?

As for me, what would I buy to pair with my Canon R6 Mark I? Since I spend about 80% of my time shooting wildlife, it makes sense to invest in a lens suited for that purpose. If you want to stick with Canon, there aren’t too many options—so the lens I’d choose is the Canon RF 100-500mm.

To complement this lens, I’d also get the RF 1.4x Extender. You might ask, “If you’re getting the extender, why not just go for the RF 200-800mm?” Well, here’s my reasoning: the RF 100-500mm paired with the 1.4x Extender gives me a range of 140-700mm. I actually prefer that range, especially on the lower end. For the kind of work I do, 140mm works better for me than 200mm.

Now I’m curious—what would you buy?

 

Electronic First Curtain Shutter

From all the shutter modes available in the Canon R6 Mark I, the one that I always use is the Electronic First Curtain Shutter or EFCS. In the Canon R7, I was using Electronic Shutter most of the time, but I stopped using it in the R6 because this camera is totally silent in this mode, and I love to have the sound feedback from the shutter. 

Here is a nice video explaining the differences between the Electronic, Mechanical, and EFCS.

Canon R1 vs Canon R6 Mark II

Here’s a video comparing two cameras: the Canon R1 and the Canon R6 Mark II. Spoiler alert—the R1 knocks out the R6 Mark II in almost every comparison point. That’s the main reason you pay $6,000 for the R1 and $2,000 for the R6 Mark II.

 

The R1 is, without a doubt, a dream machine—specifically designed for companies that can afford this tool to produce high-quality content, whether it’s for commercials, magazines, or other professional publications. For the rest of us mortals, the R6 Mark II gets the job done, delivering photo and video quality that’s more than decent. And when I say decent, I mean good enough to earn money from your work if you're a professional photographer dreaming of one day owning an R1.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III priced higher than Canon R1

I completely agree with this article. Technically speaking, there’s no logical reason to justify why Canon is pricing the EOS-1D X Mark III at $6,499 while the Canon R1 is being sold for around $6,300—unless, perhaps, the R1 isn’t selling well and is being treated as little more than a new version of the Canon R3.

 

Don’t get me wrong—the EOS-1D X Mark III is built like a tank. It’s one of the best DSLRs on the market. It’s just strange to see a company release a new version of what’s supposed to be the flagship at a lower price than the old “king.”

Windjammers for your mirrorless camera

This is one of those stupidly simple products that makes a huge difference. I have to say, I had my doubts about the effectiveness of these windjammers. But I thought, well — it can't be worse than the horrible noise I’ve been getting from my Canon R6 when shooting video in the wild. The difference is like night and day — no more noise!

Very simple to install! Highly recommended. 

 

The product description says that it's for Sony RX cameras but it will virtually work in any camera with a single hole for the Microphone like seem in the above photo. I used in my Canon R6 two microphones and I tested shooting a video of ceiling fan blowing air directly into the camera and what a difference! No more noise!

Sony HDR-CX405

The Sony HDR-CX405 was released in 2015 and is still being sold today — something that’s hard to believe in a time when smartphones are, without a doubt, the preferred tool for recording home video. So why is this camera still so popular?

First of all, camcorders are making a comeback. It’s hard to say whether this resurgence is driven by nostalgia or by people realizing that smartphones have limitations, many of which camcorders easily overcome.

While this camera doesn’t offer 4K, it delivers decent quality 1080p video at 60fps, along with a very good 30x optical zoom.

You can find more information about this tiny camcorder here.

You can buy this camera at Amazon for around $350 but if you look around you can buy it used for as low as $180!

Compared to an iPhone 16 Pro, If you want long zoom, traditional camcorder handling, and straightforward 1080p video, the Sony HDR-CX405 still holds its own for simple use cases like family events, wildlife, and hobby filming.

If you want top-tier image quality, 4K/8K recording, powerful stabilization, smart editing, and easy social media sharing, the iPhone 16 Pro is the clear winner.

The choice comes down to: dedicated zoom & simplicity (Sony) vs. all-in-one power & convenience (iPhone).

Here is a short video that I made testing this camera, outdoor and indoor. 

 

 

This is a very simple camera, the equivalent to a point and shoot, and I’m still learning how to set the exposure properly, but I’m pleased with the sharpness and overall video quality. It’s not a professional camera, but it gets the job done. I’m planning to test it more thoroughly over the weekend.

Getting a M series Mac for your photo editing?

If you are thinking about getting a M Series Mac for your photo editing tasks you must read this article published by PC Mag. And this is why you should read it. With the release of M4-based Macs, Macs with M1, M2, and M3 chips are being sold at lower prices. So far, this isn’t a secret. The key detail is that Apple is no longer producing M1, M2, or M3 chips, meaning that once current stock runs out, that’s it. When they’re gone, you’ll have only one option: buying an M4. Keep in mind that the MacBook Air is now three times cheaper than when Apple first released it.

This explains why, when I bought the M3 MacBook Air, I posted about the great deal I got. To my surprise, that deal was gone the very next day—and never came back. 

Right now, it's hard to find new M1, M2, and M3 Macs, but you can get great deals on refurbished units. In this case, I’d recommend considering sellers that offer a one-year warranty and checking if the battery was replaced during the refurbishing process.

PS. Many experts consider the  Lenovo Thinkpad X9-14 Gen 1 as the closest competition to the MacBook Air. And guess what, it priced in around $1850 at Amazon.