brooks_lester Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Trying to travel light as I'm going with my wife and 1 year old baby during January 16-25. I have an N80 and D50. I want to shoot as much film as possible. I just like the look more, especially for exteriors. We'll do as much as the baby permits in terms of hiking and accessing natural areas beyond our hotel's beach. We're staying on the Kohala Coast. We intend to go to other areas of the island for rain forest hikes, hit the valleys on the north side, and visit Volcanoes Nat Park. We'll have a 4 wheel drive rental to access the more remote/rougher roads and get to less travelled areas. My wife hates me taking anymore time than simply pointing and shooting, so I may not even bring a tripod... My lens inventory is as follows: Tamron 28-75 XRII f/2.8AF, Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, Nikkor 24mm f/2.8AF, Nikkor 50mm f/2.8AF. I just bought a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8AF for my D50 and it's a terrible lens. Low contrast, yellow-y, and horrible flash exposure. I'm really dissappointed with that lens. So, I only have the kit 18-55 for my D50 as a wide. I'm thinking of taking the Tamron 28-75mm and Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 for the N80. Does anyone have both the Tamron 28-75 and the Nikon 24-85? Which would you take? I love the Tammy's f/2.8 for portraiture but it only goes to 28mm on the wide end. The Nikon 24-85mm looks good too and goes wider and longer but is slower. It's a nice all rounder other than speed. Then again, most of my shooting will be landscapes, and fairly stopped down for DOF. I'm also thinking of getting a super wide zoom. Would you guys recommend this kind of lens for my trip? The Tamron 11-18mm DX lens would also fit my full frame N80 and give me an ultra wide perspective on film in addition to being a super wide on DX... I'm also considering the Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5AF as a film only alternative. I don't want to be changing lenses all the time! My wife will shoot me and understandably so. I don't want to "lose the moment"... What's my game plan, folks? TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob hopkins Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I am very surprised you dont like the 17-50, i have it, and it is one of my sharpest and favorite lenes. If you have a chance, you might want to try returning it and getting another copy, maybe you just got a bad copy. But i wouldnt give up on that lens so fast. As for the 11-18, i think it only works on digital sensors. The sigma 12-24, works on both digital, and film. So you might want to take a look at that. As for the other lenses, i dont have have them, but i think the 28-75, and the 24mm would be a good combo considering the 24mm is pretty small, and it gives you f2.8 from 24mm to 75mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl_becker2 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Your 24-85 should cover landscapes well enough on film. The 50 f1.8 on digital could give family and speed with the 24mm as backup. Or use the 24-85 for film and 28-75 for digital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titospna Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 At Volcanoes Nat'l Park, eat at the Buffet (all you can eat) at the Volcanoes House and fortify yourself. Unless you are staying up there, check the web-cam (say from Kona) before you drive up and make sure you'll have sunshine for the day. Bring a back-pack frame to tote your baby, and make sure you do the long hike down and up Kileaua-iki. Camera for a general snap-shooting vacation: N80 w/24-85mm & 50mm (f/1.8). The 1.8 will come in handy inside Thurston?s Lava Tube. If it were me, I would bring the D50 instead, with a flash, extra battery. Aloha, man, you will love this place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivid_earth_photographics Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I STRONGLY disagree about the last post re: Volcano House buffet. It was among the most disgusting meals I've ever eaten (and I travel a lot). Stop on your way up to the National Volcanoes Park. Get snacks and sandwiches and/or food for a picnic lunch. There are virtually no food vendors inside the park. And I disagree about the sunshine requirement. In truth, there is very little sunshine in the park. It rains for all or a portion of most days to varying degrees. That said, it doesn't matter. The crater rim drive is spectacular in any weather. If you can get sun, great. If not, still do it. Bring rain slickers. You dry off as quick as you get wet. It's chilly at times up there, so bring a fleece and some layers. The sulpher springs, steam vents, museum and every roadside pullover are AWESOME. The drive down Chain of Craters Road is pretty spectacular too--even if you don't do any hiking at the bottom to find lava flow (that hike would be tough with a baby and can take many hours). Devestation Trail is easier and quicker hike. There is as much to do in the park as you have time for. I stayed 2 days. There's a great botanical garden about an hour north of the park that you may want to stop at. Have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivid_earth_photographics Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 P.S. The Kilauea-iki trail mentioned in a previous post is about 30 minutes down on a trail that switches back and forth a dozen or so times. It's pitched like a steep hill at times, but completely within the abilities of most people. The crater at the bottom is very dramatic and worth the hike down. No need to hike across the crater if you don't want to. Plenty so see right around the trail's end. Bring some water. It was misty and rained a bit when I was hiking down and it was still totally great. All over the park regular hiking shoes with a little ankle support help whether you are on old lava or trails. Flip-flops are a bad idea. Sneakers aren't great in some places either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_hooper1 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Its always difficult to recommend lens choice to another photographer without knowing your style of shooting. One would think you would know your own needs by now. Obviously you are lacking in the telephoto range, and I would recommend bringing a long lens to the Big Island of Hawaii with the capability of at least 200mm. Because your hotel is on the Kohala coast, you are in for some lengthy drives to visit the areas of the island you mention. I suggest booking a hotel room in Hilo for at least one night so you don't have to drive back to Kohala each day. Since you will have an off road capable vehicle, I recommend driving up to the top of 4200m high Mauna Kea volcano for sunrise or sunset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivid_earth_photographics Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Whoa on the drive up Mauna Kea (or a tour van) with the baby until you consult a pediatrician. Infants may develope altitutde sickness at those heights but be unable to communicate it and the symptoms are easily confused for normal baby stuff. The top of the ride is something like an altitude of 13,000-14,000 feet if I recall. Okay. Not exactly lens advice. Sorry. Ditto the Hilo Hotel. Or better yet, a cottage right outside the park entrance for a night or two. Make life much easier. It is a BIG island to circumnavigate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray House Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I don't mean to be rude, I really don't! however...you're asking questions and then sub questions and you're going to get ten different answers for every question you ask! You don't know what kind of film to take (film and processing post), what kind of camera, what kind of lens (which you have about five or six in about the same focal lenth, don't know if you will take a tripod yet you want to close down for DOF... photography in a large part is about making dicisions as to all you are asking about. Just grab a lens, a tripod, a camera and some film and go have a great vacation. You will get more satisfaction by making your own choices. And of course, post some pics when you get back so we can see what you did. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerrySiegel Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I am not rude either,but may seem less than responsive.Take everything you own. Then LEAVE it in the hotel in the closet. Don't plan on fine dining, you want to stay lean and mean and get up early:-) You know you want to bring all the contingency stuff. Do it. That is why we were given Pelican cases and the heavy duty nylon....and pay the airline the extra fifty bucks baggage if they insist, the bums. Then, quick-like, go order up a few "backup"items,as below, and find out you will be happy and successful shooter using a medium size Mountainsmith bum-bag lightly packed with-hang on now- a nice Nikon P5100 Adult P and S, an ER 20 adapter and a EC67 wide angle screw on adapter w SB400 flash and will also hold maybe one disposable diaper and trash bag for rain. (And instruct the missus to use the Nikon Coolpix on P mode! You get to hold the kid :-)sometime,right?... I biked around the circumference of the big island once with considerable gear years ago but I was crazy then, as you are not. So go light,stay hydrated, catch the light, get on the trails, and enjoy the feast of nature's creation of new islands as you watch. Take light rain gear and a sweater. A serious opinion,whatever else your gut or online pals tell you. Remember, everyone comes back to Hawaii again. Be well and enjoy your trip and the fun of planning. An adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerrySiegel Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 PS: Brooks, a light CF monopod or at least a table top Manfrotto would not hurt,for when you want to all get into the photo with Kilauea in the back. Adds little and can make the shot sometimes. Yes,point and shoot Coolpixes with VR do well on pods if you turn off the stabilization I find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerrySiegel Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 PPS. Some astronomers carry oxygen when they to the Keck (sp?) observatory on top of the mountains. The Hilo idea is not bad. An interesting departure from where you are going to stay, like another island in some ways. Or book at someplace like Volcano, maybe a B and B. Be well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conrad_hoffman Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Decades ago when I was in far better shape, my wife and I went up to see the observatories- fantastic, but the altitude was still very stressful. Do not run, even 20 feet. Not the place for baby at all. Also, when hiking around, wear hiking boots and long pants. If you slip and fall on lava, it's like falling on razor blades. My wife still has the scars on her knees from 20+ years ago. As for lenses, I bought a 20mm f/2.8 especially for the trip, and it was the smartest move I ever made. You need that, or an equivalent for the digital. Don't use it all the time, as the effect can be monotonous, but when you need it for the vistas, nothing else will do- well, except maybe stitching some panoramas with the digital- don't forget that technique! Check your histograms. As long as you have detail in the highlights, everything else can be fixed. Blow the highlights and you're stuck. Learn to horse-trade. There must be something your wife wants to do, and you should prearrange having enough time to shoot when you want it, in exchange for whatever it is she wants to do. Or are you just too PW'd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwg Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Sounds like you need something like the 80-200mm Nikon. I haven't used one, but I read it is very good for what it is. Take that for the digital. Get a 28-105 for the film camera. It's a perfect travel lens. Then there is no need to switch lenses and slow the family down. You'll have VR on the digital for when the light gets dim. Otherwise there should be plenty of light for handholding with 100 speed film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwg Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Sorry, I meant the 18-200mm Nikon not the 80-200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 hi, i'd strongly consider getting something wider than the 18-55, like the tokina or nikon 12-24 or sigma 10-20, for landscape use. one of those with the 18-200 and maybe a 50/1.8 could handle most situations. the compatibility with film would be the only reason to get the 11-18, which isnt as good as the tokina according to most comparisons i've read. you also don't have anything for the long end, so a 70-300 g would be an inexpensive option (and the 70-300 vr being the best option). tripod/monopod would be recommended as well. among your current inventory, i'd definitely take the tamron (btw, i also have the 17-50 and it's almost as sharp as the nikkor 50/1.8. sorry you got a bad one but it's far from a lemon if you get a good copy. luck of the draw, i suppose...). i'd skip the 24-85 and take the 18-55 for w/a use. if you insist on taking two bodies, you can mount the tam on the n80, 18-55 on the d50. unless the 24mm prime is substantially sharper than the tamron, i'd leave it at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooks_lester Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 Gerry - I posted this message, more than anything, just to send a flyer up on the web and see if anything came back that I hadn't thought of. I had a lot of coffee on that morning, and instead of simply searching and reading similar posts, I thought I'd post my own question and see what results I would get. If you were irritated or frustrated by my post, why waste more of your valuable time responding to it? I could just take my Olympus Stylus Epic loaded up with Superia Extra 400 and do just fine. But, I thought I'd see what you guys had to say. I appreciate everyone else's comments very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooks_lester Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 Apologies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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