joel_turner

Thanks for all the responses. I'm going to compile a list of items I need, thoroughly review camera equipment necessities and try to pare it down. I think between my wife and I we should be able to distribute the weight so that both of us have no more than 60lbs total.

Good Morning,

 

I'd like to hear your experience if you've traveled to Kenya anytime

within the past several years and have taken small planes from Wilson

Airport to any of the outlying regions. I'm leaving for a safari in

late September, and have been told that the weight restriction for the

small planes is 15kg or 33lbs which includes hand bags. I'm curious

how you traveled with camera equipment and other items and were able

to meet the weight restriction. I'm nervous about the following

statement on the AirKenya web site. "The carriage of excess baggage is

the sole discretion of the Company after taking into consideration the

aircraft being used and the number of passengers booked. When excess

baggage is carried it will be charged at the prevailing freight rate.

Paying the extra freight is not an issue as the exchange rate equals

to $2.20 per kg. At most I may be 6 - 10 lbs over.

 

Has any one been forced to leave baggage behind or been charged

excessive fees? What packing strategies did you use? Some people

advocate using a photo vest and walking on with your equipment.

Personally I don't see how that would work in this situation

 

Thanks in advance for your repsonses.

 

--Joel Turner

I hear what you're saying but there are no such things as Cybercafes in the Virunga Mountains or at a tented camp.

Well I generated a lot of interesting opinions over the last several days.I'm coming to more of a conclusion about what I plan to do. Factors that influence this decision are money, versatility and leveraging what I already own.

 

If I were using film I would have brought about 130 rolls of film which equals 4680 frames so here is what I plan to do:

 

1) Upgrade the Image Tank G2 from 20GB to 60GB. Easy to do by myself. Drives are in the $140.00 range. Image Tank comes with a 12V plug.

2) Take the Dell Laptop. Centrino Model that weighs about 5lbs. Has a DVD burner. Dell has a great travel adapter that is very light and includes a 12V plug.

3) Purchase a Lacie 80GB external USB drive. Will be powered by laptop.

4) Purchase four 1GB cards CF cards.

 

My strategy is simple. Each game drive is covered by the four 1GB cards and the two 512MB cards that I currently own. That equates to approximately 17 rolls of film. Each card is downloaded to the Image Tank. After the game drive the Image Tank will be copied to the Lacie connected to the laptop. Erase CF cards. If time permits, I will burn a third copy to DVD. Image review will be limited to technique and exposure. I will not be converting images or Photoshopping them while in Africa.

 

I have checked with my outfitter to see if the vehicles come with a 12V or 16V adapter. I will purchase an inverter to use in the vehicle and charge items as needed. As a backup I will purchase a Digital Camera Battery. They also sell an adapter that outputs 12V DC. The items listed above can then be connected to that if necessary. Will be used mainly in Rwanda where I will not have access to power for three days.

 

During the Gorilla Trek some of these items will be left with the lodge manager for safekeeping. While in Kenya, items will be taken with me on game drives and carried in a Lowpro Computrekker AW. I agree with Shun that digital is here to stay and these issues, mainly power and storage need to dealt with.

Thanks for all the feedback so far.

 

Film is not an option as I mentioned in my opening. For this particular application digital makes sense. I agree that I need some more CF cards. As prices keep falling, this becomes even more of an option.

 

My primary concern here is one of backup. While I think Quang-Tuan's suggestion hints at this, I don't see how two Epson P-2000's will accomplish that. Perhaps one combined with an upgrade to my Image Tank will suffice.

 

Stephanie, I considered the ApacerDisc Steno but that's an awful lot of CD's to bring. A DVD drive will back up 40GB of data within 10 discs. That's equivalent to 60 CD's. I have considered the Jobo ImageMaestro Pro or a similar device which burns DVD's.

 

The laptop serves several purposes here:

 

1) Ability to play DVD Movies on plane and during down time

2) Ability to burn DVD backups

3) Storage of images on laptop

4) Ability to review and edit

5) Internet connectivity

 

I am beginning to feel that my current laptop in Africa is asking for trouble. I think with digital becoming more and more prevalent and with the proliferation of Digital SLR's I think a manufacturer would clean up if they offered a device with the screen of an Epson P-2000, 80GB drive, DVD Burner and the ability to play AVI, DIVX and MP3.

This is somewhat of a follow-up to an earlier post that I made on

Safari telephoto lens choice. Based on feedback and my own research,

I have decided to purchase a Canon 20D as my primary and my 300D will

serve as my backup. Since I've going completely digital, I now have

two problems that I need to deal with, storage and power. In the past

I have traveled with an Image Tank 20GB wallet that I used to store my

images. I brought no other devices with me. First the storage issue.

I plan to take two 1 GB cards and 1 512MB card with me. The Image

Tank will get an upgrade from 20GB to 40GB. Assuming a 80/20 ratio of

20D to 300D (will use both cameras at the same time. Hopefully will

be able to reduce sensor dust by not changing lenses often) I believe

I will be able to fit around 115 images (RAW+jpg) on each card

shooting RAW. That is about 127 rolls of 36exp film. My question is,

assuring this type of data load, how do you deal with storage in the

field for a prolonged (17 day trip)? I feel I have two options, carry

a laptop, the one I have is a 14" model that weighs 5lbs, or purchase

one of the newer wallet/DVD burner combos. The laptop is certainly

more versatile but could be more prone to theft in Kenya or Rwanda. I

can not leave it in the lodges or the hotel room. The laptop weight

will also contribute heavily towards my carry on limit. Either way I

need to carry more than one device in case of failure. Ideally I wish

that someone would come out with a model like the Archos 400 that

included a DVD burner and the ability to view RAW. I could lose my

IPOD, Portable DVD player and Digital Wallet and replace them with one

device.

 

The other issue is power. While in Rwanda, I will not have access to

electricity for about 2-3 days. I am considering purchasing the

Digital Camera Battery as an option. They have accessory cables that

will allow me to power a number of devices. Does anyone have any

direct experience using one of them in the field? In Kenya this will

be less of an issue as a DC /AC inverter will allow charging during

game drives. Some of the camps I'm staying at may not have

electricity in the tents.

 

Looking for feedback on how others have dealt with these issues in the

past. I realize that this might not be a nature photography question

per se, but I think it's applicable with digital the standard now.

 

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Thanks for all the input so far. I need to clarify a couple of things based on responses.

 

I have not done the gorilla hiking myself but have read reports on it including the scouting report on Joe McDonald's web site. He used (film at the time) a Sigma 120-300 2.8 and a 28-135 IS. You absolutely do not need a 500 focal length for this. While you are restricted from approaching the Gorillas too closely once you make contact and set up, the gorillas do not follow these rules and often approach within several feet of observers. Digitally If I went with a 100-400 IS I'd bump the ISO up to 400 minimum for the shooting conditions, with film the 70-200 and 300 would suffice and I'd carry Fuji Provia 400 and push it as needed. The other thing to bear in mind is that most trips you use porters to carry equipment for a nominal fee.

 

Another clarifier - I own 2 CF cards already but would need to get at least several more in the 1GB range for the 20D. I also own an Image Tank with a 20GB hard drive which would need an upgrade. The Gorilla lodge and some of the tented camps in Kenya do not have electricity so at the very least multiple batteries and/or a high capacity battery like the one at DigitalBattery.com would be needed for parts of the trip and then recharged at various points. I really do not want to bring a laptop on the trip but must if I go digital. I should have said up-front that I plan on shooting RAW and will need storage accordingly.

 

Weight is a factor. My flight back from the Mara is on Kenya Airways which has a strict weight limit. I can't carry 40lbs of equipment.

 

I am going on a private safari so there are no other people in the van to worry about other than the wife :-) Surprisingly this was not that much more expensive than joining a group tour and cheaper than going on a published photography safari where 3 per vehicle is the norm.

 

To respond to Jon, the 100-400 does accept the extender but my understanding is that performance is significantly reduced, your minimum aperture is F/8 and autofocus is not possible. Not a good combination. I also see Beau and Mark's argument about the IS on the 500. Digitally that becomes an 800 lens digitally and that's before the extender. Even with a beanbag I'm not sure what my keeper percentage would be based on sharpness.

 

A big factor for me is not the film vs digital argument (each has it's own use) but the performance between an EOS 3 and the Digital Rebel. Perhaps the 20D will close the functionality gap.

Hello. I am planning a trip to Kenya and Rwanda (Gorilla Trekking)

this fall and am looking for general advice from all and

specifically from those who shoot both film (slide) and digital. My

current kit (relevant to this discussion) is comprised of the

following:

 

Bodies:

Canon EOS 3

Canon Digital Rebel

 

Lenses:

 

Canon 17-40 L

Canon 28-135 IS

Canon 50 1.8

Canon 70-200 F/4 L

Canon 300 F/4 non-IS

Canon 1.4x Extender

 

My dilemma is this. While I enjoy my Digital Rebel it is nowhere

near as full featured as my EOS 3 (AF, Metering, Predictive

Autofocus, High frame rate, bright viewfinder) which concerns me.

I'm especially leery about using my Rebel in the Virunga Forests as

I'm concerned that it is not environmentally sealed enough for that

environment (high elevation, moisture). In addition, my lenses may

not be fast enough for film and with digital the ability to quickly

change ISO and immediate feedback appears to be the appropriate tool.

I'm also concerned that in Kenya I do not have enough lens reach with

film based shooting. There are articles on the web about this but

they primarily deal with the decision of doing a film vs digital

safari and in many cases the authors already own the appropriate

telephoto lenses.

 

Based on this information, here are the scenarios I'm contemplating:

 

1. Go all film, don't add any focal length and spend about $1,000 on

film and processing. Use Provia 400 where needed and Push 1 stop for

extra speed. If I miss shots so be it.

 

2. Purchase a 20D, use the Rebel as backup and leave the film at

home. With the crop factor I should be able to cover 112 - 480

natively and 156 - 672 with the extender. I can also keep the 70-200

mounted on one camera and the 300 mounted on another to minimize lens

changes.

 

3. Same as above but purchase a 100-400 IS lens. It's not as sharp

and it's a stop slower but it replaces two lenses in my kit. Based

on my research, samples vary but by stopping down one stop the high

end softness can be eliminated. It does allow more compositional

freedom and can also be used as a handheld secondary birding lens for

group and flight shots. Downside if it breaks in Africa I have no

backup.

 

4. Shoot both film and digital and purchase a used Canon 500 non-is

lens or a Sigma 500 F/4.5. The Sigma lens is supposed to be very

good but at $3339 is not cheap. This gives me lens coverage with

film and extender at the telephoto range at: 300, 420 ,500 and 700.

Digital of course will be higher. I can also autofocus above 5.6

with the EOS 3 which can not be done with either the 20D or the Rebel.

 

I'm personally leaning towards number two as an option. There are of

course ancillary costs associated with that decision. I need digital

storage, the ability to backup remotely, extended power which adds

several hundred dollars to the decision. The addition of the 100-400

also has some merit. I can see it be used for a variety of purposes

other than safari. The last option is the least likely course of

action. Ideally I'd like to rent the lens but have been unable to

find a place that does. The rental jump seems to be from 300 to 400

to 600. I have no desire to carry a 400 2.8 or 600 to Africa.

 

Thanks in advance for your input.

Although you did not specifically ask it, the other thing to keep in mind is that third party quick release plates and brackets from Kirk and RRS are not available for the BP-E1. Not a big deal if you are handholding but if you do landscape work the custom L-Bracket solution is not an option.

I'm not sure if the 420EX has FEC and the 300D does not either. You'll be relying on the camera's automatic fill-in flash algorithm with no way to override. I've found it to be hit or miss on my 300D. I prefer to dial in an additional -0.7 on my 550EX for fill flash work and have found it to much more effective than the pure automatic mode.

Rob.. I'll take a look at the A80. Thanks.

 

River.. Do you find that the histogram correlates to the 5 stop latitude of slide film? Manual override was a given for me.

I'm really directing this question to those of you who still primarily

shoot slide film (35mm) but had wanted to get your feet wet with a

digital camera. Basically the camera would be used for the following

situations:

 

1. Snapshots (parties, holiday gatherings, vacation photos of

people, etc..)

2. As a tool for trying out new ideas (different views of a scene,

angles, exposures, etc..) that I would want to capture on film. Much

like shooting a Polaroid.

 

Output would be used primarily for web and 4x6 or 5x7's for personal

use printed off of an Epson 1280.

 

I'm curious what other people here have done that are still committed

to film for serious work but bought another camera for the situations

I described above and what their thought process was and how it has

worked out for them. I am not interested in a Digital SLR at this

time so please do not recommend a 10D or Digital Rebel.

 

Thanks in advance.

As a quick follow up I contacted the Cheeseman's today and despite an earlier posting they are not stopping their Antarctica tours. They are already taking deposits for 2005-2006 in case anyone is interested.

 

If I am going it will be with them. The potential for 17-19 days of landing is too much to pass up and they are not much more expensive than the other tour operators.

I really do appreciate all the responses so far and your recommendations. I'm prone to seasickness so the thought of a smaller ship gives me pause. I know it sounds strange but I am prepared to be seasick a portion of the trip. I suspect that as time goes on I'll get my "sea legs" and become acclimated. That and a lot of medication!

 

The Cheeseman sight had a lot of good information and as Shun indicated they potentially spend more time at each location which is very enticing. They are also the only sight that really mentioned spending time at the locations to study wildlife. Some of the other sights I looked at such as A&K, Society Expeditions offered the 19 day cruise with a cost that relatively speaking is not that much less and as Shun indicated your at sea for 8 of those. On reading the logs of those trips, on average, weather affected the landings at least twice.

I had thought that the Van OS trip geared to photographers sounded like a good idea but the small ship and the price (more than any other operator) are turn-offs. Each of the tours mentioned above has naturalists, etc. who guide you to the best locations for viewing and photographing which in essence is what you pay for on a "photo safari". Granted you get a photographic leader on Van Os but I suspect those skills can be learned in another workshop setting if needed and do not justify the large differential in price IMHO. Also, in order to meet the itinerary I suspect there will be hard and fast times that they will have to move on regardless of how good the photographic conditions are. Please don't construe that as a knock against Van Os whom I have no direct or indirect experience with and whom I'm sure runs excellent tours.

 

The other factor that comes into play for me is that I will be doing this potentially only once. It's not like going back to Yellowstone every year or two which is easy and in comparison very cheap.

 

I hope the Cheeseman company continues to run these tours as it will take me a little time to save the funds for it for both myself and my wife. She won't let me go without her. :-)

To other photo.net members: I apologize for this post but I attempted

to e-mail Shun with the e-mail address provided on Photo.net and

received a bounce back (user unknown). However if anyone else has

been on a general cruise to Antarctica and would like to share, I

would greatly appreciate it.

 

 

 

 

I read your article on Antarctica on Photo.net and I am seriously

considering going there on a cruise. I'm extremely curious about how

you perceived whether or not you had sufficient time to photograph the

areas that you landed on. You mentioned that it was part of a photo

trip but I suspect that landings were not designed with photographers

in mind. If it's not too much trouble can I ask you to break down a

"typical" day for me. I'm interested in what time the Zodiacs

launched, how long were you allowed to stay in one spot, etc.. My

greatest fear is that I'll spend $10,000 and get two hours in each

place.

 

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Thanks for all the responses. I'm basically deciding between a used 608 or a new Starlite. The cost is equivalent. As I live in NYC I'll probably just go to B&H handle both and make a decision.

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this. I currently have

an Elan 7E which has a partial spot mode, 9.5% to be exact. I'm

considering buying an external spot/incident meter to supplement for

critical exposure use. For landscape use, it becomes very annoying

to remove the camera from the tripod during changing light situations

after carefully setting up a composition to take a spot reading. Also

with a 24mm lens and a 9.5% spot, there is no such thing as a spot

reading. I also end up on many occasions to try to read the contrast

of a scene having to throw on my 70-200 or 300 so that the partial

metering mode becomes more practical. I am also in the process of

buying some used medium format equipment that will most likely not

have a built in meter so the purchase will serve a dual purpose. The

better metered prisms are ridiculously expensive, as much as a stand

alone meter and comparing feature to feature less functional. While a

higher end film body would achieve my goal, I do not anticipate

spending any more money on a film body in 35mm. My next step up would

be a Canon D60 or equivalent however a cursory check shows that the

D60 has the same 9.5%spot.

 

 

 

 

I was wondering if any of you do use an external meter for any of your

35mm or MF work, and if so, do you have any opinions or suggestions?

I've been looking at a Sekonic 508, Gossen Starlite or Minolta Spot F?

I would like to keep new purchases under $500.00

 

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

--Joel Turner

I'd like to thank everyone who responded to my posting. It's certainly given me some food for thought. While I agree with many of the posters who pointed out that the temperature ranges I settled on were not that cold, yesterday in NYC it was 39F, raining with a cold wind. It certainly felt cold to me and I would want adequate protection if I got caught out in it.

 

I'm currently looking at a combination of a Buffalo Special 6 shirt and supplemented by a Go Lite Coal Parka jacket while at rest (on sale for $89.00 direct from them). I think the two will provide adequate warmth for my purposes supplemented by a poncho or other type of rain garment is a low tech solution for wet weather. I'm also exploring the MEC offerings as another poster suggested.

 

Thanks again.

My question may seem a little off target but I think it's

applicable. As we all spend a lot of time outdoors taking pictures,

I'm curious as to how those who actively photograph in the winter

deal with the elements.

 

I live on the East coast of the United States and intend to begin day

hiking in the winter.  The average temperature range in my area is 10

to 45F (-12 to 7 Celsius) without factoring in windchill.  Most days

are between 30 and 45F. Most of the active wear out there is based on

a three piece, three season layering system that is predicated on the

concept that you are moving most of the time and generating body

heat. For me that's not the case. I'll hike build up a sweat, stop,

take pictures for anywhere between 10 minutes and up and then start

up again. Unlike the summer or early fall, it's not as simple as

throwing on a midweight piece of fleece.

 

What kind of layering systems do you all use that breathe and keep

you warm while hiking, but allow you to stay relatively still for

periods of time of 30 minutes or more in below freezing temperatures

in addition to some form of wet weather protection. Does anyone use

Pertex/Pile systems like Buffalo, Montane or Paramo? I'd appreciate

your thoughts, comments, advice.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

--Joel

OK I'm convinced. I've settled on getting a 300/4 with a 1.4 TC. I will use a combination of Kenko extension tubes and 500D for macro work which can be used on both the 300/4 and the 28-135 IS with a step down ring 77-72. This should be about $1000 all together give or take and within my budget. I appreciate all the advice given here.

 

I have one last small question regarding coverage. Do I need coverage from the 135 - 300 range? I've been reading John Shaw's Nature Field guide extensively and realize that I'm limited to the 80 -135 range for medium telephoto work. Is this a crucial gap?

In looking over the specs for 28-135IS I noted that the lens can already focus down to 1.5ft which already makes it a "close up" lens. Would a diopter increase magnification or is that primarily the function of extension tubes? I would also think that the IS would come in handy shooting in this mode. While I appreciate the advice about dumping the lens, I happen to like it a lot and I use it extensively for travel and situations where a tripod is not welcome.

Yes I know, my silence is deafening. :) Actually I've been sitting back and enjoying the dialogue. Here are my thoughts to this point.

 

I'm becoming more convinced about the fixed focal length approach. I think a 300/4 with a teleconverter may be the way to go. I'm still torn between a Canon lens or a Sigma or Tokina. I know there are some compatibility issues with my Elan 7E that I need to investigate. KEH has a Canon listed at $725 and a Sigma 300 at $325 and a Sigma 400 5.6 HSM Macro at $499.00. I have no idea what the going rate is for a clean Canon 300/4. Couldn't care less what it looks like as the long as the glass is clean. I also have no idea what the going rate is for a used Canon 300/4L.

 

On the macro front, I'm inclined to go with a new Vivitar. For $149.00 I think it's worth it. If I can use the manual verison on my EOS it's even cheaper. I imagine I'll be manually focusing in macro mode most of the time anyway so AF may not be such an issue. I can not use a Canon 250D on my 28-135 zoom (filter size too small) and the 500D is $134.00 which would go on the 300/4. I could use a 250D on my 50 but I'm not sure I want that to be my only option.

 

So there you have it. Let the fine tuning begin Shun!

Mike- Appreciate the response. I guess I should have mentioned that my overall budget is less than a $1,000 which would preclude me from purchasing either of those lenses let alone both. I think as I get more experienced and begin to shoot more than I might be able to justify those types of purchases.

I have been reading through a ton of posts regarding equipment

choices that my head is beginning to spin from all the info. I

currently have an Canon Elan 7E with a 24mm/2.8, 50 Mark II 1.8 and a

28-135mm IS lens. This combo has served me well for travel purposes

and for landscape photography. I am now looking to expand my kit to

include some macro and wildlife capability. Let me state up front

that I am not a professional, have no aspirations of becoming one but

am somebody who enjoys photography. My image goals are the

occasional blow-up to 8X10 & 11X14. My wildlife goals are mainly

larger critters such as Elk, Bison, hopefully a bear (but not too

close). Macro goals are flower and insect shots.

 

My main question is based on that criteria how would you go about

adding additional lenses to this kit? Things that are influencing my

decision.

 

I will always use a tripod for telephoto work.

Have purchased many filters for use at 72mm such as circular

polarizers and warming filters. I use a step down filter for the

other lens sizes.

Size and weight

Elan 7E compatibility - Conflicting reports on Sigma and Tokina Models

 

I have narrowed it down to 5 combinations and am looking for some

feedback and to see if there is something that I may have missed:

 

1. Purchase consumer level zoom such as Canon 100-300 (non L),

75-300 IS, Sigma 75-300 APO Marco. Optically all in the same class.

Can not use a teleconverter. Sigma offers Macro capability but only

at 300mm and from what I've read is kind of chunky.

 

2. Same as above but drop the Sigma lens and purchase a Vivitar

100mm 3.5 macro lens in addition to one of the Canon lenses. Yeah

build quality is not that great but I've read really good things

about the optics. If I get serious about macro work would upgrade to

a Canon 100/2.8 at a later date.

 

3. Same as 1 but add a Canon close up diopter to the telephoto

zoom or the 28-135. Cost is not that much less than the Vivitar lens.

 

4. Purchase a used Tokina 100-300 ATX zoom and a 1.4 X Kenko

teleconverter or the Sigma 100-300 EX HSM with a teleconverter.

Significantly more expensive and the weight and filter factor enters

into the equation here.

 

5. Forgo a zoom, buy a fixed 300 with a teleconverter. Either a

used Canon L or a used Sigma or Tokina model. Same issues as 4 and

since I'm not a pro, hard to justify the cost of the Canon equipment.

Concerned about compatibility with the Sigma and Tokina lens with the

7E.

 

Sorry for the length of the post but if this was your outfit, how

would you proceed?

 

Thanks in advance for any responses.

 

--Joel

Jim, Thanks for your response. According to the Canon flash FAQ:

 

<p>

 

" FEL works by issuing a preflash when the AE lock button is pressed.

The camera then stores flash exposure data, biased towards either the

current focus point or the central focus point, for a 16 second

period or for as long as you keep the shutter release pressed

halfway. During this time you can recompose the photo or you can

adjust the aperture and shutter speed (overriding AE lock, which is

set when you press the AE lock button, if you like). FEL is thus

useful for taking photos in which the subject is not covered by one

of the focus points or photos containing reflective surfaces which

can fool flash metering or certain cases in which the subject is

moving. It�s also useful for scenes in which you want to bias the

flash exposure to something other than the current focus point. "

 

<p>

 

That's why I'm confused. If it fires a pre-flash to take a reading,

why would that be evaluative rather than partial? Assuming I have the

flash on, if I focus on something without using FEL, I'm using E-TTL

for the entire scene which defaults to evaluative metering. Now I

pick something else, press FEL lock, wouldn't that by default assume

that I have taken a partial reading on a particular object to achieve

the best flash exposure for the subject? If so, wouldn't the rest of

the scene be exposed relative to the part of the scene partially

metered? If not, how is the exposure determined? Am I missing

something?

 

<p>

 

Rod, As you can see I'm confused about FEL also. What makes it worse

is I don't have a camera or a flash with FEC so even if I understand

how to compensate, the method to do so is cumbersome.

 

<p>

 

I think I'm finding out very quickly that while my Rebel is a nice

camera, as I start to get more creative, I'm going to have to upgrade

to at least an Elan 7 to have more control over the final exposure.

That's what birthdays are for. :)