charles_bush

Check the back page of Nature photographer magazine, there

are nature workshops scheduled in Maine

Bob is correct, the 3021 won't do the trick, I use and really like a

1548 CF and a B2 head, I also have a 3021 and a B1 which I

only use for smaller lenses. I tried using the B1 with the 600 and

damaged the head. Arca recommends against using it and

would not cover via warantee repair although some folks get by

quite well with it. I believe Arthur Morris has a solution to the

problem involving fabricating a Rubber protector to eliminate the

ball head flop. Good luck

I did Moosehead lake several years ago in the fall. Spent a week

looking for a Moose, no luck. kept hearing reports I just missed

one. The last day I was there, I got a shot of a large male. Must

have been 100 yards away, if you look carefully you can tell it's a

Moose, taken with a 600 mm lens! The lady at the nearby

resturant said there had been three grazing by the highway for

the last week. Of course we were driving the logging trails where

we were told they hang out.

 

Baxter is really the best place. Secluded area, nice ponds, and

people in the area who will help you locate the Moose.

Moosehead Lake is a close second, but there are no gurantees.

 

Good Luck

 

Charlie

It's not too far down to Parker River NWR in Mass. The second week in

May should be just about peak for migrating Warblers and that is one

of the best places in the country for Warbler

I have a B1 and love it for all lenses under a 600 f4. Others, including Arthur Morris, successfully use the B1 with that class lens. Mine simply locked up way too often, continually flopped with the large glass and I went to the B2(excellant head for the larger glass). Arca Swiss recommeds against the B1 for this size lens as I discovered when I was refused warantee service due to damage caused by head flop and funded the repair myself. Arthur discusses a rubber washer solution on his web page for Ball Head flop, which might have solved my problem(www.birdsasart.com). With smaller glass I have nothing but praise, it's smooth and rarely locks up All things considered the B1 is the best head in its' class by far, you just need to understand the engineering limitations (true of any ball head).

Believe it or not, Kodachrome does much better on a white subjects in bright light than more modern films like Velvia, Provia, E100s, etc. You might consider shooting a couple of rolls this go around. With print film, NPH might be a good choice as well as Porta, although almost any print film will handle the contrast much better.

 

Good Luck

I still have a 635 manual from years back, I'll look it up tonight.

I've had mine 6 months and I like it more all the time, using a 600 f4, the reduced weight really helps(I was using the 410). I'm using the 1548 and I'd say it's about right for my lens, I think the 1348 would probably be too light, although fine for the 500. But then again some folks use the 12 series with the 600 f4, you'll have to be the judge there. The early arguments about the joints comming loose have not materialized on my tripod and the carbon fiber is more winter friendly then the metal ones. If you're considering purchasing one, I'd say go for it.

While the tripod is part of the problem, the techniques described above are critical, regardless of the tripod. I suspect your problems are 2/3's technique and 1/3 the tripod. We've all been there. You need to use your body to dampen the vibrations and I'd try that before you invest in another tripod. Eye to the rubber eyecup, hand over the top of the lens, gently squeeze the trigger. Practice this over and over in controlled conditions until it becomes automatic, and then continue to practice to keep sharp. Shoot test subjects in varying light at home and examine the results at the light table. Learn to recognize the reason that slides aren't sharp, focus, camera movement, subject movement and deal with the proper issues. It can be done. If after you perfect these techniques your shots are still too soft then invest in another tripod, the techniques will still be required.

Dan,

 

You can attach one of the environmental hand warmers with rubber bands to the body near the area of the battery and extend the battery life in cold weather. There are two sizes, the larger one seems to do better for me.

 

Good Luck

The question here is what is the correct exposure? Unfortunately, there is no one correct answer. Fortunately with the F5 and the SB28 you have a large degree of control over the situation, this really is the strength of the new Nikon gear.

 

This is how "I'd" approach it. I'd probably dial in -1 compensation on the body and +1 on the flash. This will make the bird dead on and the background 1 stop under exposed. I'd set the body to apeture priority, I'd set the flash to TTL (without the moon and stars on the LCD, just the TTL) rather than Automatic TTL. I like fairly out of focus backgrounds so I'd shoot at f4 or f5.6.

 

However, this may not produce the results that "you" want. Given that you're in a highly controlled situation, I'd suggest burning a roll or two of slide film with a test subject of some sort. Put the test subject on the branch and experiment with the different compensation settings. Remember that if you want to make the background darker, you can set compensation on the body which will affect the background and the flash, but you can correct the flash with its' own compensation setting and thus expose the subject and the background as you'd like them. Shoot with different compsensation settings and at different apetures and pick the one you like best.

 

Moose Peterson on his web page has agood discription of the SB28 and its' use with the F5, the URL is:

 

http://www.moose395.net/f5/flash.html

 

Good luck.

I did the kancamangus on Saturday, then venturing as far North as Crawford notch. Conditiions were still about a week from peak, although there was some good color. Primarily yellows and oranges, reds do not seem as vibrant as usual, but that may due to the pre-peak conditions. Color is better than last year, but not up to standards in the past. Everything is about 1 week later than normal. Still worth the trip

Spent Saturday in the White Mountains. Not so bright colors along the Kancamangus, but as you go further North things start to pick up. Colors quit nice near the little town of Sark.

Thanks Tom, I suspected something like that. That's what you get when you trust the dealer.

 

Charlie

I recently purchased a polaroid 100 back for my Hassy. I'm unable to

load the film in the back. I'm trying to use the Polaroid 600 platinum

film. Waldi says to put film in at an angle and push until it clicks.

It appears to be too large for the slot. Am I missing something here?

Thanks for the h

The Cog railway is open through the folaige season, bring a coat if

you go up, it's much colder at the top. In fact some of the worst

weather in the world has been recorded at the top. It is a very scenic

trip and well worth the time spent. Shots of the train against a

colorful background is also very n

1. The Kancamangus Highway is the standard, hard to beat, the colors vary by elevation, higher elevations turning first, so you have to pick your place along the highway according to how far along the season is. Note that traffic, especially on weekends, can be heavy especially along the Kancamangus and in North Conway. Also take Rt 16 North and explore around Mt. Washington and several notches. Later in the season, one or two exits South are better, Tripolli Rd has been great in the past.

 

2. I Prefer early morning, but depending on what you're shooting you can shoot most of the day. Sunrises at the outlook at high point of the highway can be awsome. Continue shooting if it's raining, with careful composition, some of the best shots are with wet leaves. The short hike to Sabady (spelling probably wrong) is really worth the effort(best shot on an overcast day).

 

3. I second earlier comment on reserving now, as I'm only a couple hours away, I've never stayed over night and can't help on which hotel. There's a very good BBQ place I visit every year called the Yankee Smokehouse at the intersection of Rts 16 and 25.

 

Have a great trip.

I've used a Tamron 2X behind the TC14E on a 600 f4 AFS. Results better then I expected , but the light loss was a killer. Of course autofocus does not work, but the F5's RGB metering does. In bright, windless conditions and real care with tripod technique, I could get some sharp shots with a single tripod. Something to play with, but not really a good way to go.

Look on Moose Peterson's web page. He has a very good explanation of how to use fill flash with Nikon gear and what compensation is best.

 

regards Charlie

I have a set of Kenko tubes and they do not properly autofocus with my 600f4 and my F5. They work fine with smaller glass and manual focus and metering is fine.

1. I have not used any large format cameras with a B1, but it's great for use with my medium format.

2. Can't help here.

3.I would strongly recommend the RRS plates or if available for your camera the Kirk plates. The generic plates tend to twist under the camera RRS and Kirk engineer their heads to eliminate this problem. The build quality of the RRS is better, but Kirk plates are good too.

4. Yes, the largest risk is you loosen the release knob instead of the ball knob, you'll start checking the release knob frequently after a while. The plate is really secure when properly tightened.

5. I don't think you'll have a problem with a 6 lb camera, my 600 f4 flops with the B1 and I've gone to the B2 (not a true ball head, it functions more like a pan and tilt), but that weights much more than 6 lbs and most of the weight is not in the center of the tripod.

6. Consider a Gitzo 410 rather than the carbon if the 3221 is too light, just as stable as the carbon, but much less expensive.

Over the past year I've had over 100 rolls processed by A&I. Not one problem! If I send on Monday from Boston via priority mail, I get them back on Saturday if fewer than 10 (priority mail) and Monday if more than 10(Federal Express). This is several days faster than either Fuji or Kodak Mailers. Note that they charge an addition dollar for push processing.

Maine

1. Nuble Light (York Beach).

2. Portland Head Light (in nice state park with ruins of an old fort)

3. Pemaquid Light house - interesting light house, Ft Henery - old revolutionary war fort

4. Acadia Nation Park - Everything from Cadilac Mountain to Sea Scapes - a ways up but worth the visit.

 

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New Hampshire

 

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1. Check out http://www.visitnh.gov/outdoors.html

2. Kacamagus trail worth the trip - Sabady Falls very nice on overcast day (too much contrast otherwise). Interesting shots around upper and lower falls which are easily accessible

3. Mt Washington Cog railway - interesting shots of steam trains climbing Mt Washington

4. Mt Washington Motor train - numberous overlooks on the way up - usually foggy on top however.

5. Mt. Washington Hotel ( Old wooden Hotel with Mt Washington in background).

6. Bartlet(I believe I remeber correctly) Notch - Interesting notch, several waterfalls along the side of the road, excellant view of Mt Washington just south of notch.

 

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A lot to see in 1 1/2 weeks.

 

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Hope this helps

I can't speek for the Linhof, but I can answer for the B2. The B2 technically is not a ball head. It actually has a ball within a ball. Each ball only moves in 1 axis. This feature is good for shooting moving objects. Allowing you to level the tripod, then the camera, then you can vary the elevation and pan without having to worry about the horizon going out of level. Wonderful for birds in flight. However, the head is not as flexible as ball heads for other purposes (not too good for macro for instance). Finally, the B2 is much larger and sturdier than the B1. The B1 is marginal for a lens like a 600 f4 (locks up, flops, etc.), while the B2 handles it well. The B1 is fine for anything up to a 500 f4. Hope this helps.

I have a set of the Kenko tubes I purchased for my 600 f4 to shoot birds at close range. The tubes do not handle that function well, as the auto focus does not work. However, when doing Macro work with a 105 they work fine. They are not nearly as well constructed as the Nikon tubes, but have held up well over the last several years in the field. For your purpose, they should be fine