rich_b1

"Make sure that you like the interface (buttons and switches) of your camera of choice".

 

Above is probably the most important of all the advice given. These are 2 great companies with great lenses and great cameras, and you won't be unhappy with either choice.

 

I have been a Canon man and when my daughter was looking for an SLR we looked at the EOS 7 and Nikon N-80. When reading about them, she was heavily leaning towards the Canon, but after renting one of each for a weekend, chose the Nikon. It just felt better to her, in size and controls. I still like my Canon better, but wish I had her eye for composition...still the most important factor in photography.

 

Its the photographer, not the equipment!

 

Good luck,

Rich B

Difficult to give a specific answer since you haven't indicated how you'll use this. I find a great all-around tripod is the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021, and the favorite head I've used is the Bogen/Manfrotto #3265, pistol grip ballhead, which allows for quick adjustments with little effort. B & H lists the tripod for $117 & head for $80 US. If you're doing extensive hiking &/or backpacking, it may be a bit heavy, so you might have to look for a used carbon/graphite to get down to your price range.

 

Good luck,

 

Rich B

I did the cruise last year in the first week of July, going from Seward to Vancouver. As mentioned in other posts, it was gray all the time, and most days was rainy or at best misty. Was able to see some magnificent scenery, but only when we were close to or on shore, not while sailing due to the mist & fog. From shipboard, we may as well have been 100's of miles out to sea, as we couldn't even see the coast much of the time. This should not really come as a surprise, since SE Alaska is a rainforest!

 

The clouds & mist did allow for some dramatic pictures, particularly at the glaciers, but obviously, much different than the promotional blue sky, bright sunshine views.

 

Your plan for keeping your camera dry sounds fine. My only other advice would be to use as fast a film as you are comfortable with, since the lighting is so abysmal and keep plenty of tissue to dry the lens. Also, I did not find as much use for a larger zoom (75-300) as I thought I would, and did most of my shooting with a 28-105 lens.

 

Dress in light layers. It wasn't terribly cold on shore, however the refrigerant effect of the ocean and the wet, could chill you very quickly while outside on the ship.

 

Enjoy yourself.

Steevens,

 

Its on its way. Let me know if a problem.

 

Good luck

For my Eos Elan IIe, I typed out descriptions & function #'s on an excel spread sheet, then printed them on small sticky labels, attached to bottom of camera & covered with tape to protect. If you want, I can e-mail the format to you, then you can modify as necessary for your camera(s)

I have definietely had monopod issues in airports. Some security people let them go through, others want to confiscate them. So far, with enough persistence, I've been able to keep mine.

 

One thought I've had for the future is to get a monopod/walking stick. They can be bought for under $100 US and I believe the type with the wooden knob on top could pass if you use it as a cane while going through security and boarding. Just suggest that you slip a rubber cane tip on the bottom. Adding a little limp to your walk would certainly help.

 

Good luck

This reminds me of my late mother who swore that mothballs would keep everything away. She was right. Her apartment stank so much, no one would go there!

 

As far as I'm aware, cedar does not act as a dessicant. If you are concerned about any toxicity from ingestion of silica from the soft, tearable packages, check with your local Pharmacist. Many stock bottles of drugs are packed with silica dessicants in hard plastic containers, and perhaps he/she could save some for you. Just make sure you don't get the smaller ones, since they could present a choking hazard. Periodically, bake them in the oven at low temp. to dry them out.

 

As one poster commented, the best solution would be to make sure the equipment is kept away from prying fingers. If you have guns, hopefully they are kept secure!

Good luck!

 

Rich B

This is basically an upgrade to the plastic trash bag idea. I haven't tried it, but thought it was pretty clever.

 

A couple of months ago, I can't remember where, I read an article which described making a bad weather cover from the pants of a clear plastic rain suit, which the article said costs about $15.00.

 

Essentially, you would cut through the upper part of the pants to the crotch (make sure you're not wearing them at the time!) splitting it in half. This now creates a tube (the leg) and a flap (the body). Insert the camera from the top with the lens protruding into the leg, and the flap can now cover your camera as well as the top of your head while shooting. You'll probably have to cut the leg to length, but leave extra room to make sure your longest lens is covered and just gather it back when shooting. You could customize the fit with either some gaffers tape or rubber bands. An added bonus is that you now have 2 rain covers.

 

Have fun.

 

Rich B

I have both an EOS Elan IIe and a Canon G-1. I'm not familiar with the Toshiba camera, however, in my estimation, if you're going to go the digital route, you'd be best off with a G-2 or G-3, which are similar to my older G-1. Many of the controls & features will be familiar to you from the EOS, and the G-x series cameras do take good quality pictures without blowing the housing budget. On the other hand, if you're going to want to make prints, you'll also need to invest in a good quality photo printer, and this is also assuming you have a fairly modern PC or MAC.

 

Just bear in mind, if you do go digital, it's highly unlikely you'll find it more convenient than film. If it takes you 1/2 hour to drop off & pick up the film, multiply that several times to download the shots to your PC and process them with Photoshop or whatever program you use, and then print out. Granted, you don't have to print every shot, however you'll find that you shoot more because you're not burning up film, only electrons, which can be erased! Also, the paper and ink are more expensive than having film processed.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that if you are happy with the Elan II and are only thinking of taking the digital plunge for convenience, IMO don't do it. Try some of the quality labs posted by others. If you want more control over your finished product, then go for the digital.

 

The answer for myself is that I like the G-1 and digital, but love the Elan II and film.

 

Good luck.

Rich B

Derek,

 

I have that lens, and concur that there is not a vignetting problem. Being a less expensive zoom, at the far end of tele, it will get a little murky, but still does the job, as long as you aren't doing magazine covers.

Definitely get the IS version, as you can hand-hold it at relatively slow shutter speeds. You'll probably have enough problems with security, taking shots through the fence. If you have to set up a tripod (which can be mistaken for a rocket launcher), your next posting may be from Leavenworth!

 

Good Luck

 

Rich B

If you are using Canon OEM lens & hood, there should be a red dot on the lens next to the threads for the hood. Match up the red dot on the hood, twist it on and it should be aligned properly.

That said, this lens is still prone to flare.

Good luck

A step down ring would be useful when going from a larger filter to a smaller lens, ie. using your 52mm filters on a 49mm lens. In this case, the outside circumference of the filter ring, other than in wide angle, would be outside the field of view of the lens. In your case, you want to use the smaller filter on a larger lens, in effect, as a previous poster said, masking 3mm all the way around the image.

I have the older 28-135 lens without ISM, however I believe the specs are similar. While it usually performs well, it is prone to flare, and stacking filters will just increase that problem. You will definitely get vignetting at the lower end of focal length if you stack them. Even the thin filters are not the answer, since, at least the Hoya's that I use, have no threads on the outside, and you cannot stack them. Incidentally, since there are no threads, you cna't use the original lens cap and the thin filter comes with a cheesey slide on cap which always falls off. IMO, you should use the regular filters, but only 1 at a time.

Both of the previous answers have some of the information you need, however, the bottom line is that you absolutely cannot use a smaller filter on the lens, unless you are willing to crop the picture after developing, and only use the portion which will be inside the 52mm "picture frame" (the filter). This effect would not be dependent on focal length, since your lens diameter is 58mm all the time, while the filters are 52mm all the time.

Sorry for the bad news, but the good news is you can get a complete set of good quality filters for the price of one lens, and interchange them. Just make sure you buy 1 UV or skylight filter for each lens, to be kept on at all times, to protect the front glass element.

I'm not sure if the previous answers are for the Mini-Trekker or the respondents are getting it confused with another bag, unless the model has changed since I bought mine a few years ago.

 

Attached to the underside of my bag are two sewn in attachment loops. Through each of these is a closed, adjustable strap, and I have used these to slip the tripod into and carry it horizontally, under the bag. These straps can also be positioned in the loops on the sides of the bag, either left or right, and the tripod carried vertically, however, I've found the horizontal configuration much more comfortable. Just be careful when setting the bag down on top of the tripod, so that you don't smash it, or gunk up the head with sand.

 

If you find out any more tricks to this bag, or better solutions, let the rest of us know. It must be a top-secret project at Lowepro, since it doesn't come with any instructions, and the web site, as you stated, has no information.