quentin_smith

On the inca trail you need one of those lenses that remove other people.

Dont expect to many opportunities to get perfect ruins photos without people in them.

 

you should be able to get some of MP if you get up early (with hundreds of others)but dont wait to long at the Sun Gate.

 

There are also two possible camp sites for the last night. one is one hour from MP and the other is about 3 hours. Make sure you get to the closer one as you definetally dont want to decend down the bit in between in the middle of the night.

 

Wider angle is definetally worth it. I had a 24 -85 and was happy for everything. so 24 should be wide enough but 35 wouldnt be.

 

have fun.

 

sacred valley is cool also.

the million dollar question????

 

Are you wanting to make money out of it or just get your art outthere for others to enjoy?

Do the clients have loads of cash?

The price of photography art will step up considerably for professional photogrpahers who are trying to cover marketing, equipment, training cost from the sale of photography but for good ameteurs are hppy to cover costs

definetally never let your camera gear out of touch. try to keep it out of site as well. we met many people who had stuff stolen but mostly in overhead racks on buses or putting a bag down for a moment.

 

Cusco, machu pichu and the sacred valley are great put very touristy. it is difficult to get pictures in machu pichu without people in them.

 

arequipa and colca canyon is good too. great for condor photos.

 

Lake titicaka is interesting but a little over rated.

the town of puno is crap but the floating islands are interesting. copacabana is a nicer town to stay in. Island of the sun is nothing speacial.

 

La Paz is worth a look. Amazing.

if you have time in bolivia a trip to rurrenabaque to the jungle is great. fly if you can as the bus trip is hell. Flights only $50 US

 

Uyuni and the salars are also great for photos.

 

3 weeks will be tight.

i would suggesting doubling the time.

Either get a nikon DSLR if you have a big investment in nikon glass or switch to canon lenses.

i have used an eos 50e in antarctica without to much problem.

firstly take a spare battery and keep it in your inside pocket to change if the battery stops working. they will work again once warmed up.

 

as you said keep the camera in its bag for some time after you bring it in door (at least 30 minute to an hour). remember that most camera bags are well padded / insulated and this slows the warming considerably.

the other thing you can do is put it (camera only) in a plastic bag and suck the air out before bringing it in so the condensation forms on the bag. this technique is a pain , i would just be patient and leave it in the bag to warm slowly.

 

i had no issues with ISO and exposure as a result of the cold.

just remember that one reason that image quality may be better on the newer 300d is the Digic Chip which i believe the d60 does not have.

mine does the same thing. it isnt a problem

what does the histogram say about the exposure???

while there is alot of debate still over primes vs zooms for me it comes down to conveinience and practicality.

i would find the changing of lenses (and risk of more dust on the sensor) a pain in the butt.

if i had the money i would get the 70 -200 f4 or f2.8. i would also suggest that if you are relatively happy with the kit lense 18-55 then any of the zooms you mentioned would satisfy you. the 75-300 isnt as good optically as the 28-135.

there was a great article by bob on cleaning the sensor. try and search for it. it was very helpful.

dust visibility on the sensor will vary with the aperture.

if the AEB is on then you will find that the 1st photo of 3 will be under the 2nd one on and the 3rd over. it will only take the 3 pictures if you hold your finger down or use the timer.

 

turn off the AEB or Take 3 photos.

the first will always go to one under (or whatever the aeb setting is).

 

you also probably have the exposure compensation set that also effects the AEB in that you can set the AEB and the exposure compensation to take 1/2 under, 1/2 over and 1 1/2 over.

 

reset the AEB and the Exposure compensation.

 

hope this helps.

you shound not have a problem finding fellow travellers in san pedro or uyuni to get into that area.

i think in uyuni (bolivia) there are about 40 operators all doing the same thing. in bolivia the prices of the tours are fixed accross all the companies.

 

also not that if you do go up to the Salars from the chile side you will get altitude sickness. try to aclimitise slowly.

have a great time

from my research it seems that the Lexar CF card are very good.

that camera can take up to a 3 gig card at the moment with 6-12 gig cards on the way.

think of that in terms of the old floppy disk. they would take up a whole self.

it you are on P, AV, T or M the flash will not pop up.

one of the custom functions deals with the pre exposure flash settings.

read your manual.

if you get the IS lens there is no point keeping the other. you will just NEVER use it. trade it in or get a 300d with kit and keep the lens you have.

the 24-85 is a great lense that never comes off my camera but may not be wide enough for the 300d

i would still get the kit lens because it is the most economical way to get wide angle on that camera. (although still not super wide) and it is NOT available without the camera.

 

if you get the 24-85 get the 75 to 300 instead of the 55-200. or try the 100-300 which is better quality.

 

i have done some macro work on a budget with Diopters (not great but ok)

 

have fun

Lima is very uninteresting.

Cusco is great. all the inca stuff is work doing around cusco. trying to get a picture of a ruin without a person in it is a challenge.

Arequipa is also interesting (and colca canyon)

Colca canyon is the greatest place to photograph condors.

 

often ladies and kids in traditional dress want money if you take a photo. decide for youself whether you want to do this.

 

take what ever camera gear you are happy with but NEVER let go of it.

NEVER put anything in the overhead compartment on a bus.

 

we didn't have anything taken but 80% of travellers we spoke to did.

given that most roads/ tracks etc.. are completely unmarked i would suggest hiring a driver with the car and customising a flexible itinery.

i did a trip from Uyuni (bolivia) into the Salars and would not have found the way without a local driver. for 25us$ per day for a seat in a landcruiser or about 100US$ per day for a whole landcruiser with driver. Money well spent.

 

great place for photos.

no problems getting quality processing.

pretty comparable rates to US and UK i think.

 

Film carried in carry on bags in not a problem in terms of xrays

What airport problem

 

unless it is high speed film then film in carry on bags is fine.

i have never found fast apperature important for landscape work. which there is heaps of hear in NZ. i have a canon 24-85 which i have found to be excellent. the 24- is a great deal wider than 28mm.

i would also consider a 20mm prime. NZ is great for photography particularly landscape. take the time to do some tramping to get right into the wilderness.

 

Ps Canon gear is more expensive in NZ. eg the 300d is $2500NZ ouch. by before you come

i have it and have NEVER used the date function. its like owning a car that does 300km per hour. Bad example.

 

not a nescessity thats for sure but some may have a use. eg. monitoring photography etc...

but even then the date and time can be changed with ease so it is not reliable for court / legal work.

 

whats worse than having the date on you photo. HAVING THE WRONG DATE ON YOUR PHOTO. which is also easy to do.

i think there is a huge difference between 28 and 24 mm. i find my 24-85 an excellent base lense. it never leaves my camera.

i find that lense speed isnt an issue for me as i shoot mainly landscape and are usually shoot above f11.

 

i think the 17 - 40mm f4 would be awesome but the 24-70 more verstile.

 

if you plan to get a 10d or 300d then definetally get the 17-40mm f4

if the subject is more than about 4meters away then the built in flash will struggle. you would need to go to a external speedlight.

 

happy shooting

yes, it is a good entry level camera. and the best thing to get under you price range. the other option is to look for 2nd hand higher quality cameras, which should be lots of due to the digital revolution.