arnabbanerjee

Thanks all for your thoughtful replies. I can go for a heavier tripod which will be much stable and reliable (as some of you mentioned), but I already have tripods like that (I have one pro-series Monfrotto).

What I am looking for is really light-weight for my hiking and climbing trips and there are a few models on the market that are around 1 kg - Gitzo series 0/Bogen 190 MF4/ Induro C014 and also, there are 2 models from Slik and Velbon. I am trying to understand which one (at this lightweight range) works better than other - hope that clarifies my question. Also, is there any tricks that you guys use when using these light-pods to add stability?

I am wondering for a few months on this - given the extremely lighweight (only

0.7 Kg - as per Adorama - http://www.adorama.com/GZGT0530.html), I am thinking

this as my hiking/climbing companion.

 

Have anyone used this here extensively? I will love to know some first-hand

remarks re. its performance and load tolerance (as you go up in size of lens

or use a heavier DSLR).

 

Thanks for your help

 

Other competiting model is Bogen's 190MF4 - any comparative remarks will be

very help too.

 

Thanks

Is it only me? or may be not...

 

I am a longtime member of this community, but for last 1 year or so, I am

watching the quality of this site has degraded significantly. Look at the top

photos, look at the discussions in POW - some of the best photographers dont

even post their photos anymore. The discussion forums are less informative and

not thought provoking - top rated photos are either too fabricated, over-PSed

and mostly ordinary (a few good photos still getting posted - but very few of

them are here and many of those not getting good ratings from those random

raters)

 

This site, IMO, is becoming a more casual amateur's site - from a serious

amateur-pro site. I feel sad, but can't do anything about it.

 

May be I am completely wrong - I hope I am..

Arjan..if you are a camper, try camping to minimize cost. Visit Jasper and Banff NP - they are the most photogenic locations. Have a lot of time in hands - it's a big country out there

Try simple tricks like increasing brightness (e.g. Levels tool in PS) before submitting for printing. Different printing shops will be different in the ways they use printers and settings. The look of a photo is displayed on the screen can be very different than a print - a lot of theory abour color gamut/print paper/settings etc behind that - not going there here...Another suggestion - instead of using Costco, you can go for better semi-pro shops (locally) who will produce much better prints. On the web, you can try Mpix.com - they are pretty good

I am planning a trip during end of July to Glacier NP. I know that it's a

great place and am excited to explore as much as I can (it will be my first

trip there). I will probably have a week, want to do mostly landscapes (some

wildlife) and hike/camp as much as possible.

 

Here are my questions for you all..

1. Beyond the iconic images of Glacier NP, where are other recommended

photogenic spots?

2. What are the best day-hikes/camping/backcountry hiking that may give me

some opportunities of exploring areas "less-travelled" and take photos "rarely-

taken"? Any ideas/thoughts are very welcome

3. Are there any good areas around Glacier NP that is worth a visit? I have

seen from my past experiences that sometimes less-known smaller parks/natural

areas beyond the big NP produce the image that I am looking for. Where should

I go if I want to give it a chance this time?

4. Oh yes-- please recommend the best campsites in Glacier (from a

photographer's standpoint)

5. Is there a good photographers' guide for the area?

 

I know that there are more than enough experiences and insights in this

community to answer all my questions...so will hope for the best. Thank you

very much for your time in advance

Well..I think that my original post stirred a lot of discussion. My intention was to know what market is demanding as new features in next generation Nikon DSLRs. Manufacturers do the research and development based on market demand, not what they think is best - at least, that's the way it should be (Marketing 101!). Sometimes, we customers dont even know what to expect, sometimes we expect features that are beyond today's reach. All balance out by competition and technology - I wonder whether Nikon will continue to remain one of the top 2-3 brands in DSLRs, or someone like Sony or Panasonic will manage to displace it...but as loyal customers, we are entitled to "demand" - that's how the market works..is not it?

Anti-gravity is a nice concept - I will love to have those lenses!!!

 

It's interesting to see that many don't think dust is a major problem for current DSLRs - may be I am doing something wrong. I will love to know some best practices here. I change lenses a lot in the outdoor - probably I need to be more cautious in doing that. Looks like only Olympus has somewhat effective dust removal system (from the link that Evan provided - thanks!)

 

Air blower or wet cleaning works - but prevention is always better than cure. I dont like to operate my camera too often - specially during the middle of the day. Anyone like me here?

 

Here is a link from Nikon where they claim that in-lens VR is much better than in-camera VR

http://nikonimaging.com/global/technology/vr/index.htm

 

The arguments make sense - but I have read good reviews of in-camera VR so far.

 

More questions:

1. How is Nikon's noise reduction at higher ISO - compared to others? It was always a problem

2. What about a ISO changing control on the body? (not buried in the menu)

3. Bigger viewfinder

4. Mirror lockup (does D200 already have it?)

5. Low ISO option (50 ?)

etc etc..

 

Too much "demands"

As an avid Nikon user, I love to see Nikon adding anti-dust technology in its

future D200 models (or whatever they will call it). Any idea/rumour about this

in the market?

 

Also, I will love to see VR technology built-in the camera (like Sony Alpha) -

but, that's not going to happen - for sure (they have to sell their VR

lenses). Nikon also claims that in-lens VR is much more superior than in-

camera VR - any views on that?

 

I know many bought Sony Alpha just as a 2nd/3rd body - even though they are

Nikon users for years. If you are a landscape photographer and live in the

wild for long, anti-dust technology is a must. I can live w/o in-camera VR -

as long as I can buy those expensive VR lenses. Is Nikon even paying attention

to these customer demands?

Both Jasper and Banff are amazing..buy Darwin Wigget's book for a guide - exceptional.

Also, another tip - go to Mt Robson Park - just outside Jasper - pretty cool place - not too many photographers. Also try Yoho national park - all these places are amazing. I spent a week there in 2005 and was blessed with many photo ops - see my portfolio. I can share any specific of locations if you want

A few tips that I often get from Pros - 1. Get closer than flower portrait - details within the flower, 2. Consider carrying artificial background (paper) and use with clamps (when you can't find natural good background), 3. Shoot through other flowers, 4. Back up and see group of flowers rather than just portrait

 

Hope these help

I will stich all the photo first and then go for HDR. That means that you will have to do the stiching for all the number of shots that you want to take for HDR (at least 3 - you may go even higher if you wish). Exposures used for one set should be same. Here is a tutorial/guide that you may find useful..

http://www.naturescapes.net/072006/rh0706_1.htm

There are many lighting kits available at cheap prices - try Steve Kaiser's website. But do read some books or websites for education - go to Photoflex's website - they have great portrait tutorials. Gradually build up your gear - start with 2 lights with umbrellas and a reflector panel, buy 2 more later with a boom arm/stand, get a background stand and paper/muslin - there are so much of equipments and options out there, you need to do according to your budget and commitment

Half press to focus on eye and then recompose w/o releasing the shutter from half press and then press full to take the shot - that's how I do it. Use different focus spot on your viewfinder to make it easier

PS is your best friend. I sometines use the seamless paper all the way - keeping the model stand/sit on it (if I am going for a full body shot). Paper is cheap - you may have to throw away 3-4 feet after every session. That will eliminate the reflection issue. Or use a non-reflective surface - and use PS to eliminate the border

Use a ND filter (3 stop) to get to a slow shutter speed

grad ND will be best. CP is actually for different purpose - it sometimes help you to avoid blown out highlights (depending on sun's location) - I carry both - sometimes use both on a scene (CP to saturate color and grad ND to get a balanced exposure). Read John Shaw's comment in Singh-Ray's website - helpful

If you climb, try light prime lenses (50, 25 etc.). I always take my 12-24 and 35-70 Nikon while I am just hiking - but if you do rock/ice climb, you can't carry SLRs (or even you do, you can't take it out to shoot). Prime 50mm or 20 mm etc are great - as they are fast and light - but zoom is way to go as composing in the high mountain do not give you much space to move around. Good luck..oh yes, get a good carbon tripod, few grad-ND and CP filters too. Use your sack on a rock in many situation where you can't put a tripod - these are all from my experiences

Cokin P series wont work well to the widest part of the lens. Try thin polarizer filters - even then, you have to make sure that it's the only filter on the lens. If shooting scene w/o sky, slight vignetting is not a problem - you can always use PS to clone out. For sky, the gradation of color is the problem - but sometimes that do add effect - again can be fixed/touched up in PS

I thought that it was a welcome change - fonts were nicer and clean. But overall structure is pretty similar - so change is only superficial. They need to change this once in a while - just to break the monotony - I guess

I think that's a very stupid way of doing it - once you put a photo there, it will get more hits and rating. PN needs to active scout and show photos of many different artists there - there is no dearth of them here. Everyone needs a fair treatment and be given a chance to have their photo displayed there

You can also try big black panels around your light - in a way that does not stop light falling on the model, but stops spreading in different direction. You will need at least 2 for each light - may be 4-5 ft in each dimension. I guess that easier it to darken the surrounding walls

That's good to know, Deb. Thanks for sharing your experience. I am also planning to buy some studio lighting equipments, but not sure how good their customer service is. Best wishes from NY

Have anyone bought kits from Steve Kaeser website or shop? They have very good

price, but I am wondering about quality and after-sales service. Any feedback

and sharing your experiences will be highly appreciated. Thanks

Thanks Yakim...but I have already seen those pages using Google. I am looking to listen about experiences/results from PN members who have used it. Thanks anyway for your help though