rayliguori

Thanks Roger. Love the idea of owls. I wasn't planning on bringing my 600mm lens, but maybe I'll rethink that.

I'm heading to Churchill this coming November to photograph Polar Bears. I'll be flying from Philadelphia to Winnipeg and then on to Churchill. I have flexibility to extend my time in the region and am looking for ideas on where else to explore. My primary interest is wildlife and landscapes. Any ideas?

<p>Brian, While I can't predict whether the new lens will be worth the money, but I do predict that you will wait a looooong time before this lens is available in stores. Some new Nikkors don't become available (to us non-professionals) more than a year after they are announced.</p>

<p>Deb: <br>

Here's an old photographer's story:<br>

A photographer attended a dinner party where he presented his portfolio. After reviewing his work the hostess remarked, "These are wonderful pictures, you must have an expensive camera." The photographer just smiled. <br>

After dinner, the photographer remarked, "That was a delicious meal. You must have expensive pots."<br>

Too many of us (myself included) get hooked on the latest technology. There are thousands of terrific images taken with simple point and shoot cameras. There are even more really poor images taken with top end Nikons and Canons. At the end of the day, the best camera in the world is the one that you have with you.<br>

I have an old Nikon D100 that you can have for free. The LCD has a small crack, but it displays the pictures just fine. The D100 was a cutting edge prosumer body in its day, but now it is probably on par with the D40! I'll also throw in a cheapo Nikkor 70mm - 200mm zoom. Learn on that. Stay away from the equipment forums for a bit and study the pictures from the top rated photogrpahers on this site. Develop your eye and technique first. Post your pictures and ask for critiques.<br>

If you really get into it, there will be lots of time to spends thousands of dollars in the future. <br>

Shoot me an email if you are interested. Good luck.</p>

 

<p>My current PC is about 5 years old and is running very slowly when I load 12 mega pixel RAW files into Photoshop CS4. I have defragged and maxed out on the RAM so I have it in my head that I need to get a new computer.<br>

I haven't really kept up with the latest processors, graphics cards and hard drives so I am looking for advice. If you were buying a new PC (not MAC), what would you buy to ensure that you could edit 12mp Nikon Raw images without noticeable delay? I am looking for the most bang for the buck. I don't need the latest/most expensive technology out there. <br>

Let's not turn this into a PC/MAC debate. I want to reload as much of my PC software onto the new computer as I can.<br>

Thanks!</p>

 

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<p>Barry:<br>

I just turned green with envy. Enjoy! BTW, did you have to pay up front or after you received it?</p>

<p>Andy, check out Tim Ernst's website at <a href="http://www.cloudland.net/index.html">http://www.cloudland.net/index.html</a><br>

Tim is a professional photographer who lives and works in right where you are going. He's written several guidebooks on hiking and photography in the Buffalo River area. I believe that you can hire him as a guide/tutor for the day which might be pretty efficient for getting to the most scenic spots in a pretty large park.<br>

I've only recently moved to NW Arkansas and haven't met Tim, but my photo friends say that he is a terrific guy.</p>

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<p>Has anyone actually purchased the Nikkor 600mm VR? I have been looking to buy this lens with a US warranty since it was announced in late 2007. I was told to wait until after the Olympics. Well that has come and gone and the lens is still perpetually backordered at B&H, Adorama, Calumet, Sammy's ...<br>

One shop told me that for the price of this lens (roughly $9,700) I could buy a Cannon 600mm and a body! I've been a long time Nikon user, but it really makes you wonder. Why is the Nikon version $2,100 more expensive?</p>

Thanks Shun! I called B&H cutomer service and they refunded the difference immediately. That's why I buy from B&H. Plus they have just about everything and their prices are almost always within 1% to 2% of the lowest competitor. Great company. Great service!

Of course Nikon just officially announced the D700. In my experience it usually takes Nikon several months between announcement and the actual roll out and the initial production comes out at a trickle. (Just try to find the 600mm VR lens which was announced last Fall!). I will live with my decision.

I finally took the plunge and bought a D3 at B&H at the list price of $4,999.95. The camera hasn't even arrived and

B&H has cut the price to $4,819.95. I wrote cutomer service to obtain a credit for the difference and am waiting to

hear back. Otherwise I guess I will just return this one and re-order it. B&H has always been a great place to buy

from so I expect that they'll just refund the difference. I'll let you know how they handle it next week.

 

Do you think the price cut means that a new model is coming out soon?

Here's one of my coyote shots.<div></div>

Alan,

 

I went to Yellowstone last winter for a one week Photo tour with John and Barbara Gerlach. The park is breathtakingly beautiful in winter. It was my first time on a snowmobile and boy was that fun.

 

Here are a few more thoughts. I assume you know that you will need a guide when snowmobiling inside Yellowstone. If you haven't lined up anything yet, contact the Gerlach's through their website. They live near West Yellowstone and both of them are licensed guides. They know THE best places for photographers. If they are booked, I am sure they can recommend someone good.

 

Think about keeping your hands warm. I used a pair of winter golf gloves made by FootJoy to wear as a liner under my thick gloves. This was really helpful when shooting and adjusting the camera.

 

Bring a circular polarizer. That's the one filter that can't be duplicated digitally and it is tremendously helpful in the bright snow.

 

What are you planning to shoot? Obviously, there will be tremendous landscape/snowscape opportunties so try to borrow a wider angle lense than the 24mm or work on stitching together pictures in Photoshop. I really love wildlife and got some nice shots of Bison, moose and coyotes. You will definitely want that teleconverter.

 

Have a great time!!!

I partially agree with Frank. Photoshop is a great tool, but IMHO it has been overused here. Everything looks fake. I would bet that the clouds where taken from another photo and pasted here. The colors are way oversaturated. It's not my cup of tea.

No, it wasn't really warm. About 65 degrees F. I'm not sure what that translates to in Celcius.

I tired this once and was scared to death of going overboard with my beloved gear. I was alone in a two person canoe and sitting in the back made the whole thing very unstable. I think it would be really helpful to have someone along with you to paddle. If you do go alone, make sure you have a one-man canoe with the seat in the center. Also, some canoes are more stable than others. The longer and wider ones should be more stable.

 

Personally, I would not try it a second time. Having said that, the snake shot is pretty awesome.

I am wondering if anyone has had this problem with an AF lens. I was out

shooting a beautiful Great Egret when the autofocus went crazy. It couldn't

settle on a focus so it kept adjusting within a small range. I tried focusing

on a subject with greater contrast and the problem persisted. It was

definitely the lens and not the camera. I changed camera bodies (from a D2X to

my back-up D100) and the problem persisted. Moreover, I put another lens on

the D2X and had no problem focusing. I tried turning the camera on and off. No

luck. I even removed the battery and put in a fresh one. No luck. I checked

the contacts on the lense and they were clean. And then, after about 1/2

hour, it focused just fine. Any ideas on what caused this?

Andy,

 

I had this same question back in 2004. Here is the link. http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0078yu

 

I have one Aurora shot in my meager portfolio if you care to check it out.

 

For my trip I shot slide and print film and digital. The digital shots were very noisy, due to the long exposures. My best images came from using Fuji Provia ISO 400.

 

Bring a sturdy tripod, use a wide-ish angle lens (50mm or lower). Turn off autofocus and just focus to infinity. Try lots of different exposures. My best shots used a Nikkor 17 - 35mm lens set at f4 with an exposure of 8 to 10 seconds. Take a million photos and you should get a few that you will be proud to display in your home.

 

Plan to go out at least three nights, as you can never be sure when or if the lights will come out. BTW, it seems a bit early for the Northern Hemisphere. If you are heading to Alaska, it's best to go between November and March (preferably January/February).

 

Be prepared to freeze your buttox off. Dress warm and wear glove liners so that when you take off your outler layer to adjust your camera, you won't completely freeze your fingers.

 

Scout out your shooting area in the daylight. My one dissapointment is that the foreground of many of my shots contained a lot of trampled snow. If you can get a little bit away from the crowds, you can probably avoid that problem.

 

Bring lots of batteries because they do not last long in the cold. If you go into a warming hut, be sure to leave your gear outside, otherwise it will fog up. When you are done for the night, put your gear in a large trash bag before bringing it indoors to avoid condensation.

 

Lastly, I recommend that you get some sort of headlamp so that you have two hands free when you are changing film, batteries or otherwise playing with you camera.

 

I hope that helps.

Come on, that must be a spoof. A bird imitating a camera with a motor drive and a chain saw?

I hand hold quite a bit and don't even notice the L-brackets anymore. The only minor annoyance is that it adds weight to my already heavy D2X.

Get a good Ball Head. No need to buy a new one. There are usually plenty listed on eBay.

Hard to argue with any of the above. You might also consider using a tripod, even for your lenses under 200mm. A monopod would do in a pinch. If not, find some base of support (a wall or a tree) to steady the camera. Worst case, make sure your feet are stable (18 to 24 inches apart) and the elbows are tucked into you side. For your long lenses (300mm and up) you must have a tripod/monopod. Place your left hand on top and toward the front of the lense to hold it steady.

 

Having said all that, for the shot that you posted, I think Mark is correct. When possible, focus on the eyes.