george_chambers

Darrell:

You shouldn't have any problems with the Canon lenses on the 10D. I was rightly corrected the other day concerning the compatibility issues of some aftermarket EF lenses not working but the Canon lenses will work fine.

George

The 300D uses a different battery grip than the 10D and they're not interchangable. You need the Canon BG-E1 grip, especially for the 300D. You don't get an extra battery with the grip, you'll need to order one. With the camera off, the grip won't drain the batteries.

The main difference between the BP-511 and the BP-512 batteries is shape. The Rebel camera and grip can use either battery.

I like the grips on my 10D and EOS 5 cameras, makes shooting in the vertical format easier IMO.

Artie:

Beyond what you already mentioned, the only additional problem I know of is loss of infinity focus.

"Doesn't the EOS 5 have some sort of DoF button via a custom function?"

Yes, CF11 adds the DOF preview function to the AE lock button.

George

X-sync speed on the Elan 7 is 1/125, but the camera is capable of high-speed flash with the Canon EX series of flash.

http://www.usa.canon.com/html/cameras_slr/elan7_index.html

I can't remember off-hand, but one of these sites have manuals you can download for a nominal fee.

http://www.manuals2go.com/

http://www.manualsrus.com/

Brian

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I have a Bogen 3001 with the 3030 head. I used an EOS 5 with a Canon

300 f4 along with a 1.4 TC on it before I got the 3011 and 3055

ballhead. It was stable enough and seemed to handle the weight just

fine. Don't know if I would use anything much bigger on it though.

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The 3047 weighs a couple pounds more than the 3030, but I wouldn't

think that would be much of a factor. You might look at the 3030 to

save the additional 2.2 pounds of weight. It's not a 3047 but it's

designed for up to medium format.

Steve

I agree with Ellis in his assessment about the Big Bend area. It's definitely a land of contrast; from stark, burning desert to cool, pine tree covered mountains.

I was at Big Bend NP yesterday. April and May is usually the choice time to go for flowers, but it's pretty dry this year. They haven't had much rain in the last two or three years. The prickly pear, cholla and ocotillo were the only blooming cactus I saw. Evening Primrose flowers were blooming next to the pavement on the road to Castolon, but that's about all. There were thunderstorms to the west of the park when I left late yesterday. Maybe it'll rain before you get there.

Not long ago, they had a fire in the Chisos mountains from the campsites up the north side of Casa Grande Peak to the rim. Although that view is destroyed for now, the rest is impressive. Even with the lack of rain and the fire, the scenics there are still awesome to behold.

Some, mostly inaccessible and high, parts of the park are closed due to Peregrine falcon nesting. The falcons are making a good comeback here, so score one for the Park Service's wildlife biologist's and managers. Besides the falcons, there are about 400 species of birds in the park.

IMO, the most impressive drive in the park is from the Chisos Mountains basin to the Rio Grande river exit at Santa Elena canyon by Castolon. The highest peak in the Chisos is 7825 feet. The highest point on the road in the Chisos is 5679, and drops to 2160 at the Rio Grande River at Castolon. Because of the very dry climate, ash and lava formations from the volcano along this route are dramatic and bold. At the end of the road, the Rio Grande exits Santa Elena canyon where it has made a vertical cut in the rock 1400' high. There's a walk on the cliff face extending into the canyon about 1/2 mile.

If you come in from the east on IH-10, exit at Fort Stockton. You will turn south on US 385 for 98 miles which puts you at Persimmon Gap, the entrance to the park. The entrance stations are closed due to manpower shortages, so stay on the road to Panther Junction Ranger Station (29 miles) where you need to stop and register. When you leave the park, I suggest taking Hwy 170 west from the park to Presidio which follows the Rio Grande River. The views and geologial formations are spectacular along this route. However, after seeing the park and the Rio Grande formations on the drive to Presidio, the drive north from there on US 67 to US 90 and back to IH- 10 are bland.

I live in Fort Stockton, so if you happen to come thru, I'll buy you a cup of coffee and give you a topo map and literature with information about the park and the surrounding areas. It's a huge park and you can't see all of it in a day, much less photograph it. You'll be way ahead to know what you want to do and where to go before you get there.

Have a safe trip and God Bless.

George Chambers

Ken

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To start, you can check out the following in Original Q&A under Techniques at:

http://db.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000Ij9

Jeff

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If is sun will be hitting it, a white styrofoam ice chest will keep it cooler. There rather bulky, but cheap and they come in all sizes. Might be kinda tight in a kayak, but work great in a canoe. And with the top secure, they float.

Jerry

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You might want to check out the post "Recommended locations - NM in August" here at:

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http://db.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000DAm

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Take warm clothes. It gets cold early in this area, but lots of photo ops. Good luck.

Dan

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There is a post in photo.net Q&A titled, "any examples of soft focus filters", where we're been discussing this. Unfortunately there isn't a site that anyone has found to give one examples of soft-focus filters, and the catalogs don't help either.

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I queried some portrait studios to look at some finished photos taken with these filters and the results are posted there. However, it's hard to describe the results in words.

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I have been using a Tiffen Soft FX-3 for portraits of my wife and daughters and the results are ok. IMO, FX-3 would probably be too soft for landscapes you ask about in the nature forum.

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You might follow the post in Original Q&A for any follow ups. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Maybe an up-coming photo.net article on it.

To disturb a nesting bird for the purpose of a photograph would be "unethical". That's where a "rule of not interfering" would come into play. There's quite a difference between that and what you ask.

In the case of the meer-cats, I'm reasonably sure if a wildlife clinic or vet had been close at hand they may have tried to help, but only after the jackal unsuccessfully attempted the catch. But in the middle of the Kalahari, there's probably not many clinics close at hand.

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And lions? Catching two or three wild lion cubs without being experienced at handling them would be akin to jumping in a blender. If two had tried, that would leave one to drive his/her partners to the hospital, which probably would have been far off also. Ever try to catch a little kitten that was half wild? Imagine the kitten the size of a lion cub!

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Jana, Steve didn't say he wouldn't try and help the predator if it were injured, only that he wouldn't interfere in a predator/prey situation.

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I personally see nothing "unethical" about helping a wounded animal. Wounded animals are helped all the time, even by photographers. You of course would need to exercise a lot of common sense. To interfere in a predator/prey situation could be detrimental to the predator. Interfering in a predator/prey situation, or helping a wounded predator could be detrimental to the rescuer.

Nick

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I don't know anything of the Sakar line, so I can't answer #1, except to say you usually get what you pay for.

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You don't say what lens you have, so I'm going to guess you have a Canon 35-80 zoom (the standard on the Rebels). A Canon converter won't fit this lens. And if you put a 2x (or 1.4x for that matter) of ANY make on this zoom, you'll lose a lot of picture quality (what little there is).

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Sell the lens instead.

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If you have to have a zoom, you would be better off getting a Canon 28-105 and forgetting the converter. It'll cost you around $285, but you'll be better off than with a 2X converter.

Rob

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Following the earlier suggestions in the Jemez mountains, coming back from Chaco Canyon, on NM 44, turn east on NM 4. Besides the beautiful scenery, there is a large, interesting soda dam across the canyon with a small waterfall. This is the result of sulfur springs there, so the air isn't the most pleasant. Farther east you will come on up Battleship Rock, a huge granite formation, again on the side of the road.

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On east will be the Valles Caldera that Steve mentioned, which you will drive thru. Before you get to Los Alamos, I would strongly suggest you stop by Bandelier National Monument. I've never been to Chaco Canyon, but if it's anything like Bandelier, I've gotta go.

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The formation at Bandelier is mostly ash from the Valles Caldera, which has turned into a pink tuff. Foothills of the mountains, so still forested. What I found most interesting were the ruins and the apartment like living quarters hewn out of the rock by the Indians that lived there.

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When I was there in March, birds were aplenty. Not sure about now. Steve or Fred can probably help there, they sound like their more local.

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This website will give you a quick preview of National Parks and Monument sites in New Mexico. (http://www.newmexico.org/outdoors/national_parks.html)

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Enjoy the trip and take plenty of film.

No one book on birding is going to work to identify all the the species, even if each book has the same birds. There are just to many plummage variations in different regions. Even in the same region for that matter.

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Take the House Finch. In west Texas, I haven't even seen one that looks like the one in the Nat Geo Field Guide. Maybe the Southwest illustrators? Same in Peterson's. Only the maps told me it probably wasn't the Purple Finch, but the range lines were very close. Cassin's finch? Finally positively identified it in All the Birds of N. America. If I hadn't had slides to look at, I'd still have to wonder what they were. Slightly different plummage on all of them. And each field guide has a different rendition of the same bird.

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Don, decent review of the Nat Geo Guide, but could you tell us the name of this new book that is rumored to be better than the National Geographic Guide?

Good question. I don't know the answer, but I think "Dangerous" works for me. I think Bob Atkins is right when he started with ". . . anyone with really negative experiences won't be posting". The problem with bears, and any wild animal for that matter, is their predictably un-predictable, no matter how well we've studied them. But unlike most wild animals, a grizzly has REALLY big teeth and claws! No matter how many favorable reactions we get, there is always the danger of that one UN-favorable reaction.

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Years ago I read an article in Sports Afield or a simular publication about a mauling that happened, if I remember right, in Yellowstone Park. Campers were awakened at night by a bear in their camp. One of them used a flash camera to take a picture and the bear reacted by mauling one of them. Whether it was the flash itself, the power up whine or something else that may have really lead to the attack, if your going to get close to that large of a carnivore, expect a reaction.

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We would all hope for a good reaction, but it would only take one BAD reaction to spell disaster. And no one is sure how a bear might react, even those who live with them as neighbors. Even deer have been known to attack! So good luck and Be Careful!