kferris575

<p>I agree that it is some sort of orb weaver. They generally start to show up in mid to late summer. It may be helpful if you had a shot of the top side.</p>

Older macro lenses (manual focus lenses) sometimes had a bellows factor scale on the lens barrel so you could tell how much to adjust the exposure when you focus on a close subject. The in camera meter will work properly and it will pick up the exposure adjustments. However, if you are not using the in camera meter (for example, you use a hand held incident meter), you will need to adjust your exposure to compensate when you are focusing close to the subject.

Sunny,

 

I think the shuttle bus driver gave you good information. That is a good time to be there for the colors. The problem is that the color lasts a very short time (compared to the fall colors in the lower 48). Typically, the color will only last a couple of days and it can happen at any time during that two week time frame (generally the last week in August through the first week in September).

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that Denali is a very big park. The colors can peak in one part of the park, while they have not even started to change in other parts of the park.

 

Good luck.

 

Kevin Ferris

I was there in November 2006, and there was lots of activity. One of the photographers I was with had been there the prior year also and he noted that we had considerably more activity in 2006 than he had seen in 2005.

Let's try that with the correct size image.<div></div>

Here is another Xpan image.<div></div>

All of the places you mention are great. It is just very hard to do all of that in 11 days. As several people mentioned, you may want to reduce the number of places you try to visit.

 

When Alaska is good, it is my favorite place to go for photographs. However, the weather is often pretty bad. I have been there a lot and I have had great luck, but some people don't do as well.

 

Twice I visited Denali with a friend of mine for a week each time and it rained the entire time we were there. On those two trips my friend did not see Mt. McKinley at all. The third time we were there, we got very lucky and my friend finaly got some great shots of the mountain.

 

My point is, you never know what you will get in Alaska. Just be prepared, slow down and enjoy it. You may get lucky and be there during a magical moment.

 

I would not drive the Denali Highway in a compact car. Definetly have a spare tire.

DEET/permathin combo is a must (as noted by several people above). Also, DEET can be found in roll on applicators. This allows you to apply it in specific areas without getting it on the palm side of your hands. This will help minimize how much may contact your camera gear.

I still have three EOS 3's and one Elan 7. I still use the EOS 3's occasionally. I haven't used the Elan in a long while. I got it to use in real mucky situations where I didn't want to bring my "expensive" EOS 3's.

Joe,

 

I have both the 180mm and the 100mm Canon Macro lenses. Optically, they are both great. As mentioned above, the 180mm is heavy. That's why I picked up the lighter, 100mm for hiking and backpacking.

 

There is also a very different working distance bewteen these lenses. I use the 180mm primarily for insects (this is typically where I want a bit more working distance). I use the 100mm mostly for close-ups on the ground. The 100mm provides me with the smaller working distance that I want for this type of subject.

 

The 180mm is a good mid telephoto focal length as well. However, it is slower to focus than most other Canon lenses that I own. This has not been a problem for me due to the way I primarily use this lens (early morning, photographing sleeping, or slow moving insects). If I was trying to use this lens on faster moving subjects, the slower focus may have some issues.

 

This lense is one of my favorites. However, I do I lot of insect photography, so I may be a little biased.<div></div>

I never had a problem with FedEx x-raying film.

 

I was once told by a FedEx attendant in Anchorage to mark the package "CONTAINS FILM - DO NOT X-RAY". Sometimes I mark the package, most times I do not (as noted above, most film shipped by B&H is sent FedEx).

 

Never mail the film. That is sometimes x-rayed. I always ship 2 day. It's a little less expensive than overnight, and it gets to the destination well in advance. As mentioned above, ground shipping is erratic. They give estimated delivery dates that may not hold up.

This only solves part of the problem. I always Fedex my film a week in advance to the hotel I will stay at the first night (I am generally camping after that). I call a few days in advance to make sure they got it. Hotels will typically hold a package for you if they know in advance.

The temperatures can drop below freezing at night at that time of year. There is always a chance of frost in the morning. Snow is possible as well.

You may need to try several times to get the combination of good morning light and no wind. Generally, it is best just before the sun starts to warm the air.

Randall,

 

If you have the time, you may want to try to visit a few dirrerent areas of the park. The terraine and look of the landscape is different in each of the basic park areas. The park is pretty big and you will have to travel a pretty good distance from Moab to get to some of the entrances. Bring water.<div></div>

Don't travel with the camera bodies attached to the lenses.

One thing that I did not see anyone else address is motion sickness. If you keep your eye looking through the viewfinder all the time, you may start to get motion sickness. If this occurs, minimize the amount of time you are looking through the viewfinder. It may help.

 

Some people have problems with motion sickness, others almost never do.

 

Good luck.

Beau,

 

I had the 500mm f4.5 back when I had manual focus equipment, and I now have the 500mm f4 with IS. The manual focus f4.5 was very sharp and easy to use (for a long lens). However, I prefer the f4 version with IS. It is a little brighter in the viewfinder, and the Image Stabilization (IS) is one of the best improvements in long lens photography in many years. If you get the f4.5 version you will not be disappointed with the quality. However, if you can afford the higher cost of the f4 IS version, go for it.

Matthew,

 

The bears are generally around the falls in July. In September, they are typically found along the rivers edge and down where the river runs into the lake. I have been there in September twice, and 500mm to 600mm was often necessary at this time of year because the bears are a bit further away than they are at the falls.

 

At the falls, it appears that 400mm is just about right (however, I have not been there in July).

 

The focal lengths noted above are based on films cameras, not a digital camera with a crop factor.

 

I hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Kevin Ferris

Try shooting in the early morning before the sun starts to pop through the trees. Also, if you shoot film in the morning, try a warm balanced film. Morning light is cool and the forest shade is also cool. A warm film like Kodak E100GX helps. As noted above, if you are shooting digital shoot in raw so you can fine tune the white balance later on.

 

Good luck

Kevin

When I use roll paper (8.3 inch or 13 inch width), the printer rolls

out about 5 inches of paper before it starts printing. It does this

regardless of whatever settings I use (auto cut, manual cut, single

cut, double cut, etc.).

 

I contacted Epson, and their reply was to load the paper with the

control panel set to "Roll Paper Auto Cut". I had tried this and it

didn't work. With this setting, it rolls out the 5 inches of paper,

prints the image, then cuts the paper in the correct spot after

finished printing.

 

Every image printed on roll paper has 5 inches of paper at the

begining that must be cut off afterward.

 

I have spoken with someone else who had this problem and couldn't

fix it (and Epson's instructions do not work). Does anyone know how

to fix this problem?

Christopher,

 

I have both the 100mm and 180mm macro lenses. I bought the 180mm first because I do alot of insect stuff and the extra working distance is very helpful. When I used manual focus cameras, I had a 100mm macro and I always wished I had a little more reach. That's why I got the 180mm when I switched to auto focus.

 

However, when trying to photograph certain things, the extra working distance was a problem. For example, shooting directly on the ground. Somtimes I had to stand on a step ladder to get the desired composition.

 

I also do alot of traveling and backpacking. The 180mm was too big for some of these trecks. I recently picked up the 100mm for the times I need to travel light, and when I want to do some close up photography on non-insect subjects.

 

Both lenses are very sharp. The 180mm is slower to focus than the 100mm. I like both of them, but I use them for differnet subjects. If you are shooting digital with a crop factor, the 100mm may be more like the 180mm on a film body.

 

If you are using the 100mm and you often feel you need some additional reach, the 180mm will be very helpful (or maybe a digital body with a crop factor). If you can photograph most of your subjects with the 100mm and you don't need the reach, stay with the 100mm.

 

If you do decide to get the 180mm, you may want to also hold onto that 100mm also (if it is economically feasible).

 

I hope this helps.

 

Kevin

B&H, Adorama and many other photo stores in NYC are owned by orthodox jews. That is why they close early on Friday, and are never open on Saturday. The B&H website homepage has a section titled "Holiday Closing Schedule" where they post the days they will be closed.

 

Note: Several holidays occur in the fall (Yom Kippour, Roshashonna) so plan ahead if you need anything at that time.

R.J.

 

I have the X-Pan (old version, not the X-Pan II). It is a great camera, and it comes in quite handy. However, it does have a few limitations.

 

What I like best:

 

It produces very high quality images that hold up well when printed at about 4-1/2 feet long.

 

It is only as big and heavy as a typical 35mm camera. This makes it easy to carry when backpacking (alot easier to carry than a camera like the Fuji or Linhof 6x17 cameras).

 

It is a simple, manual focus camera. You don't need to remember the function of five differnent buttons (like many new SLRs).

 

Each lens has a hyperfocal scale (this is how I focus 90% of the time).

 

 

What I would like to see improved:

 

When on bulb setting, you can only keep the shutter open for about 50 seconds. This is limiting when shooting in low light situations (Note: The new version allows for about 500 seconds - a big improvement).

 

The 45mm lens requires a center spot ND filter to correct for some vigneting. The Hasselblad filter is expensive (about $150).

 

It can be a little difficult to load film (it sometimes takes three or four tries before the film leader catches).

 

You have to be careful when using a polarizer. When polarizing a panoramic view of the sky, a large part of the frame may not polarize. In addition, since it's a rangefinder, you cannot check the impact of the polarizer when looking through the viewfinder.

 

It is easy to inadvertently change the ISO setting. The ISO selection button is postioned so that I always touch it when I remove the camera from the camera bag. If I grip the camera hard, I apply enough pressure to depress the button that allows the ISO selection dial to move. Ocassionally, the dial will move as I remove the camera from the bag (this may have been revised in the new version).

 

 

 

Overall, the X-Pan is a high quality alternative. The 6x17 cameras will produce a bigger negative and can be printed a lot bigger. If you are looking at somthing smaller, and easier to carry, the X-Pan is worth looking at.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Kevin Ferris

Gordon,

 

This may be helpful if you never did any aerial photography before:

 

Don't keep your eye to the viewfinder the entire time. You may start to feel motion sickness if you don't take your eye away from the camera periodically.

 

See if you can get them to take a window out so you can shoot unobstructed. If you shoot through the window, you may have some trouble if the windows fog up.

 

If you want shots of a bush plane against a great landscape, you will need to charter two planes. One to shot from and one to be your model. The pilots cannot fly close to another commercial plane (I think it is an FAA rule), but if you charter two planes it is permissible (and expensive).

 

Have a polarizer with you and expect to use it.

 

I hope this is helpful.

Good luck