senthil1

<p>Thanks a lot Shun. Sure, as I said 'm using the same support - window mount + wimberley or bean bag + sufficient shutter - for 200-400mm as I use for 600mm. That's why 'm a little disappointed with it. U r right - 200-400mm is very nice; that's why I prefer to carry both the big lenses despite the pain of taking them all the way.</p>

<p>Anyways, here are some ex - of course to judge composition from focal length point of view (too small for sharpness check, but believe me these are sharp)<br>

with 600mm - <br>

http://senthil.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Leopards/G0000DmjlmRf8B8M/I00007nU3GG4NJP4 (all images in this gallery r with 600mm)<br>

http://senthil.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Lions/G0000_CTWjOqDMuo/I0000.PXhHZSxMkY (most images are except the obv wide-angle pic)<br>

http://senthil.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Other-Wildlife/G0000ePGeaI44Z3s/I0000k2GVB2upiPA</p>

<p>with 200-400mm - <br>

http://senthil.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Other-Wildlife/G0000ePGeaI44Z3s/I0000r5M6wfE1b9o (cropped for compositional reasons)<br>

http://senthil.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Borneo/G0000oW.J.IqgZvM/I0000goPDsmwKEsU (not 100% sharp)<br>

http://senthil.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Cheetahs/G00007NINYtCgmcs/I0000EWMHQ6oUyRU</p>

<p>"When I was traveling to Africa with a 500mm/f4 on film SLRs, I also had a 300mm and a 80-200mm to back it up, and I used those shorter lenses a lot."<br>

My experience has been the other way around; most of my images are with 600mm with 200-400mm as a backup. May be just different shooting preferences? Again, may be the examples above and other pics on my site might point to the reason?</p>

<p>Having said all the above, I totally agree with you - I've been stuck on many occasions with the animal being too tight during action situations, when changing to another body + 200-400mm might be impossible as I wud just miss the action.... That's the biggest challenge for me on 600mm.</p>

<p>Yeah, I've been reading great reviews of 200-400mm. In fact, I believe that my first copy of that lens was sharper than the current one I have (never compared side-by-side though). Our discussion is making me think more that I should send it to Nikon at the earliest and then check the sharpness. Thanks again.</p>

<p>@Shun - I typed the prev post before u had posted urs but hadn't submitted it.</p>

<p>Yup, I do realize your concern for my technique. I was also concerned, but then with 600mm I get perceptibly sharper image. If my technique were in question, images should actually be worse with 600mm than with 200-400mm, given weight difference, right? At least, that's the reason 'm giving myself. BTW - to my knowledge, 'm using the same stabilizing setup & technique for both the lenses. Another reason might be - 'm comparing 600mm on FX to 200-400mm @ 400mm on DX, ie. the weakest focal length of 400mm on 200-400mm to 600mm prime. Any thoughts please?</p>

<p>Again, my thoughts are shared by my friend, who's is a fulltime professional wildlife photographer, has won awards on these big competitions, and has been on the cover of BBC Wildlife magazine. Of course, I know many ppl getting great pics with 200-400mm. That's my dilemma...</p>

<p>'m contemplating on sending it to Nikon to see whether they can to calibrate so that sharpness improves.</p>

<p>"In my case, ever since I bought the 200-400 in 2006, both of my 500mm/f4 AF-S and 300mm/f2.8 AF-S have never left my home state (California)"</p>

<p>Hmmm... for me its the other way around. For most of my trips, I can think abt forgoing 200-400mm but certainly take 600mm, though I end up taking both. During my recent trip to Borneo, used 200-400mm on quite a few occasions and have been largely disappointed. Again, images with 600mm are much better...</p>

<p>@ Alvin & Carl - Thanks a lot for your comments.</p>

<p>@Anish - yup, I try to go to Africa 2 times a year. Last year was there 3 times. As I said, its addictive. Enjoy the ride...</p>

<p>@Shun & Bjorn - I do acknowledge your liking for 200-400mm. But I'm not too happy with it, esp wn comparing to 600mm. Sharpness in question. Sorry, I didn't do formal testing with resolution charts, but just seeing the results from real life images. Have been sometimes thinking about selling it and getting 300mm 2.8, but I do realize 200-400mm is much more flexible; that's the reason why I'm still keeping it. And shooting tigers in India, 200-400mm is almost a necessity, though used 600mm mostly on a shoot during summer when visibility is more from a distance.</p>

<p>Yup, 200-400mm can the ideal safari lens, but for whatever reason, I see significantly better sharpness with 600mm. Since shooting with D700, I also think most times 600mm is very ideal even for bigger mammals, so that u don't get too close. Of course, u get better out of focus with 600mm.</p>

<p>To give more info - I shoot alongside my friend - who's a prof wildlife photog and camps in Masai Mara for majority of the year. He has been shooting 600mm on FX & 200-400mm on both FX and DX bodies for a while now. Initially, wn I was shooting D300 + 200-400mm, similar images had much better sharpness on his setup of D700 + 600mm even at lower ISO's; I guess that might be explained by me shooting at 400mm, which is likely the weakest fl of 200-400mm. On top of that, there are a few situations where adding 1.4x was necessary; needless to say 400mm x 1.4 on 200-400mm is even better worse. That's wn I bought the 600mm after waiting for a long time. Since then I have seen a huge improvement in my results. This has been the experience for this friend too, when he started out with 200-400mm, then moved onto 600mm.</p>

<p>The 200-400mm might also be very useful in situations such as what Shun has explained. That's why I think having both 600mm and 200-400mm on separate bodies ready to shoot might be ideal. ie. in addition, 70-200mm & 24-70mm. Yup, its gets very heavy, but I guess that's the price u pay for quality. Not sure how long I can do that...</p>

<p>Hello Anish,</p>

<p>Hv been to Mara many times.</p>

<p>My gear - D700, D300, 600mm, 200-400mm, 70-200mm, 24-70mm & TC-14EII. Of these most commonly used are D700 + 600mm. Love that combo - real sharp, super fast. Having said that, in the past wn I didn't hv 600mm & D700, hv used D300 + 200-400mm. Hv tried TC but lose a lot in quality with 200-400mm. Once, I started using 600mm + D700, my 200-400 & D300 usage came to almost nil. Of course, 24-70mm is another beauty that can get a killer pics, wn used right.</p>

<p>For an idea of the kindda pics u can get in Mara u can visit my website. Of course, I've pics from other places too....</p>

<p><a href="http://www.senthilwildlifephotos.com/gallery-list">http://www.senthilwildlifephotos.com/gallery-list</a></p>

<p>Hv fun; Kenya is my fav country for wildlife overall.... Mara is a real gem.<br>

<br />Cheers,<br>

Senthil</p>

<p>Hello Carlos,</p>

<p>I don't hv 300mm f/4 but even before that the aperture of f/8 with 2x is makes focusing difficult and backgrd blur too little, leave alone forcing u to use lower shutter speeds with ISO being constant.</p>

<p>On my AFS version of that lens, serial # is imprinted near the camera end of the lens.</p>

<p>Hi Dave,</p>

<p>D700 is a very good camera and is wonderful for most of the needs. Having said that, it really comes down to what lighting conditions u'd be shooting in, esp that in most cases u'd need as high shutter speeds as possible, well except for intentional blur or panning. That's prolly wht's gonna be the deciding factor. Frame rate is important, but D700 + grip + right battery gives 8fps, which is very adequate for most.</p>

<p>I personally would wanna get D3s bcos I've come across a fair # of situations where the light was low. Sorry, I hvn't shot wildlife in NA, so not sure of specific conditions here. But in Borneo I really wish I'd D3s.</p>

<p>Cheers,<br />Senthil </p>

<p>BTW - most of my pics were shot with D700, and older ones on F100, and a very few D200.</p>

<p>Hello Dave,</p>

<p>Depends on wht kindda wildlife u wanna do. I do wildlife too, mostly African but hv been shooting tigers in India and been to Borneo. In some situations I really wanted to the have the high ISO quality of D3s. In Kenya such situations are fewer, whereas in Borneo its very handy as the light is on the lower side in the rain forest. What lenses do u use?<br /><br />Cheers,<br>

Senthil</p>

<p>Wild Bengal Tigress, Machli - oldest on record amongst currently living tigers. She's about 14+yrs old, has given so many offsprings to keep the species going.... Didn't see during the most recent trip during last week, but heard from others who saw her that she's doing well. Took this pic in May, 2010.</p><div></div>

<p>@Ray - Yeah, I've on rare occasions felt the need for 24mm 1.4, despite carrying 14-24, 17-35 or 24-70mm. So I might still get one, if 'm gonna use it more often than now, for those low-light situations.</p>

<p>"Assuming you don't have anything longer than 200mm because longer than 200mm is pretty much the territory of primes only."<br>

> Not really. What abt 200-400mm VR lens? Its a very good one, though sometimes the sharpness, esp. at longer end for mid-to-far subjects (D300) is not great compared to say a prime 600mm on D700. Aside, yeah I shoot zooms (17-35, 14-24, 80-200, 200-400mm) and prime (600mm).</p>

<p>I've heard that 400mm 2.8 is the sharpest tele frm Nikon. I've the 600mm VR, which is razor sharp. Can only imagine how 400mm wud be!!! Sometimes I think of getting 400mm and selling 200-400mm.</p>

<p>@ Shun - Thanks for the info. Will try to type an article and send for approval, before I forget the trip.</p>

<p>@CPM - Thanks a lot for the comments. Yeah, Orangutans seem to closely resemble us in their mannerisms. They really seem to have personalities.</p>

<p>Yup, carried everything, and in fact more than what I usually take to Africa!!! But since I did mostly the river ride and photographed from a boat, it was not bad. Managed somehow. Will try to post an article with a more elaborate info.</p>

<p>Another one from my wildlife series -<br>

<br />This lioness had just finished sharing a meal with her pride mates. Others had moved on, but she hung around with her cubs. This wildebeest was injured and tried to hide in a big bush. Lioness didn't spot her until the gnu lifted its head up after a few min to see where the lioness was.... As they say - Curiosity kills the cat... well, here curiosity killed the wildebeest.<br>

Nikon D300, 200-400 f/4 at 400mm, ISO 400, f6.3, 1/2000 sec.</p><div></div>

<p>I don't do much bird photography, mainly wild animals that r usually bigger. Use 600mm VR on D700. Have Tc-14E. Try to avoid it as much as I can, but still use wn absolutely needed. Surely there's loss of sharpness, aside from losing focusing speed/focus locking; contrast seems to be ok. As Ed says, using 1.4x TC is probably better cropping. Better, use DX body (as u r). But personally I don't like DX much (hv D300 but hardly use it), as 'm working with higher ISO setting most of the times just so that I hv sufficiently high shutter speed.</p>

<p>As Curt says, in the US its mostly pronounced as #1 way, but for the most of Asia (at least in India & many other), and countries using English/British/original English its as #2/3. Its on par on with many general differences b/w American & British English - pronunce "Tomato". I learnt many of these differences in pronunciations & spellings when I moved from India to US many years ago... Now, leave alone what Aussies say (will hv chk wth a fr) ;-)</p>

<p>BTW - I've no Japanese fr, but 'm fairly sure its #2/3 way....</p>

<p>Hi All,</p>

<p>Now that 'm back from Borneo and have had a chance to go thru my pics, I'd like to post a report or a permanent page/article (not sure what's its called technically here), so that it can be useful for others. Is that privilege reserved only for admins? Would I be able to post it only here/start new thread?</p>

<p>If you wanna check the quality of the pics before I'm allowed to write a report, you can find them at<br>

http://senthil.photoshelter.com/gallery/Latest-Borneo-Sep-2010/G0000oW.J.IqgZvM/</p>

<p>Again thanks to everyone who contributed. Very valuable tips indeed....</p>

<p>Cheers,<br>

Senthil</p>

<p>Wanted to depict wildebeest migration in Masai Mara, Kenya. Shot during my recent trip.</p>

<p>Nikon D700, 600mm VR, f/16, 1/13 sec</p><div></div>

<p>@Andrea - Everything seems fine with ur list, except the batteries. Try taking more - well, as many as u can. As I said earlier, batteries lose charge really quick in cold weather. I experienced it first hand, and that really limited my options - this despite carrying like 6 std batt, + 2 sets of 8 AA's (I had the holder for it in the battery grip) - all completely charged. If u r especially doing night time and/or star trail photography, I think its imperative.... I don't think there's gonna be power outlet for at least a wk (at least that was the case on Kili climb) - pl correct me if 'm wrong.</p>

<p>Another option is to get a solar charger (think there's one specifically for Nikon batt's). I looked into it briefly, but I think it turned out too expensive as it wud've been just for that trip.</p>

<p>DISCLAIMER: This is by no means any kind of professional advise ('m not trained in high altitude physiology & diseases). You need to consult your physician to have a complete physical and get advise before the trip. Of course, you can ask him/her of the following points -</p>

<p>Pl be aware of the possibility of mountain sickness. Four of us went (physicians) on the climb and were clued into the possible signs & symptoms. Luckily, none of us had any problems. But we took corticosteroids and Acetazolamide prophylaxis tablets starting the day before we started our climb; not sure how far these helped, but 'm sure the corticosteroids helped in our appetite. One of the early symptoms of mountain sickness is loss of appetite - well, none of us lost any, in fact, we were eating much more than usual, and the cook was running outta stuff ;-)</p>

<p>Drink lots of liquids - I mean non-alcoholic!!! Alc dehydrates the body by increasing urinary output. So avoid it COMPLETELY. Read thoroughly the possible symptoms of mountain sickness; don't get too panicky but just keep those in mind, becos its human tendency to fit whatever they are feeling into one that matches the diagnosis. Headache is supposed to very common at high altitudes - guess, as a result of vasodilatation as brain probably is trying to get as much oxygen as possible. Some think that its due to slight cerebral edema/swelling. U can probably take tylenol (don't overdo) if u hv headache. But don't ever underestimate signs & symptoms of pulmonary and/or cerebral edema, as it can be fatal. If one has such s/s of pulm/cerebral edema, I think the best option is the descend rapidly to a safe altitude.</p>

<p>Enuf of scary stuff.... Don't forget to hv fun.</p>

<p>Cheers.</p>

<p>From what I know 70-300mm is lighter than 80-200mm. I think u shud be able to take it, just in case. As I said, I never used 80-200mm though. But u don't wanna miss mountain scapes with beautiful snow... I still think that 16-85mm is gonna be ur main stay on the climb.</p>

 

<p>Hello Andrea,</p>

<p>I've not gone to Everest base camp (though its in my list), but went up Kili this Feb. From what I heard from someone who hiked alongside and who has also gone to base camp, I think its comparable though ur hike a little more difficult than Kili. I had D700 with grip, 17-35mm, 50mm, 80-200mm AFS, SB800 flast (all Nikon), Quantum turbo 2x2 battery pack, many AA & fully charged std D700 batteries, Gitzo 3530LS tripod & RRS BH55 ball head. I had D700 + 17-35mm on me most of the times while hiking. My guide, who walked alongside, helped me with 80-200mm, and porters, who walked ahead of us, carried the tripod/head, battery pack & other sundries. We hiked in bright sunlight, so didn't hv a need for the tripod during our hike. Used it only for night pics. BTW - don't forget polarizers.<br>

I never had any use for the 80-200mm, though I've heard Mt.Everest climb is prettier, so u might consider taking 70-300mm for mountain scapes.</p>

<p>Mostly used wide angle, usually in the late evening/night. Did long exp star trail pics and general ppl pics. You've to be aware that batteries lose charge in cold really rapidly (however, wn u warm it up, u can get the charge back). So keep them in ur sleeping bag at night, and o/w generally close to ur body until u wanna use it. Even with all these precautions I had trouble with long exp trail pics; kept losing power, esp becos I turned on long exp NR. W/o it, images are not usable, at least for me. It would help to keep the exothermic hand warmer pack wrapped arnd the external battery pack if u hv one; I cudn't do it for my quantum as the cable connecting it to D700 didn't work for whatever reason. So had to work with just the batteries in the grip and inside camera.</p>

<p>As a general protection for urself, take UV blocking sunglasses and the highest SPF sunblock; I used spf 70 (and I've darker skin/higher melanin). A friend who used "only" 30 spf had sunburns a few days into the hike. So lent mine.<br>

Hv a safe hike.</p>

<p>Cheers,<br>

Senthil</p>

 

 

 

<p>Thanks a lot for your comments Don Harper (I presume u meant the Orangutan pic), Jamie Harre, Richard Salke, Louis Meluso, Doug Rice.</p>

 

<p>Yup, I've tried them all.... and still use most of them at times, but just lenspen does the trick most of the times. Its fast and reliable. Of course, I use the mag device, VD sensor loupe.</p>