ric_raymond

Alfred,

These macro rings are available from BH Photo/Video. They have a series of them with the same or different filter sizes depending on your needs. These work the same as the ones from Kirk and are about one half the price. Kirk has some macro rings that are in the larger sizes and will make some special sizes if you need them.

While using a prime lens on the camera body is generally recommended it is not a requirement.

Ric Raymond

Folks,

I have a Canon ES1000 Hi-8 without an instruction manual. Can

someone point me to where I might find a copy?

Thanks

Ric

Peder,

I have a 2x3 Linhof Super Technica IV with a 6x7 roll film back

that I use. I use it for nature work as well as in the studio. I

have even used it to get some shots at a local basketball game but I

wouldn't recommend doing this as a regular thing!!!

The original schneider lenses are prone to flare to watch the sun.

Let me know if you have any specific questions concerning using

this camera and I will try to answer.

Ric

Folks,

Most of my work (architecture and commercial) is done with a 4x5 as this gives reasonable output for magazines and most enlargements. I have been asked to do some work for a trade-show exhibit where the prints will be 40x60 and larger. The orginals will be Velvia transparencies which are drum scanned.

My question is at what size print should I start providing 8x10 originals instead of the 4x5? Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks for your help.

 

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Ric

Jason

For diffusers there are a number of inexpensive home-made options.

You can use about a yard of cheese cloth (or similar light material)

available at a fabric store for about $6.00 USD. Tape this to a hula

hoop...works great.

For reflectors you can make a variety of them using aluminum foil

(comes in various holiday colors). Silver and gold will provide the

right combinations most of the time. Crinkle it and place it over

cardboard circles of various sizes. Use glue if necessary. Light

weight and convenient for macro work. Remember that you are lighting

a small space so you don't worry about the larger sizes.

Ric

Ian,

I am not sure what kind of architectural shots you are doing, my assumption is that you want to do outside shots of buildings mostly "straight on" from the front (75mm doesn't provide enough coverage for any interior work). The 75mm will work if you have enough distance to the building and if tilts are not required. My experience has been that 75mm is too long for most situations. By going back far enough to get all of the building I get unwanted items in the picture: telephone poles, trees, roads, other buildings, etc. I bought an inexpensive 4x5 with some short lenses and a rollfilm back insert to do this kind of work.

Dan,

I don't know any off the shelf solution. You might want to look at making one out of a combination two Calumet rollfilm holders (6x9s might work) and a 5x7 film holder.

Cut and splice the two holders together to get the opening that you need. I don't know what the center section against which the film rests is...you might want to make a new one from a 5x7 dark slide.

I would then surround this new holder by cutting the outline in a regular 5x7 film holder and cementing this to the new film holder. Just make sure that the film plane of the new rollfilm holder matches the film plane location for your regular 5x7 film holders.

This should be a lot less expensive than the other options. Anyway, goodluck.

Ric

Nick,

The main point of my reply is to discuss the side trip to Cleveland but a couple of other points first.

Have you thought about renting camping gear? There must be places in SF that do this. I live on the east coast and have no direct knowledge of what places are there but there must be something.

Second, I do not believe that three rolls of film per day in a national park is adequate. You might want to reconsider this.

Now to the side trip to Cleveland. Given your interest in mountains I would recommend that you leave the Grand Teton area by route 26/287. This will take you east through the Wind River range. There is some great scenery and hiking in this area and it is not clogged with tourists. I would follow route 26 through Wyoming and down into Nebraska. This was part of what we call the Oregon Trail which was followed by many moving west. Lots of historic interest.

Route 26 will meet up with our interstate highway 80 in Nebraska. Go east on 80 then north to Cleveland. This will be though some flat country.

Getting back I would go west and south from Cleveland to route 70. Follow 70 west right through to Utah. This will give you some good views of the front range of the Rockies (after what seems to be an ungoddly long drive through Kansas!!). Route 70 through Colorado has some interest and you will be able to get to the north side of most of what you want to see in Utah.

Most of the interstates will have a traffic flow of between 120 and 130 kph (75-80 mph). Driving time (this is behind the wheel time) from the Grand Tetons to Cleveland will be around 30 to 40 hours depending on traffic on route 26.

Ric

There are currently two different markets for nature/wildlife pictures. There is the "nature market" with its associated magazines, cards, calendars, etc. and there is the commercial market. Some parts of the nature market are currently into discriminating between wild and captive shots for large animals (there doesn't seem to be the same requirement on insects, fish, small animals, etc which are often captured and photographed in tanks before release). Then there is the commercial market. They want the best shot of the best looking subjec t to work with their product. Most animals in the wild do not look as well as captive animals. Wild animals are often less well fed, their coats are scruffy, they have that run down look of animals trying to make it. Captive animals have an appearance that art directors are willing to pay for. This is one of the major lessons when a nature photographer tries to move into the commercial space with their stock.

Almost everything in the commercial space is "captive". Models, food shots with fake ice, lighting, etc.

Of course, one can decide not to sell to the commercial market. That is one of the business decisions the photographer has to make. But, if photography is your business then you have to consider it.

For climbing...rocks, ice, etc....I would use a large fanny pack. Something like the large one that LL Bean offers. This would hold all the equipment that you mentioned (plus a lightweight mini-tripod). It would also be out of the way and easily accessable by simply bringing the pack to the front when you wanted to take pictures. Also, I assume that you are using a small climbing pack for the rest of your gear and the fanny pack should be able to fit up under this if you need to carry both at the same time.

I agree with Bob on getting the 400/5.6 lens. Even here, make sure that you get something with "macro" capability. The advantage of this is that it will allow you to focus much closer, somewhere in the 1.5 to 2 meter range. The 800/5.6 lens will have a close focus of about 10 meters. The 600/4.0 will focus down to about 6.5 meters. Both of these distances are still too far to get good size images of small birds. To overcome this most will use extension tubes to bring the focus distance closer.

To get close use blinds...tents, camo cloth, anything to break up your outline. Set up your equipment and then sit quietly. The birds will be back.

Even with long lenses you need to figure out how to get close.