John Bennett
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Hoping I’m missing something simple and one of you can explain it or pointout what I’m missing :). I can see the value of such items and steps when your in a controlled enviroment as in a studio or set and have often given alot of thought to buying them. But everytime I think about buying a grey card or incident meter or even something like the above I can’t help but think it has the potential to be…going to use a strong word for lack of better…..ruining or counter productive.
When shooting in the outdoors, light values are constantly changing. Whether its 5 minutes in elapsed sunrise or perhaps the simplest analogy is quite simply the sun peeking out from behind a cloud, or say an angler or deer moving from sunlight into shade cast by a tree.
So in the end you could likely end up spending more time correcting.
I’ve given alot of thought t picking up a grey card/expodisc and every time Im about to pull the trigger I end up passing for fear that the lack of control in the outdoors would perhaps lead to more missed or wrong settings. The only option I aware of, is toRemarkable how consistant the the bottoming out on weekends is.
Guess we all have too much time on our hands Mon-Fri 9 to 5 😉Almost all running/mountaineering/camera stores carry individual water bottle holders that can be clipped via a carbiner or have a loop that can be threaded and attached to a belt.
The running stores I’ve found usually carry different sizes from small .5 litre so as to allow for a number of smaller bottles to full size holders if you prefer 1 or 2 larger bottles
Generally don’t like to reply to my own but I thought of something I wanted to add.
Most raw converters whether they use preset Cloud/sun/xxx or a Kelvin Scale also have 1 or 3 eye dropper tools. If its just 1 thats typically for setting the grey point. If all 3 theres one for black/grey/white.
Using the above WT image. Had the camera been way off with the WB and i wanted to “set/correct” it. Id have chosen the “white” eye dropper and clicked on a part of the image that I knew to be “white”
In this case its tail.Based on that, the software would set the WB and voila…My white is white.
On area where I often have to correct WB is when shooting my girls indoor sports. Skin tones look like crap and white jerseys are rarely white. Rather than trust to my eye, I choose either a white or black eye dropped and click on the appropriate part of the image that I know to be black or white.
I specifically recal haveing to do that with most of these shots.They had god awful skin tones and cast……originally
Not perfect but the skin tones are better and the white Jerseys are whiter 🙂
So John, you’re shooting on auto WB and then correcting in PS post.
Yep…if its needs correcting (often it doesnt) or “manipulating” if I want to cool/warm the image. Not sure which converter you use but I much prefer converters that allow you adjust the WB via a slider that uses “Kelvin” (sp?) degrees vs those that have preset daylight/tungsten/cloud/sunlight/etc. One the control is infinately finer but its also visual vis a vie a colour graph (hard to describe).
if you have an image that has a yellow/Golden colour cast its “warm”. Think morning sunlight on someones face, or
That was shot within 15 minutes of the sun breaking the horizon in the latter part of winter (March or early April). If I recall the WB per the Kelvin scale was around 6,500 to 6,800..I warmed it a hair maybe boosting it another 100pts.Conversely you’d want to cool it if its too warm to your taste.
Just to confirm what Aaron has said.
I use alot of woodcraft I’ve learned myself over the years, and steal alot of pages from hunters and hunting techniques. Bow hunting is about as accurate an anology as there is. When I first got it my mind last fall/winter to try and locate and subsequently record Coyotes.
It was Coyote hunters I approached for tips on locating, stalking, calling and while I havent resorted to it yet baiting and herding.
The most common tip was to locate a pack (done), visit a butcher, colect some scraps, place in bucket with water, allow to freeze over night. Place bucket around 4am and wait 🙂
I spent month trying to learn how to use calls. The only thing I’ve thus far mastered is scaring the crap out our Basenji. All I need to do now is pick up the call and she bolts to another part of the house trembling in terror
;DI shoot RAW 100% of the time and use AWB.
Usually the body is pretty good at determining WB, but occasionally its way off.
If I *want* a true or close to “real” WB, typically what I do is use the eyedropper WB tool and click on that portion of my image thats either white (or should be white) or better yet, a point thats as close to nuetral grey as I can.
Done.
*********There are 3rd party plug ins available that somehow allow you imbed a grey card in your image ( I guess an insert) which you then click on, which sets the grey point and your onverter uses to establish “true” WB…Dunno for sure, never tried them…just know it exist.
I could probably find the link if you like.Most often though as a “nature/wildlife/outdoors photogrpaher you will want or appreciate the ability to set the “tone” of your image yourself in post.
Theres no hard and fast rule that your final image *has* to be the true/real WB. Its kind of like “exposures”. Theres a “proper” exposure and then theres what you want the exposure to be.
In it’s purest sense it means having the power to warm or cool the image away from the WB.
Photpgraphy is subjective and whos to say if any given image won’t benefit by warmed/cooled by 50 or 500 Kelvin degrees.Of coarse you always run the risk of “overdoing” it and creating a colour cast but….
even then sometimes a colour cast can add to the mood of an image rather than detract.Another one of my vacation shots.
I cooled this if memory serves me right by 150pts.
Doing so helped the blues present in the sky and water.Welcome aboard JS.
Sounds alot me. 30+ years spin fishing, got bored needed something new. Picked up fly fishing and now about 8 years later its all I do no matter where/what. Catch alot, alot fewer fish but enjoy it so much more.Unlike you I let the salesman talk me into Orvis everything (waders, reel, rod )..Bloody 5wt full flex hasn’t been casted in 3 years
Id look hard at the 40D.
The 5D is fantastic but pricey. A successor is strongly rumored to be coming which will drive the price down but still, it wont go lower than the 40D. The 40D itself probably wont be replaced for another 8 to 12 months, having just been released last Sept.If money werent an issue…meaning if they both cost the same, then the style of photography that most interested me, wuold determine it.
Action or telephoto (due to 1.6 crop): the 40D
Stills, portraits and similiar: The 5D.Take your 10D and 2 cards to your neast dealer.
Take some shots at ISO 800 and 1,000 on both.
Take some shots of something moving fast to test intial acquisition speed (subjective) and ai servo..Im sure after doing that you’ll be sold on the 40D.
Simon having just gotten into a rather blown out of porportion arguemnt about some of is stuff, m reply is going to very short and thus lackin by way of explanation ad detail they deserve to give them context.
My philosphy.
Spend where you have to, save where you can.DSLRs and everything that goes with them (accessories) are stupidly expensive. Even if you go with entry level stuff across the board, by the time you add some spare cards, a spare battery, a tripod capable of holding the weight, bag etc…….Your in large. And you still have lenses you want
What you want to try to avoid are “upgrades” and replacements.
In other words, plan. Make a budget that not only covers the initial purchase but give thought to growth. Not so much growth in terms of additions, but growth in terms of where you might wan to be in 1 or 2 years including some additionsOne of the surest ways to incur upgrade costs is by buying stuff you outgrow too fast (bodies) or get frustrated with (typically lenses).
Simple example.
Buy an XTI and some accessories and then upgrade to a 40D too soon. Not only are you replacin the body, your buying new batteries (incompatible), new cable release (incompatible), possibly a new tripod to as the old one wont hold the weight of the bigger/heavier stuff etc.What would I do?
Id buy the best body I can to help ensure I didnt outgrow it too fast.
If that means a used one so be it.Bodies depreciate really fast, unlike lenses. As long as its been treated well you should be safe. Only thing to be leery of is shutter count…All DSLRs have a shutter life..Entry level bodies typically around 25,000 clicks…and so on up the line to Pro bodies with 200 to 300k clicks.
So used, yes…Old no.
1)Sorry Im late Mike, just got back from a week off.
First
Shooting from a boat:
It would be best to have a len with VR (nikon) or IS (Canon). The reality is your not going to get a long lens with it, without dropping a few G. Bottom line, the more stable your boat, the less shutter speed you need. Depending on the lens IS/VR can help offset 2 or 3 stops.
Having shot from within everythng but a Kayak my favorite is my toon.
Its simply that much more stable but its alot slower point A to point B than anything else.Fast or faster glass.
With long lenses I don’t know how much of an advantage they truly are due to compression and effective DoF. Sure, when your SS is borderline sufficient to remove shake or eliminate motion blur having the option the open the lens a bit more is great. The reality or trade off is your dof will be insufficent plus faster glass = alot more weight. Much as I dream about one day owning a 500 f4 L I know without any shadow of a doubt which lens Id be using from my boats. The 400.How much SS do you need?
Ultimately it depends on how well you can handhold a 300mm or 400mm w/0 shake and how stable your platform is.Canon 100-400 L ( 2 stop IS )
f8.0
1/250th
F7.1
1/320th
Tripod vs Monopod.
Both have their merits and I use both. Which I use and when, depends on a few variables.As Will mentioned I also use a Bushhawk. Its my mount of choice 95% of the time when I’m out chasing Wildlife. Its not as good (stable) as Monopod and certainly not as good as a Tri but what you give up you gain back in terms of mobility (tracking moving subjects), weight, portability as in walking through deep snow snow or thick brush portability. Does make it as close to an all in one, ready to go support system your goint to get. Love it.
Bushhawk
Not getting results you want.
Can mean alot of things 🙂 From just not being used to long lenses, to needing to get closer. One of the toughest aspects to wildlife photography is that you are in control of so little. The chance of a lifetime can be “ruined” by having to swing 180 degrees and shoot into the sun or simply finding a specimen you really want but it being in a bad spot with busy/cluttered backgrounds or hydo lines present…..whatever.And you can never have enough reach.
The more homework you do “generally” speaking the more you can control. Learn some of their habits ( Ive found a spot where a couple Osprey regularily go fishing thats within reach)..To get that 1 shot of an Osprey crashing into the water without resorting to baiting them I may need to camp out for a few days. I cant control the when, the weather or even the light. I do know the “where” and can position myself as to get the background and light for the time of day I want. I may come home empty to….Wont be the first time thats happened.
To get those kinds of shots I camp about 75 feet from on of their nest.Coyotes?
I tried all last winter to get close to one…Still skunked.
A blind depending on your target species will do way more for you than any 2, 3, or 6 grand lens.Full camo inlcuding at times face mask.
I wear that to when chasing Whitetails, Coyotes, Turkey and the like.
I’m out before sunup and in position before they arrive. One I dont spook them and two I increase the odds of getting favorable light (frontlight) by choosing my spot where I know they frequent.
Other times I stalk them when need be
Work on the things you can control and then if your still not getting results think about a new lens. Upgrades are expensive.
You can never have enoug reach, no matter how much you have…Alot of species simply arent tolerant of humans and whose comfort zones are small.Filters.
I dont bother with a UV unless Im at great risk of wind blown grit (beach). Its just 1 more layer of glass. Nothing Im aware of will take care of atmosperic haze as you get with long lenses.CPs.
I use one on my 400 only rarely. One they tend to take 2 stops of light and even in good light you can rarely afford that kind of hit. Bu when I do, I dont bother using the hood. One the CP will cut glare (flare) and 2 it take the place of the hood with regards to protecting the frm element from a ding or scratch.Thats would make a fantastic puzzle.
and I am oh so very green with envy.
Seriously. If I went to the Grand tomorow Id be happy to find 3Cant offer much critique Will thats out of my zone. Only thing I might say is the sky in the tp left distracts being much brighter/lighter han anything else.
On a personal note Id swear at you but that migt get me in hot water so all Im going to say is.
Bug off.
Ther are dozens more in one shot than Ive ever seen.
That represents about 500 3 hr round trips for me.
😀Aint that the truth Will.
Ive yet to see a good hatch in my life 🙂 the stream behind my house and others nearby while they hold Brookies and Browns arent know for hatches. In all the years Ive fished them Ive seen maybe 5 Mayflies (Stones excluded).
If want a chance at finding some I have to travel 200km round trip to the closest and about 300/400km to the Grand (an hr and 45m, one way)
Doing what your trying to do would send me over the edge 🙂
Thanks wil look at those.
The problem with waist stuff designed for cameras is that they don’t consider/allow you get in the water. Think Tanks modules while great are largely designed to be carried on waist belts.90% of my fish shots and alot of ofther I’m in knee deep water, squating getting my butt wet, or sitting on my butt to get as low as possible to water level. My Sage fanny pack that I use for my fly gear and stuff constantly gets soaked as a result.
So basically to me, the ideal system distributes any weight around the waist on to the hips that can get wet. I dont want to remove or put that back on ad naseum as I get in the water for low angle shots..
Sensitive and heavier stuff goes higher up, front and back that gets distributed to the shoulders and back and can be easily removed as desired.
Sorry Dusty. What David said.
Most CPs also come with a hash mark or triangle on the rim to aid you orientating it. Basicaly point the hash mark at the sun if you don’t have time to look through the viewfinder as you spin the CP and judge how much or how little effect you want. A CP will be at its strongest when its perpinduclar to the sun.
Minimising, or removing that effect when part of the sky is heavily influenced is something I haven’t quite figured out. Hard to see with the naked eye on scene, but is obvious once the image is on your pc.
In the above the original is even more pronounced at the top left and trailing off to the right, lower right. I lessened it a bit with the aid of a Grad ND filter in post.
Don’t wear polarised sun glasses when looking through the viewfinder and trying to adjust the CP
