Author Topic: Its time for a photography vacation (Read 8766 times)

ichiro17 · « **on:** May 02, 2007, 11:18 »

Gee, I've started two threads in one day, thats pretty good for me. I'd just like to thank everyone in advance for their input, since its been so wonderful in the Wacom thread.

Anyhow, I'm looking to go away for a week and go to a national park. Being Canadian, I thought a good candidate would be Banff National Park since its such a cornerstone in terms of nature and wildlife. I'm going with the idea of taking pictures suitable for microstock and macrostock and am aiming at taking 5000-10000 photographs (will probably buy a 30D and 17-40 f/4L in addition to my Digital Rebel XT, 100mm f/2.8, lens kit and 70-200mm f/4L.

My first question is this:

What would you recommend for a portable hard drive with 40GB to 60GB of space? I want to keep weight down and don't want to have a laptop but still want a reliable dumping source for my files until I get back and burn them all to DVDs.

My second question is this:

I really want the 5D but its way to expensive and I'm not making enough to justify it at the moment. Is the 30D good enough?

Third question:

Banff or Yellowstone? Your pick and why would you go there. As well, does anyone have any experiences and suggestions of where to go and hotspots for wildlife?

Fourth question:

I want a ball joint manfrotto head, which one do you recommend? As well, what actual legs of the tripod do you recommend because the one I have is too stiff.

Fifth question:

I hope that I haven't bored you by now, but I really wanna get the most out of this. Good time to spend with my dad too.

Are the pictures taken (assuming highest quality and good colours etc) be microstock worthy and the returns will justify taking the trip? How should I go about dividing the photos between macro and micro?

Thanks everyone again, I know its long but I really wanna get this right.

Joseph

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #1 on:** May 02, 2007, 11:46 »

1. Get a Digimate, thats what I have 40GB storage, very light and is working on a battery. Mine is called Smart portable storage Digimate 2, it is an me2 device. You also can get them with more storage. Mine was a 100 Euro half a year ago.
Here the technical data and a picture.. http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=AA35360

2. Thinking of getting th 5D too. But need some more justification from my income of photos right now. I feel the 30D is not of so much advantage over my D60. Cannot help you there.

Don't know how much you can get out of it and if the return will justify the trip. But if you have a good time with your dad, that probably justifies it

I wish you a nice trip!

ichiro17 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 02, 2007, 11:50 »

Thanks

I think it will be worth it regardless, but over the course of a year, it will end up paying for itself and some. Just need the time to process those 10000 pictures $:-\$

Have you ever had any problems with the Digimate? How secure and safe is the data once put on the drive?

Thanks,
Joseph

Pixart · « **Reply #3 on:** May 02, 2007, 12:06 »

Canon - I know nothing. But a durable camera is important (my Nikon D70 broke in half with a wind-gust). You may find yourself in extreme conditions up on the side of a mountain with rain, dust, dropping pine needles etc. and need to protect your camera. (Does one of them promote a weather seal?) My new camera can do a many functions easily whereas with the D70 I had to to stop and scroll through the menu. It was worth the extra $ right there.

Most camera equipment would be a capital expense in Canada and amortized over 3 years. Also, keep mileage, auto maintenance expenses etc. as a tax writeoff. Set up a space in your home as an office/studio and write that portion off.

Banff or Yellowstone. Never been to Yellowstone. Have you been to Banff? Was there 2 years ago and shocked at the prices to eat out or do anything like go up the gondola at Sulpher Mountain. Cheaper accomodation in Canmore or Kananaskis. Take bear pepper spray. Were several attacks that summer. An abundance of wildlife everywhere. Elk population downtown Banff. Bunny Rabbit population Kananaskis. Gorgeous vistas. The park is massive and you could likely stay for months shooting.

Might be a good time for you to go to Yellowstone when the CDN $ is so high. Isn't it hard to get accommodation in Yellowstone? I think I heard that campgrounds sell out first day of season?

ichiro17 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 02, 2007, 12:19 »

Pixart,

You said that its a capital expense for 3 years? From what I saw in the Revenue Canada business guide, it was classified as Class 8. What would happen then after the third year, do you just expense it all at that point? I know that Class 8 is 20%, but thats about it.

I've never been to either, which is why I'm keen on going. I have come to understand that Banff is terribly expensive and I think it would be ideal to go to the US given the awesome FX rate. I wouldn't be looking to stay on campgrounds, but at a hotel just outside the park to avoid the human traffic.

Do you have any other suggestions to Banff in Canada such as Kananaskis or other places in BC? (Don't want to spend toooooo much money)

wysiwyg_foto · « **Reply #5 on:** May 02, 2007, 13:34 »

Quote from: ichiro17 on May 02, 2007, 11:18

My first question is this:

What would you recommend for a portable hard drive with 40GB to 60GB of space? I want to keep weight down and don't want to have a laptop but still want a reliable dumping source for my files until I get back and burn them all to DVDs.

I have an Epson P2000 that I can store and view files with. It is very slow for file transfer but it does the work. I purchased mine refurbished directly from Epson on their website. The price was much less than full retail.

Quote

My second question is this:

I really want the 5D but its way to expensive and I'm not making enough to justify it at the moment. Is the 30D good enough?

I've owned a 20d and I currently own a 30d and a 1Ds Mark II. The 30d meters light differently than the 20d but as far as image quality, the images from the 30d are closer to the 1Ds than the 20d ever was. I think it's a decent camera. You may want to look into the accessory battery grip if you're using image stabilized lenses a lot.

Quote

Third question:

Banff or Yellowstone? Your pick and why would you go there. As well, does anyone have any experiences and suggestions of where to go and hotspots for wildlife?

I have never been to Banff but Yellowstone and the surrounding area in July and August are very beautiful. If you go to Yellowstone, don't forget about Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the Grand Tetons or on the other side of the park, Hebgan Lake, Quake Lake (where the whole side of a mountain came down on campers during an earthquake years ago) and the Henry's Fork portion of the Snake River near Mac's Inn and Pond's Lodge. Wildlife are found everywhere in Yellowstone.

Quote

Fourth question:

I want a ball joint manfrotto head, which one do you recommend? As well, what actual legs of the tripod do you recommend because the one I have is too stiff.

I just bought a cheap set up that I can knock around - Bogen 3001 legs and 322RC2 pistol grip head that I purchased used. I'm very happy with them. The shop owner was quick to point out with a true ball head, you run the risk of dropping the whole setup when you loosen the screw holding the camera in place. I investigated and tend to agree.

Quote

Fifth question:

Are the pictures taken (assuming highest quality and good colours etc) be microstock worthy and the returns will justify taking the trip? How should I go about dividing the photos between macro and micro?

Take the trip to take pictures and enjoy time with your dad. Think about where to sell what while you're driving. Don't forget your fishing tackle.

steve-oh · « **Reply #6 on:** May 02, 2007, 13:50 »

I was in my local camera shop the other day, and the sales guy said Canon is thinking about ditching the 5D. He said sales of it have been pretty bad for the company. He said a 35mm frame hasn't proved to be too appealing at that price point to enough photographers.

Now, this is just what the sales guy said (nothing more), but it's something to investigate before comitting to.

Good luck and have a great trip!

-Steve

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #7 on:** May 02, 2007, 14:06 »

Quote from: ichiro17 on May 02, 2007, 11:50

Thanks I think it will be worth it regardless, but over the course of a year, it will end up paying for itself and some. Just need the time to process those 10000 pictures $:-\$

Have you ever had any problems with the Digimate? How secure and safe is the data once put on the drive?

Thanks,
Joseph
[/quote

Have not heard of any problems with the Digimate. But I only know two people having one, me and my uncle. So we might have been lucky.
I use my digimate also as an external harddisc, when I use different computers and to store my pictures there, before I upload them to the agencies and I carry it arround everywhere in my backpack. It seems to be quite solide. I have used it like almost every second day in the last months almost every day. It never complaint.

ichiro17 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 02, 2007, 14:12 »

Thanks Steve and FreezingPics,

I won't be leaving until July so I need to start planning.

To comment on Steve's post, I find the 5D awesome in that you have so much sensor to work with. In my opinion, at 1.3x is optimal because its inbetween the Rebel and the 5D and 1.6x crop is too much, but this is an entire argument all together. If they can provide us photographers with a reasonably price camera with a sensor equivalent to the 5D (in terms of quality) I'd snap it up in no time. $2000 US/CDN would be an ideal price point in my opinion, given that they don't really have a camera body there right now.

I did some research and found that there are quite a few of these portable HDD things, so I'm just gonna weigh the options. My main concern is just getting one that will be reliable, I really don't need any fancy LCD as long as I know my pictures have transferred over and nothing gets corrupted.

Joseph

steve-oh · « **Reply #9 on:** May 02, 2007, 14:26 »

Yeah. I think Canon is banking on the Mark III (1.3x) long term.

It will be very hard to create a 35mm frame digital at an affordable price, since the majority of a camera's cost is the sensor. It was explained to me that the cost of a sensor rise exponentially as it gets bigger because it becomes harder to produce a defect-free sensor. Any defect at all on a sensor ruins it completely.

ichiro17 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 02, 2007, 14:47 »

Technology should run its course eventually, and quality control will become good enough but until then prices will be high.

Things I am looking for in a new sensor (possibly 40D?)

- 7 stop range compared to 5
- zero to low noise at 1600 and 3200 ISO
- 9+ autofocus points
- Better low light autofocusing
- Self-cleaning sensor (does it really work though?)

This is what I'd be looking for compared to my 350D.

But until then, I'll just shoot with what I have

madelaide · « **Reply #11 on:** May 02, 2007, 16:24 »

Quote from: ichiro17 on May 02, 2007, 11:18

Banff or Yellowstone? Your pick and why would you go there. As well, does anyone have any experiences and suggestions of where to go and hotspots for wildlife?

Both are great, though I personally found the lakes and mountains in Banff (and Jasper) much more appealing, but then you have more active wildlife in Yellowstone (to my experience, at least) and the unique geysirs. I also think Banff offers more hiking opportunities (if you're into it), but I'm not sure because I was with friends that were not very enthusiastic about long hikes. Of the two, Banff would be my first choice for a second trip.

Regards,
Adelaide

PenelopeB · « **Reply #12 on:** May 02, 2007, 18:16 »

I've been to Banff, Jasper, Canmore, Penticton, Lake Louise, the Columbia Ice Field, Drumheller - all through the Canadian Rockies and Alberta as my sister lives in Edmonton. I think my biggest thrill was a horse back ride through Canmore. The horses are so calm that you don't even need to hold the reins, so you can take lots of shots that you don't normally see. Drumheller was pretty cool too! And the walk up to the Tea house at Lake Louise.

Yellowstone? It is located on an active volcano. (which scares the bee heesees out of me)

Keep in mind gas prices and the exchange rate.

Remember my motto ... "Everything has potential" and you can find stock just about anywhere.

Most important? - have fun!

Pixart · « **Reply #13 on:** May 02, 2007, 19:22 »

PenB is right, not sure what part of Canada you are travelling from, but if you have a car - Drumheller is definitely worth driving out to. If I recall, about 1 or 2 hours east of Calgary. Badlands. Dinosaur skeletons. COOL. Worth a day's diversion.

ichiro17 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 02, 2007, 19:40 »

So many things to consider, not enough time or money

I should be making a decision quite soon, and I'm definitely going to consider it all. In reference to the super volcano under Yellowstone, it is under constant surveillance and I don't think there's anything to worry about.

I hope

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #15 on:** May 03, 2007, 00:36 »

And if the vulcano breaks out, you can make great shots, send them to DT and you get 5$ /image for just uploading news relevant images

Lizard · « **Reply #16 on:** May 03, 2007, 07:53 »

Maybe you should consider Jobo Giga One , there are two with 40GB and 80GB. I have the small one for a year and itsperfect for me , simple options , not heavy and does the job. I never had a problem with it. I think its probably the cheapest one out there.

If you need one with big LCD to review your photos there is new Giga vu pro.

ichiro17 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 03, 2007, 08:10 »

I'm gonna hope that the super volcano under yellowstone will not break out because that would be freaky/unfortunate/scary/any other words that describe terror and awe...

I was looking at the Giga One and I think I'm gonna invest in something like that (probably 80GB because there is going to be 2 of us shooting at 8MP each and most likely in RAW). I figure that, at 8 MP, over 7 days, times 2 cameras, we'd do about 1400 to 2000 photos a day, so upwards of 10000 photos at 8 MP average gives you about 80 GB $:-\$

Pretty awesome technology if you ask me. Now I just have to see if I have the battery power lol

digiology · « **Reply #18 on:** May 03, 2007, 10:54 »

About 5 years ago I took 5 weeks off and drove from Vancouver to Montreal and back with my family. We camped and slept at cheesy motels along the way. We easily could have gone for 3 months. So much to see and too little time.

Having young children Drumheller was certainly one of the highlights. And it's mars-like landscape was really something.

Never been to Yellowstone....maybe next road trip

a.k.a.-tom · « **Reply #19 on:** May 04, 2007, 17:10 »

Wish all a safe and enjoyable vacations in '07! And don't forget to take some pix!

-tom

ichiro17 · « **Reply #20 on:** May 09, 2007, 08:30 »

Question for those who have gone to Banff..

Did you all find that you needed to use a circular polarizer when shooting the landscapes?

madelaide · « **Reply #21 on:** May 09, 2007, 17:56 »

Quote from: ichiro17 on May 09, 2007, 08:30

Did you all find that you needed to use a circular polarizer when shooting the landscapes?

A polarizer is a landscape photographer's best friend.

Not only it helps with sky, but also helps a lot to control reflections on lakes and water in general.

Regards,
Adelaide

Federico87 · « **Reply #22 on:** May 21, 2007, 12:22 »

I've never been to Banff, but I've been in Yellowstone and it is great, it's full of wildlife elks, mooses, bisons, bears, coyotes and so on, and they (except bears) will come so close to you that it would be very difficult not seiing them (oftne bisons sits on the roads of the park so you have just to get out of your car and begin shooting), landscape is amazing and just the geyser worth the trip.

If I were in you I'd use at least one day to photograph the north ring of the park, here there are the most of the geysers and they're quite close to the road so you don't have to hike for long distances, the southern ring has some geysers but there is more landscape, once done that start hiking in the interior.
Remember that the entire park is above 2000 meters over the sea level, I've been in august 4 years ago, at night and in early morning is very cold but at noon you can reach 30 degrees.

Just out of the northwest exit of the park there is Grand Teton national park, hiking in this park might be very difficult but there are some mountains shoots you can take without climbing 4000 meters high mountains that are worth the trip

ichiro17 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 21, 2007, 16:01 »

Not going to be going to Yellowstone just yet. I opted for the more expensive, yet just as scenic Banff/Lake Louise. Will be planning for 4 days in Lake Louise and surrounding area and 3 days in Banff and surrounding area. Lots to see around those so I'm sure there won't be enough time.

chellyar · « **Reply #24 on:** May 22, 2007, 04:43 »

I just thought I say that I'm jealous....

Not of the camera purchase, I've got enough cameras, I'm jealous of you having the ability to have a 'photography vacation'...

I have 'photography moments', in between everything else I seem to be doing lately. :-).

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Author Topic: Its time for a photography vacation (Read 8766 times)

ichiro17

Freezingpictures

ichiro17

Pixart

ichiro17

wysiwyg_foto

steve-oh

Freezingpictures

ichiro17

steve-oh

ichiro17

madelaide

PenelopeB

Pixart

ichiro17

Freezingpictures

Lizard

ichiro17

digiology

a.k.a.-tom

ichiro17

madelaide

Federico87

ichiro17

chellyar

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