Mar 26, 2014 | Field Reports
Got a gear question you want answered? I want to help and answer it. Send your gear questions to me at Gear Questions and I’ll do my best every Wednesday to answer as many questions as I can. Questions are still a little light this week, I’m sure you’ve got them, ask them! Keep in mind the answers are just my $.02 worth and you have to take what works for you and your photography and embrace it and ignore the rest. So here’s this weeks questions ….
Hello Moose,
I’ve got a gear head question. I would like to take the exposure accuracy and details of my sunrise/sunset landscape images to the next level, but not with post production sliders. I realize its time to learn how to use neutral graduated filters to increase the quality of my images. I’m thinking about purchasing one Singh-Ray filter to start with. Can you recommend a good f-stop density for my first filter? nothing super slow like a 10-stop, I want a good all around filter density if there is such a thing that will most likely help me with sunrise and sunsets considering the possibility summer storm clouds. I’m heading to Glacier National Park the first week of August and I’m planning on shooting like a mad man with my D7000, it will be my first trip there. Also…what is the difference between ND and Reverse ND, and do you think a soft grad would suit Glacier better than a hard grad considering the uneven terrain? or should I be considering a strip filter instead? There are so many options my head is going to explode.
Thanks,
Mark
Mark, man, you cover a lot in your question! There is a whole bunch here and personally, not sure they are actually all related. For example, sunrise/sunset landscapes don’t require anything to do to the next level other than a whole bunch of heart. Pretty colors alone don’t make the shot, there is a whole bunch more that needs to be added. Now the split grad is a tool for compacting exposure but like any tool, it has limitations. Glacier for example has few if any flat horizon lines. There’s a bunch of mountains and if you use a slit grad, its straight line gradation is going to cut through some of those mountains. When it comes to a split grad that I recommend, these days it’s the 77mm Graduated Neutral Density (ND) 0.9 Filter or 3 stop split grad. When it comes to types, I prefer the soft edge. Hope that helps.
Hi Moose!
I too keep NC filters on all of my lenses! Seems like such a small investment for that extra piece of mind (as long as it’s a good quality glass filter!). My question for you is, have you ever had filters get stuck on your lens, and if so do you have any recommendations to get them off? My Nikon NC filter that’s on my 35mm lens is stuck. I’ve tried using a filter wrench (but the NC filter is smooth on the rim – it doesn’t have the little teeth for the wrench to grip), and I’ve also tried wrapping a rubber band around it for some extra grip but that didn’t help either. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much!
Margaret
Margaret, I have not had filters get stuck on my lenses, but I have helped many who have. The first piece of advice I’d like to pass along I received long ago from a repairman. “Grab the filters like a girl” he told me. This is to say, don’t grab, squeeze and try to rotate it which most guys tend to do. Use the light touch so you don’t change the shape of the filter mount and keep turning from different points on the filter. Never meet a filter I couldn’t unstick. The other thing I have done is use a Leatherman Tool to first break out the glass and than twist off the filter ring. Like I said, never meet a filter I couldn’t get off.
Moose:
I have a Nikon D700 like new,should I sell it or give it to my son. He is a big time Hunter, plus guide.
Dallas
-Dallas, to me this is an obvious one, give it to your son! I am a firm believer of passing gear along to those who can be inspired by it and otherwise might not be able to have such gear. I have since the beginning of my career passed along gear and the rewards are been countless!
Hello Moose,
This is a great “column” to have on your website – it makes extremely interesting reading!
My question is “Just how much juice do I need in an Apple”? I am at the stage where I need to be pragmatic on space so my trusted MacPro 2 x 2.66 Quad-core 24GB Ram has to go. So do I look at a new MacPro to replace it or will an iMac cut the mustard? I use it for working with D4 and D800 single images and panoramas of several D800 images stitched together as well as scanned medium format files, so is the new MacPro overkill? Does the iMac have enough power in the engine room? I use ACR, Photoshop CC and Nik plug-ins. As with you my benchmark for an image is can I print a 24x 36 (or seven a 40 x 60) and it be sharp?
As ALWAYS, thanks for all of the advice and for sharing everything with us.
Richard
Richard, thanks for the kind words! Simply put, buy the most you can! Personally, I think the MacBook Retina with 16GB of ram does an amazing job, it’s what I’m running. Same with the iMac which likewise does a killer job. I can’t tell you is the new MacPro is overkill but at this point, it’s price sure seems a little on the, gulp side. Buy the most “juice” you can afford and it will all work out!
Mar 25, 2014 | Field Reports
There are a lot of successful strategies to photographing Slot Canyon, I went with my favorite, the KISS strategy. I went in with just the D4s / 18-35AFS, ISO set to ISO1600 and shot handheld until they kicked me out. Just shy of 1000 images in our hour, I deleted very few images. I’ve never done this before, just cranked up the ISO and went for it and to say I was very pleased with the results is an understatement. The D4s / 18-35AFS worked perfectly and shooting without a tripod the perfect solution. It was just that simple. mtc
Mar 21, 2014 | Field Reports
K&M Adventures is going to Costa Rica!
January, 2015 we're taking 6 folks (2 opening) to the most amazing, once in a lifetime photographic adventure! The site where I shot the D7100 campaign for Nikon, is a hidden Shan-gri-la like no other region I've ever photographed in before. We weren't even birding and we saw 108 new species of birds, three species of Kingfisher just on our kayak float! You wake up to the call of Howler Monkeys and the magnificent White Hawk flying overhead. The buzz of thousands of hummingbirds, a dozen species escort you on your walk around the lodge and I haven't even scratched the surface of the beauty that's awaiting! Some days, you might not even leave the veranda of the lodge, as there is so much great bird photography just steps from where you had breakfast. And then there are the short trips to the beach with the Black Mangrove Hawk and Macaws.
We are staying at the amazing Luna Lodge and have the most amazing guide Gary the entire week. The dates are 18-24 January, 2015. Price is $4395 (covers instruction/guides/entrance fees/transportation once at the lodge) and the group rate for airfare to and from San Jose to Luna Lodge, lodging in the bungalows, 3 gourmet meals is $2395. We are looking at a Sunday arrival at the lodge, following Saturday departure.
This will be the only time we're planning on taking a group to this gorgeous locale. I was hesitant to do it this time, not really sure I want to share it, it is that amazing. Hope you can make the journey with us. You will come back not only with amazing photos, but also changed!
And you can bring your spouse! Yeap, the Lodge has made the special package pricing available to non-photographer spouses who want come to Costa Rica, hit the spa, enjoy the views while you slave away behind the camera photographing all the hummingbirds, hawks and monkeys. This is a once in a lifetime adventure we hope you can join us on!
Mar 19, 2014 | Field Reports
Got a gear question you want answered? I want to help and answer it. Send your gear questions to me at Gear Questions and I’ll do my best every Wednesday to answer as many questions as I can. Questions a little light this week, I’m sure you’ve got them, ask them! Keep in mind the answers are just my $.02 worth and you have to take what works for you and your photography and embrace it and ignore the rest. So here’s this weeks questions ….
Hi Moose
I’ve really enjoyed the Bt Journals and the fact that you share your experience and no nonsense approach to photography with us. Thanks! Knowing that you’re a big fan of the IoSafe Rugged Portable 1TB Drives, I thought you might know where I might purchase a couple. B&H list them as discontinued, Amazon and the others I’ve checked list them as out of stock. Hope they’re still going to be available.
Thanks again,
Mark
Mark, I hate to say, but I’m not finding much hope either. Have you tried Newegg?I have sent out two emails looking for answers but they are not coming back with any for us. Their website doesn’t make it seem any brighter by stating 100unit minimum order. Bummer!
Hi Moose,
Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen you refer to the fantastic results you get in black-and-white with both Nik Silver Efex Pro and OnOne’s Perfect Black and White. If one could afford only 1 set/suite of plug-ins, which would you recommend and why?
Thanks and take care,
Chuck
Chuck, man, you have asked an incredibly difficult question to be totally honest with you. And a very valid one! Since you get the ENTIRE Nik Suite when you buy it, for the money that’s the killer deal as you get Color Efex Pro and Dfine which are great plugins as well. Comparing just the two B&W plugins though, I think I’d go with the Nik Silver Efex over the OnOne at the moment. Both are excellent but the latest “silent” upgrades to Silver Efex puts it out in front with the amazing smoothness of its gray transitions. Hope that helps.
Moose:
Appreciate this direct line to ask you questions. You know, searching your website for answers can be a little daunting. You think you have a few pages there bud? :-) My question is simply, how do you clean your lens elements?
Thanks!
Tony
Tony, first for trying the Search Engine! Ya, the site is a bit large and while we worked on the search engine when we updated the site, it’s still not perfect. To your question, I clean my filters and lens elements the old fashion way, with fluid and lens tissue. I personally am still not a fan of lens clothes as I’ve seen too many elements scratched using them when some foreign material was stuck to them. I use what in the repair business is called “Pink Juice,” or its proper name, LensClens. This is killer stuff I use to clean all elements and body parts except the sensor. DON’T use it on the sensor! Then I get my lens tissue from the good folks at CopperHill. Finally, understand that all my lenses (except the 800mm & 16Fish) have a Nikon NC Filter protecting them so I don’t clean the front element of the lenses, but rather that filter. And then those filters get replaced about every 2-3yrs because I often wipe them clean in the field with whatever is handy.
Moose,
my question is pretty simple, with all the ballheads on the market, which is your favorite ballhead?
Much appreciated!
Jon
Jon, thanks for an easy question! The Really Right Stuff BH-55 hands down. I’m still using the original prototype I received and believe in it so much gave them, way back when originally introduced, to folks like Scott Kelby and Joe McNally who still use theirs. It’s a rock that just rocks with security!
Moose,
Enjoy your site. Question; You post photos using the 18-35mmG lens, wondering if you have used the Nikon 16-35mm lens and what your thoughts on the 2 lens are?
Thanks,
Craig
Craig, yes, I have shot with the 16-35AFS back when it first came out and liked it very much. I know many shooters who own and swear by this lens. Comparing the two side by side I’ve not done though. My thoughts on the two are, the 18-35AFS is wickedly sharp and costs a whole lot less so to me, it’s a hand down winner between the two. The 16-35 is very popular and very sharp as well, but the heavier weight and higher cost steers me towards the 18-35FS. That being said, those shoot DSLR video absolutely sweat by the 16-35 so if you’re using it at all for that application, you might want to consider it. If only this lens buying thing was clear cut, huh? :-)
Mar 19, 2014 | Field Reports
Yeap, our Jake is the featured photographer this week and it’s a great show!
Mar 18, 2014 | Field Reports
It’s worth doing! Get the Firmware update here or click on banner.
