News is flying around Facebook and the Interweb. The Canon 5DS and 5DS R are coming. They’ll be 50.6 megapixels. Its exciting news. People have been waiting for a ‘big megapixel’ camera from Canon for quite some time. So people are asking the question, “What should I buy? Should I buy the 5DS or the 5DS R?” My answer …… Read more →
Category: Equipment
The Panasonic Lumix GH4 meets Antarctica, South Georgia and The Falklands
A few months before leaving for Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands I bought a new Panasonic Lumix GH4 and an accompanying Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Aspherical Lens. My stalwart video rig has been comprised of Canon 5D Mark III’s (previously the 5D Mark II’s). The Canon DSLRs have been my go to cameras for a few… Read more →
Jobu Design Jr. 3 Deluxe Gimbal Head Review
Recently I purchased a Jobu Design Jr. 3 Deluxe Gimbal head. I’d spent quite some time searching for a gimbal head. There are quite a few well known brands out there, Wimberley, Really Right Stuff, Manfrotto, Kirk, Benro, Induro just to name a few. I wanted something light, I hate hiking long distances carrying heavy gear and I’ve already got… Read more →
All Packed for Antarctica
I’m all packed for Antarctica! Packing for Antarctica follows a very similar packing regime to that of my Arctic expeditions except that I cater for a slightly colder climate. This time its been a little different as I’ve packed for two expeditions to Antarctica with a hiking expedition to Patagonia in between. Being two distinctly different styles of expeditions has… Read more →
Would you like to walk a mile in my shoes?
Would you like to walk a mile in my shoes? Well walking a mile in my shoes is something you wouldn’t really have wanted to do at the end of my Iceland trip. Sadly my Kathmandu Tiger NGX boots bit the dust literally!!! After a good period of service I destroyed the stitching due to scuffing on rocks, shale, volcanic… Read more →
Travel Insurance and delayed luggage
I’ve always been an advocate of travel insurance. Actually its mandatory for any one participating in my expeditions. As I’ve said in the past, travel insurance can be the difference between having an unfortunate event on an expedition and having an unfortunate event with a big bill! For me, this is the first time I’ve had to claim… Read more →
Once you’ve gone Mac you’ll never go back …
Once you’ve gone Mac you’ll never go back … or so the saying goes. I’ve been a PC guy for many years, decades in fact. My life started with my first PC, an IBM Clone XT with 640KB of RAM an 5 1/4″ floppy drive, 10MB hard disk and a 16 color EGA screen. It was the best thing in… Read more →
Gura Gear Et Cetera Review
The Et Cetera cases are the latest in a line of a innovative storage products from Gura Gear. Late last year I purchased a number of these cases to solve my organisation woes. The Et Cetera cases are designed to provide organization options for, what we as photographers all seem to amass, the collection of cables, batteries, flashes, triggers, widgets etc. And… Read more →
Does the camera make the image?
When I think about this question I visualize a Shakespearean Actor on stage posing the question in olde English to the audience with questioning hand extended ‘Doth the camera maketh the image?’ In all seriousness though, does the camera make the image? Well that question can be answered from a few different perspectives namely with regards to how one… Read more →
A sneak peek inside Sigma’s Lens Factory in Japan
If you haven’t seen it yet, Sigma has released their latest factory sneak peek video a few days ago. Have you ever wondered why our camera lenses cost what they do? So much goes into making a camera lens and there is a large human component to the construction and assembly of a camera lens. And something that is uncommon these… Read more →
How to backup photographs and keep them SAFE!
I just backup photographs to my NAS. They’ll be safe? yeah? These are some famous last words. Its always good to have a NAS and it is part of a backup regime but in itself, it is not a ‘complete backup’ per se. So what is backup in a computing sense? Backup is the concept of making extra copies… Read more →
Birding with the Canon 200-400 f/4 L IS, 300 2.8 IS and the 600 f/4 IS
After returning from my trip to the Arctic I had a chance to go out shooting with my good friend and colleague Joshua Holko at a local wetlands. I must say first and foremost, I am not a birder. I grew up breeding and keeping birds, a pastime of my fathers that we shared, but I was never one to… Read more →
Camera Gear and Polar Regions – So what’s the deal?
Camera Gear and Polar Regions – So what’s the deal? We’ve all heard horror stories of people’s gear getting ruined. It does happen, no doubt about it. But there’s a few precautions you can take to give your gear the best chance of survival and more important allow you to keep shooting for the duration of your Photography Expedition. Photography… Read more →
Choosing the right boots for your next photography expedition
Choosing the right boots for your next photography expedition can be a tough thing. There are hundreds of brands on the market and many different properties of a boot to consider when picking a pair of boots. The main properties of boots you should consider when making your selection are : – comfort – durability – support – weight – thermal insulation – water proofing/resistance –… Read more →
Arctic Circle Photography Packing List Recommendations
As I am slowly packing my gear from my own Arctic Circle photography packing list, I thought I’d share my packing list recommendations. I’m currently packing off this same Arctic Circle photography packing list that I give to my clients, as I prepare to fly out on the 2nd Saturday in August to Iceland and the Arctic Circle for a series… Read more →
The right lens at the right time
… or in this case the wrong lens at the right time.
When photographing both landscape and wildlife its always a compromise as to what lenses adorn your camera bodies at any given time. When you’re laying in wait in a hide, selecting the right lens is a lot simpler. But when you’re like me with a preference for shooting landscapes, I more often that not am stalking my next location when wildlife presents itself.
Sometimes the scenario arrives when one has to make the decision to either capture the moment with what you have or to risk missing the moment by going for a lens swap.
Whilst at the Heavenly Lake in the Tian Shan Mountains in Xinjiang, China I ran into this exact conundrum.
When firmly planted on knee on a rocky outcrop I was peering into my viewfinder composing an image of a temple across the lake I heard the squawking sounds of Eagles. Given that they had been relatively silent during the earlier part of the day I knew something was up.
I stood leaving my 5D Mark 3 safely mounted on the Gitzo tripod and reached around for my 1D Mark IV which was hanging at my side on my Black Rapid shoulder strap.
As I lifted the lens my fingers went straight to the ISO button. I knew I’d been shooting a landscape with this body not 2 minutes earlier and I was at ISO 100 at best. As I scanned the sky I was already adjusting the ISO up. How much, 3 clicks on the dial ISO 100->200->400->800.
I spied what was making all that noise…. I adjusted the zoom out to its longest focal length knowing I was going to come up short, cursed under my breath that I only had a 70-200 lens fitted, as I framed the subject and focussed and fired away.
10 frames and it was all over. It was literally one second moment.
I turned around to see Joshua, he said calmly with a wry smile “Please tell me you caught that..”
As looked at the LCD on the back of my camera, I think the smile on my face said it all.
With all the careful planning in the world sometimes everything does come together, the right lens, the right place, the right time and the right light. More often than not it doesn’t. But as always you make the best of the situation at hand, and when nature throws some magic at you, you just shoot away.
It was amazing watching these two Golden Eagles tumble in a mid air melee.
The right lens or not, it was all part of a something special.
Canon 1D MarkIV 70-200 f/2.8 IS f/5.6 1/6400 ISO 800
Canon 200-400 F4 L IS with 1.4x extender Prototype Review
Well the Canon 200-400 F4 L IS with 1.4x extender has been announced and delivery of these amazing lenses is expected to start soon. In February this year I had the joy of seeing the Canon 200-400 F4 L IS with 1.4x extender prototype in the flesh. I came along to shoot some video which culminated in the below video:… Read more →
Recommended Packing List – Photography Expedition – Xinjiang China – Spring
With our departure for our Investigative Photography Expedition to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China looming I thought it pertinent to pen a recommended packing list. The Xinjiang region of China at this time of year doesn’t have the extremes of heat/cold or humidity of the other regions I have recently visited, but it does have regions of high altitude which can be… Read more →
10 items to pack in your camera bag for your next photography expedition
All too often when getting ready for a photography expedition we focus on packing our camera gear with little time spent focussing on anything else. I must admit I’m guilty of it. I’ll pack every lens, lens cloths, a stack of memory cards, too many batteries, a tripod, 2 camera bodies, spirit levels, cable release, filter sets, a good 17kg+… Read more →
Free Webinar – X-Rite & Nik Software Webinar: Tips and Techniques for Shooting Ice and Snow
My good friend and colleague, Joshua Holko, is running a free webinar: X-Rite & Nik Software Webinar: Tips and Techniques for Shooting Ice and Snow. As most of you would know, Joshua is an award winning photographer who specializes in Polar and Sub-Polar Photography Expeditions. His photographs have won awards world wide. If you’d like to get some insight as to… Read more →
Photographers Gloves – Freehands Stretch Thinsulate – Review
One of the most frustrating things about photographing in cold climates is funnily enough the cold. Well not really the cold, rather the problems that arise during cold photography expeditions. <br><br> First and foremost we always look after keeping ourselves warm. That’s something we can do quite easily by donning layer upon layer of clothing with an outer layer of… Read more →
Canon 200-400 F4 L IS with 1.4x extender Prototype Hands On Review
Below is a hands on review of the Canon 200-400 F4 L IS with 1.4x extender Prototype by Joshua Holko
Canon 200-400 Pre-Production Sample Lens Review from Joshua Holko on Vimeo.
Pre Production prototype review of the new Canon 200-400mm F4L IS Telephoto Lens with inbuilt 1.4 teleconverter on the Canon 1DX camera with Landscape Nature and Wilderness Photographer Joshua Holko – www.photographyexpeditions.com
GURA GEAR BATAFLAE 32L vs. GURA GEAR KIBOKO Camera Bag Review and Comparison by Joshua Holko
Late last year my good mate Joshua Holko and I were in a nearby nature reserve. Whilst we were waiting for the light to improve we decided to shoot a short video of the differences between the original Gura Gear Kiboko and the new Bataflae 32L camera bag. Given that between the two of us there was the original Kiboko and the new Bataflae 32L and with lighting conditions not what we were looking for it was time to switch the Canon 5D Mk III into video mode and sho0t a couple of short videos.
This is the first video in a series of camera bag review, comparison and use for the new Gura Gear Bataflae 32L.
As you can tell by the audio, I hadn’t packed an external mic with a windscreen which I will remember to leave in my kit in future I promise.
Jump over to Joshua’s blog to read Joshua’s thoughts on the bag and the video.
Here is a direct link to the camera bag review and comparison video.