Photography
27th September
Today, Jackie and myself (together with Dave) went out and took pictures of Woking, where we live. It was a trial run of taking pictures of a town and went pretty well. Everytime take photos together, I'm able to better spot what does and doesn't work in the current camera/lens arsnel. Today, it was the 35mm F/1.4 that I found lacking. It just wasn't wide enough for the wide angle shots I wanted, and wasn't long enough for most of the portrait work.
It quite difficult to take pictures of a place that you've lived at for so long. Nothing really seems interesting as you are so used to it. Still, I think we did a good job and it allows us to add our first point to the Map. May it be the first of many.
For our Woking write up, see here
6th October
We need to take a small point and shoot camera along with us and we have decided to use the Canon G9. The G10 is due out any day now (I think it might be out in the US already) and Amazon have the G9 for just £264 which is a very good price. Jackie likes the Ixus 80 (now down to £125) but I'd be happier using the G9, even though its alot of money for a point and shoot. Better sensor, more zoom range, longer battery life, bigger screen and just generally a better camera.
9th October
I'm having second thoughts regarding the amount of camera equipment we are taking and the cost and security of it. There will be lots of times when the pictures from the G9 will be indestinguishable from the SLR's. So much money, weight and worry can be saved by not taking them. Just thinking about not having them with us causes me relief.
But then I think of standing in Antartica and shooting Penguines, or Whales from the ship and cursing myself for not bringing as SLR. The compromise is to bring just one. But you still need the charger, flash, and most of the lenses. So if you are taking one, it requires little more effort to take two.
Something like the G9 for Jackie and the SX1 for myself is seeming so tempting. Backing up and storing of photos becomes much easier without the 25mb RAW's from the 1Ds. The SX1 takes HD video which solves the problem of 640X480 not really being upto scratch any more and the cost is so much lower than the SLR's that in a total loss scenario (held up at gunpoint, ship sinks etc...) we can afford to replace them out of our own pocket and not have to sell a kidney.
But then I look at the sample shots and they are clearly not as good. I'm sure some feel I'm being over critical but its like coming from a Rolles Royce and stepping into a BMW. Its not that the BMW is bad, its just that after having a Rolles Royce for a year, you have high expectations.
17th October
This is getting silly. Its now less than 11 weeks to go and we need to decide on these cameras. So today I bought a 24-70mm lens second hand and borrowed another lens, a 70-300 DO from a friend and a small Ixus 80 from another friend. Jackie really liked the look of the Ixus 80 and would like to use just that camera for the trip if she can.
October 19th
We are back from our weekend away and just went through the pictures. The Ixus 80 was good but not as good as either of us had hoped. We have been too spoiled by the SLR's. The 24-70mm was abit soft in places but otherwise very good. The 70-300 DO was awful, there is no other word for it.
October 20th
Decision made. We are taking the SLR's.
1Ds MK3 1D MK3 17-40mm F/4L 24-70mm F/2.8L 70-200mm F/4L IS 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS
Considering a 1.4X extender too.
October 24th
Mentioned to a customer at a site I am working at that I was planning on purchasing a Canon 100-400mm for a RTW trip and he showed me some photos that he had taken on safari with a 500mm prime on a full frame. They confirmed that the 100-400mm should be as perfect as any lens can be for such work. Often the 500mm was just a little too long forcing headshots rather than full body shots if desired.
The 70-200mm for Jackie, along with the extender on the 1D gives a focal length of 127-364mm which should be enough for similar work. Both lenses would be working at F/5.6 but had image stabilisation and I'm confident of good results.
I also spotted a mention of the G10 on luminous-landscape. Michael was comparing it to a Medium format camera (just out of interest) and concluded that for medium sized prints, they were close enough in quality to be indestingishable from each other. This was for landscape work though, taking bikers racing round a track, or tribesman dancing around a fire at midnight, or the black feathers of a penguin against the brilliant white of the polar snow would be another matter.
October 28th
The last of the lenses arrived today and I visited Park Cameras to pick up a brand new 100-400mm. Unwrapping the 17-40, its as wide as I was hoping on the 1Ds, yet should be quite functional as a walk around lens on the 1D. The 70-200 seems small and light compared to some of the lenses I'm used to, we are looking forward to playing with them on the weekend. With the nights closing in so early now, theres no light by the time we get back from work.
November 10th
We still have had no time take photos. We are so busy sorting out our lives at home and packing things away that all the time just vanishes.
