Alaska Specific Photography Question

[curry767]

Like the OP I too have a 40D with one of my lens being the 100-400IS, 4.5-5.6. I was wondering if I should take 1.4x converter with me, what are your thoughts (I will have a monopod with me).

 

Also I would like to get some more input on the polarizing filters with regards to shooting of the ship deck. Is the polarizing the way to go or do you recommend another filter for this situation.

[tekjr1]

Like the OP I too have a 40D with one of my lens being the 100-400IS, 4.5-5.6. I was wondering if I should take 1.4x converter with me, what are your thoughts (I will have a monopod with me).

 

From what I have been told, you might not need the monopod with the 100-400. Several professionals have told me the IS mode on the 100-400 almost adds an additional stop. I guess it would still be a personal choice. I am going to see how I do without it.

 

I am also curious about the proper conditions to use the c.p filter in. I have seen a lot of gray/overcast days in Alaska. Is the c.p filter of more use during bright sun around snow etc.?

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

[MeadMkr]

I would take the converter with you as they don't take up much room in the bag. I'm not sure about other brands but know that with Olympus you loose 1 f-stop with the converter (so you f4.5-5.6 may end up an f8 or more).

 

I generally use the polarizer when 1) there is a lot of reflected light that would cause hotspots in a photo 2) when I want to shoot down into the water or into glass to reduce reflections or 3) to intensify the sky

A pol. filter can also take a stop or two from available light depending on the brand and how the filter is set.

 

One last thing, don't buy multiples of specialized filters or less-used filters. Instead buy the largest size to accomodate the lenses you use and then buy stepdown rings to allow you to use it with smaller lenses. For example I generally buy 67mm filters with stepdown rings for 52mm, 56mm & 58mm that I can use with both my Oly and the daughter's Canon gear (3x$8 for the rings vrs ~$260 for the 4 filters). Using the larger filters on a smaller lens shouldn't cause vignetting.

 

A link that may help others reading this thread about filters:

http://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/photos/filters_uv_pol/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number

 

Cheers

Chris in VA

[jdrblue]

I use a circular polarizer a lot. This type filter is considered the most useful and many pros say it is the first type filter you should buy. This filter will increase color saturation, reduce unwanted reflections, cut through haze and increase contrast. In other words it will make skys deeper blue, clouds whiter, trees greener, roses redder, and it will reduce natural glare and reflections (not from mirrors). It even helps with skin tones. The polarizer only works if you are shooting at an angle to the rays of the sun. It works best at a 90 degree angle. Just look through the viewfinder and rotate the filter to see the effect.

 

As far as compact flash cards, I guess I have a differnt opionion than most posters. I think bigger is better. The March issue of Popular Photography has an article "Which CF Card Should You Buy?". This article adresses a lot of your questions. I have a Nikon D300 which is 12.3 megapixels. I shoot mostly in RAW so an 8GB card will hold about 400 pictures. I may shoot 1,000 pictures on a two week trip and I don't want to carry a lot of gear so I carry two 8GB cards and a 4GB. I also have some old 2GB and 1GB cards. I put my old 512MB card in a digital picture frame. I don't normally download any pictures until I get home although on a cruise I take my laptop along. If I have a card that is almost full and don't want to change it right then I will drop down the camera resolution to JPEG.

[curry767]

Thanks guys