I’ve been using the Gitzo GT0541 in conjunction with the Really Right Stuff BH-25Pro Ulralight ballhead as a backpacking setup for a few years now. I’ve grown to really like it and find it sufficient and extremely light-weight for those day trip excursions that require a streamlined, but functional tripod. Every pound seems to count, especially when doing a lot of vertical gain, or trekking many miles in a single day, and the continual process of streamlining equipment is challenging. I find this especially true in Alaska. On an average day-hike in the mountains I end up taking: Rain gear, down sweater, wind pants, light gloves, hat, water, food, and oh yeah, the camera gear. So a small and light tripod becomes very handy.

Sometimes, on a shorter trip, I will take my kinesis camera belt strap with one or two lens pouches, put the 5D around my neck, and slide the leg of the tripod through the belt strap. I’m then set to travel super light and super fast.

Elegant Paintbrush, Marsh Fork, Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 100-400mm f/5.6L IS (275mm), 500D Close up filter, 1/200 sec@ f/8, ISO 100

I mentioned my trip into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in a recent post, and I have a few more photos to share from that journey. In a land that exhibits dramatic and distant vistas, it is not surprising to find compelling subjects close at hand as well. While hiking along the Marsh Fork of the Canning river, the elegant paintbrush was a very common wildflower present, and a beautifully colored and textured one at that. Because I was traveling light while backpacking, I chose to leave my 100 f/2.8 macro lens behind. As an alternative, I took the Canon 500D close up filter which is a magnifying glass filter that screws onto the outside of a lens. While there is a slight loss in quality, it is pretty minimal and easily worth the trade in weight for this kind of travel. The 100-400 lens offers versatile framing functionality for the tedious composition often intrinsic to macro work. I chose 1/200 sec. exposure due to a slight breeze that was blowing along the river bar, and it therefore captured a sharp image. The medium depth of field for macro adds enough eye focus control, but lets the main blossom be interpretable. Selecting a position that renders a fairly clean background can be a challenge, but the pink distant flowers work well in this picture. I used a tiny gitzo tripod with an RSS mini ballhead.

As a follow up to my previous post “wolf pack kills moose calf” last week, in which a colleague and I photographed a predator/prey scene in Denali National Park, I thought I’d make a few comments on the photographic equipment and technical side of that shoot, and then share a few pictures taken following the attack scene.

Cow moose defends her newly born calf from the Grant Creek wolf pack in Denali National Park. In the end, the wolves got the baby moose. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f/4L IS, 1/400 sec @ f/4 ISO 400, Hand held. I'm still amazed that none of the wolves were injured by the kicking and stomping of the mother moose. She was one giant package of furry, and watching her in full defense is enough to make one very cautious around a mom and her calf.

Cameras

I used a pair of Canon 1Ds Mark III cameras, one with a 500mm f/4L , and the other with a 100-400mm f/5.6L . I shot a total of 562 pictures, which could have, and would have been a lot more if I had a faster frame rate and a better buffer (oh how I wish canon would increase the buffer on the 1Ds series full frame camera!) While I did not fill up a media card, I certainly could have with a faster frame-rate camera. I can just imagine having to change out a media card in the middle of this scene. Also, things like this happen so fast that unless you are always fully prepared, and have your media cards next to your body (which I don’t always do), you could easily end up without them. I use 32GB flash cards since they offer a lot of captures. Some argue that large flash cards increase the risk of loosing too much material by having it all on one card. That has yet to happen to me in my career, and I think the risk of running out of media space poses the greater risk for missed shots.

Lenses

We were about 25 yards from the scene to the near edge of the pond. The 500mm was tight for the overall scene, but I knew it could deliver some cool close up views (as in the picture above), so I used it hand held initially, I grabbed the tripod later (it is amazing how much I use that 500mm  hand held with outrageously sharp images). The 100-400 sings its true song in this case with total versatility. It is the lenses shining attribute. And while I know much argument exists over image quality in this lens, the one I now use is quite sharp and very satisfactory. If anything in the shooting process, I tended to frame tighter rather than looser, which excludes some of the surrounding points of interest like the wolves on the outer edges of the frame. But hey, things happen fast and at this point, you operate more out of habit than critical thought.

Exposure

I use manual and automatic exposure modes with a preference for manual for ultimate control. In this case I shot in AV mode because the light was changing due to some passing clouds. It worked pretty well overall, but sometimes large back lit water tricked the meeter a little bit. Because I wanted high shutter speeds given the intense action, I shot 400 and 800 ISO. I really did not have many throw away exposures, and very few that I did not keep.

My one regret is not getting my 5DII out sooner and let the video run, but the shooting area was tight and partially blocked by willows. For some of the post kill shots, I was able to add the 1.4x to the 500 and frame some tighter stuff that was happening at a bit of distance.  While the “kill” event only took 10 minutes, the wolves took a while to eat and and eventually carry off the carcass. Meanwhile, the angry cow moose stomped around the willows and chased the wolves. As things calmed down, I was able to get a few shots of the wolves as they dispersed across the landscape. These are less intense and capture the animal in a different context. In the end, they probably have a greater future for publication.

Wolf runs across a ridge in Denali National Park, interior, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f/4L w/1.4x (700mm), 1/2000 sec @ f5.6, ISO 400

Wolf on mountain ridge, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x (700mm), 1/320 @f5.6, ISO 400

Wolf wades into a tundra pond for a drink after feeding on a moose calf recently killed by the Grant Creek wolf pack, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x (700mm), 1/400 @f5.6, ISO 800

It’s going on six weeks since I had shoulder surgery, and I have not taken one photo in Alaska in 2010. That is the longest photo-free period for me ever. However, that is happily ending as I’m pushing equatorial boundaries again for the second time in three months, with travels to Peru (Machu Picchu-if the proper repairs are made to the railway access by the time we arrive) and the Galapagos Islands. I’ll be in a relative degree of disconnect during the first two weeks of April, so posting here may be slim.

Underwater housing for the 5D Mark II. The whole unite with the dome will come in around 10lbs or so-- without the camera. And by the way, that turtle that is in the viewfinder in this picture, I'd take that view indeed!

The real lure of the Galapagos for me is the underwater world. Ever since I dipped my young head in the pacific ocean at 19 years old, and saw the magical aqua world full of life, I’ve been keen to explore it further. I’m far from a skilled underwater photographer, and my novice experimental efforts have been with a less than ideal housing, and very limited time. But this time around I’ve got an Ikelite underwater housing for my 5DII, along with an 8″ dome for use with extra wide angle lenses. It just arrived in my office. While I’m a minimalist in a general sense, the gear begins to add up when you plan to photograph both above and below the water. In a few weeks I’ll have some comments to share about my forays in the relatively warm waters of the islands. After that, I promise to get back to Alaska imagery as the summer is beginning to frame some exciting trips and photo adventures.

What’s in my photo bag for this trip is yet to solidify, but so far:

• 5DII
• 1DsIII
• fisheye
• 24mm f/2.8
• 17-40mm f/4L
• 24-105mm f/4L IS
• 100-400mm f/5.6L IS
• 400 f/5.6L (non-IS) w/1.4x or the 400mm f/4L  DO IS – post surgery, I’m trying to go as light as possible.
• Ikelite housing and 8″dome with ports for 24mm and 17-40mm
• Gitzo tripod w/bh3 Hallhead

And I’m giving the new Dust-Aid, Dust-Shield a try on my 5DII. Thanks to Ron Niebrugge (a talented Alaska based photographer) for bringing this to my attention. Others who have used it say it works pretty well on managing dust. I’m not endorsing it yet, since I have not used it, but we shall see. Hopefully, it will blow a gentle dust-free breeze of emancipation over that troubling problem. My last trip to the Galapagos turned out to be a dust nigthmare, but much progress has been made in sensor cleaning since then.

So, with thoughts beginning to drift to warmer places–this morning was minus 2 degrees in Fairbanks–I thought I’d share a few shots from my previous Galapagos trip, way back in 2003 (the year of the 1Ds I).

Kiboko Camera bag with two butterfly type opening sides.

In a few days I leave for a month long trip to Antarctica as a staff member of Cheesman’s Ecology Safaris. Based on a 300 ft. Russian Ice Breaker, 100 passengers will voyage to the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia, the Orkney’s and the Antarctic Peninsula. I’ll be giving photo instruction and operating an inflatable boat used for shore access. It will be a great journey and an excellent adventure. A huge plus will be traveling and working with my friend, fellow photographer and co-guide on many previous ventures, Hugh Rose. If you have been reading this blog, you have heard him mentioned many times. He is a veteran of the Southern Hemisphere and has been to Antarctica multiple times over the last decade. While I’m excited about the trip, I’m not looking forward to the multi-day flight. Without going around the world, I’m about as far away from Antarctica as one can possibly be!

I’ve been drilling down the camera and lens selections and it is not an easy task. My oft quoted “ism” by Mark Twain rings clear in principle whether one is writing or packing: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter”. While less can be more in some cases, it takes more time to travel with less. The looming reality that Canon’s new 1D Mark IV will not ship in time for my travels, has caused me to regroup on my gear. I prefer to travel with 2 cameras but I’m taking three for a few reasons. My standby pair of 1Ds Mark III camera bodies are going, in particular for their ruggedness and durability, not to mention the great files they generate. I also want video capability, and this, along with the lightweight option of the 5D II, puts it in the lineup. So, weighing in at 33.3lbs, here is what is in my Gura Gear Kiboko camera bag:

• 2 – Canon 1Ds Mark III Bodies with RSS Angle brackets
• 5 D Mark II – because the 1D Mark IV won’t ship in time
• 400 f/4  DO IS
• 16-35 II f/2.8
• 24-105 f/4L IS
• 100-400 L IS
• 24 TS
• 1.4x and 2x converters
• Battery chargers for 1Ds and 5D + 1 extra battery each
• 3 – 500 GB external hard drives
• Flash media (32GB San Disk UDMA Type 2 flash cards)
• Arctic butterfly sensor cleaning brush
• Cable release

The above is going in my camera bag, which will be hand carried all the way. If I loose all my check in luggage, I can at least be operable with the essential camera gear–and a few bummed clothes.

Camera gear for Antarctica trip

Camera gear for Antarctica trip

What I’m leaving home is the Canon 7D. I do this with some hesitation. I like the camera body, how it feels, the button configuration, the auto focus, the burst rate, but I’m not that impressed with the files. I’m too spoiled by the images from my full sensor cameras. What I like about the 7D, I pretty much dislike about the 5D II, except the files on that camera are beautiful. (I really wish the 7D had a full frame sensor, but I guess that would be the 5D Mark III–I hope it comes soon) So, the 5D II wins. I’m sure I will often wish for a faster burst rate, but I’ll have to live with that.

Here is a list of other camera related stuff  that will be in my checked baggage.

• EWA Marine underwater housing
• 14mm Sigma lens
• External mic and LCD Hood for shooting video with the 5D
• Gizo carbon fiber tripod
• Kirk BH 3 ballhead
• Kinesis shoulder harness
• Kineses waist belt and hip camera cases

I’m still packing, but have most of the details down. I hope to keep posting to the blog at least a few times a week, but it will be text only unfortunately.

The pursuit of northern lights photography led me to the purchase of Canon’s 24mm 1.4L, and the following updated version II of the same lens.   My comments are derived from experience with this lens in the field and are not a comprehensive review by any measure. Here is what Canon has to say about this lens.

“Canon’s newest fixed length L-series lens, the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM, incorporates the newest in Canon lens technology for spectacular sharpness and impressive performance at all settings. It features two high-precision, large-diameter aspherical lenses for sharpness across the sensor, even in peripheral areas of full-frame sensors. Lens elements have a newly-designed anti-reflective SWC (Sub Wavelength Coating) that departs from conventional coatings by using an extremely fine structure that minimizes ghosting and flaring across the lens surface, regardless of the angle with which light enters or exits. It also features two UD lens elements to minimize chromatic aberrations, incorporates rear-focusing, ultrasonic, quiet and high-speed AF with full-time manual override. A circular aperture provides beautiful out-of-focus detail and offers legendary dust- and water-resistant L-series construction using only lead-free glass”

This paragraph is enough to get anyone excited about the lens. But certain aspects of aurora photography put the lens to test. Because I use it exclusively at f/1.4, I’m not much interested in how it performs at other f/stops.

MTF chart for Canon 24mm f/1.4L II.

MTF chart of the old 24mm f/1.4L

Just a reminder when looking at the MTF chart: the left end of each chart represents the center of the lens and right represents the outer edge. It is clear that the new  lens comes in pretty sharp at f/8 (the blue line). But the black lines are what interest me since they represent the lens performance wide open, in this case f/1.4. The thick lines (solid and dotted) represent contrast, the thin lines (both solid and dotted) represent resolution (or sharpness). I’m trying to simplify this, since there is certainly more to say about an MTF chart (see more at luminious-landscape).

You can see that the black lines fall off considerably towards the outer region of the lens, although they are an improvement over the previous version.  Keep this in mind when looking at the images below, since the enlargement areas are in this outer range of the lens–more specifically the upper right corner of the frame in this case. Bright stars in general, but much more specifically in the outer region of the glass, grow some sizable wings and look like flying birds. The darker the night, the brighter the stars, and the more accentuated this appears. Additionally, a dim aurora generates a longer exposure, burning in more of the stars and further accentuating this artifact. This image was taken on a moonless night with a very dim aurora and represents the worst scenario for a good example. It was taken with Canon 5D Mark II, 30 seconds @ f/1.4, ISO 1600

Full frame shot of aurora

100% view of upper right corner.

200% view of upper right corner. The wings on the stars are pretty evident.

Some may find this unacceptable. The problem is, there are no other f/1.4L lenses out there to choose from. I’ve went back and forth on whether I think I can let something like this slide, which would normally be totally unacceptable from the rigid criterion I generally use in judging landscape imagery. But shooting the northern lights is a different subject all together. Would I like a clean image all the way to the corners, of course.

Where the f/1.4 really shines is the obvious speed it delivers. A 30 second exposure at f1.4 of the aurora on a dark night is a 2 minute exposure with an f/2.8 lens. That is a huge time disparity, and the two captures can look very different–from the ability to capture aurora shapes to minimizing star trails. It is that ability that keeps this lens in my line-up. Additionally, I could capture 4 frames to 1 in this same situation, producing more images. I generally photograph with two bodies. One has the 16-35mm 2.8L and one with the 24mm f/1.4L II. Currently, I don’t shoot aurora higher than 1600 ISO, but that could change soon, and the ability to shoot at 3200 or 6400 ISO, could offer the option to use other lenses.

What about focus? I sent my lens off to Canon (with the body) to be calibrated, which they did on both the lens and the camera, in vertical and horizontal positioning. But, I still don’t trust it. From now on, my method of achieving critical focus is to use Live View and a loupe on the back of the LCD, just to be safe (see my previous post on that subject). There is too much effort that goes into shooting the aurora to end up with soft images. Additionally, it is always a good idea to check images occasionally by zooming in on the back of the LCD to confirm uniform sharpness.

So in summary:

• Is the new lens better than the old? Yes, from the review of my files it appears sharper.
• Is the new lens worth twice as much money as the old one? Probably. It depends on what you seek to achieve. It is to me because I’ll take the slightest bit of improvement.
• Is the new lens perfect? No

With the aurora, the drama of the scene generally wins out over a super technical review of the corners of the image. At least for most people. They are wowed by the scene much more than they are dissed by oddly shaped artifacts in the stars. So it is a compromise of sorts, and one I’m willing to accept right now anyway.

I was all ready to photograph the Gemenid meteor shower last night, but clouds moved in around midnight, which was a disappointment. However, on Sunday morning, I woke up to a faint aurora display, directly over my house. I grabbed my camera and took a few experimental shots. I say experimental because I was testing out using Live View to achieve critical focus on Canon’s 24mm 1.4L II. This lens has been very difficult to lock into focus when shooting the aurora. The regular method of pre-focusing the lens before dark, which has worked flawlessly on all my other lenses, has constantly failed with the 24mm 1.4. I’ve used Live View as an alternative to pre-focusing, but felt I needed some additional magnification to confirm sharpness on an object as small as a star Even when zoomed in to 10x on the LCD, as star is very small indeed. This is particularly true with fading eyesight acuity!

So I used an LCD loupe with a built in focus diopter. It works sufficiently to view focus sharpness, although, it is a little awkward to handle. I know that all things get much more complicated when the temps are very cold. But focus really only needs to be achieved once per evening (generally), so it is not an item that needs to be used often in this case. I could have used a smaller loupe, and might explore this further, but I wanted this Hoodman Loupe since it serves the dual purpose for use with video. And that I’m yet to experiment with.

The aurora intensity was pretty low, so my ISO was high and the exposure at 30 seconds. Additionally, with such a long exposure and dim aurora, I picked up a little light pollution from the nearby town lights. When working with these images in Lightroom, I was surprised at the effect of the clarity slider on the stars.

I’ll address some technical and optical issues of the 24mm 1.4L II in the next post, as I know that many of you have asked about that. One thing is for sure about that lens, it really shows the stars.

Clarity slider set to zero in Lightroom. Aurora borealis, Fairbanks, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 24 mm f/1.4L, ISO 1600

Clarity at Zero

Clarity slider set to 100 in Lightroom. Aurora borealis, Fairbanks, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 24 mm f/1.4L, ISO 1600

Clarity at 100

Sunset behind the Chugach Mountain range, southcentral, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 500 mm f4, 1/1000 sec @ f5.6, ISO 400

I’ve owned a Canon 5d Mark II for a few months now and have had some time to test it out under different shooting conditions. The digital files created by the camera are excellent, and this topic has been well discussed on the web already. What I’d like to share are a few comments specifically regarding the camera body and functions in relationship to my specific shooting style. I began shooting with a digital camera back when Canon introduced the first digital 1D series, at 4PM. Since then, I’ve migrated through the upgrades of the crazily named successors: 1Ds 11MP, 1Ds Mark II 17MP, to the current 21MP 1Ds Mark III. I’ve owned a number of the other models along the way also. Those of you who have used these cameras know that they are large, well built and heavy! This provoked my intrigue in the 5D (yes cost also, buy not as much) This without question is my favorite aspect about the body, and the sole reason it will stay in my line up in spite of a few inexcusable annoyances.

As to my shooting style, I realize it may differ from others. I’ve often got two cameras hanging off me, riding in a skiff, on a snow machine, running across the tundra, etc., Add a tripod mount angle bracket to each camera and there is a lot of weight in the body alone. I found the small camera size and light weight of the 5d to be fantastic. However, in nearly twenty years of photography with many film and digital bodies I’ve never encountered one whose knobs and settings can be so easily, accidentally moved. My primary complaint is the mode dial on the top left, which when hanging from the shoulder will switch modes with the slightest rub or bump. Many times I grabbed it to shoot and found myself in C1 or program mode! It seems crazy, but I now have a piece of gaffers tape over the mode dial–an unfortunate modification on a $2500 dollar camera. I’ve also had the power switch on the back bump against my belt and switch to the middle which locks the back wheel dial. I find that out when I’m unable to make exposure adjustments. Both of these issues caused me to lose shots on my last trip, and both of them in my opinion are unacceptable for any camera made in today’s meticulous engineering environment, and certainly for a camera of this level. Another annoyance made very apparent when shooting the 5D side by side with the 1Ds is the brightness of the LCD readout in the viewfinder. For some reason it is considerably dimmer, and quite hard to read on a bright, sunny, day.

I also find the reduction of auto focus points (in comparison to the 1D models) limiting for action based shooting. I realize the build of these cameras is completely different, and while I’m not expecting the 5D to be a mini 1D (although that would be cool) it’s unfortunate about the knobs.

There are a few things I liked about the 5D, that are not found on the 1D series. Of course the video, which is impressive, but at this point I do not use it professionally. The small battery size is a bonus, making a second one very easy to carry. The vertical grip add-on feature is nice too. While I own one, I’ve not used it since my main focus is keeping the camera body small. I like the location of the focus function button, situated near the shutter button. This let’s me hand hold a big lens like a 500mm f4, with my left hand, while changing focus modes with my right hand by just moving my finger slightly off the shutter button. On the 1D bodies, the focus mode button is on the other side of the camera and requires coming out of the shooting position in order to reach across and make the change.

Now, putting things in perspective a bit. if you are a landscape photographer, and don’t run around with cameras bouncing around your neck, you are not as likely to have the knob crisis that I have. For me, the 5d will take it’s rightful position as primarily a studio camera for artwork, and the occasional camera to grab when I need a really lightweight body for hiking or landscape work–all knob-proofed for the field

My pro\con summary in relation to comparison with the 1ds mark III body

PRO
Size and weight
Vertical grip option
Location of auto focus mode button

CON
Poor mode dial knob
On/off switch susceptible to movement.
Limited auto focus points
Dimly lit exposure info in viewfinder-hard to read when shooting in bright light.

I left the world of direct, on-camera flash some years ago, and its a needed step to take for creative and interesting lighting of subjects. In the past, I’ve used Canon’s ST-E2 Infrared Transmitter (Or a Canon 580 serves the same function when set as master), which would trigger off camera flashes through a infrared signal. While this has proved wonderful in many cases, it is also frustrating, and I’ve long desired a wireless trigger instead of Infrared. Infrared requires line of site and an open view between the flash receiver port and the on camera transmitter. Misfiring is common and frustrating when this pathways is broken, which is easily done when working with wide angle lenses close to your subject, flipping the camera to vertical, or quickly altering the orientation of your off camera flash. Soon to come however is the Pocket Wizards new transmitter and receiver (MiniTT1 transmitter and FlexTT5 transceiver) which allows for wireless firing of ETTL flashes! You can read about it on RobGalbraith.com Due to ship in March, I’ll be happy to have more reliability, flexibilty, and quicker working times using this system.

Below is a sample of images taken recently at the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks. I used a Canon 580 flash behind a soft box, triggered via infrared signal from the Canon 1Ds Mark III. The side-lighting offers a pleasant attention drawing focus and quality of light on the face of the sculptor while keeping the overall exposure low enough to still provide detail in the ice.