Camera advice in Bibe?

[Meesterjojo]

Howdy!

I'm going on my first trip to Big Bend National Park on Sept 16, and we'll be leaving the morning of Monday the 21st. Nice little visit. Aside from all the great tips/advice I've already read by searching through the forums, I was curious if there are any tips or pointers ya'll might suggest for my shots.

I'm bringing (I think) 3 cameras: a Canon 40D (no L-glass, sadly) and 3 lenses, a Hasselblad 503cxi (3 film backs to switch between, and a 50mm and 80mm lens), and one of my Mamyia RZ67 Pro II's with a 180mm lens. Only 1 simple Manfrotto tripod.

Too much? I have 2 friends coming along, and we're basically going to be car camping at backcountry sites. The canon for snaps and night shots. The Hasselblad for my medium format handheld needs, and the Mamyia for posed shots. I know I won't be able to transport the Mamyia easily.

Thoughts? Too much? I'm just trying to be prepared. The canon is going everywhere with me, and will be left on with lens caps off. I've never shot much out of doors, and especially never nature scenes. Most of my shots tend to be A) Weddings, B) model portfolio shots, C) general glamor/heavy ringflash fun time.

I did read a story by someone here who back 20 or so years crawled around with a Mamiya and a Leica (expensive stuff back when).

The some of our agenda is South Rim/Emory Peak via the LM trail. The Window. Lost Mine Trail. Hot Springs. Pine Canyon. Boot Canyon. Mariscal Mine. A lot of driving paved and some offroad (our driver is semi-experienced in Bibe and really wants to tackle Black Gap Road, but I'm a bit wary of that). Camping, we hope, at Pine Canyon 4 for 2-3 nights, and last night at Chimney West or Ocotillo Grove. Thoughts?

We're also interested in going to the Starlight and La Kava on Sunday night, thoughts here?

Is Dagger Flats worth while this time of the year, or is it purely seasonal? I've seen some great/interesting shots on here from there.

Thanks in advance for any advice on shots or things to look for. I know I can't bring all the gear every time, but would like to be able to have some...variety. I love medium format over digital- digital paid for a lot of my 'toys' (I do this as a hobby, have shot many weddings, and worse). Either way if ya'll are interested I'll be sure to scan some of the negatives and upload 'em, and some of the digital too. I'm really looking forward to night shots, and with a New moon during our stay I'm really hyped.

[Al]

Looks like you're covering a lot of ground.  You can go anywhere in Big Bend without doing Black Gap.  I'd spend some time driving Ross Maxwell Dr.  Incredible views or Old Ore Rd.  What glass to carry? Although least among the "photographers" that frequent this site, if I could carry only one lens, it would depend on what I had.  35mm to 200mm equivalent would be nice but unlikely.  28mm to 70mm would take care of nearly all the shots I typically want both macro, scenic and panoramic (by stitching). 

Al

[Meesterjojo]

Looks like you're covering a lot of ground.  You can go anywhere in Big Bend without doing Black Gap.  I'd spend some time driving Ross Maxwell Dr.  Incredible views or Old Ore Rd.  What glass to carry? Although least among the "photographers" that frequent this site, if I could carry only one lens, it would depend on what I had.  35mm to 200mm equivalent would be nice but unlikely.  28mm to 70mm would take care of nearly all the shots I typically want both macro, scenic and panoramic (by stitching). 

Al

With 3 people hiking do you think it's practical for me to tote at the very least my Canon and tripod for shots? Yea- trying to minimize lens selections, and don't feel like renting L-glass either (especially when the Hass/Mam have superior optics), but I know which one I'll be dragging on hikes. Possible even tote along my hasselblad on the trails with the canon? Too much?

I'm worried about getting my butt kicked, though the weight isn't too much at all.

As for covering a lot of ground- oh ya. 4 full days and nights

[Al]

MrJJ, only you know what shape you are in. All the camera stuff can add up in weight.  Water is more important when hiking in the desert.  There are those of us who are reduced to carrying G-series Canons in lieu of SLRs plus lenses, etc. Lightweight tripod, absolutely. You have to call the ball.

Al

[tjavery]

Yeh, this is a lot to chew on here

Firstly: the gear. If you don't have much experience toting camera gear around outdoors in the wilderness and taking serious photos, then I would suggest a trial and error approach. The gear that works for one photographer doesn't necessarily work for another, so it's hard to dispense advice.

Personally, what works for me, is to keep my gear minimum - and I mean to an absolute minimum. From my experience (and I first started off by hauling ALL my gear into the backcountry) you will NOT use all of your gear. You will be too busy hiking, exploring, taking breaks, interacting with your companions, etc. to fuss around with a bunch of gear.

Also, a lot of gear can be a distraction. You can easily waste time trying all your lenses to see which one works best. The best thing to do is to stick with one lens and work with it. Get "in tune" with the focal length and just work with it.

It depends on your taste and style, but I would suggest having at least a 24mm to 200mm focal length range (in 35mm "full frame" equiv.) to start with. Then you can see what you favor as you shoot (for me, I like the wide end of things and do most of my work around 24mm).

A tripod is a must at all times, IMO, but then it doesn't work for everyone. I've seen some people who absolutely hate them and cannot use them.

You can get good quality shots from your 40D (I know, I own one ). Non-L glass can still be fairly good especially when stopped down to f/8 or so.

Secondly, what and where to shoot. Big Bend is a beautiful place all over. You can choose to focus on the main attractions (the major peaks, canyons, etc.), or you can slow down and study carefully the area you find yourself in. There are plenty of opportunities to shoot wide-to-small-scale landscapes all over. There is also a lot of flora and fauna to concentrate on as well.

The places you've mentioned all sound great, and there will be awesome photo opportunities there.

If you want to study work by others, then check out the calendar thread:
http://www.bigbendchat.com/portal/forum/from-the-administrator/2010-calendar-nominations-t8140.0.html

There was also a recent thread about where to shoot sunrises and sunsets. Just dig around the forums here.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

[tjavery]

I'm posting this just to give you an idea of what I do, just for example. Please keep in mind that this is what currently works for me and my shooting style, but it may not suit you.


(no, this isn't BiBe )

Basically, I hike with a medium-sized lightweight tripod and a large-ish waistpack. The pack is a Lowepro with a modular system of pouches. I can add or remove different pouches depending on what I want to carry.

I'll usually have one DSLR body and 2 - 3 lenses (although I'll probably just use one of them 90% of the time). If I'm going on a really long hike, then I'll cut down on the number of lenses and add another water bottle (water is the most imortant thing to take! ). I also cram in hiking/outdoor stuff: snacks, first aid kit, compass, gps, etc.

With this "system", I also sometimes take a 1.5L Camelback backpack for the longer hikes.

[randell]

Thoughts? Too much? I'm just trying to be prepared. The canon is going everywhere with me, and will be left on with lens caps off. I've never shot much out of doors, and especially never nature scenes. Most of my shots tend to be A) Weddings, B) model portfolio shots, C) general glamor/heavy ringflash fun time.

With Big Bend you could choose one spot, such as the Lost Mine Trail, and spend an entire day walking around looking for new plants and lizards and watching the light change on the mountains below and near you.  However, I understand that you will want to keep moving to try to see the entire park. 

Wander around all day if you wish, but be sure to pick a spot well before sunset so you can be set up, comfortable, and ready for the show of lights as the sun sets.  Make sure your spot has a good view of the Sierra del Carmen for at least one night.  K-Bar campsite off of the main road and Fresno campsite next to Mariscal Mine are a few spots I can think of.  If you are an early bird be sure to get a car camping spot, such as Terlingua Abajo to watch the sunrise light as it hits Santa Elena Canyon.

some of our agenda is South Rim/Emory Peak via the LM trail. The Window. Lost Mine Trail. Hot Springs. Pine Canyon. Boot Canyon. Mariscal Mine.

Do some long hikes around wherever you live to get yourself ready so you will not be so sore and your body not so shocked.   If you do not, you will need a lot more Advil and it will not be as much fun when your legs are screaming in pain from the previous days hike.

Weigh your gear beforehand.  Do not carry more than 20-30 pounds of gear, especially if you are not accustomed to hiking.  If you are miserable from too much weight you will not want to pull the camera out much less hike.  If I were doing the South Rim in a day I would take my Nikon D80 with a wide lens for the vistas and a zoom lens to get animals/flowers.  Then there is the usual lens cleaner and remote.  My usual total for camera gear is about 9 pounds.  Plus 8 pounds for water.  That is 20 pounds already with the backpack and I haven't even gotten to the snacks, rain poncho, survival kit.  If it is at all possible, load you day pack up with weight and hike around with it at home so you know what to expect at the park.

I use Lowepro Topload Zoom 2 and the chest harness accessory when I am hiking on long hikes.  It keeps my SLR right in front of me so all I have to do to get a photo is unzip it (if it is even zipped), pull the camera out and shoot.  I do not have to take a backpack off unless I am stopping for a rest or to use the tripod.

[RichardM]

I'm strictly a point & shootist, so I won't bother with any camera advice. However, I will say that if you carry too much weight you'll definitely feel it the next day. Try going minimalist the first day and if you feel good the next day, add a little more gear.

And be sure and post some photos when you get back!

[homerboy2u]

I am,probably with out a doubt,the most demanding person on this board for pictures,just ask anyone hear... , almost all of the advise has already been said eloquently,to add more probably would be with no effect. Just don't forget your Advil.

 No wonder Thomas Avery takes great pitures, he has one great camera if you ask me......Ooooooooooooooooohh!



 Lots of luck on your trip and by no means forget to post your picture for us.

Homero

 

[Roy]

I've day hiked the South Rim with an SLR body and 3 zooms.  Gave me good coverage from 17 to 200 mm.  I used the 24-70 probably 80% of the time, but those huge vistas from the Rim you'll probably want something like a 17-35.  I also lugged along a 70-200 2.8;  something slower and lighter would be a lot easier to handle, but you'll really regret not having something fairly long if you get a shot at a bear, etc.
I'm not wild about those super zooms like 20-200, etc.  If that's what you've got, then make it a 2 lens trip, but definitely take the WA and the tripod.
I've used a Tamrac belt system to carry my stuff on long hikes.  Lots of interchangable pouches that you can use for camera gear but also for snacks, etc;  you can hang water bottles from it, whatever.  It keeps the weight on my hips instead of my neck and back which I find a real improvement.

[SA Bill]

I use Lowepro Topload Zoom 2 and the chest harness accessory when I am hiking on long hikes. It keeps my SLR right in front of me so all I have to do to get a photo is unzip it (if it is even zipped), pull the camera out and shoot. I do not have to take a backpack off unless I am stopping for a rest or to use the tripod.

I like the look of that Lowepro system randell! I'm tired of the swinging and banging that I get from having my camera on a strap around my neck. This looks like it would be much better.

If I understand correctly, you put on the harness + case and then put on whatever pack you are carrying? Seems like it might be a lot of straps going around your body but I guess it wouldn't be any worse than a backpack + camera strap around the neck. I'll have to get one of these to try.
  Thanks for the info!
    Bill

[iCe]

Nobody else has touched this... so I will. You're taking too much gear. But you have a Catch-22. If you don't take it, you'll be kicking yourself because you'll "think" you could have used your Hassy or Mamiya for shot x or y. If you do take it and don't use it... so what as long as you aren't packing it all over the place.

In my limited experience, the first time trip to Big Bend, especially for a photographer, is overwhelming. It takes effort to focus on a subject. It can actually take away from the experience IMHO. What do you want to accomplish? An award winning shot that may never happen or great memories with your friends while hiking in what is arguable the largest slice of heaven on earth?

A few years ago I hauled 50#'s of water, camera gear (including a 1DsMKII, a 70-200 f2.8L IS, a 24-70L, little RRS ground-pod and Arca Swiss Ballhead, no tent, ground cloth, sleeping bag, bug bivey, and snacks) to SW4. My main goal was to get a sunrise shot from the rim so I focused on carrying water (way too much I might add) and gear. I left at the crack of dawn and got there mid afternoon. I don't remember how many frames that I shot on the way up. A lot. My meals were jerky, trail mix, and light snacks. When I got there I was pretty used up. I made camp, looked around the "neighborhood", and then headed for the rim for the loudest quiet I have ever experienced. What I'm trying to say here is that yes... I got my sunrise shot but what did I miss on the way up by marching up the trail like a robot on a mission? I missed a lot. Don't kid yourself... the hike to the rim is not a walk in the park.. but it's worth the effort.

Gear talk- If you don't have a 3-stop graduated neutral density filter and circular polarizer get one. My gallery shots were made with a 2-stop GND and I had to use about a -1 stop GND in ACR (CS4) to render the sky's correctly. Since you're shooting MF, check out the 3 x 4 hand holdable GND's at Singh-Ray. You'll still want to use a P holder or screw in (yuck) polarizer in front of the lens and GND after that (stack them). Below 35mm I had issues with vignetting when I use a Cokin P holder and you can forget even using a P holder at 14mm.

My final suggestion would be to take the cameras but don't expect to do much with the bulkier gear. I've been seriously thinking about picking up a Powershot G10 so I can have a manual camera in large point and shoot size. But... they don't make an adapter for the 600 f4  I'm telling you... I take all of my gear. I've been 5 or 6 times and neither CM500 has left the bag. Wait... I take that back. I do have a roll of B&W that has a frame or two on it but I never developed it. I drag 3 digital bodies and every lens I own. The bulk of my shots lie between 35mm and 50mm. So much so that I used only a 35mm lens for my last trip there (not counting one shot of The Window with the 600 f4).

Check out my gallery for recent stuff from Dagger Flats, Santa Elana Canyon, and a a few other "easy to get to" spots. Check out the first group of files on my website for SW Rim (Camped at SW4) shots taken a few years ago.

[dkerr24]

A lot of good suggestions here.  I only carry a Canon G9 and a small tripod on BIBE backpacking trips.  I could see carrying all that DSLR gear for a short dayhike or just a short hike not far from the car, but I really guess I don't see the need for all that for a overnighter. 

[RichardM]

I've been seriously thinking about picking up a Powershot G10 so I can have a manual camera in large point and shoot size.

What's the matter? Can't wait for the G11?

[iCe]

I've been seriously thinking about picking up a Powershot G10 so I can have a manual camera in large point and shoot size.

What's the matter? Can't wait for the G11?

Am I that transparent?