Posted by Ned Fenimore on March 16, 2009 at 12:00 AM
I debated for a couple of hours whether to go out this morning or not. Decided not to, then at the last minute, grabbed my gear and went. Kind of glad I did as I had some new gear I wanted to try out. A week or so ago I bought a new carbon fiber Gitzo 1541M and Kirk ballhead - and still have a new 16-35 to put through the paces. I also had some new Goretex rainwear to try out as well.. It was rainy beyond belief, but I stayed dry and had a blast.
One of the places I visited was Elowah - and got this from the classic viewpoint as well as several at other points down below.
Canon 1D2
Canon EF 16-35L at 21mm
ISO-100
.8 seconds at f/16 - polarizer
Posted by Bryan Spahr on March 16, 2009 at 12:59 AM
This is nice Ned. Not bad at all for a rainy day. Exposure is spot on and the detail is great too. The good thing about bare winter trees is getting to see all of that canyon wall.
Sounds like you're well geared up to face the elements. I love being able to stand out in the nastiness and be perfectly comfortable. I'm curious to know your opinions on the gitzo. My old Manfrotto has seen better days, and I'm leaning towards the 1541. I don't have a local camera shop around here to go and try stuff out, so I rely on friends' experiences and online reviews a lot for gear reports.
As for the photo, I like it. Its a solid shot overall. My only nits would be the dark area in the extreme URHC, and the water towards the bottom of the frame. Against the white NPN BG, the lower water seems quite grey and underexposed. I think you could pump up the white point down there, and you be good to go.
Posted by Cliff Dodge on March 16, 2009 at 1:25 AM
Pretty nice to see some green this bleak winter, and a beautiful waterfall to go with it. Two inches of snow today and more coming next week i hear. :)
Posted by Ned Fenimore on March 16, 2009 at 9:22 AM
Good suggestion on the lower water exposure - changes here
Mucho better, Ned. I'm all ears for the field report on the Gitzo.
Posted by Ned Fenimore on March 16, 2009 at 2:39 PM
I can compare this to three other tripods I have owned. My original was a Bogen (can't remember the model - but a fairly popular one) that was aluminum - it was light, but I got tired of pinched fingers using it. That was replaced with the metal/aluminum predecessor to the 1325 carbon fiber - much better tripod, but very heavy. Lastly, I have used, and still own, the Gitzo 1325 carbon fiber. A really excellent, stable tripod - but very heavy yet to do any serious packing around. It can be strapped of course to my large photo backpack - but by the time I was toting around my 1D mark II and lenses (all f/2.8 models), the weight was just too much - especially when I carried my 70-200L along.
The new tripod is excellent - folds very compactly and is very light. I can strap it easily to my small photo backpack for stealth missions. Even with the 1D and 70-200L f/2.8 mounted, it is very stable. I fitted the new tripod with the Kirk BH-3 ballhead - the little bro to the BH-1 model that is on my 1325. I think the whole set-up is at about 3.5 pounds total.
The 1541 sets up very quickly - love the twist rings on it - and I found that I could take it down and stow it just as quickly. I think it will be a great addition to my style of shooting. Now I have only really had it out one day, but the pros of buying it make the investment well worth it..
Thanks for the quick report Ned. My first concern was stability, but since your gear is considerably heavier than mine, all worries are put to rest. My biggest load would be a 40D (soon to be a 5d II) and a 70-200 f/4L which rarely sees the light of day. I am absolutely brutal on my gear, and my next concern is saltwater/sand, and mud getting in the twist locks. I spend a lot of time in the ocean and coastal streams - sometimes knee to waist deep. I guess as long as there is a way to remove the locks then at least I could clean them out if I needed. The way my Manfotto is now, the flip locks are prone to getting clogged with all sorts of crap, but at the same time it just takes a squirt from the garden hose to clean out when I get home. I'm pretty sure the 1541 is the tripod I need, though I probably just need to get better about maintaining my gear. My current tripod gets about as much TLC a shovel!
Posted by Ned Fenimore on March 16, 2009 at 4:11 PM
It seems plenty stable for me for field work.. that was my biggest concern as well. I probably should get the f/4 version of that lens as well, but I really like the brightness of the f/2.8 - plus it is very sharp. I'm pretty sure, though I have not tried it yet, that you can take the legs apart on this tripod too. I have done it several times with my bigger tripod after a trip to the beach or the desert. There are rebuilding kits you can buy with the plastic as well as the paper composite rings that go inside. The plastic ones especially will expand enough when taken off that they are next to impossible to get back together. I ordered the kits through Bogen - and they give you enough rings to fit all the different models of Gitzos that are sold. When I ordered they messed up my order so I received a box with 6 free kits in it for my trouble - I thought that was pretty cool of them...
Posted by Marc Dilley on March 16, 2009 at 4:35 PM
Beautiful image, Ned. Love the spring greens, especially now when it's still white and gray in my neighborhood.
Posted by Kosta Koeman on March 17, 2009 at 7:53 PM
Ned,
Great image.
Was that Bogen a 3221? I still have mine. Doubles as a nice club for bears
Posted by Curtis Knight on March 17, 2009 at 8:39 PM
A classic Falls Fenimore shot. Nice texture and rich color Ned!
Discussion
13 repliesOne of the places I visited was Elowah - and got this from the classic viewpoint as well as several at other points down below.
Canon 1D2
Canon EF 16-35L at 21mm
ISO-100
.8 seconds at f/16 - polarizer
As for the photo, I like it. Its a solid shot overall. My only nits would be the dark area in the extreme URHC, and the water towards the bottom of the frame. Against the white NPN BG, the lower water seems quite grey and underexposed. I think you could pump up the white point down there, and you be good to go.
http://gallery.photo.net/photo/8751571-lg.jpg
I'll write you more later about how much I love this tripod!
The new tripod is excellent - folds very compactly and is very light. I can strap it easily to my small photo backpack for stealth missions. Even with the 1D and 70-200L f/2.8 mounted, it is very stable. I fitted the new tripod with the Kirk BH-3 ballhead - the little bro to the BH-1 model that is on my 1325. I think the whole set-up is at about 3.5 pounds total.
The 1541 sets up very quickly - love the twist rings on it - and I found that I could take it down and stow it just as quickly. I think it will be a great addition to my style of shooting. Now I have only really had it out one day, but the pros of buying it make the investment well worth it..
Great image.
Was that Bogen a 3221? I still have mine. Doubles as a nice club for bears
When did you start a website at ImagePro?
Kevin