Backpacking, help me choose lenses

taurus9 · 06-09-2010, 07:43 AM

Originally posted by arpaagent

Sorry for the delay. My wife and I just adopted 2 kittens so they have demanded some attention.

How I carried it:

The camera was connected to straps with quick release clips that attached to the frame of my backpack at the shoulder harness. This allowed the camera to dangle right at my sternum in between the hip and chest straps of the pack itself. The camera was always available, and this allowed me to take shots on very short notice. I have done this for several prior hiking outings and it has always worked well. If I can get my friends to share any of their photos maybe I can share what this looked like.

That's a nice way of carrying your camera -- didn't think of that.
Where did you store your macro lens? In the past, I have tried putting lenses in the backpack but if I did that, then I don't use it because it is such a pain to get it out of the backpack.

Sounds like you had fun -- thanks for sharing!

TaoMaas · 06-09-2010, 09:34 AM

Thanks for the feedback. It looks like you guys had a really nice trip.

farfisa · 06-09-2010, 11:06 AM

Great shots, arpaagent!

I love my primes too, but that 16-50 is just so damned useful. I always threaten to leave it at home, but I never regret bringing it. On my last trip to Mexico with my wife and kids I brought the 16-50, and DA*55 and 4 more lenses that never made it out.

I agree with your defence of bringing a DSLR vs. a compact. I even have a G1 which does a great job for its size, but it's definitely not as responsive, not quite as easy to control and there's nothing like an optical viewfinder!

I'll also sign up for the DA*28/2...

arpaagent · 06-09-2010, 02:12 PM

Originally posted by farfisa

Great shots, arpaagent!

Thanks!

Quote:

I love my primes too, but that 16-50 is just so damned useful. I always threaten to leave it at home, but I never regret bringing it. <snip>

Haha, that is about exactly how I feel. It's almost a love/hate relationship. It would turn more towards the hate relationship if I could get that WR normal prime.

Ira · 06-09-2010, 03:44 PM

FANTASTIC SHOTS! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED 99% OF THEM!!!

But who was the lazy guy who didn't jump in the jump shot!?

geauxpez · 06-09-2010, 04:55 PM

You guys have to be the cleanest bunch of backpackers I've ever seen. Nice photos -- wish I was there.

arpaagent · 06-09-2010, 05:08 PM

Originally posted by Ira

FANTASTIC SHOTS! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED 99% OF THEM!!!

But who was the lazy guy who didn't jump in the jump shot!?

hahaha Thanks! The lazy guy is my brother-in-law. He wasn't lazy about jumping, he just didn't get the timing right. We did several of them (using a 12 second timer, and I would give the command for everyone to jump)...but he didn't seem to time it right in any of them...oh well!

Ira · 06-09-2010, 06:13 PM

Originally posted by arpaagent

hahaha Thanks! The lazy guy is my brother-in-law. He wasn't lazy about jumping, he just didn't get the timing right. We did several of them (using a 12 second timer, and I would give the command for everyone to jump)...but he didn't seem to time it right in any of them...oh well!

That's a shot where you're 100% allowed to cheat in post:

If you have Photoshop or similar, I would DEFINITELY spend the time to outline and select him...move him up some pixels...invert the selection...and clone the empty ground area.

No one will ever know, and it would really make that shot like 110%.

I don't know your Photoshop experience, but I would be more than happy to do that for you. Just PM me.

geauxpez · 06-10-2010, 05:13 AM

Originally posted by Ira

That's a shot where you're 100% allowed to cheat in post:

If you have Photoshop or similar, I would DEFINITELY spend the time to outline and select him...move him up some pixels...invert the selection...and clone the empty ground area.

No one will ever know, and it would really make that shot like 110%.

I don't know your Photoshop experience, but I would be more than happy to do that for you. Just PM me.

You should move him up 5 feet...or turn him upside down! That's the Bad Rhythm penalty.

jimr-pdx · 06-10-2010, 06:23 AM

Last year's hike was with Alpha 200 and a Sigma 18-200 (quantaray badge via Ritz); shot at f/8 for nearly everything, raw+jpg and tweaked what needed tweaking. Far better than P&S, simple enough not to slow us down too much.
This year it'll be K-7 and 16-45 (ahh, wide again

), with 50 prime and perhaps the 55-200 Sigma in the pack. That lens will need testing with 14 mpxls, other Pentax folk have not reviewed it well. It's quite happy on my k100d, but that isn't saying the same thing!

arpaagent · 06-10-2010, 06:25 AM

Originally posted by Ira

That's a shot where you're 100% allowed to cheat in post:

If you have Photoshop or similar, I would DEFINITELY spend the time to outline and select him...move him up some pixels...invert the selection...and clone the empty ground area.

No one will ever know, and it would really make that shot like 110%.

I don't know your Photoshop experience, but I would be more than happy to do that for you. Just PM me.

I mainly use Lightroom for basic processing, but I think I'll give it a shot myself since I do have Photoshop Elements. However if I fail I might hit you up to see what you can do. Thanks for the offer!

mcrogner · 06-10-2010, 09:05 AM

nice pics. you've got some hops in the jump picture.

06-10-2010, 05:13 AM	#39
geauxpez Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Atlanta Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,196	Originally posted by Ira That's a shot where you're 100% allowed to cheat in post: If you have Photoshop or similar, I would DEFINITELY spend the time to outline and select him...move him up some pixels...invert the selection...and clone the empty ground area. No one will ever know, and it would really make that shot like 110%. I don't know your Photoshop experience, but I would be more than happy to do that for you. Just PM me. You should move him up 5 feet...or turn him upside down! That's the Bad Rhythm penalty. Last edited by geauxpez; 06-10-2010 at 09:21 AM.

06-10-2010, 06:23 AM	#40
jimr-pdx Pentaxian Join Date: May 2010 Location: now 1 hour north of PDX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,897	Last year's hike was with Alpha 200 and a Sigma 18-200 (quantaray badge via Ritz); shot at f/8 for nearly everything, raw+jpg and tweaked what needed tweaking. Far better than P&S, simple enough not to slow us down too much. This year it'll be K-7 and 16-45 (ahh, wide again ), with 50 prime and perhaps the 55-200 Sigma in the pack. That lens will need testing with 14 mpxls, other Pentax folk have not reviewed it well. It's quite happy on my k100d, but that isn't saying the same thing! Last edited by jimr-pdx; 06-10-2010 at 06:24 AM. Reason: it's better now!

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06-09-2010, 07:43 AM	#31
taurus9 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: British Columbia Posts: 120	Originally posted by arpaagent Sorry for the delay. My wife and I just adopted 2 kittens so they have demanded some attention. How I carried it: The camera was connected to straps with quick release clips that attached to the frame of my backpack at the shoulder harness. This allowed the camera to dangle right at my sternum in between the hip and chest straps of the pack itself. The camera was always available, and this allowed me to take shots on very short notice. I have done this for several prior hiking outings and it has always worked well. If I can get my friends to share any of their photos maybe I can share what this looked like. That's a nice way of carrying your camera -- didn't think of that. Where did you store your macro lens? In the past, I have tried putting lenses in the backpack but if I did that, then I don't use it because it is such a pain to get it out of the backpack. Sounds like you had fun -- thanks for sharing!

06-09-2010, 09:34 AM	#32
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	Thanks for the feedback. It looks like you guys had a really nice trip.

06-09-2010, 11:06 AM	#33
farfisa Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,274	Great shots, arpaagent! I love my primes too, but that 16-50 is just so damned useful. I always threaten to leave it at home, but I never regret bringing it. On my last trip to Mexico with my wife and kids I brought the 16-50, and DA55 and 4 more lenses that never made it out. I agree with your defence of bringing a DSLR vs. a compact. I even have a G1 which does a great job for its size, but it's definitely not as responsive, not quite as easy to control and there's nothing like an optical viewfinder! I'll also sign up for the DA28/2...

06-09-2010, 02:12 PM	#34
arpaagent Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 803 Original Poster	Originally posted by farfisa Great shots, arpaagent! Thanks! Quote: I love my primes too, but that 16-50 is just so damned useful. I always threaten to leave it at home, but I never regret bringing it. <snip> Haha, that is about exactly how I feel. It's almost a love/hate relationship. It would turn more towards the hate relationship if I could get that WR normal prime.

06-09-2010, 03:44 PM	#35
Ira Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Coral Springs, FL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,216	FANTASTIC SHOTS! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED 99% OF THEM!!! But who was the lazy guy who didn't jump in the jump shot!?

06-09-2010, 04:55 PM	#36
geauxpez Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Atlanta Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,196	You guys have to be the cleanest bunch of backpackers I've ever seen. Nice photos -- wish I was there.

06-09-2010, 05:08 PM	#37
arpaagent Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 803 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ira FANTASTIC SHOTS! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED 99% OF THEM!!! But who was the lazy guy who didn't jump in the jump shot!? hahaha Thanks! The lazy guy is my brother-in-law. He wasn't lazy about jumping, he just didn't get the timing right. We did several of them (using a 12 second timer, and I would give the command for everyone to jump)...but he didn't seem to time it right in any of them...oh well!

06-09-2010, 06:13 PM	#38
Ira Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Coral Springs, FL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,216	Originally posted by arpaagent hahaha Thanks! The lazy guy is my brother-in-law. He wasn't lazy about jumping, he just didn't get the timing right. We did several of them (using a 12 second timer, and I would give the command for everyone to jump)...but he didn't seem to time it right in any of them...oh well! That's a shot where you're 100% allowed to cheat in post: If you have Photoshop or similar, I would DEFINITELY spend the time to outline and select him...move him up some pixels...invert the selection...and clone the empty ground area. No one will ever know, and it would really make that shot like 110%. I don't know your Photoshop experience, but I would be more than happy to do that for you. Just PM me.

06-10-2010, 06:25 AM	#41
arpaagent Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 803 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ira That's a shot where you're 100% allowed to cheat in post: If you have Photoshop or similar, I would DEFINITELY spend the time to outline and select him...move him up some pixels...invert the selection...and clone the empty ground area. No one will ever know, and it would really make that shot like 110%. I don't know your Photoshop experience, but I would be more than happy to do that for you. Just PM me. I mainly use Lightroom for basic processing, but I think I'll give it a shot myself since I do have Photoshop Elements. However if I fail I might hit you up to see what you can do. Thanks for the offer!

06-10-2010, 09:05 AM	#42
mcrogner New Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Chico, California Posts: 11	nice pics. you've got some hops in the jump picture.

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