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07-17-2018, 09:41 AM - 9 Likes   #1
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Back from Alaska--some 645z lessons

I'm back from Alaska, and one of the most intense trips I've ever taken.

We spent several days in Kennecott, including some time exploring the old Kennecott Copper Company mill. It was the largest copper mine in the world about a century ago, and was the start of what is now the Kennecott Utah Corporation. The original mill still mostly stands, along with many of the original buildings in the town. But this is in an extremely remote area, at the end of a 60-mile gravel road that is usually forbidden by rental car companies. For that portion of the trip, I mostly used the 35, 55, and 200mm lenses, with occasional use of the 45-85. While making photos in the mill, I managed to bang the lens shade for the 35 on a low ceiling beam. I got the shade back, but never saw the cover for the filter adjustment window again. The same cover for the shade on the 55 has become part of the Root Glacier, about two miles upstream from Kennecott. We donned crampons and spent time on the glacier. For the interior photos, I used the tripod, but couldn't always have it with me. For non-tripod work, I set the camera to TAv, and used the lowest ISO that allowed the aperture and shutter speed I wanted. I depended on the 645z's ability to work at high ISO's. In the buildings, and for dusk photos of the Liberty Creek Falls, I used a tripod, Av at the aperture needed for depth of field, a lower ISO, and whatever shutter speed the meter chose. Shutter speeds extended up to 8-12 seconds. The Gitzo 3235 handled that with ease, though I used mirror pre-release for the 200 and longer lenses.

We spent a couple of days in Seward, and hiked up Mount Marathon to the Bowl. Lots of good stuff to photograph on that trail, for which I mostly used the 55, and occasionally the 200. I used the 400 with 1.4x converter to photograph the Mt. Marathon Race. More on that when I show the photos. Again, the Gitzo 3235 and Arca B1 was sufficient, as long as I used a fast shutter speed. Once again, the high ISO capability and mirror pre-release came to the rescue.

And we spent some days in a Kenai fjord that is accessible only by boat. This part of the trip was particularly special--it's not easy to get there and requires an invitation. For that portion, I used every lens I brought.

I generally chose shutter speeds that could reliable freeze the scene, which means at least 125 for the short lenses but more often 250 or higher, and 1000 or more with the longest lenses. Stabilization is nice but I was able to work without it. The only time I used an aperture wider than about f/8 was when I wanted a selective focus effect.

I took these lenses: 30mm Arsat fisheye, 35mm FA, 55mm DFA, 45-85 FA zoom, 120 A Macro, 200mm FA, 400mm FA, and 1.4x converter. I used them all.

For carrying that stuff on strenuous day hikes, I used a ThinkTank waist pack--once with the waist belt, and several times using a shoulder strap, messenger-bag style. I used the Streewalker Pro backpack, but not for hikes--it didn't keep the lenses near enough to hand. Both had rain covers, which I needed only once (hiking back from the Root Glacier), but I was also glad on that occasion for the weatherproofing of the camera with the 55 DFA lens. Notwithstanding that rain shower, we were stunningly lucky with the notorious Alaska weather.

The 645z is by far the most productive camera I have ever used. I have done no counting, but I would not be surprised if I came back with at least 50 photos that meet my personal standards for standalone prints, out of perhaps 1200 exposures. Many of the rest will work fine for documentation. I set up the camera to write PEF files to SD1 and JPG to SD2, both of them 64GB. I need to upgrade to a 128GB SD cars in the first slot, and I foresee having to upgrade my computer storage requirements. The laptop I brought lacked the space to hold all the photos, and I'm glad I had an extra 64G card.

Alaska in the summer is amazing--the golden hour lasts about three hours, and the blue hour lasts just about all night. Some nights, I made photos until midnight, with sun until 11 PM.

The other aspect to that is the crop of flowers. I've never seen so many blooming flowers--they all bloom at once there. I made many, many macro flower photos--probably trite but irresistible.

In fact, I doubt there are many photos I made that are particularly unique, but that is the nature of photography these days. Maybe the ability to print big will provide an opportunity to be a little different.

It's going to take me a long time to work through the images--time now to get back to work.

Rick "about 120 GB plus what the wife used up with her Nikon" Denney

07-17-2018, 09:55 AM - 1 Like   #2
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Looking forward to seeing some shots!
07-17-2018, 09:58 AM - 1 Like   #3
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Sounds like a fun trip. I can't wait to see some of the photos.
07-17-2018, 11:37 AM - 1 Like   #4
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Yes, please. We are eager to see the photos!

07-17-2018, 12:56 PM - 1 Like   #5
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I can't believe you carried all those lenses, Rick! Good for you!!! You are my inspiration!

--Great "Just Bought A Used D-FA 90mm Macro And Excited About Receiving It As It Has The New Coatings, Good Autofocus And Shake Reduction In A Great Focal Length" Frog
07-18-2018, 10:01 AM   #6
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I was just thinking about you, and how the trip was going.
QuoteOriginally posted by rdenney Quote

The 645z is by far the most productive camera I have ever used.
I am not at all surprised to hear this. It's an eye-opener, in more ways than one.
QuoteQuote:
I set up the camera to write PEF files to SD1 and JPG to SD2, both of them 64GB.
hmmm...curious about that setup, and why not DNG's....
QuoteQuote:
I need to upgrade to a 128GB SD cars in the first slot, and I foresee having to upgrade my computer storage requirements.
ummmm, yes.
QuoteQuote:
The laptop I brought lacked the space to hold all the photos, and I'm glad I had an extra 64G card.
That's how I buy laptops now, first priority is the storage space, and then I also bring a portable drive.

QuoteQuote:
Alaska in the summer is amazing--the golden hour lasts about three hours, and the blue hour lasts just about all night. Some nights, I made photos until midnight, with sun until 11 PM.
yeah working (or fishing) in the high north can get....interesting. I'll tell you about a fishing trip I did I once did near Murmansk. Got kinda psychedelic after a week of no sleep....


QuoteQuote:
In fact, I doubt there are many photos I made that are particularly unique, but that is the nature of photography these days.
Replace "photos" with "sculptures", "drawings", "paintings", & etc, and "photography" with "art" for basically the same result....
QuoteQuote:
Maybe the ability to print big will provide an opportunity to be a little different.
Indeed. But scale is something few photographers (except some high-art ones) have been thinking about yet. Photographers typically think in terms of size, not scale.
07-18-2018, 03:53 PM   #7
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DNG is too tied to Adobe, which I’m trying to avoid, and I thought I’d try PEFs first. DXO works fine with them, but I am also going to try the Pentax Silkypix distro.

But I may rethink that. Converting these to TIFF will consume some space, but I’ll edit down to those with potential. I’m just not sure DNG has longer legs, given Adobe’s tendency to rent-seeking their proprietary formats.

I slept well despite the light, though the heatwave in Seward conflicted with the lack of ventilation at that little motel.

Rick “gotta think about scale versus size for a while” Denney

07-18-2018, 04:07 PM   #8
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This report makes me very excited for my upcoming summer trip to the Antarctic peninsula!

I'll be leaving the 645Z at home though, and instead will slum it with my small format kit.
07-19-2018, 05:27 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sandy Hancock Quote
This report makes me very excited for my upcoming summer trip to the Antarctic peninsula!

I'll be leaving the 645Z at home though, and instead will slum it with my small format kit.
NOOOOoooo!
07-19-2018, 05:31 AM   #10
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Great write up - thanks - look forward to seeing results!
07-19-2018, 06:03 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sandy Hancock Quote
This report makes me very excited for my upcoming summer trip to the Antarctic peninsula!

I'll be leaving the 645Z at home though, and instead will slum it with my small format kit.
APSC? Or K-1, I can't recall what you said.
07-19-2018, 06:11 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
APSC? Or K-1, I can't recall what you said.
I'll be taking the K-1 II and the KP.
Current lens front-runners are DFA15-30, DFA28-105, a fast fifty and maybe the DFA150-450.
07-19-2018, 09:12 AM   #13
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My wife took her Nikon D500 with a Nikkor 200-500, and it was much easier for her to reach out to those river otters and bald eagles than it was for me with the 400. If wildlife is an important target, the 645 is not in its sweet spot.

Rick “but I did get the eagle, at least in its environment” Denney
07-20-2018, 10:50 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by rdenney Quote
My wife took her Nikon D500 with a Nikkor 200-500, and it was much easier for her to reach out to those river otters and bald eagles than it was for me with the 400. If wildlife is an important target, the 645 is not in its sweet spot.

Rick “but I did get the eagle, at least in its environment” Denney
You needed to take the 600mm that was for sale on the Marketplace a few weeks ago.
07-20-2018, 11:40 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by kaseki Quote
You needed to take the 600mm that was for sale on the Marketplace a few weeks ago.


I was already at my checked bag limit.

Rick “and then there is the weight limit” Denney
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