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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
08-31-2015, 10:56 AM
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Last July-August I went to Malawi and Zambia. It was my first real Africa experience. I have been to Morocco before, but that is something totally different. I always write reports to share my experiences, but most of all to show my photography. Last year I wrote a topic about my trip to Borneo and the gear and techniques I used. Now I just want to show you my photography and I hope I can inspire you in a way. The first part of my reports is about a very interesting location. It is about Mount Mulanje. This massif looks like a lonely mountain. A mountain like this is home to many special animals that live nowhere else on earth. This mountain is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
My next episodes will be about Zomba Plateau, Liwonde NP, Cape McClear, Ntchisi, and South Luangwa (Zambia). So there will also be reports about the more usual stuff from Africa. ;) I will add those reports later to this topic. :)
You can read the report about Mulanje here:
Malawi 2015 Part I: The Majestic Mount Mulanje | RONALD ZIMMERMAN WILDLIFE & NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY - All images © 2008-2015 Ronald Zimmerman
I know you all have Pentax gear and you might be interested in the gear I use. :)
K-3
K-5 II
DA* 300 F4
HD DA 15mm F4 Limited
DFA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR
HD Pentax-DA AF Rear Converter 1.4x AW
AF360 Flash
Wescott Micro Apollo (softbox)
Fenix HP15 Headlight
Clik Elite Escape (camera bag)
If you have questions, feel free to ask! :D
Here a preview of the photos in the trip report!
Herald Snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia)
Meller's Chameleon (Trioceros melleri)
Flap-necked Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis)
Common Reed Frog (Hyperolius viridiflavus)
Angola Green Snake (Philothamnus angolensis)
Mitchell's flat lizard (Platysaurus mitchelli)
Spotted Reed Frog (Hyperolius substriatus)
Yellow-spotted Tree Frog (Leptopelis flavomaculatus)
Mulanje Pygmy Chameleon (Rhampholeon platyceps)
Mulanje Chameleon (Nadzikambia mlanjensis)
I hope you like it! :D
If you want to see more, you can also follow me on my Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/ronaldzimmermanphotography |
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-11-2014, 02:55 PM
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The background of the DA35 Ltd. could be a bit nervous in some situations, but it really depends on the background. Nervous backgrounds get nervous blur. See:
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
01-03-2015, 08:02 AM
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I travel a lot for my hobby. I love to do wildlife photography. I also make trip reports with the photos I make plus the story behind the photos.
I photograph reptiles and amphibians and sometimes when I have the opportunity for a beautiful mammal or bird I will photograph them too. :)
My last trip was to Romania and Bulgaria in autumn. It was a great trip with many snakes.
You can read the full trip report here:
Autumn trip to Romania and Bulgaria 2014 - RONALD ZIMMERMAN WILDLIFE & NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY - All images © 2008-2015 Ronald Zimmerman
Gear
K-5
K-5 II
DA* 300 F4
HD DA 15mm F4 Limited
DFA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR
AF360 Flash
Wescott Micro Apollo (softbox)
Diffuser for my internal flash
Fenix HP15 Headlight
Clik Elite Escape (camera bag)
Here some highlights :) You can ask me everything about the gear and how I make the photos. :)
Common Lizard (Zootoca vivipara)
Eastern Tree Frog (Hyla orientalis)
Grass Snake (Natrix natrix)
Nose-horned Viper (Vipera ammodytes)
Eastern Montpellier Snake (Malopolon insignitus)
Feel free to follow me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ronaldzimmermanphotography |
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Forum: Photographic Technique
10-03-2014, 07:09 AM
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Wildlife photography is my passion, and biology teacher is my profession. This summer I took my Pentax gear to the beautiful nature of Borneo. Visiting Borneo has always been a dream to me. This summer my dream came true.
I visited Sabah and Sarawak which are part of Malaysia. The National Parks I visited are Mount Kinabalu NP, Crocker Range NP, Mulu NP, Bako NP and Kubah NP. I have seen stunning views and a lot of wildlife. It was my first trip to the jungle with my Pentax gear.
I met a lot of hard conditions to photograph. Conditions like low light on the forest floor, hard contrasts under the canopy, a lot of moist and field trips during the night. I want to share my experiences with the people who also want to visit beautiful places like this. In this report I want to focus on the gear.
All my photos are from my trip reports:
Mt. Kinabalu NP & Crocker Range NP
http://ronaldzimmerman.nl/malaysia-mt-kinabalu-crocker-range/
Mt. Mulu NP
Malaysia 2014 Part II: Gunung Mulu National Park (Sarawak, Borneo) - RONALD ZIMMERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Bako NP
http://ronaldzimmerman.nl/malaysia-2014-part-iii-bako-national-park-sarawak-borneo/
Kubah NP
Malaysia 2014 Part IV: Kubah National Park (Sarawak, Borneo) - RONALD ZIMMERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Gear
I photograph amphibians and reptiles most of the time. When possible I also like to photograph mammals. I only photograph birds when I have an opportunity. I never look for them. This is why I do not have a very long telelens.
K-5
K-5 II
DA* 300 F4
HD DA 15mm F4 Limited
DFA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR
AF360 Flash
Wescott Micro Apollo (softbox)
Diffuser for my internal flash
Fenix HP15 Headlight
Clik Elite Escape (camera bag)
Bodies
For this trip I took the Pentax K-5 and Pentax K-5 II with me. The low light capabilities of both cameras are great. Photos are very useable at ISO 1600. I prefer not to go higher than that.
The big difference is the autofocus. The K-5 II was a lot better in getting focus in low light. In primary rainforest there is not much light on the forest floor during the day and during the night I just had an headlight to help with focussing. The K-5 II did a great job there. I barely used my K-5 in conditions like this. My K-5 was for wide angle shots with a HD DA 15mm Limited mounted, and it was my backup body.
In my photography I prefer available light during the day. As I said there is not much light on the forest floor, but if there is light it is extremely bright. So you can have extreme contrasts. The K-5 (II) Is very capable is making photos in conditions like that.
A Common Ground Skink (Mabuya multifasciata) under ’theater lights’
I did not want to use flash for this Bornean Keeled Green Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus). It would look unnatural, because reptiles have shiny scales. The scales will reflect your flash. So if possible, I will not use my flash. With ISO 1000 and F3.5 with my DFA 100 macro I could still use 1/100. The snake was on a moving branch, so longer exposures were no option.
Having the great dynamic range does not mean that I have to use it all the time. Sometimes I did not use it on purpose.
I made this portrait of the Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus) in Bako NP with backlight and did not fill the shadows. Instead I made more shadows and made the bright background even brighter. The lightning of the camera was more on the background so the monkey was more underexposed to achieve the contrast
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I did the same with this Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus). The hair on the back is more prominent with this effect.
Sometimes silhouettes are just nicer.
DA* 300
I love all my three lenses, because they all serve a different purpose. This DA* 300 is a great telelens. It is not too heavy, can focus already from 1,5m and the image quality is great.
It has only one focal length, so it may not be so versatile. 300mm is also not that much. For my photography it is perfect. I have enough reach for reptiles (lizards) and for mammals. I am not a birder. I can imagine that birders want more reach.
Lizards can be scared very easily and by catching many species can lose their tail. Another disadvantage is that lizards look very stressed on the photograph when being caught. To achieve natural looking photos I use my DA* 300. Most lizards tolerate you within 1,5m or 2m, so this lens is perfect. I used it making this photo of the Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella).
This Brooke's Water Skink (Tropidophorus brookei) was also photographed with the DA* 300.
HD DA 15 F4 Limited
I bought this lens because I wanted a wide angle lens, and this lens specifically for wide angle close ups. This lens can focus from very close distance (0.18 m). I use it to photograph frogs, lizards and snakes in their habitat. This lens is also very lightweight. My back was already 8kg, so another wide angle lens would make my bag even heavier. The disadvantage is that is my only non WR lens. I have to be more careful with this lens in the rainforest.
This Bornean Keeled Green Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus) is venomous. I focussed very close using gloves to protect myself just in case. This snake was very relaxed and not striking at all.
Black-spotted Rock Frog (Staurois guttatus) looking out over the habitat.
DFA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR
For frogs and snakes this is my main lens. It focuses close and is extremely sharp. This lens is also very lightweight. What I did not like is that there is no focus limiter, fast DC motor and internal focus. That is also what makes this lens lightweight. But I would like to have all those features (Ricoh, are you listening?). The WR part is always great in a rainforest.
Using my 100mm macro during daytime gives great bokkeh and details.
You can get very close!
It is also the lens I used during field trips at night time. For amphibians and reptiles you have to go out during night time. During the day they hide, because it is too hot.
Flash setup
For my field trips during the night I used my onboard flash (with onboard flash diffuser) as the master and I used my AF360 flash as a wireless slave. I kept this wireless flash handhold next to the camera from an angle. If you do not hold this flash from an angle you will get overexposed parts because frogs have a shiny skin. This was also why my onboard flash was set to -2.
On my AF360 I used a Wescott Micro Apollo soft box to make the light softer. It really improved the quality. I needed some practice with this setup, but I am satisfied with the results.
On my next trip I want to use a macro bracket and dual flash setup for better results.
I also bought a transparent map cover for bikes. My flash fits inside. In case it was raining during a night trip and wanted to keep on photographing.
Wallace's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus)
Bornean Horned Frog / Bornean Horned Toad (Megophrys nasuta)
Dark-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates macrotis)
Other tips
- I used a silica box inside my bag to keep the moist out of my gear.
During macro shots on moving trees I used AF-C and bursts to keep the subject sharp.
-I used TaV with an ISO range of 80-800. 80-1000 or 80-1600, because lightning was difficult with a lot of changing lightning in the jungle. Sometimes you have to react fast and this really helps.
-Be careful with anti-mosquito fluids (DEET), because it eats plastics. Always wash your hands with water afterwards before you use your camera gear.
I hope you enjoyed reading this, and maybe learned new things. If you have questions or if you want to know more about a subject you can always ask.
I am also very active on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronaldzimmermanphotography
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-10-2014, 03:42 PM
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Full Frame at a €2000 price tag with weather sealing, 7FPS, 25< RAW buffer, new AF-module with wide spread AF points for full frame, double SD slot, 24MP and a little bit bigger than the K-3 :)
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Forum: Lens Clubs
05-27-2014, 11:58 AM
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K-5 + HD DA 15 Ltd
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-11-2014, 08:09 AM
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I love the DA35 Ltd Macro (I sold it because I needed money for a HD 15mm Ltd.), but I prefer the DFA100 for macro shots. You have more distance to the subject and it is easier to isolate the subject. But with both you can make great pictures.
DA35 Ltd
DFA100:
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Forum: Lens Clubs
03-22-2014, 11:58 AM
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Some common toads (Bufo bufo) with my HD DA 15mm F4 Limited :)
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Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges
03-17-2014, 04:28 PM
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Not the most beautiful, but special because they are blue for only a few days and it was my first time.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-05-2014, 11:46 AM
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The sharper the lens the better the crops. Unsharpness gets worse in crops.
DA* 300 crops.. Not birds, but very related. :)
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
02-03-2014, 04:10 PM
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Besides of-course the full frame sensor, I think:
AF points more spread over the frame (all cross sensitive)
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