Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Snow Geese in Flight

January 17, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A flock of snow geese takes to the air above the Sacramento Valley

Occasionally during idle moments out photographing birds, when not much else is on my mind, I try to imagine what it might be like to be one of them, to live their very different lives, especially among the migratory flocking birds like geese. (Yes, I recognize that much of their lives would seem very, very unromantic and even brutal.) One of the most difficult and interesting things to try to imagine, given that it is so far out of our own experience, is what it might be like to be airborne among so many other birds.

One of the special moments that comes when photographing the migratory geese is when something triggers them to all take to the air at once in huge groups that may number in the thousands — maelstroms of wings and sound and flight. When this happens we often simply point our cameras in that direction and begin photographing almost mindlessly. (In the best circumstances, it isn’t quite so mindless, and we pay attention to things like the background landscape and the light as this happens.) Often these lift-offs happen at a distance, but when it is closer the effect is even wilder. On this morning I was fortunate to have a viewing position that was very close to the place where the birds had settled in, and when the inevitable wild liftoff came, it was about as close as I have experienced, and I was able to photograph straight through the rising flock, from very close birds to those already farther up in the air.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Equipment, Reader Questions

Reader Question: 5Ds/5DsR Print Quality

January 16, 2016 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Reader “Tom” writes to ask:

I’ve read your reports on the 5Dsr. I assume by now you have one? Maybe you have different thoughts now, but you seem to point to the new body being good for large print/detail, but maybe not so great for fine art print.

If that’s still the case, what would you opt for if leaning towards fine art prints, large, maybe a heavily cropped slice measuring say 16″ x 72″ or so? Minus a mf body.

I’m looking to switch bodies and thinking the 5dsr or possibly the Nikon d810. Just curious what your thoughts might be if you ever had time. Thanks.

It has been a while since I’ve written about the Canon 5DS and the 5DsR cameras here, but since you asked I’ll share more based on my extensive use of the 5DsR over the past months. I have used it to photography everything from landscapes to people to wildlife. I think I see several sub-questions here, so let me respond to each of them.

Are the 5DsR and 5DS good for large prints? Continue reading Reader Question: 5Ds/5DsR Print Quality →

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Food Sing

January 16, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Food Sing Chinese food take out and eat in, Brooklyn

On our first full day in New York this past December we took the subway to this area of Brooklyn to meet up with one of our sons (and later his fiancé and eventually our other son and his fiancé) and wandered around the area a bit, ending up on the waterfront of the East River in an area that seems to be developing rapidly. (This Californian, being from the San Francisco Bay Area, certainly recognized the familiar signs of rapid expansion and wild real estate price inflation…)

Later we walked back up and away from the water looking for food — by the local clock is was lunch time, but by our jet-lagged internal clocks it seemed like a good opportunity for breakfast. As we walked I, of course, had my little street photography camera out and I photographed this and that subject as we moved along. This corner restaurant intrigued me for a bunch or reasons. Certainly the name, which no doubt has meaning that I can’t quite parse, is suggestive with its references to the practical (food) and the aesthetic (sing). But the colors and shapes of the building also intrigue me — the contrast between the hot yellow and red of the awning, the cool tones of blue, and the bits of drab urban street scene, photographed at a moment that was almost free of people.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Deals and Sales, Equipment

New Fujifilm X-Pro2 — and X-Pro1 Discounts

January 15, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Fujifilm announced the new X-Pro2 digital mirrorless camera today., The announcement provides very interesting opportunities for photographers — one being the new camera itself and the other being an extraordinary low price on its predecessor, the X-Pro1. (The X-Pro2 is now available for pre-order at B&H.)

The New X-Pro2

The X-Pro2 is the updated successor to XPro1. The newer camera will feature:

A compact rangefinder style mirrorless design
24 MP 1.5x cropped format sensor
Improved autofocus capabilities
A hybrid optical-electronic viewfinder
Manual controls for shutter speed, aperture, ISO, more
Wifi equipped
…and more
Body-only price is $1699 — preordering now available..

The X-Pro2 is now available for pre-order at B&H. I’m almost certain to upgrade to the X-Pro2 from the X-E1 that has been my primary street and travel photography camera for the past three years. (The current updated equivalent of my camera is the X-E2.) Since I’m sold on the Fujifilm system — bodies and lenses — the X-Pro2 will bring features that I’ve wanted for some time.

(See a Fujifilm press release for the X-Pro2.)

The Old X-Pro1

The announcement of the X-Pro2 brings a very special opportunity for folks who could use the X-Pro1. The X-Pro1 provides

The same compact rangefinder design
An excellent 16MP 1.5x cropped format sensor
A hybrid optical-electronic viewfinder
… and more
a very low price of $499 for the body-only!

While the X-Pro2 most certainly brings useful advances, the X-Pro1 is also a fine camera, and at this very low $499 price (it was originally $1299) it is a tremendous bargain right now. If you poke around a bit at the B&H website, you can find it with a lens for $699.

Other New Fujifilm Gear

Fujifilm also announced several other new products including…

XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens — This lens is designed to compete with the popular 80-400mm and 100-400mm lenses from Canon and Nikon.
X-E2s Mirrorless Digital Camera — This updates the popular X-E1 camera, improving the autofocus system, among other things. This camera is a great deal at only $699.95.

This website has an affiliate relationship with B&H Photo. Your purchases through website links return a percentage of the sale price to this website — but your cost remains the same.

One More Thing

Regarding Fujifilm cameras, a quotation from Fuji X-series senior product manager Takashi Ueno in the British Journal of Photography says a lot:

“We are in a very good position to make a medium format camera, as we make camera bodies, sensors and lenses. We already make the lenses for Hasselblad, so we have that expertise.”

Fujifilm, a company with a history of producing some excellent medium format film cameras, is becoming more open about their interest in medium format digital. (Note that they have not actually announced a product. Yet.)
If you have wondered why those of us using the Fujifilm system are so enthusiastic about the beautiful Fujifilm lenses, re-read the quote if you missed it the first time and note whose lenses they currently make.

BJP article here, with the medium format discussion on page 2.

Continue reading New Fujifilm X-Pro2 — and X-Pro1 Discounts →

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Snow Geese in Flight

Reader Question: 5Ds/5DsR Print Quality

Food Sing

New Fujifilm X-Pro2 — and X-Pro1 Discounts

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.