I often hear people claim that image-stabilization is only of value on normal to long focal length lenses, and is not useful on wide angle and ultra wide angle lenses.
The photograph posted earlier today was shot handheld on a full frame DSLR at 1/25 second at ISO 800 and 32mm. (32mm on full frame is equivalent to using a 20mm focal length on a 1.6x cropped sensor body.)
I had just finished a session of tripod-based landscape shooting on the summit of this dome, had packed up, and was heading down when the lone hiker crossed the ridgeline below me just as some lovely post-sunset light gently illuminated the landscape. Having no time to set up a tripod – hiker and light would have been gone by then – I dropped everything, pulled the camera with image-stabilized 24-105mm lens from the pack, made some quick seat-of-the-pants exposure calculations, and got of three quick frames before the scene was gone. Without IS I simply would not have gotten a usable version of this photograph – a photograph that has since been licensed for use in a print journal.
Even as one who often shoots from a tripod – and almost always carries one – I have found the notion that IS has no value at shorter focal lengths to be a myth not born out in actual practice.
Having used my Canon EOS 5D extensively for about two years, I figure it is about time for me to write up something about my experiences with and impressions of this camera. Rather than try to compete with the existing camera review sites and post a bunch of technical specifications and test results, I’m going to focus on aspects of the camera that may give a better general idea of its strengths and weaknesses and of situations for which it is best adapted. Continue reading Canon EOS 5D→
I do a lot of backpacking photography, frequently going out for periods of many days or even a couple weeks and carrying camera equipment across high (occasionally trail-less) passes in the Sierra Nevada range. There is a whole range of issues to sort out when you do this sort of back-country photography including:
How much gear to take — what do you really need and how much weight are you willing to lug?
How to keep the camera and necessary accessories reasonably accessible.
How to sufficiently protect the camera equipment from weather and from other dangers.
How to integrate systems for carrying camera equipment with those used for carrying regular backpacking gear.
I’ve described my current backpacking photography setup in detail elsewhere, so here I’ll focus on one key element in my solution, a Lowepro Toploader AW bag. (Mine is a slightly older model – a “TLZ AW.” The current incarnations have a slightly different name. The last time I checked they were the “Lowepro Toploader 75 AW Camera Holster Bag” and the “Lowepro Toploader 65 AW Camera Holster Bag.”) Continue reading Lowepro Toploader AW→
It seems like no matter how many camera bags you have, you never have too many. I have quite a collection, ranging from some rather large ones that I use for travel (Thinktank Airport Acceleration) or for serious photography on the trail (“Lowepro Rover Plus AW”) to smaller bags like the “Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW” and one of the Lowepro Topload Zoom bags. Each of these has a relatively specific role in my photography.
Even with all these bags there has been one sort of situation for which I’m ill-equipped: carrying minimal gear on walking/hiking trips, perhaps just the camera/lens or perhaps with the addition of one extra lens, water, and a few small non-photography essentials. I’ve used non-photography lumbar packs and small backpacks, but they don’t really work the way I like for photography.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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