Your camera kit setup

Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Not too bad quality and I like the way that you focus / zoom the camera on the species or specimen in front of you in a museum / zoo as one thing that really irritates is videos where people rush through footage within seconds.

Also, great to see you've uploaded videos of the Academy of Natural sciences as I'm curious about the quality of those dioramas and kudos to you for visiting Hemmingway's place / museum in Key West I'm a big Hemmingway fan myself.
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I can't go near the Heminway House because I have a high allergy to cats. The Hemingway place I think you're thinking of is the Bass Pro Shops in Islamorada. They have his boat in there. There is also some Hemingway memorabilia in Key West's Museum of Art & History at the Custom House. For me Key West was a place that completed changed my expectations. I went there thinking I was going to hate it. I came back wishing I could've stayed longer. Definitely go if you can. You won't regret it and will have a lot of fun! I miss watching the Black Skimmers at sunset at Mallory Square and eating Key Lime Pie.

I agree that a lot of people tend to rush through museums and zoos and don't take much time to film the exhibits in detail. I like to take my time filming the dioramas as there much to see within them. when I film somewhere I try to create a comprehensive audio/visual record of that time and place as much as possible. Thats why I don't bother playing around with color luts and filters on my footage as I want the viewer to feel like they were there in real-time when viewing my videos and photos. I wish I knew about the Google Streetview app when I was at the Academy of Natural Sciences in 2017. I look forward to going back to the AMNH and the Field Museum some time as well to film them in 4k. Another museum I'd love to visit although not natural history is the Met in NYC. They have a really cool looking Oceanic hall, but it's getting renovated and I don't think anyone filmed a comprehensive video of it before it closed. Now that YouTube enables timestamps (chapters) in videos, I'm going back into Premiere to remaster the older videos and upload them at higher 1440p quality for a better viewing experience. This means deleting the old ones but the new uploads will be so much better!
 
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Sarus Crane said:
I can't go near the Heminway House because I have a high allergy to cats. The Hemingway place I think you're thinking of is the Bass Pro Shops in Islamorada. They have his boat in there. There is also some Hemingway memorabilia in Key West's Museum of Art & History at the Custom House. For me Key West was a place that completed changed my expectations. I went there thinking I was going to hate it. I came back wishing I could've stayed longer. Definitely go if you can. You won't regret it and will have a lot of fun! I miss watching the Black Skimmers at sunset at Mallory Square and eating Key Lime Pie.

I agree that a lot of people tend to rush through museums and zoos and don't take much time to film the exhibits in detail. I like to take my time filming the dioramas as there much to see within them. when I film somewhere I try to create a comprehensive audio/visual record of that time and place as much as possible. Thats why I don't bother playing around with color luts and filters on my footage as I want the viewer to feel like they were there in real-time when viewing my videos and photos. I wish I knew about the Google Streetview app when I was at the Academy of Natural Sciences in 2017. I look forward to going back to the AMNH and the Field Museum some time as well to film them in 4k. Another museum I'd love to visit although not natural history is the Met in NYC. They have a really cool looking Oceanic hall, but it's getting renovated and I don't think anyone filmed a comprehensive video of it before it closed. Now that YouTube enables timestamps (chapters) in videos, I'm going back into Premiere to remaster the older videos and upload them at higher 1440p quality for a better viewing experience. This means deleting the old ones but the new uploads will be so much better!
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Thats quite a shame, allergies suck, but yes I know that the old house / museum is apparently full of cats and some of which are actually descendents of Hemmingway's pet cats.

Why did you think you would hate it ?

I think it must have the reputation for being a bit too touristy in the USA but for Hemmingway literary fans just like the Finca Vigía it is a bit of a place of pilgrimage.

I think its great that you dont rush things and make sure you get decent footage and shots of museums and zoos and I think you are absolutely right that these are records of that time / place.

I wanted to go to the MET when I was in NYC a long time ago (mainly to see the collection of artifacts they have there) but there were time constraints and I didn't get there in the end. However, I did get to the AMNH which more then met my expectations and I would actually go as far as saying that these are the best dioramas in the world.
 
Just when I swore I would never buy another lens, I picked up a fifth lens on Ebay! :eek: (I did get a pretty good deal on it vs the price of a new one and it's in great condition).

The reason for my plunge was to get something smaller and lighter. I have hurt my back twice in the last couple months carrying around too much camera gear in an ineffective manner (just a neck strap). The problem is I am so obsessive about quality that a consumer grade lens (such as 70-300) will not satisfy me. I got the Nikon 300 f4E PF lens. For such a long telephoto and relatively large aperture it is ridiculously small and light. This is because the PF stands for Phase Fresnel, which is a lens element with concentric circles etched in. This bends the light, enabling a smaller design than a conventional lens of the same focal length.

I got it a couple days ago and tried it out briefly twice (first time on the javelinas that wander through my condo complex). It will be an ideal walk-around lens for medium range wildlife and also for zoos. Due to it's small size the tripod collar is optional, not included, but the one I bought had a third party collar included (which is better than the Nikon one because it's Arca-Swiss compatible which Nikon's is not).

In two days I am heading out to Seqouia and Kings Canyon to look for bears with another photographer, so hopefully they will show up and give the lens a real test. I will also use it at Cat Haven.
 
That’s how it always happens, we swear we won’t get gear for a while or not again then you see a sale you can’t turn down or new lens that catches your eye. That is a perfect lens to walk around with and set at a good aperture for a reasonable price too! I literally had said that I wouldn’t buy any new lenses for a while until Nikon announced their Z 105 Macro lens and I’ve been wanting a macro lens for small animal/plant photography. My credit card will take a hit later this month for sure :D

I tried to do neck strap camera bag for while but kept getting a pinched nerve and then holding the camera up was stinging. I’ve been doing a Tarion travel camera bag and it’s very handy, still has a couple more spaces available for a smaller sized prime lens.

That focal length and aperture for your new lens is ideal for a light kit, a really good range for zoos for sure and can get you closer to wildlife too without having to carry monster lens on long treks.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Just when I swore I would never buy another lens, I picked up a fifth lens on Ebay! :eek: (I did get a pretty good deal on it vs the price of a new one and it's in great condition).

The reason for my plunge was to get something smaller and lighter. I have hurt my back twice in the last couple months carrying around too much camera gear in an ineffective manner (just a neck strap). The problem is I am so obsessive about quality that a consumer grade lens (such as 70-300) will not satisfy me. I got the Nikon 300 f4E PF lens. For such a long telephoto and relatively large aperture it is ridiculously small and light. This is because the PF stands for Phase Fresnel, which is a lens element with concentric circles etched in. This bends the light, enabling a smaller design than a conventional lens of the same focal length.

I got it a couple days ago and tried it out briefly twice (first time on the javelinas that wander through my condo complex). It will be an ideal walk-around lens for medium range wildlife and also for zoos. Due to it's small size the tripod collar is optional, not included, but the one I bought had a third party collar included (which is better than the Nikon one because it's Arca-Swiss compatible which Nikon's is not).

In two days I am heading out to Seqouia and Kings Canyon to look for bears with another photographer, so hopefully they will show up and give the lens a real test. I will also use it at Cat Haven.
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I've found that as I get older the camera gear keeps getting heavier. I feel your pain with the neck strap. That's why I switched to carrying a backpack. I use a 30L backpack made like the bigger packs with a padded hip belt and load lifters. I have a Keyhole chest harness that connects to the both shoulder straps that holds the camera in the center of the body and available for rapid use. I keep the neck strap on for added safety, but most of the weight is carried by on my hips. There is a little weight on the shoulder straps, but they mostly just stabilize the load. no weight at all on the neck.

You should find bears where you're going. If not head East to Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Highest concentration of Black Bears anywhere in the country.
 
As this photo shows, the new lens (a used Nikon 300 f4 PF) works well. This was the lens on its own. It seemed not to work as well with the 1.4x teleconverter when I was using it on the bear. (I have not tested it extensively, but I know the 1.4 works extremely well on my 70-200 f2.8 ).
full

yellow bellied marmot - ZooChat
 
With my Pentax 300mm I found the same thing. It seems to work better without the teleconverter and just crop it. However, it does seem to work great with the 60-250mm.
 
My current setup is the following :
  • Nikon D7500
  • Sigma VR 120-300mm f2.8
  • Sigma Teleconverter 1,4
  • Tamron 90mm f2.8 for aquarium and reptiles
  • Sigma Art 17-85 f2.8 for anything requiring wider angles
I carry everything in a Lowepro backpack with a belt. Even though I am all the time shooting handled, the back pack is quite heavy at the end of the day, espacially when you're running across Poznan or Tierpark Berlin !
A few years ago I was still using an old Nikkor 70-300 VRII.
 
@Therabu 120-300 2.8 is a nice lens - but a lot to carry! You are wise to get the Sigma version, since the Nikon version costs about ten thousand dollars! :eek:
 
I will be updating my photography equipment shortly currently I use the following
Nikon d800, d7000 & d300s
lenses sigma 18 - 300mm, 50 - 500mm & 100 - 400mm
Nikon 55 - 200mm, 18 - 70mm
Nikon 900

Hope to update to the following later in the year

Nikon d880 lenses Nikon 200 - 500mm, 18 - 300mm
Nikon d580 lenses Sigma 150 - 600mm, Sigma 18 - 300mm & 100 - 400mm
with a Nikon p1000 for carrying around while dog walking
 
AdrianW1963 said:
...Hope to update to the following later in the year
Nikon d880 lenses Nikon 200 - 500mm, 18 - 300mm
Nikon d580 lenses Sigma 150 - 600mm, Sigma 18 - 300mm & 100 - 400mm
with a Nikon p1000 for carrying around while dog walking
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I assume you are hoping (along with many others) for a successor to the D850 which could be called the D880. Considering Nikon's committment to Z series (mirrorless) it seems unlikley this will now happen. It's not impossible, just unlikely. I have two D850's which are the best SLR cameras ever made (my opinion but also many others). It was on sale last month for $500 off and if that comes around again I would grab it if you have the money.
I am not sure what you mean by D580, perhaps a similar successor to the D500? I doubt that will happen either. I also have a D500 (crop sensor) body that I use solely with my 500mm lens for extra reach.
 
AdrianW1963 said:
I will be updating my photography equipment shortly currently I use the following
Nikon d800, d7000 & d300s
lenses sigma 18 - 300mm, 50 - 500mm & 100 - 400mm
Nikon 55 - 200mm, 18 - 70mm
Nikon 900

Hope to update to the following later in the year

Nikon d880 lenses Nikon 200 - 500mm, 18 - 300mm
Nikon d580 lenses Sigma 150 - 600mm, Sigma 18 - 300mm & 100 - 400mm
with a Nikon p1000 for carrying around while dog walking
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Just a quick question Adrian, why would you run with a 100-400, a 150-600 and a 200-500? there seems much overlap. Are the two bodies different mounts?
 
I will be running with the d580 and 150 - 600mm with the 18 - 300mm as back up
The d880 will have the 200 - 500mm & 100 - 400mm as back up
I will only be taking out the one camera at a time d580 to wildlife reserves and the d880 to captive collections with the p1000 every where else.
The release date for these camera's I have now been told should be around September in the UK and they will be the LAST before Nikon goes totally mirrorless
 
The only new equipment I will be having will be the 2 camera bodies and these will not be full priced as I have a deal in place to exchange some of my other equipment to make the deal better.
 
wow!!
Lol mine is inferior to those set ups:confused::(;)

Nikon D5200 and D3500 (backup)

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm X 2
Nikkon AF-S 50mm 1:18G
Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD Macro lens
Manfrotto XPRO 4 section monopod
Too many sandisk memory cards to even count! i keep losing them and finding them again!
Optech Pro Strap and Super Classic Combo
Also a cheap jessop DG II 2X N-AF converter came in handy a few times when i only had my 200 on.

What i want next is a decent macro lens sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC macro
 
AdrianW1963 said:
I will be running with the d580...d880...The release date for these camera's I have now been told should be around September in the UK and they will be the LAST before Nikon goes totally mirrorless
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What is your source? NikonRumors.com has not confirmed any of these models and if they are coming out in only two months it seems they wuold have reported it.
 
Nikon camera magazine not too sure if dates have changed as the dates were from around January 2021
 
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