Your camera kit setup

[Julio C Castro]

The silent shutter is an interesting discussion. I wonder (this is an honest question) how many times in wildlife photography it would be helpful? I am sure some times (perhaps like the hide mentioned above), but my hunch is often it won't make a difference because animals have keen senses and they know we are there so why do they care if we make a clicking sound? I honestly don't know - maybe it will make a difference. In either case it certainly won't hurt to have a silent shutter (except I like hearing it to know I took a photo). In other (non-wildlife) situations, however, it can be crucial and some venues are now requiring photographers to use silent shutter cameras. If you are interested in this discussion, here is a thread on Nikon Rumors: Silence will be the end of the DSLR - Nikon Rumors Forum

I think that shutter won’t absolutely needed at all times for wildlife photography but just as an added precaution to help reduce the impact the presence of people nearby. Yes of course most animals will be able to smell us out or even hear us with their acute hearing. But it could make the difference for hideout situations where wildlife can come up to you so close that the shutter could be very obvious in a DSLR. And on the note about certain venues may be heading to silent photography, I have heard that White House press photographers may already being pressured to using mirrorless just for that sole reason. I don’t know if the measures will be implemented strictly but it seems that Sony mirrorless have made their appearance with some of the White House press photographers.

 

[RetiredToTheZoo]

I too was a late adopter of digital and didn't really make a serious commitment to it until 2015 or so after a 25 year absence from photography (life and work got in the way). This is the kit I've settled.

Pentax K70 DSLR - Primary body, 24mp crop sensor
Pentax K50 DSLR - Second/backup body, 16mp crop sensor
Rokinon 14mm f:2.8
Pentax DA 16-85mm f:3.5-5.6
Pentax DA 55-300mm f:4.5-6.3
Pentax DA* 300mm f:4
Pentax DA 1.4x teleconverter

When I'm at a zoo, I normally just use the Pentax K70 with the Pentax DA 55-300mm. It cover most needs at a zoo. Sometimes, when I want to challenge myself I will only take the Pentax DA*300mm. It is an excellent lens and much better than the zoom at 300mm. I want to use it more, but on a crop sensor camera it's a little too long (450mm FF equiv.) for a lot of zoos.

The last couple of years I've gotten somewhat away from zoo photography and more into wildlife (and landscape) photography. I've been fortunate enough to visit some of our wonderful natural parks here in the US, and the opportunities for wildlife (and landscape) photography is amazing. Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Parks are almost like being in a zoo without all the safety barriers and enclosures. That entire area has been referred to by many as the "North American Serengeti".

A lot of times when I'm out looking for wildlife and I'm not hiking too far, I will take the the Pentax K50 with the Pentax DA 55-300mm and the Pentax K70 with the Pentax DA*300mm and the teleconverter. If I have to hike some distance I normally just take the the Pentax K70 w/the Pentax DA 55-300mm (and the Pentax DA 16-85mm for landscapes) because of weight.

 

[Julio C Castro]

I too was a late adopter of digital and didn't really make a serious commitment to it until 2015 or so after a 25 year absence from photography (life and work got in the way). This is the kit I've settled.

Pentax K70 DSLR - Primary body, 24mp crop sensor
Pentax K50 DSLR - Second/backup body, 16mp crop sensor
Rokinon 14mm f:2.8
Pentax DA 16-85mm f:3.5-5.6
Pentax DA 55-300mm f:4.5-6.3
Pentax DA* 300mm f:4
Pentax DA 1.4x teleconverter

When I'm at a zoo, I normally just use the Pentax K70 with the Pentax DA 55-300mm. It cover most needs at a zoo. Sometimes, when I want to challenge myself I will only take the Pentax DA*300mm. It is an excellent lens and much better than the zoom at 300mm. I want to use it more, but on a crop sensor camera it's a little too long (450mm FF equiv.) for a lot of zoos.

The last couple of years I've gotten somewhat away from zoo photography and more into wildlife (and landscape) photography. I've been fortunate enough to visit some of our wonderful natural parks here in the US, and the opportunities for wildlife (and landscape) photography is amazing. Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Parks are almost like being in a zoo without all the safety barriers and enclosures. That entire area has been referred to by many as the "North American Serengeti".

A lot of times when I'm out looking for wildlife and I'm not hiking too far, I will take the the Pentax K50 with the Pentax DA 55-300mm and the Pentax K70 with the Pentax DA*300mm and the teleconverter. If I have to hike some distance I normally just take the the Pentax K70 w/the Pentax DA 55-300mm (and the Pentax DA 16-85mm for landscapes) because of weight.

You’re the first person I know that uses Pentax! That 300mm f/4 lens forces you to set up your shot properly since it’s on the verge of a super telephoto lens and extended more so with the teleconverter, but the results are worth it at the end. And the 55-300mm is the perfect travel lens if doing both landscape and wildlife photography, it gives you a good range of focal lengths and I imagine it’s much lighter than the 300mm f/4

 

[RetiredToTheZoo]

You’re the first person I know that uses Pentax! That 300mm f/4 lens forces you to set up your shot properly since it’s on the verge of a super telephoto lens and extended more so with the teleconverter, but the results are worth it at the end. And the 55-300mm is the perfect travel lens if doing both landscape and wildlife photography, it gives you a good range of focal lengths and I imagine it’s much lighter than the 300mm f/4

Us Pentax shooters are an endangered species. I chose Pentax mostly because it just felt better in my hands than a Nikon and way better than a Canon. Also, it (Pentax K50) was comparable to the Nikon d5200 but priced like the d3200. Basically a mid level camera at an entry level price. This was in 2015. Now, I'm bought into the system and at my age, will probably never switch even if Pentax never releases another camera. Mainly because what I have is plenty good enough for me. However, they do have a new flagship APS-C DSLR (Pentax K3iii) coming out in a month or so, and another DSLR of some sort in development.

The 300mm is a great top line lens. The photo of the Trumpeter Swans I posted last month was taken with it. But, it can sometimes be a challenge to find a subject where it would be the right use of it, especially at a zoo. It's also too heavy for me to carry all day long, but I do love using it. The 55-300mm is great for zoos. Not extremely heavy and covers just about everything you need, except maybe some of the close up indoor exhibits. When I go hiking I keep the 16-85mm on the camera and the 55-300mm in a belt clip case or in the backpack. It's a great combo for me. I'm also thinking about adding a 100mm (or thereabouts) macro to my kit. Just not sure I would really use it enough.

 

[Julio C Castro]

Us Pentax shooters are an endangered species. I chose Pentax mostly because it just felt better in my hands than a Nikon and way better than a Canon. Also, it (Pentax K50) was comparable to the Nikon d5200 but priced like the d3200. Basically a mid level camera at an entry level price. This was in 2015. Now, I'm bought into the system and at my age, will probably never switch even if Pentax never releases another camera. Mainly because what I have is plenty good enough for me. However, they do have a new flagship APS-C DSLR (Pentax K3iii) coming out in a month or so, and another DSLR of some sort in development.

The 300mm is a great top line lens. The photo of the Trumpeter Swans I posted last month was taken with it. But, it can sometimes be a challenge to find a subject where it would be the right use of it, especially at a zoo. It's also too heavy for me to carry all day long, but I do love using it. The 55-300mm is great for zoos. Not extremely heavy and covers just about everything you need, except maybe some of the close up indoor exhibits. When I go hiking I keep the 16-85mm on the camera and the 55-300mm in a belt clip case or in the backpack. It's a great combo for me. I'm also thinking about adding a 100mm (or thereabouts) macro to my kit. Just not sure I would really use it enough.

I mean if you love the Pentax ecosystem and they are releasing a new body with better specs, why not pull the trigger on it? A macro lens is the next in line for my last 3 lenses I’d want. The 55-300mm would definitely suffer in shooting indoors or terrarium like settings due to the light but it would cover you for say like the rest of the zoo or park when outside. And with the new body being APS-C, it will effectively give you some more reach from the full frame lenses and the dead center of the lens would be so crystal clear.

 

[Arizona Docent]

...And with the new body being APS-C, it will effectively give you some more reach from the full frame lenses and the dead center of the lens would be so crystal clear.

His existing bodies are already APS-C . In fact all but one of the Pentax digital bodies are APS-C (and their one full frame came out fairly recently, until then they were an all APS-C company and they don't really have a good line of full frame lenses). This is one reason many photographers - myself included - don't like Pentax. We prefer to shoot full frame most of the time. Of course if Retired likes it then of course he should by all means stick with it.

 

[Julio C Castro]

His existing bodies are already APS-C . In fact all but one of the Pentax digital bodies are APS-C (and their one full frame came out fairly recently, until then they were an all APS-C company and they don't really have a good line of full frame lenses). This is one reason many photographers - myself included - don't like Pentax. We prefer to shoot full frame most of the time. Of course if Retired likes it then of course he should by all means stick with it.

Oh yeah I’ve seen that two of the bodies they mentioned were crop sensor as well from the list I saw. I was remarking that since it would be APS-C as well, it could make effectively increase the focal range from FF lenses. I’m not too well versed in the Pentax ecosystem so I don’t know if they mostly focus on APS-C or not

 

[RetiredToTheZoo]

His existing bodies are already APS-C . In fact all but one of the Pentax digital bodies are APS-C (and their one full frame came out fairly recently, until then they were an all APS-C company and they don't really have a good line of full frame lenses). This is one reason many photographers - myself included - don't like Pentax. We prefer to shoot full frame most of the time. Of course if Retired likes it then of course he should by all means stick with it.

I mostly agree with and certainly respect your views. I am not a Pentax brand loyalist or fanboy by any means. The reason I bought a Pentax in the first place was simply it felt best in my hands and seemed like the easiest to use at the time. I probably won't change now because of economics. I could get 1/2-2/3 of what I've spent by selling everything, but would have to take that, then double or triple it to get into another system. It makes no sense to me to do that at this point in my life. I do like the ASP-C format, but I also see the need for full frame, and may add that. I agree with you about the FF lenses. In the last few years they have been improving the line up with some really good modern FF lenses. I do have some FF lenses. A D FA 28-105mm, and the 14mm and 300mm are FF compatible. Also have a 28mm and a 50mm. Both manual lenses from the film era that will work natively.

What most people don't realize is there is no company called Pentax anymore. It is a brand name used by Ricoh Imaging for ICL cameras. The company Pentax was sold to Hoya Corp. in the mid 2000's. Hoya stripped out the medical division and treated the camera division as an after thought putting very little into it. They sold the camera division to Ricoh around 2014. Ricoh absorbed it into their imaging division and decided to brand all fixed lens cameras as Ricoh, and ICL cameras as Pentax. Ricoh Imaging seems to be putting a serious effort into the Pentax brand.

 

[Arizona Docent]

Pentax is certainly an iconic brand and one advantage (as you point out) is that older lenses can still be used. I started with the Pentax K-1000 which had something like a twenty year production run and I believe is the best selling SLR of all time. Kind of sad how they have lost their prominence. Also ironic that Minolta - who invented autofocus - went out of business. However Sony did well by taking over their lens mount.

 

[Carlos M]

Wow, this thread makes me realise that I'm quite miles behing in terms of photography. I bought my first camera two years ago, a Canon Eos T6, and as learning tool I'm satisfied. I used to go the zoo with the setup lens, a Canon 18-55 mm, but also with an EF 75-300 mm. Lately I've been trying to save for a macro lens, since I'm very interested in invertebrates and reptiles

 

[RetiredToTheZoo]

I think you are correct about the K1000. They sold something like 3 - 4 million units. A good condition one will sell today for $100 or more. Hoya really ran the Pentax brand down at a time when the industry was rapidly expanding. They just didn't care about cameras. They just wanted the Pentax medical equipment patents. Ricoh Imaging now appears to have brought back some of the original Asahi Pentax values and ethos into the camera division. Hopefully, they will succeed.

I started with a Minolta srt-101, a wonderful camera. Minolta had some great engineers and some great lenses. I believe Sony would not even be in the camera business today if they had not acquired the camera division from Konica-Minolta.

 

[RetiredToTheZoo]

Wow, this thread makes me realise that I'm quite miles behing in terms of photography. I bought my first camera two years ago, a Canon Eos T6, and as learning tool I'm satisfied. I used to go the zoo with the setup lens, a Canon 18-55 mm, but also with an EF 75-300 mm. Lately I've been trying to save for a macro lens, since I'm very interested in invertebrates and reptiles

We've all been where you are. You've got a good setup. Just keep learning and shooting. One never quits learning. Most importantly, have fun doing it. Remember, the only person you have to please is yourself.

 

[Stefan Verhoeven]

My first camera was a Pentax SLR. In the digital era my first camera was Konica-Minolta. Both excellent camera's for the time taking in mind their pricepoint. Nowadays, as stated before, I shoot with Fuji APS-C.

 

[NigeW]

As 'Retired to the Zoo' says, Sony acquired Minolta as a going concern, they didn't just take over their lens mount.

Its a shame the Minolta name disappeared, I was a user (XD-7, XD-5, several lovely Rokkor lenses) back in the 80's. I shifted to Canon when I moved to autofocus following the launch of the EOS system.

 

[littleRedPanda]

I've only been taking photos for about ten years now and going to zoos for a slightly shorter period. I've stuck with Nikon only because I acquired a D200 back then, but now have a D7500 along with Nikon 200-500mm and 18-300 lenses. I bought those items in 2019 after considering going for another brand, but there were deals on for each of those products at the right times.

 

[Arizona Docent]

Yesterday I was out photographing bobcats with another photographer who had rented the Nikon 300 f/2.8 G vr ii lens. At the end of the day (when two bobcats had settled down to rest just a few feet from us) I tried out the lens. The detail when I blow up the face to actual pixels is mind bogglingly sharp. My (very good professional) 70-200 f/2.8E lens of the same face looks blurry in comparison. I should never have borrowed it because of course now I have to have one. New it's five and half thousand dollars and even refurbished is still five thousand, but I found one on Ebay in excellent condition that I may take the plunge on. Roger Cicala of LensRentals (the most trustworthy reviewer around IMO) says it is probably the sharpest telephoto prime lens ever made by anyone.

 

[RetiredToTheZoo]

... I should never have borrowed it because of course now I have to have one. New it's five and half thousand dollars and even refurbished is still five thousand, but I found one on Ebay in excellent condition that I may take the plunge on. Roger Cicala of LensRentals (the most trustworthy reviewer around IMO) says it is probably the sharpest telephoto prime lens ever made by anyone.

I know the feeling. That's how I ended up with my 300mm. It's not in the same league as you describe, but was way better than anything I had. I rented a copy from Lens Rental just for 1 day, picked it up at their place, tried it out at the Memphis Zoo, and returned it the same day. Knew I had to have it.

I agree about Roger Cicala and Lens Rental. Very thorough testing and completely unbiased reviews. Probably the best testing lab with the most expertise in the business.

 

[Julio C Castro]

Yesterday I was out photographing bobcats with another photographer who had rented the Nikon 300 f/2.8 G vr ii lens. At the end of the day (when two bobcats had settled down to rest just a few feet from us) I tried out the lens. The detail when I blow up the face to actual pixels is mind bogglingly sharp. My (very good professional) 70-200 f/2.8E lens of the same face looks blurry in comparison. I should never have borrowed it because of course now I have to have one. New it's five and half thousand dollars and even refurbished is still five thousand, but I found one on Ebay in excellent condition that I may take the plunge on. Roger Cicala of LensRentals (the most trustworthy reviewer around IMO) says it is probably the sharpest telephoto prime lens ever made by anyone.

I just looked up that lens and it is a powerhouse! I bet it is quick to capture the action when needed. With that aperture too is handy for when the sun starts setting on you, enjoy the hell out it! I field tested my own 70-200mm f/2.8 S lens on my neighborhood hummingbirds, they out came out crisp even when I zoomed on and cropped in to frame it better. I feel like we all got bit by the new gear bug

 

[Sarus Crane]

The videos that I create and are on my Youtube channel are filmed with a Canon PowerShot SX530 HS. I like the way the photos come out and that I can apply the vivid color settings when shoot full HD 1080p video. All my videos need in post-production in Adobe Premiere is some trims at the end of clips and a 25% contrast layer. Then I export the videos at 1440p with a super high bitrate so I can get the vp9 codec when I upload them to my channel. I also film a little bit on my iPhone 8. I would like to expand my experience with mobile videography by filming in 4k and getting a telephoto lens for it.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

The videos that I create and are on my Youtube channel are filmed with a Canon PowerShot SX530 HS. I like the way the photos come out and that I can apply the vivid color settings when shoot full HD 1080p video. All my videos need in post-production in Adobe Premiere is some trims at the end of clips and a 25% contrast layer. Then I export the videos at 1440p with a super high bitrate so I can get the vp9 codec when I upload them to my channel. I also film a little bit on my iPhone 8. I would like to expand my experience with mobile videography by filming in 4k and getting a telephoto lens for it.

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 me is videos where people rush through footage within seconds or pan the camera too quickly.

Also, great to see you've uploaded videos of the Academy of Natural sciences as I'm curious about the quality of those dioramas.

Also kudos to you for visiting Hemmingway's place / museum in Key West, I'm a big Hemmingway fan myself so great to see. You should try to get to the Finca Vigía in la Habana too if you get the chance, the Cubans have really kept that place and the spirit of the man alive there.