Tanzania Photography
 

As the name says, I'm brand new to this and will be going on our first safari to Tanzania in late July and August. We've booked our itinerary, and I'm now turning my attention to such matters as what to take with us, etc. Foremost is deciding what photographic gear to take, and I thought it prudent to ask those of you who've "been there, done that" several questions:

1. Will most of the better game sighting opportunities be in the early morning and later in the afternoon, as opposed to the middle of the day? (If so, that will put a premium on cameras that work well in lower light situations.)

2. Will most of the [individual] animal sightings be in shade or in the open or an equal mix of both?

3. Will most of the [individual] animal sightings be at some distance from the vehicle? If so, what will typical distances be? Will a 400mm lens (35mm equivalent) be sufficient?

4. On our game drives, will we be taking most of our pictures/videos from within the vehicle or will we have opportunities to get out and take pictures/videos while walking around? Note: we are two couples traveling together, so we'll have some "control" of each day's itinerary -- e.g., when and how long we stop.

5. I understand the use of beanbags in the vehicle, but will it be practical/possible to use a monopod or small tripod in the vehicle?

I appreciate answers to any of these rather general questions, as they will help guide me as to what to expect and what to bring.

-- Bill

NeophyteBill:

1. Yes, often best sightings are early and later in the day, especially when it gets hot during the day and animals go to ground. As such, many safari camps will conduct game drives in the morning, getting you back for lunch, and in the afternoon starting around 3-4 pm. And yes, many good shots will occur in lower light situations (cloudy days, animals in shade, early dawn, late dusk).

2. Sightings can happen in the open or in shade, so it's best to be prepared, especially for the latter where camera-shake becomes an issue. I've had shots become available under just about all conditions. But even in very dim situations I don't use flash just so the animals aren't bothered.

3. I usually recommend a lens going to at least 300mm. I've been using 70-200 and 100-400 IS lenses for most shots, with the 100-400 getting the better part. Some people prefer the fixed focal length but I'm usually afraid of missing a shot in case we get a bit too close for the lens.

4. Most of your shots will come from in the vehicle. At times you will stop for nature-is-calling or for a bite to eat. Those are usually not the best times for wildlife shots because drivers will want to make sure you're safe by checking nothing's around to hurt you.

5. I'm a big fan of beanbags and always have one with me. In some very low-light situations the bags have ensured that I come away with some 'keepers.' I've only very occasionally seen others with monopods, but some of those say it helped them. Full-sized tripods are out on shared safari vehicles. If you're in a private vehicle I suppose you could try to set one up. Some photographers have some elaborate clamps with ball heads that attach to the vehicle. I've decided against monopods and tripods in part because they can add some significant weight to the over all luggage.

Good luck---you have a great time ahead of you! Steve

Steve's responses are all spot-on. You may find that you will do an all-day game drive, too, taking along a picnic lunch. At that time of year, you may have some cloud cover, so be prepared for all types of light.

To cut down on weight, find out from your outfitter if they can supply beanbags for your vehicle. If not, take along an empty beanbag and fill it before leaving Arusha. Most safari vehicles in East Africa are enclosed, with roof hatches. You'll stand up on the seats and shoot out of the hatch. As such, a monopod or tripod won't be of much help. Some of the vehicles have luggage rack railings on the roof and that's where some photographers attach the clamps that Steve is talking about. The only problem I see with that is being set up to take a photo in one direction, and suddenly have something happening in the opposite direction. I'd say to just hand-hold your camera or use the beanbag. I've used a gorillapod on occasion in low light situations. It's fairly quick to set up and move.

You may have an opportunity to walk, but most wildlife will be at a distance, if you see any at all. The idea is to see the less obvious things, such as plants, tracks, etc. On game drives, the wildlife can be at a distance or right next to your vehicle. I found that having two camera bodies was helpful, one with the zoom telephoto and the other with a wide-angle to normal/telephoto. Also, if one camera body has a problem, you've got a backup.

Just remembered a funny fact/thing about a major safari outfitter (infamous here for land disputes and what not ;) ) has outdated vehicles and their roof racks are loaded with clients' luggage instead of having space in the back of the vehicle. Ask about this in advance else you will lose some viewing angles while standing up. And to that safari outfitter, buy some stretch vehicles, please !

And, OP, predicting animal sightings/positions/locations is like playing Lotto. All my Cheetah hunts have happened in the 12-4pm timeframe...bad light, great moments !

Steve & ShayTay, Thanks for the responses. You've answered my questions completely and "focused" my priorities, starting with low-light performance. I may still take a lightweight monopod, because it's less than a pound and collapses to 12 inches, but I'll wait until I've gathered everything together to see how much I'll have in my daypack.

TigerPhotog, I'm already locked in with my outfitter, but to which outfitter are you referring?

You might find the monopod handy for sunrises, sunsets, photos of your tent interiors, etc. By all means, if it's lightweight and small, take it! I think Steve is referring to Thomson Safaris. The only time the luggage would be on the roof is when they are traveling between camps and lodges. Of course, that can be a game drive, too (going into the Serengeti, for instance.) When you get in the vehicle, get ready: kick off your shoes if you'll be standing on the seats to look out the hatch, have your camera gear out and ready, etc. You never know when and where you'll see something. That's the fun of safari!

Bill-

Be prepared for the time of your life! Here are some answers to your original questions:

1) I have found most of my best sightings to be in the first few hours of the day, and then some excellent ones later on in the afternoon. Midday shooting opportunities can happen, but more often than not the subjects aren't doing anything interesting. Add to that the light is just too harsh for anything award winning. With that being said, this is a vacation and if you just want to be out there with the wildlife even when the light is bad, you can get some great memories that way.

2) In northern Tanzania I have found most subjects to be out in the open and without shade, but this always depends on how much available shade there is to begin with. The southern part of the Serengeti isn't rich with tall trees, and shade opportunities are at a premium. Ngorongoro is a similar situation.

3) I always tell people to bring more lens than they think they need. Yes, 400mm is a great place to start! Bring as much lens as you can afford financially, as well as from a weight and size standpoint.

4) This really depends on where you are. Some parks allow you very few places to get out and walk, and others you will have more leeway. Most of your shots will come from within the vehicle, though.

5) Definitely bean bags are the best way to stabilize your camera equipment. I prefer to use the Kinesis Safari Sack, and you can get them with buckwheat husks, which are lightweight.

http://www.kgear.com/store/index.php/r.html

A monopod isn't worthwhile, in my opinion, as you won't be able to use it in the vehicle. A tripod can be helpful if you are interested in things like star trails and low light shooting of your came surroundings, but it still has limited use.

I hope this helps!

TigerPhotog, if you are referring to Thomson, they were the first company to be using stretch vehicles in the Serengeti! They do have room in the back of the vehicles for luggage, just like all other vehicles out there. You just have to make sure when moving camps to ask that your gear goes in the back (100% of it), which isn't a big deal at all.

You've gotten lots of good info.

#4. Around your camp/lodge there will be photo opportunties and it is in this location your monopod might come in handy. More so than in the vehicle. You can ask staff members to alert you if the see something walk or fly into camp that would make a good subject.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Another vote for a bean bag in the vehicle and a tripod at camp. For my beanbag I traveled to Tanzania with an empty stuff sack and some plastic bags. Upon arrival I bought some rice at a market, filled the plastic bag and then put that in the stuff sack. Work great as far as I'm concerned. Then we gave the rice away at the end of the trip.

I had a 100-300mm zoom, which, in general, worked fine for animal photos, but was not quite enough for birds. Some of my favorite shots are not fully zoomed in on the animals, but also include parts of the surrounding area.

Another concern is the dust factor.You'll need to protect your camera,especially while changing lenses.Take cleaning equipment(I used a hair blower-Cold air :) ).Preferably a dust proof (I know 100% dust-proof not possible) bag.Get used to (practice)changing lenses,without visual aid.Clean once back in camp.Get it serviced once back home.

Something I've learned in three safaris is to avoid the compulsion to just take big photos of animal X, Y and Z. You'll want plenty of those, but look also for opportunities to incorporate other animals, trees, geography, or anything else around or behind to tell a bigger story. Or just take landscape shots to build help others understand the setting of each park/area. Pay attention to the "rule of thirds" in setting up shots.

I take the biggest photos (pixel-wise) that I can. Makes for monster photo files, but you can save things and (given a steady shot) pull things in to make up for the telephoto lens you can affords.

I use a monopod and a bean bag, sometimes the latter alone and other times to stabilize the monopod in the truck. Many scoff at the lowly monopod, but I find it very useful (and you can get a decent one cheap). I'm big and I can use the monopod to shoot through the side window for low shots from the truck.

Most important is to wait for the driver/guide to turn off the engine. If you are on private safari, this shouldn't be an issue. If you are in a truck with a bunch of others (yikes!), I don't know how this works sighting to sighting.

Jim.

<i>2. Will most of the [individual] animal sightings be in shade or in the open or an equal mix of both?</i>

Not to start a photo-religious war, but since the answer to that question is both, sometimes together, then consider shooting RAW instead of, or in addition to, JPEG. Most DSLRs allow you to do both.

Yes, you do have to post process them and they eat memory, but extra dynamic range available in RAW can make a huge difference.

On my first trip with a digital camera (to Scotland in 2006) I now rue the decision to shoot JPEG only. If you Google RAW vs. JPEG you'll get more information than you ever wanted. (Apologize if you already know all this).

Inquest is correct about the dust issue. Some travelers take a pillowcase and use that to protect their gear. I have a neoprene Zing camera cover and keep my camera in that when I'm not shooting. Again, two camera bodies will alleviate the need to change lenses. It doesn't have to be "high-end"; you can usually get a reasonably priced one that is used or refurbished. Most guides I've had are sensitive to the needs of photographes and shut off the engine immediately after positioning the vehicle for photos. If, however, you get one that isn't doing what you want from a photographic standpoint, talk to them.

Regarding the dust issue, it's good to bring along at least a hurricane blower or air blaster. If you notice dust on the sensor, a few blows might solve the problem. Prior to going to Namibia, without question the dustiest place I've been on safari, I bought the Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly and Sensor Loupe. They were a tad on the pricey side but together they did an excellent job keeping my sensor clean. The Arctic Butterfly is easy to use and The Loupe gives a great view of the sensor.

Neophyte Bill

Looks like a while since any new posts.

I did want to throw in, don't overlook taking photos out the side windows, not just standing on the seats shooting down. Some of the best photos I have taken there are out the window. The perspective and size of the animals are better. Also, it allows you to rest your elbows on your knees for stability. I used to shoot with a Canon 70-300 but now use the 100-400. That added length is fantastic.

I'd be curious as to which monopod you have when you said, "I may still take a lightweight monopod, because it's less than a pound and collapses to 12 inches". I'm debating on taking mine in May but it is heavier.

Polarizer filters also come in handy on those days should you be out in the sun and something great happens by. I take 2 DSLRs, keeping an 18-135 on one and the 100-400 on the other. That way, no dust inside. This time I'm actually taking a small point and shoot to take some video. I got the Canon T2i to be able to take video, but it is still not as clear as I can get with the smaller camera.

Just got back (Mar 3) from two weeks safari Tanzania. Monopods in those pop-top vehicles will be most awkward to use. Bean bags are best. Take bags empty and buy beans there.

I found the early morning, at sunrise and next three hours to be best for viewing. So,you may have to take a box breakfast with you on game drive. Having the lodges breakfast buffet at 8am is already too late in the day to then go out !! (This separates the photographers from the snapshot shooters). For instance, at 8am the lions will still be feeding on last nights kill. On the afternoon, 4pm, game drive the lions will be sleeping.

Re the RAW or JPG thing, depends, if you are not now conversant with Photoshop and -enjoy- tweaking your photos for color, white balance, cropping, cloning, etc, then forget RAW. Set your camera up for jpg images that please you.

regards - tom

Neophyte Bill,

I second the suggestion to shoot RAW. I took a superzoom style camera, a Lumix FZ18, to TZ in 2008. I shot most everything in RAW and was able to make some great pictures out of pretty good ones using Lightroom. Notice I didn't claim "award winning" photos. :-). Lightroom is pretty easy to figure out and Adobe has some excellent video tutorials. BTW, it's non-denominational and works on both Mac and Windows. You're going to have a great trip!

Thanks a lot Laurie52 for reviving this post- I had seen it when I was planning my trip and wanted to refer to this for some equipment related queries. I will just do it here so it can be a continuation of the same thread.

Guys, I am looking at support gear and other accessories for a Tanzania as well as Bots trip this year. My final camera/lens equipment are a 5D & a 7D and a 16-35, 24-70 f2.8, 70-200 f2.8 II and the 100-400. I will not take the ultra wide zoom for either of the trips ( wise decision?). I have a 190xb tripod for 4-5 yrs but I think I should upgrade to a much lighter one. My questions are

1.) Re bean bag does anyone advise or have used and have comments on the Apex Bean Bag? It is 5 times the price of the Kinesis sack and 30-40 USD more than the skimmer sack but comes with a plate and the horseshoe shape looks very multipurpose? Can such a bean bag be more functional for the Southern Africa type of vehicles, i.e the horse shoe part can be 'fixed' over the row bars?

2.) Re Botswana, I have a private vehicle at most camps except one ( partly because of photography and partly I wanted to do this trip on my own)- Can I avoid the Monopod ( which I have never used) and go with the same combination of beanbag + tripod as I am thinking for Tanzania? Because I am going to Vic Falls and I have a weakness for sunset and sunrise shots and landscapes, its very difficult to decide against taking a tripod and really need you guys to give some strong directions here!

3.) Has anyone used tripods which allow 0 to 90 degree free movement separately for each leg? Like the Gitzo Explorer? Does it have any benefit over more regular versions in open vehicles ( any practical experience here that someone can share?)(Gitzo 1541 is around 1.12 kgs and the Explorer is around 1.85 kgs). If yes are there any reasonably priced and quality tripods similar to the Explorer that you all can recommend but doesnt come with that kind of price tag?

4.) Am I okay with a good ball head with those lens combinations or do I need to look at a Sidekick/Gimbal solution?

5.) Intuitively I feel against having any kind of window/row bar clamps/mounts as with ample space in the vehicle, a clamp would be restrictive in terms of moving it around. Any advice for/against?

6.) Filters : I have CPs and UV for each lens and some grad ND 1 from few years back. Do you guys recommend the 2 or 3 in gradND (f stops) particularly for Africa?

7.) Highest resolution Raw in a 5D would size up to 21-24 MB, At 12 megapixels probably 60-70% of that. What speed of memory card is considered high quality? I got 3 60 mbs 8 gb cards free with the equipment but then researched on the 90mbs one. Is it recommended or OTT? I do plan to shoot videos but this would be my first DSLR video shooting so zip clue!

As usual, look upto you guys for a lot of answers! I am gonna participate in two 4-day worskshops here in HK and hope to get really comfortable with my gear by the end of 2-3 months. I have done reasonably okay with aperture priority and manual modes in my old 400D and this upgrade has been something I have contemplated for some time. For the support gear and accessories I want to look at reasonable to good quality stuff but minimise collecting gear only from a Safari point of view at this stage but happy to change that based on recommendations from people who have passionately taken photos, worried about light, angle, sharpness, DoF, took less or more equipment than they required - basically any personal experiences!

PS : The 5D goes with the 70-200 and the the 7D with the 100-400? Anyone thinks to do it vice versa?

Thanks a lot again and apologies for any/all stupid questions as well as yet another long post! ( I 'll have to get some of you to edit my Trip Report)

Cheers

Anita

Ugh I forgot one question.

8.) Camera bags for the above equipment? Andys Gura gear has been the clear winner on the weight/capacity combo (the price hurts though :( )but it might come back into supply very close to my trip and hence need some good options! Billingham etc look too 'fancy' and equally pricey. Crumpler New Delhi looks decent size, and I think something from Tamron. Also shoulder bags or backpacks?

Thanks again, you guys rock!

Definitely backpacks over shoulder bags. Carrying heavy bags on the shoulder is just no good for the shoulder, and you absolutely don't want shoulder problems.

I've used various versions of Lowepro backpack bags, including the Mini Trekker and a smaller version of the Mini Trekker. Having grown weary of schlepping heavy camera gear on my back especially on creeping airport lines and during extended hikes from one end of an airport to the other, I recently bought a Lowepro rolling backpack---what a relief!! The bags do an excellent job of protecting the gear and are a lower-priced alternative to some of the bags out there.

P.S. The name of the bag I use is Lowepro Rolling CompuTrekker AW.

Anita

“As usual, look up to you guys for a lot of answers!”
Hey, it’s fun, several of us will spout photography all day long :) . As long as you don’t demand the –correct- answers!!! So, here’s my 2 pennys!!!

“I am gonna participate in two 4-day worskshops here in HK”
That’s great, the more you are exposed to photo talk and ideas the more you will learn and improve. We need to be comfortable with our equipment so we can think about photography. Good to have two bodies, makes lens swapping a non-issue. And also as a back-up body which I needed when one failed on my last safari. 7D and 5D lenses. The 5D is 35mm and the 7D is APS-C size sensors, yes? I’d be more inclined to put 24-70 on the 5D and the 100-400 on the 7D. And take only those two lenses. Yes, there is a mm gap from about 70mm to 150mm (the 100 end on the 7D becomes 150mm) - without switching bodies. But a little cropping in Photoshop will turn that 70mm into a say a 95mm. Which reminds me, you do use Photoshop or something similar for cropping and color tweaking of you images, yes? If not, you are throwing away at least half of the advantages/capabilities of digital photography.

Monopod, tripod, bean bags. Depends a lot on the type of vehicle. Two basic type vehicles I’ve used - totally open and pop-top van. In Bots I think a totally open, no top, no roof, no sides, vehicle is most used. So for bean bags there is nothing to support them unless it is the door sill which means you will be “standing” on you knees on the floor. So a tri or mono pod is necessary. A tripod demands a large triangular foot print which is not available with seats all around. BUT, if you have a private vehicle, ask them to remove (unbolt) a seat !! Most photographers use a monopod. Pop-top vehicles. But, if the vehicle is pop-top then it has a roof line that works really good with bean bags. Bean bags. You can make your own, base them on a small pillow case, cut away and sew one end closed. Take then empty and fill at destination, beans work, so does rice.

Lens filters. I don’t use them. Have to admit a CP (circular polarizer) does make a difference on some shots. Nor do I use graduated ND filters but agree can be useful for sun rise/sets.

CF memory card speeds. The 60mbps should be fine. How do your cameras work with them? You have 3 8GB cards now? Last safari (14 days long) I shot around 60 GB of stills and video. But my RAW sizes were lot smaller (12G each) than yours. Also I, and the other photographers in our group, downloaded our cards every day onto backup harddrives. Each did it a different way.

Camera bags. Wheels for airports, you know how much walking we do today around airports. Carry-on must have wheels. Re-read sdb2 reply just above. I have a regulation size typical bag carry-on with wheels. In it are two bags, one (simple cheap) with camera bodies and lenses, and one bag with all the support electronic kit. I wheel the carry-on bag around airports. At the safari camp I take for drives only the one camera bag. Works for me. You must carry-on all camera and electronic gear. If checked, way to big chance it will not arrive. I know.

More questions? Sure, takes me away from my Tanzania safari trip report :) . Which I’m trying to finish, writing is such a chore for me. Much rather play with pictures.

regards - tom

Steve - Thanks a lot! I looked it up and the size definitely meets my requirements. Still unsure of the weight as I will tally upto 8-9 kgs on the equipment itself.

Tom
Thanks a lot for your answers :) I was hoping the passion for photography here would compensate for the drudgery of answering similar questions all the time!

Yup the 5D and 7D are full frame and APS-C respectively- Thats the combination I wanted as a kit with or without safari plans. I find the 5D as one of the best value for money cameras and where it lacks in continuous shooting it really makes up on clarity and low light situations.

Re memory cards, ofcourse 24GB wont be enough- I plan to buy more but struggling with paying the hefty price of 90mbps ( 5D at 3.9 fps would be barely covered with this, 7D with 8fps might still not be covered within this at the capacity megapixels so probably I can work with lower megapixels for higher focal length- experience here appreciated!

Look forward to more advice and any experiences to share on the above choices I am considering!


Thanks again!

PS : Tom there is one more to the queue of people waiting for your trip report!

tanya-
Photography has been an on-and-off passion of mine for 40 years. It was "off" until the digital world gave me the image editing capabilities that frustrated me with 35 film. Well, that and safari which gives me subject(s) I love.

Anyway, have you -actually tried- the 5D at 3.9fps with a 60mbps card? Works good, yes, no? Here's what dpreview said in their review of 5D -
"The 5D Mark II uses the new Digic IV engine to process images and write files to the CF card. It is a good thing that there is a new processing engine as the file sizes have almost doubled, with RAW files in excess of 20 Mb each. While Canon quoted 3.9 fps as the fastest continuous shooting speed, we were never able to quite get there. The fastest we could achieve was 3.8 using a Sandisk Extreme III CF card (new version with 30 Mb/s speed rating). The Mark II really benefits from the use of a UDMA card."
This at- http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/cano...kii/page14.asp
The site dpreview is great camera site if you'r not familiar with it. You could ask same question of the Canon 5D forum there -
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1032

"Tom there is one more to the queue of people waiting for your trip report!"
Hope its worth the wait!! For your eyes only, I already have snaps up on my smugmug site - http://tomgraham.smugmug.com/SAFARI2011TANZANIA
(photos from previous safaris also there, click on "tomgraham")

regards - tom

Hey Tom

I took a cheeky peak at it on a different thread when it wasnt for my eyes! They are awesome and having followed your threads its impressive that you get such good results with minimal accessory aid!

I have to work the 5D with the 60mbps which is this weekend ( at the expense of missing the first 2.5 hrs of the daughter of all cricket matches).

Sorry- I missed answering a couple of other questions- I have worked in detail with Lightroom- comfortable with working with layers, comfortable with most general editing stuff - my biggest problem so far has been underexposing almost always and so this is where I will focus my efforts on!

I do go to dpreview a lot -generally for gear related research but also end up accessing the forums through google search- you are right I should post my questions there too- but its good to hear actual experiences here from safari goers!

tanya
Good, good, good, you are well and truly into it :)

FWIW, re bean bags, tripods, etc. I'm too lazy too use them :) . My longest lens is 300mm (450 on the 1.5 crop body). But image sharpness is most critical so use highest shutter I can, typically 1/800 or faster. (The subject can also move). And take more than one shot.

regards - tom

Some comments on things that have worked for me...

I do take plenty of CF cards but also take two PSD (portable storage devices). The ones I use now are Nexto. At the end of each day my husband and I copy each card onto BOTH PSDs before reformatting/ clearing it. This way we have two copies incase one of the PSDs is damaged. Yes we're paranoid but I know I'd be devastated to lose images so it works for us.

Occasionally, on some trips, we take a small netbook, for example on our Falkland Islands trip last year or to Antarctica or Galapagos cruises, in which case CF cards are copied to laptop and just one PSD.

Our PSD models are chosen for speed of data transfer and long battery life so they don't have photo displays, they just copy and store data, that's it.

Thus far we have deliberately not upgraded our (Canon) camera bodies to full frame as we prefer the longer reach our lenses give us on the smaller sensors.

Lens wise, I always take my wider angle walk around, I recently switched this to a Sigma 18-200 which is a good lens. Used to be that such a long range from very wide to telephoto was poor quality but this lens is good across range, decent. Not L glass but good. I use this for camp photographs and people photographs and walking safaris.

I also take my 70-200 f2.8 L (no IS). I went for no IS as this lens is not too big or heavy, which is a major issue for me because of shoulder problems. I adore this lens and use it a lot. I also have a 2x convertor for it so can use it as 140-400 which gives me a lot of flexibility.

My husband has his own wider walkaround lens (forget range but smaller than mine) plus he uses an old 100-300 on occasion and mostly a 400 prime. The quality of the prime is just superb and it suits him well but I simply find myself better suited to zoom lenses.

We do take back up bodies so often have one lens on one body and a longer or shorter lens on the other. Better to switch whole things out in field than change lenses frequently when dusty.

Regarding supports:

In the closed vehicles, the ones common in Tanzania and used also in some camps in Kenya, a tripod and monopod both useless unless on own in a car. Used beanbags extensively here.

For the open vehicles with no sides, found the monopod invaluable for me. Because of the shoulder problems and weak arms generally, I can't hold heavy camera lenses up for more than a moment or two. So I use the monopod but set it to short length and prop it on the seat between my legs. That gives me full motion in all directions, and support for the weight too. I also sometimes use it standing up or place the foot down on vehicle floor. I would not travel without mine and it's not very heavy. I use a decent manfrotto ballhead on it to give full and easy movement.

We use Lowepro backpacks, they work well for us. We've resisted the rollers as that does add weight and we find we're already at top limit and sometimes over, as it is.

I shoot RAW as I prefer the flexibility it gives me on processing, and the expanded dynamic range. It also means that setting white balance is not an issue as it is for JPEG. (One can adjust colour afterwards for JPEGs but adjusting it more than a fraction will degrade the image file). I also find it a lot quicker to process RAW files through Lightroom than I used to find working JPEGs.

Oh and, the way data is stored in image files means there is more data in the brightest stop than in the darkest, someone mathy can describe the curve or algorithm, but I did study it in depth once upon a time.

SO, knowing that, I deliberately shoot to expose to the right of the histogram and can then dial down brightness in processing if too light/ bright, while retaining all the detail. As long as one doesn't actually clip past the edge of the histogram, though even there, by half a stop can be pulled back in if shooting RAW.

If you shoot underexposed and then correct in post processing you are introducing FAR more image noise into your final image, both colour and luminance noise. I did experiments to check this was the case and it certainly is.

Kavey said: <i>I do take plenty of CF cards but also take two PSD (portable storage devices). ... At the end of each day my husband and I copy each card onto BOTH PSDs before reformatting/ clearing it. This way we have two copies in case one of the PSDs is damaged. Yes we're paranoid but I know I'd be devastated to lose images so it works for us.</i>

This is exactly what I do and it has also worked for me. Since I work in the disk drive industry I'm also paranoid about them - I know how amazingly complicated they are!

I happen to use an old Hyperdrive HD-80, (not even sure they still make them) but it's just like Kavey's - no viewing capability, only a fast copy of the day's shooting each night. They run on AAA batteries or an AC power adapter.

http://www.hypershop.com/HyperDrive-HD80-s/2.htm

When we travel my wife carries one and I carry the other so they are never in the same handbag.

@ Kavey : Thanks a lot, those are all very helpful points. Ha! I almost forgot PSDs

I am zeroing on the Lowepro bags and currently waiting to check out the Trekker 300 and 400. There is a much much cheaper make called Aktiva so I will check that out too (An AP 400 is 70 USD and AP 600 is USD 95!). Not sure about the quality though as the lowepro bags are much on the higher side.

BTW - This is a great non mathy link to the mathy part

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tu...se-right.shtml

@Nelson : I will check out the HD HD :) Thanks a lot!

re Hyperdrive HD-80, not sure, but don't think it is still being sold. Note also, if it matters to you, the HD 80 can only read max SD (2gig) not SDHC cards. Unless you have an adapter to convert an SDHC card into a CF card. And, its max hardrive size is 128G due to its BIOS. And, the hardrive interface is IDE/PATA (not SATA).

Soooo, I recently (4 months ago) got the Nexto ND-2700, essentially an HD80 upgraded. IMHO, it is rather expensive as usually sold with a hard drive. With 500GB drive $325. I got the bare case from Hong Kong ( http://tinyurl.com/4y25hsp ) and put my own 500GB hard drive in it, total cost $210.

Expose-right is good. Just don't over expose, blow out a lot of the highlights/whites. I prefer to err on the underexposed side. What part of the image ends up in the shadows/dark is hardly ever as important as what is on the other/lightest end. Unless it is gorillas in the rain :) .
regards - tom

Tom, absolutely, I expose to the right, but as per above, I make sure not to clip the right of the histogram, or if so, no more than a quarter to half a stop...

A bit of chimping the histogram for just a moment after shots in changed light helps to ensure that I don't blow the highlights out. (I have mine set to show small thumb, mini histogram and the basics such as fstop, speed and so on...

Tanya, that Luminous Landscape link is exactly it, yes!

I read up a lot on RAW files and how to get the best out of them, partly because of my own interest as a new digital photographer, partly because I am an IT Trainer and was getting some demand for Photoshop/ Adobe Camera Raw training and partly because I'm slightly geeky by nature!

Tom, are you monkeying about the gorillas?? ;) I thought that's a classic case of minus EC so that our ancestors dont look all grey/slatish ( a different reason than the normal 'expose right' which is to ensure that the brightest zone is used, maximising tonal values captured at minimum noise )

@Kavey : seems I am restarting that cycle for myself now :)Its quite addictive ( if a bit geeky )

I'll try and remember the book that really helped me, when I get home. It'll be outdated now in terms of which software/ version as it was some years back, and author now passes away, very sad loss to the industry... my brain has gone blank on name. But great on the understanding of raw, though you can find/ collate the same date online mostly anyway...

Here is another nice article about shooting to the right. Due to many years of shooting slide film I'm strongly conditioned to shoot to the left, but even an old dog can learn new tricks.

http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/2...-and-metering/

That said there is no question that large areas of blown highlights are worse than black shadows.

duChemin's books are good, IMHO.

Nelson mentioning slide film reminds me. The standard 3to2 DSLR image aspect ratio is not optimal for a lot of subjects. And many times I find my as shot subject position in frame could be better. So I try to pull back a bit from a tight composition in the camera to allow later cropping. Something next to impossible with slides and makes this digital stuff so much more fun.

Hmm, gorillas, haven't tried those. I wonder, if you exposed to right, image would look greyish, like tanya says. If you expose for proper gorilla grey/black then image would be left and thus have less than optimal bit depth, Signal-to-Noise ratio. So this argues to still expose to the right for best S/N. But the image will "monitor" bright, to light, greyish. But you then take the brightness down to proper/real gorilla grey/black in post processing?

regards - tom

"That said there is no question that large areas of blown highlights are worse than black shadows."

Completely agree! The trick is to expose to the right without going too far to the right! ;)