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Thread: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

  1. #21
    Wayne venchka's Avatar
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    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    Thanks Vaughn. Like I needed more encouragement.
    Wayne
    Deep in the darkest heart of the North Carolina rainforest.

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  2. #22

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    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    Come on Wayne, aren't we in this because we're gadget freaks?

    Joseph - true - you have caught me in my quote and I would buy it in an instant (although figuring out how to pay for the 80cm of rail and long bellows would be crazy mad!!!) ...but I would be dead if my better half knew I was going to buy a new lens - I'm in the hole already for the LF equipment since I haven't sold my Mamiya stuff yet (still jones-ing for a P45+ to put on it).

    Vaughn -We're leaving the city late, so I'll be lucky to get there by 8 - kid has to go to school sometime But I will definitely look into trying to get a gander at your carbon prints ... sounds extremely interesting.

  3. #23

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    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    Hey all,
    Found this lens list for Horseman cameras - but it has the shutter size and flange focal distance of a lot of lenses...

    http://www.komamura.co.jp/e/lens_list.pdf

    so by the looks of it - maybe a Fuji T600 F12 ... or really stress the standard bellows with the Nikkor T ED 720.... or maybe I should just buy a lottery ticket.

  4. #24

    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    Sounds like you are set with gear...

    FYI, the conditions necessary for the "firefall" effect are:

    1. Clear to the west at sunset.
    2. Snow at the summit of El Capitan
    3. Warm temperatures to melt the snow so that there is a waterfall
    4. A proper angle of view (draw a line from the fall to El Cap picnic area and extend it across the Valley).
    5. Wind helps move the water around for a more expressive, unique image
    6. And if you are interested in color, the middle two weeks of February, when the light on the falls at sunset is the richest

    That is not to say it isn't beautiful other times of day besides sunset. William Neill has a wonderful image that was featured in Communication Arts magazine years ago taken earlier in the day when the water was silvery against a deep blue sky.

    Mike Osbourne (Oz), who assists Michael Frye and myself during our classes in Yosemite has my favorite, a stunning windblown version of the fall that more than any other I have seen, resembles its namesake "Horsetail." Oz's version was taken in a wet year when the water volume was significant and is wonderful, even if it doesn't have the neon orange cast. It first appeared in his book "Granite Water and Light: Waterfalls of Yosemite Valley" that was published back in the early 80s. A new edition of that book is due out this spring (Yosemite Association) that is sure to solidify Oz's reputation as Yosemite's waterfall guru.

  5. #25

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    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    I'd just like to add that in real life shooting conditions, my Schneider 400 Apo-Tele-Xenar lens (Copal 3) doesn't require a second support on my Arca to produce nice sharp images.

    Granted it DOES vibrate more than the smaller Copal 1, but when the Arca is locked down there doesn't seem to be any ill effect that I can see.

    That said, the smaller and lighter Nikon tele lenses in Copal 1 are an excellent choice regardless.

    Phil

  6. #26

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    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Hudson View Post
    I'd just like to add that in real life shooting conditions, my Schneider 400 Apo-Tele-Xenar lens (Copal 3) doesn't require a second support on my Arca to produce nice sharp images.

    Granted it DOES vibrate more than the smaller Copal 1, but when the Arca is locked down there doesn't seem to be any ill effect that I can see.
    Perhaps this is tripod dependent, I'll have to try this sometime with my gear. Jack Dykinga in his book Large Format Nature Photography believes that supplemental support is required when using his 400 APO Tele Xenar on his Arca F-Field camera (he uses a Gitzo 341 tripod and Kirk support arm to stabilize the lens). In an annotation to a photograph illustrating this setup, he says:

    Note that the lens is centered over the tripod head, providing more stability and minimizing shutter vibrations, while the Kirk bracket supports the back...The vibration from the [Copal] 3 is quite noticeable, especially when shutter speeds are in the 1-second to 1/15 second range. On longer exposures, there's enough time for the vibration to stop.

    I shoot long lenses fairly often and routines carry along a long lens support arm (typically always clamped to my main tripod, regardless of whether I am using it or not), so it is no big deal for me to spend an additional moment or so to attach the arm. On long distance shots especially (such as the Horsetail Falls shot), keeping vibrations under control is crucial to achieving a sharp shot, so I think it is prudent to err on the side of caution in this regard.

  7. #27
    Don Nelson
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    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    the FC/F Arcas have had two different rails.

    the initial offering was a thin cross section rail -- wider than tall when viewed from the end. these had a rectangular hole visible when looking at the cross section (e.g. from the end). These were on the original arcas (before the F/FC series) and were sold with the original F/FC. The "brackets(sometimes called bridges)" featured clamps on the sides and a simple u-shaped bracket cross-section.

    these were replaced with a rail that was taller than wide, and had a round hole plus a slot in the bottom that were visible when looking on the end. The bracket for these have a rotating levers on the bottom that engage the slot in the bottom of the rail.

    The first and second rails were usable on the first style (clamping) brackets, but only the second slotted rail could be used on the second bracket.

    That first style rail was pretty wobbly when a large lens was put onto the end -- whereas the second style rail does not have this problem.

    Since I use long lenses, which tend to be heavy, I replaced all the rail and brackets with the newer thicker style.

    These two rail types may account for much of the discussion about "my rail needs support" v.s. "my rail doesn't need any extra support".

    My 550XXL is quite solid on the end of a piece of 40cm rail extended beyond the bracket about 30cm. that was not the case with the older thin rail (which vibrated under a 610mm de Golden busch lens....which is lighter than the 550XXL)

  8. #28

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    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    Hi everyone,
    I've found a Nikkor T500 at Glazer's in Seattle for $30/day....looks like the winner - I won't need to buy anything extra.

    Thank you Keith for the wonderful tips - all the help from this thread and armed with my copy of Michael Frye's book should keep me very busy over the weekend.

    I'm pulling out my gear tomorrow to check everything out...thanks Eric for dragging your stuff out and posting your findings...

    I think my metric is a newer model....but I'll find that out tomorrow too - Thanks Don.

  9. #29
    Wayne venchka's Avatar
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    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    Good luck! Good light! Calm camera location! Please share your results.
    Wayne
    Deep in the darkest heart of the North Carolina rainforest.

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  10. #30
    Jon Shiu's Avatar
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    Re: Advice for long lens rental for Yosemite

    Good luck and hope you have fine weather! I may drive up for the Fri. art show reception as I have a photo in also.

    Jon
    my black and white photos of the Mendocino Coast: jonshiu.zenfolio.com

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