Yellow-billed Stork in flight, Nakuru, Kenya

Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with 500mm f/4 L IS lens and 1.4X II TC with Tripod-mounted Wimberley head.  

ISO 250. Evaluative Metering at zero: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6.  

 

 You are allowed to get out of the vehicles at certain spots around Lake Nakuru.  Here, I used central sensor only to make this image.   White bird and soft light made this image work well  at the metered exposure.  

 

 

TIM GREY KUDOS

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When working with NEF Raw files in PhotoShopCS (i.e. adjustment layers, flatten layers) and then changing the image size do you recommend Sharpening before or after the image size is changed (either larger or smaller)?

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I strongly recommend applying sharpening after you have resized the image for printing or other output. Sharpening should really be the very last step you perform on an image that will be printed. The main issue is that when you resize an image, you're adding (or subtracting) pixels. That means you're changing the size of contrast edges within the image, and those very contrast edges are what you're enhancing in the sharpening process. In short, if you resize after you sharpen, you're changing the effect of the sharpening. At best this can mitigate the sharpening you've applied, and at worst it can exaggerate edge contrast to produce problematic halos and artifacts.

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How good does a digital camera body have to be to equal the top-quality 35mm lenses we use on film cameras?  Is the megapixel rating of the body the way to judge this?  If so, what does it take?

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This question is virtually impossible to answer (but that won't stop me from trying!). The main problem as I see it with this comparison is that you are truly comparing apples to oranges. The results you get with film versus digital are simply different. I happen to very much prefer the results with digital, because they don't contain the grain of film. But I've talked to many photographers who strongly prefer film exactly for the grain it contains, and actually add monochromatic noise to digital captures to produce the appearance of grain.

Besides the issue of overall perceived quality, there's the issue of detail within the image. General estimates are that a 35mm slide contains no more discernable detail than you can extract with a 4000 dpi film scan. This of course will vary with the specific film grain structure, but I consider it to be a pretty reasonable value. That would mean that such a slide contains approximately the equivalent of a 24 megapixel digital capture. And yet, practical experience indicates that digital captures are comparable to film for moderate output size at around to 6 to 8 megapixel resolution. This is largely due to the fact that a clean digital capture (as opposed to a film scan with grain) can be interpolated to a much higher degree. You can certainly capture more resolved detail with film, but in most cases this doesn't translate to a better print as far as the naked eye is concerned.

Considering we're using the same lenses on both digital and film cameras (in general) I think it is generally fair to use megapixels as the comparison value. However, the direct correlation isn't very simple. I'd say that for output up to about 16x24 a 6 megapixel digital SLR is comparable. For larger output a higher-resolution camera would be in order.

What it takes depends on what you're trying to achieve. For those accustomed to medium format film, a 35mm digital SLR isn't going to necessarily impress. But for more typical output sizes up to about 20x30, the 8 to 11 megapixel digital SLR cameras are on solid footing. This is a fuzzy issue, and difficult to make direct comparisons with, but I hope this info provides some guidance on the fundamental issues.

In addition, I keep Tim's "Real World Digital Photography" (actually, Tim is one of three authors) on a shelf above my 23 inch Apple Cinema monitor and consult it often.  Thanks on all counts Tim!

Samburu dancer in traditional garb, Samburu N Pk, Kenya

Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with 500mm f/4 L IS lens.   

ISO 400.  Evaluative Metering at zero: 1/160 sec. at f/4.  

 

 

Photographing the dancers in bright sun was just about impossible as with their black skin and the brightly lit walls of the enclosure yielded images that were way too contrasty.  After making friends by letting them photograph each other with our digital cameras and long lenses, pal Linda Robbins and I asked them to sit in the shade and pose for us.  And they did.  I got them to smile on occasion by making silly noises.  Developing rapport with human subjects from another culture is usually a good plan.  Too bad that it does not work well with birds, or maybe it does...

 

EOS 1Ds FOR SALE 

 

Al Forns, dear friend and IPT veteran from Miami (thanks Al for car-sitting for me during the Kenya trip!), is offering a Canon EOS 1Ds Digital Camera (11 megapixels and all) for sale for $5800 including shipping.  The camera is in near-mint condition and comes with one battery, the charger, and pretty much everything that was in the original box.  This price represents a $1200 savings from the lowest new price from a reputable dealer.  This will likely sell within hours so if you are sincerely interested do not hesitate.  You can contact Al at home at 305-666-7913, on his cell at 305-798-4524, or by e-mail at aforns@ix.netcom.com or at Arf2@mac.com.  Phone is best of course, and if he does not answer, be sure to leave a message so that you do not lose the camera to the next caller.

 

 

 

 

Leopard at dusk, Samburu N Pk, Kenya

Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with 500mm f/4 L IS lens and 2XII  TC.   

ISO 1250.  Evaluative Metering +1/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/5.6. 

Fill flash with Better Beamer at -3 stops...

 

We got the call on this animal just after dark and raced to the scene, only to find out that we were about the 14th van there on a narrow, rocky track...  Worst of all, the leopard was laying on a big rock facing away from us.  Suddenly it stood up (seen here), turned around, walked towards us on the rocky shelf, and then posed while looking right at us.  Careful Photoshop technique, especially with Hue/Saturation and my new darling Selective Color, did wonders for the original flat image.

 

THE FLORIDA BIRDING FESTIVAL, ST. PETERSBURG, FL.  

 

 

Friday @ the Florida Birding & Nature Fest: A Feast of Imagery

 

Mark your calendars for Friday, October 8 -- day 2 of the 7th Annual Florida Birding & Nature Festival coming to the campus of Eckerd College this fall.

 

Renowned nature photographer Arthur Morris (http://www.birdsasart.com) and photojournalist Carlton Ward, Jr. (http://www.carltonward.com) top a star-studded cast of speakers appearing that day.   The four-day festival at Eckerd College features dozens of seminars and workshops, plus more than 25 guided field and paddling trips to Florida's most spectacular birding areas at the height of fall migration.

Morris, whose images of Florida birds and wildlife have gained him international acclaim, has produced images featured in virtually all natural history and photography magazines and numerous web sites, galleries and exhibitions as well. He photographs, travels, teaches and speaks throughout North America and the world.  Morris is the festival's evening keynote speaker (Florida's Birds: It's All Digital!) at 7:30 p.m.  He will also conduct a Photo Seminar (Putting Art in Your Nature Photography) on Saturday afternoon and lead (with Rocky Sharwell) a Sunday morning In-The-Field Photo Workshop to Ft. DeSoto Park.

Ward's travels to Africa on assignment for the Smithsonian are featured in the recently published book, The Edge of Africa, a visual tour de force capturing images of wildlife and residents of the Gabon.  The Clearwater native, with training in ecology and anthropology, is currently photographing endangered desert elephants in Mali.  Ward's Edge of Africa to the Coast of Florida talk is from 12:30 -1:30 p.m. Friday.  

Space is limited so register early at www.flabirdfest.com

 

The festival begins on Thursday October 7th with marine conservationist and author, Dr. Carl Safina of the Blue Ocean Institute (http://www.blueoceaninstitute.org), and includes a free nature expo, butterfly tent, birds of prey exhibit and an extensive native plant sale.

For more information on the Florida Birding Festival or to register online, visit www.flabirdfest.com or call 1-866-FLA-BIRD.

 

 

 

Wildebeest entering the river, Maasai Mara, Kenya

Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with 500mm f/4 L IS lens & 2X II TC. 

ISO 250. Evaluative Metering at zero in Tv mode: 1/15 sec. at f/32. 

 

Seeing this crossing was the highlight of the trip for most of us.  While dozens, even hundreds of animals were crossing the river, you could see long lines of hundreds more running full speed along the top of the cliff to join the fray ASAP.  It was simply breathtaking.