Wildlife Photography across the Water: Dave's Gear of the year

Friday, 10 December 2010

Dave's Gear of the year

Its very difficult to come up with just a couple of bits of gear as we use so much but a few items do stand out, Obviously being a Nikon user and getting a new camera this year i have to mention the D7000, I have now had it nearly a couple of months and in that time the D3s has sat quiet, I am not saying that its better than the D3s-No way- but for what i have been shooting its been the camera of choice, Its great to have a Full Frame and Cropped sensor camera as you get the best of both worlds, I have been shooting garden birds a lot lately and the D7000 with the 600 is a blinding combination, The other night when i was in my garden hide i reached for the D7000 first as its so quiet and for very shy animals its a god send, I hope they keep the quietness in the new D400 and D4 next year, For the money its a bargain, Very capable and a great all round camera,it has certainly pushed the boundaries in its class and even agencies have no problems in accepting files from it which says something, The battery grip for it helps with the overall handling and helps balance the body when used with a long lens, I have mentioned a few early problems that the camera has had, Its not affected my shooting at all and is mainly for the video guys, I am sure that the next batch will be sorted and over the next few months the price will fall and it will become Nikons best selling body and rightly so, Its starting to get to a stage where its difficult to justify a Pro body-Great for the customer and a good sign of things to come
My next item is the EWA Marine underwater housing, This has opened up a whole new dimension to my photography and shows that you can take good quality underwater shots without breaking the bank, It will give a good idea of what its like to do shallow water photography and then you can decide if you then need to start saving, Simple and effective just like the best things in life,
As i mentioned before i have now moved over to the cube type hide/blind. These are so easy to erect and so stable for a few dollars more than the traditional pop dome hides its a no brainer, Plenty of room inside and they dont flap around in a breeze which could spook shy animals and birds-i am sold and wont be going back to the domes in the future
Nikon's SU 800 flash transmitter has made using multi flash a cinch, Anything that makes my life easier will get 5 stars and the SU 800 has opened up a whole new world where flash is concerned, I have shot multi flash for years and with the Canon system i never felt fully in control and really let the TTL flash guns do their own thing with very good results, I now feel in control of each flashgun and can change each ones output in a second from behind the camera-an excellent product
Its funny really that i have a pro camera but have really enjoyed using the prosumer model and i have the highest flashgun that Nikon make-SB900- but reach for the SB600's for my multi flash set ups, You just need to find what works right for you in a given situation
There is no doubt that there has never been a better time to be a photographer, You now cant blame the end product on a low end camera as even the cheapest cameras give great results

Dave

1 comment:

Wildlife Photography10 December 2010 at 06:30
Hello,

Really your post is very informative and I enjoyed your opinions. Do you use twitter or stumbleupon? So I can follow you there. I am hoping you post again soon. Thanks...
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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.