Wildlife Photography across the Water: Showtime

Tuesday 8 February 2011

Showtime

Dave mentioned about CP+ in Japan next week in his last blog. Here in the UK, it is just about a month away to the annual bunfight that is Focus on Imaging at the NEC.

I used to attend this every year, and it was particularly easy for me as I worked at the NEC at that time. The downside was that it became quite expensive as I built up my collection, but it was possible to get a bargain or two there. Rarely were those bargains cameras and lenses unless you were happy to buy 'B' stock. Some of it was great and others just OK. I bought my first L lens which was a Canon 70-200f4L which I bought in 2005 - it was a cracking little lens.

Unless I have a complete change of mind on my kit in the next few days then I will probably stay with Canon and will get the 5Dmk2 as I alluded to here. After a quick crunch of the numbers to get a like for like set of kit, then I am looking at something like a 5K gap from the second hand prices of my Canon versus new Nikon gear.

Given other expenses and priorities, I am not sure that this is something I am prepared to jump to at this time - but you never know.

Looking at the prices for the 5Dmk2 here on camerapricebuster you can see that the competition is keen, and talking with a couple of dealers the margins that they make on the selling price is really tiny. On that basis, the price differential is not worth a specific trip to a jammed up NEC - for me at any rate, to hope to get a better deal.

Besides which, I need a full frame body for a set of images the weekend after and I am not prepared to buy a camera just before I need it. I like at least a month to make sure it works, as I want it to, and if it needs to go back there is time.

So if you plan to go, have fun. You will need to look very carefully for bargains, as it is easy to get caught up in a spending frenzy and let your card run away from you.

I speak from experience.

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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.