Wildlife Photography across the Water: nikon 16-35 f4 vr

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

Nikon 16-35 F4 VR

The new baby arrived about an hour ago so this is just a first impression, Its light or should i say light compared to the Nikon 24-70 and Nikon 14-24 so that's a good thing, I had read on some forums that there is some play in the manual focus ring and there is a small amount-i am not sure why but there is, I don't see this being a problem for me at least but the tolerances could be better, Its like the 24-70 in that's its long and thin as possessed to short and fat, But the main thing for me is that it doesn't change its length when zooming in and out like the 24-70, I am going to use this for the manatee images so it fits nicely in the EWA Marine housing and not the tight squeeze of the 24-70, I intend to use this lens for the manatees at around 20mm as i have read that the distortion at 16mm is quite bad and wide you will get some vignetting-both things that are easily rectified in processing, I took a few test shots and at F8 its certainly sharp, I will get down to the local pool and give it a good test but will get it insured first just in case, So first impressions are good as they should be with a lens in this price range

p.s The living room image was taken at ISO 3200 with the D3 more or less straight from the camera with no NR, 16mm @ F8

Dave

Sunday, 21 March 2010

Just when you think you are sorted

When i purchased all my new Nikon gear i was very particular in what lenses i got, I bought purely for full frame cameras knowing that they would work well on a cropped body, The wides include the 14-24 and 24-70, mid range covered by the 70-200 and 200-400 and then the 600 big gun, so if you look every millimetre is covered when extenders are taken into consideration, so i wouldn't need to buy any more lenses-right-well up until now yes but then i came across a small problem, The 14-24 doesn't fit the underwater housing that i have and i think that the 24-70 may be abit long for the manatee shots as i hope they get very close, it also extends abit at the wide (24mm end) and is very tight in the housing which tries to compress the lens to about 50mm unless i tape it up, So last Friday i pulled the trigger on the new Nikon 16-35 F4 VR, It doesn't extend like the 24-70 and will be about the same length as the 24-70 closed so will be easier to get in the housing, Now it may seem extravagant to fork out nearly $1300 for 2 days with the manatees and i guess it is but it has a couple of bonuses over the 14-24, firstly it takes filters and secondly it has VR which most people may seem over the top for a wide but it may save the day underwater, I have ummed and arred for a month about getting the lens but at the end of the day i can always sell it after the trip if i feel it wont be used much as i have the focal length covered by other lenses-time will tell, it should arrive here Tuesday so i will give it a workout at the local pool some time next week

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.