Costa Rica!

[Nickcanada]

Well we are going to Costa Rica for our honeymoon. Should be fun. I've been thinking about getting getting a little something for my camera... I've mostly been thinking about my camera to occupy my mind from thinking of speeches tomorrow (wedding day).

So I was thinking, a tripod, a 30mm 1.4, or maybe just a ND grad filter. I just got a 75-300mm Canon lens from Don! Thanks Don! So I've got 12mm-300mm covered. But I'm lacking in the low light stuff, and I would love to do some HDR stuff from Costa Rica but I would need a nice light tripod. Or I could just get a ND grad.

What would you guys suggest?.....

Keep in mind I'm probably not going to buy anything, I'm just trying to fill some time. :D So If you would like to suggest the MkIII be my guest. :cool:

[GaryS]

Tripod for sure. To get any nice beach sunset shots, you will need it.

[adam75south]

mkIII

congrats on costa rica. i wish i could take a vacation. i think around september i'll be going to the grand canyon.

oh and you know you want that 30 1.4

[DonSchap]

Well we are going to Costa Rica for our honeymoon. Should be fun. I've been thinking about getting getting a little something for my camera... I've mostly been thinking about my camera to occupy my mind from thinking of speeches tomorrow (wedding day).

So I was thinking, a tripod, a 30mm 1.4, or maybe just a ND grad filter. I just got a 75-300mm Canon lens from Don! Thanks Don! So I've got 12mm-300mm covered. But I'm lacking in the low light stuff, and I would love to do some HDR stuff from Costa Rica but I would need a nice light tripod. Or I could just get a ND grad.

What would you guys suggest?.....

Keep in mind I'm probably not going to buy anything, I'm just trying to fill some time. :D So If you would like to suggest the MkIII be my guest. :cool:

The 50mm f/1.8 should get you close, for low light. Sure, you may have to do the zoom-two-step, but it's plenty of aperture for the darker jobs.

When life gives you lemons ... make lemonade!

Time was when all I had in my bag were a set of PRIMES (28mm, 50mm, and the gold ol' 135mm). Low light was determined by the film ISO, not the knob/dial on top. Don't get too spoiled, Nick. What can't you take at ISO-1600 and f/1.8? That's a ton of light.

Yeah, a lightweight tripod would be good. The one I normally use (Bogen 3021BN (5.1lbs)) is far too heavy for a long tote, but it never falls over, either! ;)

I used a lighter one, for a year or two, back in 1986, and the one leg finally let go. "TIMBER!" Lost a good flash that day. Remember, whatever you get you hands on, make darn sure it is sturdy ... or your rig is at risk!

[nqjudo]

Congratulations Nick. I agree with Don but I would like to add sommething. If you are doing any excursions that will bring you into the rain forest I definitely advise bringing a good flash unit. If the canopy is thick, very little light gets through. It can get much darker than you might think. If you plan on taking pictures of any wildlife, you're going to need a way to freeze that action. I don't think that a large aperture prime alone will suffice and most creatures won't wait around for you to set up your tripod.

[DonSchap]

Congratulations Nick. I agree with Don but I would like to add sommething. If you are doing any excursions that will bring you into the rain forest I definitely advise bringing a good flash unit. If the canopy is thick, very little light gets through. It can get much darker than you might think. If you plan on taking pictures of any wildlife, you're going to need a way to freeze that action. I don't think that a large aperture prime alone will suffice and most creatures won't wait around for you to set up your tripod.

I agree with "nqjudo" ... I am right! j/k LOL

Yeah, I would like to add to bring four extra batteries (fresh ones, wise guy) in addition to the four fresh ones in your 430EX Speedlight and keep those extra ones in a baggie, just in case things get a bit damp ... you don't need a fire in your pocket ...

Also, in the FLASH Program Mode ... the settings all go to f/4 - 1/60 sec - ISO-400 - AWB. You can use the 75-300mm, if needed. With a flash, the 50mm f/1.8 will be effectively useless if not in Av or M mode. (just a reminder :D )

[forno]

Good luck tomorrow Nick, hope you have an awesome day:cool:

Have fun in Costa Rica too

[adam75south]

is tomorrow the day? damn nick. it's not too late to back out bro.

[zmikers]

Congrats Nick. good luck! and ahave a great trip!

[Wesan]

Wow! Congratulations, Nick! Good luck and may you live happily ever after. :)

And...get the 1D Mk III. ;)

[AdamW]

Congrats, Nick! :D:D:D

[cpaussie]

congratulations for tomorrow, hope you both have a wonderful day tomorrow and always.:)

[RichNY]

Congrats mate- good luck today. You never did tell us what your married name was going to be?:D

[coldrain]

So I was thinking, a tripod, a 30mm 1.4, or maybe just a ND grad filter. I just got a 75-300mm Canon lens from Don! Thanks Don! So I've got 12mm-300mm covered. But I'm lacking in the low light stuff, and I would love to do some HDR stuff from Costa Rica but I would need a nice light tripod. Or I could just get a ND grad.

What would you guys suggest?.....

Hmm, you sold your 28-135, does that mean you are ok with the 18-50mm Sigma cheapo performance? Else you have a big gaping hole in your lens range...
Instead of a Sigma 30mm f1.4, I'd get a Canon 35mm f2. It is lighter (yay), also better (sharper). And quite a bit cheaper. Why would you need f1.4 at 30mm?
A light tripod, yes for HDR... but then you also will need a remote trigger, else the exposure bracketing will be messed up by you pressing the shutter button, moving the camera slighly.

I would get a polarized light filter... but that does not fit on your 12-24mm. So... maybe for your cheapo 18-50 sigma.

[DonSchap]

somebody's married! ;)

There goes the camera hobby ... you just watch! :p

[Nickcanada]

Nope not married yet! We have an outdoor 7 o'clock wedding planed! The sky is overcast= perfect picture weather! yay!

And don't worry guys my brothers said they will have a getaway car ready "just in case" ;)

Thanks for all the kind words guys. I'll get back in a little over a week so see ya then. :cool:

[DonSchap]

Either Nick tied the knot or he's running so fast, he can't type a note.

Anyway, wonder how the guy is doing and whether them darn Costa Rican insects are dryin' him up pint by pint? :eek:

[chrisl]

or the new wife is beating the crap out of him because she saw Freddycr post in the Glamour forum on POTN :D:D:D

[RichNY]

or the new wife is beating the crap out of him because she saw Freddycr post in the Glamour forum on POTN :D:D:D

When I heard he was going to Costa Rica Freddy's shoots of Rebbeca were the first thing that came to mind. (I've also had her come to mind when I've heard car doors closing also come to thing about it;))

[Nickcanada]

Hey guys, still in Costa Rica. I get back tomorrow. I'll give you all a full report then but for now it's time to go back to the beach! :cool:

Cheers

[AdamW]

Dude, it's your honeymoon. Why are you posting on the forum? Shouldn't you be having sex?:confused::p:rolleyes:

[DonSchap]

I think it's pretty humorous that Nick would take time out for his chums on DCRP. I remember when I was on vacation in Orlando, FL one year ... and the email beckoned. We didn't have Blackberrys back then ... and yes, I did catch hell for doing it, too. "Get off that computer!" :rolleyes:

I don't know if I would spend all that much time at the beach, but then ... the view ain't so bad, they say. Guess we shall see what Nick posts using that 75-300mm f/4-5.6 :D

[nqjudo]

God I love this forum.

[zmikers]

LMAO - Nick, you truely are one of the lads now!!!!!!! :D:D:D

[forno]

Man does not live on bread alone:D

now go back to work Nick:D:D

[Rooz]

Dude, it's your honeymoon. Why are you posting on the forum? Shouldn't you be having sex?:confused::p:rolleyes:
lmao
funny stuff adam.:D

[Nickcanada]

Come on guys, married people don't have sex. Get with it! :p

So I'm back in the real world now. No beautiful Costa Ricans to wait on me anymore! :(

In short, it was a fantastic trip. First class flights, five star resort. Great food, great scenery, fantastic help.

I find resorts get too "fake" after a while though. It's great to drive in the country side. Watching the people and the land go by. Much more "real" then sitting in a resort designed to feel like home, but I did feel very safe and comfortable, so I guess I got the best of both worlds after going on a two day excursion to see the only active volcano in C.R. and to walk suspension bridges over the rain forest.

Oh ya and I forgot the wedding was fun too. we had a country style wedding. Very relaxed atmosphere. We held a very short ceremony outside on a set of stone steps fallowed by a horse drawn carriage ride. Then a few hours of pictures, dancing, etc.


Ok it's 2 am and I'm tired.

Here are a few pics to end off the post. I didn't really do much shooting on this trip. I tried to just enjoy myself without worrying about lugging my camera around too much. I'll share the ones I think are ok.


The 75-300 in action! Sorry about the noise... it was dark and I was on a boat. So give me a break will ya!:D
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/Honeymoon/IMG_9853.jpg


Yes I need to clean my sensor!! Just wait until you see some of the other pics! :eek:
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/Honeymoon/IMG_9823.jpg

[michaelb]

Congrats Nick!! Looking forward to seeing more. or your pics. Costa Rica is beautiful, but I agree with you, I prefer the lower key areas as compared with the 5 star resorts.

[DonSchap]

The 75-300 in action! Sorry about the noise... it was dark and I was on a boat. So give me a break will ya!:D

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/Honeymoon/IMG_9853.jpg

Nick ... I told ya ... use flash with that lens! -- j/k -- Hey ... you are not shooting f/2.8 or better ... so you get "the pass." Believe me when I tell you that f/2.8 can be some heavy glass.

Good shot, in frame. Tells a story ... that it's time to pull up the nets and get your butt home for dinner.

Unfortunately, with darkness ... comes the noise and even more as you try to boost it. ;)


Yes I need to clean my sensor!! Just wait until you see some of the other pics! :eek:

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/Honeymoon/IMG_9823.jpg


Hey, a good rule on sensor cleaning ... get it done BEFORE the big job, not after? I struggle with my EOS 20D all the time with sensor dust ... if you do sky shots, even more so. $80 for an immediate cleaning. Really takes the wind out of ya!

How do you know if you have this sensor dust problem? Shoot a clear sky and run up the contrast on the image in Post Processing. Kind of like a tragic roadmap: It'll tell you where every dust particle is located. :(

[RichNY]

What, no pictures of the lovely Mrs. Nick?

[AdamW]

Come on guys, married people don't have sex. Get with it! :p

Ha! Just you wait! Ever heard the phrase "the honeymoon's over"? Now it's too late....:p

Seriously, congratulations again. I've never been, but heard nothing but great things about Costa Rica, and I'm glad you two had such a good time.

Now ask your boss--er--wife if you can have a new lens.:rolleyes:

[Nickcanada]

Thanks guys, your comments are much appreciated! And yes I've been ragging on her about new lenses. :D She doesn't like the way the 12-24mm makes her look fat... instead of using the 50mm more I just told her I need the 30mm or the 17-55mm, hehe. I need more hard drive room too! damn lap top is maxed out! and my desktop is too slow to process pictures.

Ok back to some pictures!

Introducing Mrs. Aline Brownrigg...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9804.jpg


Here is my attempt at fill flash...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9779-1.jpg


Here is one from the wedding day. Taken by her sister, Maid of Honor with a sony P&S (I think)

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/DSC08791.jpg


One more from the wedding day for now... I'm still waiting on my Aunt (The actual Photographer) to get the pictures to me. She shoots film so I'm not sure when I'll get to see them.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/DSC08788.jpg


One more of my wife, for now.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9619.jpg


I call this one "dog on the Beach" I bet you can't tell why!

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9708.jpg

This is quite deceiving the beach is not covered in oil! It is Volcanic sand with a drum buried in it. The sand was so soft and silky. I highly recommend walking bare foot in it!

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9742.jpg

This is just a tree and the moon and a building. A tripod would have helped this shot, me thinks.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9808.jpg

[AdamW]

The one of your wife on the couch is really nice.

[DonSchap]

The one of your wife on the couch is really nice.


I tend to agree, the bokeh of the wine glasses is effective and the lighting subdued enough to create that "comfortable look."

Good job, Nick.

With the last image, of the moon, the tree and the hotel ... just for fun, I'd have been interested in adding a fifteen & a thirty-second exposure of that one to see how the light crawls out. You'd be amazed at what long-exposure can turn out. Those night shots can be quite entertaining ... turning night into day. Obviously, the tripod would not an option, there. ;)

For convenience, I found carrying one of those Slik Mini-tripods is very handy. They effectively weigh nothing, but offer a great support to long-exposure and shooting a Canon ... w/o IS! LOL :D


26109
The $20 IS solution

[Nickcanada]

Thanks guys. Don, that's a great idea with the mini pod! I wouldn't mind throwing something that size in my camera bag for the unexpected moments like that one!

I hope I'm not boring you guys with my vacation shots too much... but here are some more.

Some beautiful scenery...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9985.jpg

A local cutting the grass....

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9974.jpg

Did I mention the hot springs? Here we are together hanging out in the 100 F hot springs. It was fantastic.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9927.jpg

Here is another of my wife. It was a great location. There were howler monkeys hanging out in the trees above us, their howls echoing around us.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9946.jpg

That tripod would have come in handy for this shot! but like I said, this was not a photography vacation.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9952.jpg

[DonSchap]

but like I said, this was not a photography vacation.


Where's your dedication, man? Every vacation is a photographic holiday ... that's why you are armed with a tool that shoots at the speed of light!

Just got to rearrange those priorities a bit ... and it will all fall into line. LOL :D

26118
Imagine: Gorgeous fields of precision ground glass ... ahhh! :cool:



oops, I opened CW's cabinet ... (easing the door closed, again) :o

[RichNY]

Nick- I think we really need to hold an intervention for you. With a beautiful wife like that why the hell were you running around taking pictures of dogs on the beach?:confused: Comment made not withstanding the fact that you've posted some nice images, but still!


Don- I've never seen one of those Slik minis up close. Do you like it better than the Gorilla Pods?
http://www.joby.com/products/gorillapod/slrzoom/

[zmikers]

Nick, if it makes you feel any better, my mate snuck out of his honeymoon to hit the internet cafe to catch the manchester united match. His wife would have killed me if he had stayed in the room and got the play by play via text message from yours truely:p Anyways, congratulations and I can't wait to see more shots, especially the wedding shots.

[Nickcanada]

LOL, you guys crack me up!:D

I seem to have more pictures then I thought I would have.

Here are some of the locals... well in show off mode, for the tourists. ;) Everything is an illusion, with just enough holes to make it all feel not real.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9896.jpg

Our walk through the rain forest included a stone walk way :rolleyes: I was half expecting to see moth balls scattered on the rain forest ground to keep the snakes away. (We didn't see any snakes the hole trip.)

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_9902.jpg

We were told this is a real shrunken head. We went to a insect museum and the owner of the collection traveled in Africa with a tribe that apparently gave this to him as a gift. The instructions for making your very own shrunken head were displayed on a plaque on the wall. Few key points include
1)removing the skull and "...throwing the skull in the river."
2)Flip the skin inside out and scrape the fat off. Flip back over.
3)Sew the mouth, eyes, and nose shut.
4) Bake in the sun.

The guy working there had no idea how old it was. Very creepy!

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k162/nickandaline/IMG_0144.jpg

[DonSchap]

Don- I've never seen one of those Slik minis up close. Do you like it better than the Gorilla Pods?
http://www.joby.com/products/gorillapod/slrzoom/

I bought the Slik about a year ago, when I was trying to solve the anti-shake issue using non-IS zoom & prime lenses on the Canon EOS system. The salesguy pulled it out of the glass-doored presentation cabinet and suction-cupped (on the center post) it to it, demonstrating how you could use it on the windows or smooth paint job of your vehicle, for additional stability. I figured that could come in handy when I waiting for Mr. Animal to walk up to the car and not have to move the camera very much to frame it. :cool:

LOL, you guys crack me up! :D

I tend to find it amazing how we live so vicariously through the lives of others. This image-hungry crowd is obviously weighing whether a distant trip is in order ... especially to someplace we would not normally consider in our summer-fun.

Thanks for sharing your "private time", Nick ... the memories will last a lifetime ... or until Alzheimer's claims us all ... then we'll have all NEW images to look through. :rolleyes:

By the way, how close was the Home Depot to "the village"? You know, where they bought those very natural-looking patio blocks.

26124
LOL :D

[24Peter]

Nick - a little late on this but great pics and congrats! Best wishes for many more trips to exotic locales with your lovely wife (and dog :rolleyes:) :D

[FLiPMaRC]

:cool: Great pics and congratulations! :)

[Nickcanada]

thanks guys! and the dog wasn't mine he was just there... you already know that though don't you.....:o

[forno]

Congrats Nick,

Looks like you had a great time. Looks like you are punching above your weight too:p:p:p

Just jokes:)