Gear Advice for Landscape Photography Trip?

[weepete]

I'm pure dead excited man!

My dad is just off the phone to tell me he's booking an 8 day photo workshop for us in Knoydart (which is Britain's last wilderness) with one of Scotland leading landscape photographers. And I'm going with him. Since landscapes are my kind of thing, it sounds like it will be an awesome experience.

It's not until May next year so I've a little time to save to pick up any gear I might need for the trip and was hoping to get some advice on what to upgrade for the trip. I don't have a lot of spare cash around so I'm only planning on spending around £50 per month till May (so my total budget will be around £250)

My current gear is:
Canon 7D mk1
1 Canon battery
1x 16GB SanDisk CF Card
18-55mm kit lens (that I normally use for my wide shots)
Canon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5
Canon 50mm f1.8
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6
3rd party Grip
85mm 10 stop ND
85mm GND/ND filters set (cheap and unbranded)
Infra red filter
Hoya CPL
Yonguno YN460 flash
OCF bracket
2 RF-603 Yonguno remote triggers
Wired Cable release
Macro extension tube set (without electrical contacts)
2 axis macro focusing rail
Velbon Sherpa tripod
Joby Gorrillapod

I'm currently planning on replacing the kit lens and my trusty 28-105 with a Sigma 17mm f2.8-4 OS HSM C early next year (and have just about saved the cash for that and it won't come out of the above budget).

I was thinking I should get a spare battery (or 2), L-bracket for some panos, get a couple of half decent 100mm filters (possibly Colkin z-pros but more likely they will be kood filters because of cost) - probably a 3 stop GND and a 3 stop reversed GND filter. Is there anything else I should look to upgrade or consider getting before the trip?

 

[baturn]

Only thing I can think of is another card or two.

 

[Designer]

A second battery.

Oh, I just read the last paragraph, and see now that you had already thought of it.

 

[dennybeall]

What do you do for post-process? It may be worthwhile to plan your process and look to ease of download, security and software for HDR, panorama and just general file handling. Whatever you plan you may want to get proficient with the system in advance.

 

[weepete]

Only thing I can think of is another card or two.

thanks mate, that's a good idea especially since I have had a card fail on me before (lost a weeks worth of holiday photos). I'll try an pick up a couple before May.

A second battery.

Oh, I just read the last paragraph, and see now that you had already thought of it.

Thanks Designer, it's something that's been on my list for a while but I've not got round to it yet.

What do you do for post-process? It may be worthwhile to plan your process and look to ease of download, security and software for HDR, panorama and just general file handling. Whatever you plan you may want to get proficient with the system in advance.

Thanks dennybeall, I use lightroom and photoshop for my post processing though I only have one copy on my desktop. I'll probably borrow a laptop and take an external HDD and transfer them when I get back each night. Processing may have to wait until I get back to my desktop though I have used fire stone (an open source editing software) in the past for a quick edit.

 

[JoeW]

Only thing I can think of is another card or two.

thanks mate, that's a good idea especially since I have had a card fail on me before (lost a weeks worth of holiday photos). I'll try an pick up a couple before May.

A second battery.

Oh, I just read the last paragraph, and see now that you had already thought of it.

Thanks Designer, it's something that's been on my list for a while but I've not got round to it yet.

What do you do for post-process? It may be worthwhile to plan your process and look to ease of download, security and software for HDR, panorama and just general file handling. Whatever you plan you may want to get proficient with the system in advance.

Thanks dennybeall, I use lightroom and photoshop for my post processing though I only have one copy on my desktop. I'll probably borrow a laptop and take an external HDD and transfer them when I get back each night. Processing may have to wait until I get back to my desktop though I have used fire stone (an open source editing software) in the past for a quick edit.

A couple of thoughts (keeping in mind, I'm not sure when you're doing and I have these stereotypical mental images of Scotland as windy and sometimes wet.

1. A rain sleeve for your camera and something that will keep you and your backpack dry and a couple of ziplock bags (no such thing as too much redundancy when you're going to be braving the elements for a while.

2. Absolutely you want a couple of batteries. Here's the deal (and I apologize if you've already experienced this and I'm preaching to the choir), this isn't just about using up the juice in one battery till it's dead then slipping in the new one. If you're in extended bouts of cold weather, your batteries will stop making connections (still have juice in 'em, they just need to be warmed up). So what you'll do is take a battery out and slip it under your arm pit (with another in the camera). Now, if you'll have plenty of opportunities to recharge on a regular basis, 2 batteries will suffice. Otherwise, I'd say 3 (if you're going out for a multi-day hike or it's going to be cold enough to see some snow or ice on the ground).

3. Going from warm to cold and back to warm (like in and out of a heated car or lodge) is a good way to develop mist and fog on your lens and condensation inside the body/lens if you're swapping out lens a lot. So bring cleaning and drying systems that work for you and you're comfortable using.

4. A level that attaches to your hot shoe. If you shoot a lot of landscapes on uneven ground or you shoot architecture, it's an invaluable device and will save you a lot of post-processing time.

5. I believe y'all in the UK call it a lamp...but some kind of very small LED flashlight (like the kind of thing you'd put on a keychain with your car keys when you're in a dark garage). I'm thinking of those pre-dawn shoots where you're waiting for the sun to rise or for animals to gather at the loch to feed and it's so fricking dark you can't see your hands. A small unobtrusive light (that you won't get pissed about if you lose it and the beam isn't so big it will wipe out your night vision for 10 minutes or scare away critters) that will clip to a tripod or camera bag is just the ticket.

6. DIY sand bag or weight. I imagine you'll be using your tripod quite a lot as a landscape photographer (I certainly do). In inclement weather, especially with a lot of wind, you'll want to weight it down. Throwing a backpack/ruck against one leg certainly helps. But you can preplan for this but just attaching a velcro strap to the side or something that will provide a more secure sandbag/deadweight when you put your backpack down.

7. If it is going to be cold, then a couple of the small chemical packs to warm hands and feet. They're small, fit in to a gadget bag easily and on long waits (where you aren't moving that much and thus burning body heat to stay warm but are in a hide waiting on a critter or counting the minutes till the sunrise), they're invaluable.

8. Download one of the several apps out there for your phone that will give you accurate sunrise/sunset/direction times for each day.

 

[weepete]

A couple of thoughts (keeping in mind, I'm not sure when you're doing and I have these stereotypical mental images of Scotland as windy and sometimes wet.

1. A rain sleeve for your camera and something that will keep you and your backpack dry and a couple of ziplock bags (no such thing as too much redundancy when you're going to be braving the elements for a while.

2. Absolutely you want a couple of batteries. Here's the deal (and I apologize if you've already experienced this and I'm preaching to the choir), this isn't just about using up the juice in one battery till it's dead then slipping in the new one. If you're in extended bouts of cold weather, your batteries will stop making connections (still have juice in 'em, they just need to be warmed up). So what you'll do is take a battery out and slip it under your arm pit (with another in the camera). Now, if you'll have plenty of opportunities to recharge on a regular basis, 2 batteries will suffice. Otherwise, I'd say 3 (if you're going out for a multi-day hike or it's going to be cold enough to see some snow or ice on the ground).

3. Going from warm to cold and back to warm (like in and out of a heated car or lodge) is a good way to develop mist and fog on your lens and condensation inside the body/lens if you're swapping out lens a lot. So bring cleaning and drying systems that work for you and you're comfortable using.

4. A level that attaches to your hot shoe. If you shoot a lot of landscapes on uneven ground or you shoot architecture, it's an invaluable device and will save you a lot of post-processing time.

5. I believe y'all in the UK call it a lamp...but some kind of very small LED flashlight (like the kind of thing you'd put on a keychain with your car keys when you're in a dark garage). I'm thinking of those pre-dawn shoots where you're waiting for the sun to rise or for animals to gather at the loch to feed and it's so fricking dark you can't see your hands. A small unobtrusive light (that you won't get pissed about if you lose it and the beam isn't so big it will wipe out your night vision for 10 minutes or scare away critters) that will clip to a tripod or camera bag is just the ticket.

6. DIY sand bag or weight. I imagine you'll be using your tripod quite a lot as a landscape photographer (I certainly do). In inclement weather, especially with a lot of wind, you'll want to weight it down. Throwing a backpack/ruck against one leg certainly helps. But you can preplan for this but just attaching a velcro strap to the side or something that will provide a more secure sandbag/deadweight when you put your backpack down.

7. If it is going to be cold, then a couple of the small chemical packs to warm hands and feet. They're small, fit in to a gadget bag easily and on long waits (where you aren't moving that much and thus burning body heat to stay warm but are in a hide waiting on a critter or counting the minutes till the sunrise), they're invaluable.

8. Download one of the several apps out there for your phone that will give you accurate sunrise/sunset/direction times for each day.

Great advice, thanks Joe. I'd pretty much forgot about waterproofing so I'll look into that over the next couple of days and make sure I'm sorted with that. I'll be going in May so hoping for good weather. Scotland at that time of year is usually okay temperature wise (usually around 15-21°C but I have seen snow here in May!) I will need to be prepared for it being wet and windy though there's a good chance of it being nice too or anything in between. I've a good headlamp that I use for my night fishing, so I'll take that too but will add a smaller light that isn't quite as bright too. Nice tip with the tripod weight, I'll be travelling light as I expect to be doing a bit of hiking so won't worry too much about a weight though I'll attach a couple of straps as you suggest to the tripod legs as it's pretty likely I'll be able to mock up a weight of some kind when I'm there.

 

[TCampbell]

Definitely pick up some slide-in (rectangular) gradient ND filters ... 2 & 3 stop... hard & soft edge. Lee filters is probably the high-end for these... but Cokin would suffice). You'll need the filter holder (the 100mm (4") wide is the most common). The holder also needs the thread-on ring sized for your lens diameter (these are cheap).

Meter the sky separately from the ground, find the number of stops of difference, then select the GND that bring those together to help balance the exposure. Since slide-in filters typically don't have a "hood" (although they do make them) you'll just want to make sure you block any sunlight from shining directly on the filters (e.g. use anything as a "flag" to block the sunlight.. e.g. even a magazine held out-of-frame to block the sun from hitting the filters).

I am curious as to your IR filter. Do you have an IR-modified camera? Internally the camera has an IR block filter. It starts trimming the light allowed to pass starting at around 500nm and gradually increases how much it blocks... blocking nearly everything by 700nm. This gradual "ramp up" in the aggressiveness of the block is intended to mimic the sensitivity of the human eye... which is more sensitive to wavelengths in the middle of the visible spectrum than we are to light on the sides of the visible spectrum.
But this means that it won't allow these long wavelengths to pass through to the sensor.

An thread-on filter is typically an IR "pass" (not "block") filter... it blocks the VISIBLE wavelengths (wavelengths below 700nm.... sometimes below 720nm) so that visible light cannot pass and only the IR light *can* pass. But since the camera internally will have an IR block filter, you effectively end up getting no light through at all. Photographers that do IR will mod their cameras for the task by removing that internal IR block filter.

e.g. see:
LifePixel Digital Infrared Photography IR Conversion, Modification & Scratched Sensor Repair
http://www.adorama.com/alc/0008472/article/100-in-100-Part-II-Convert-to-IR-or-Buy
LensRentals.com - Rent Canon > Cameras > Infrared

 

[weepete]

Thanks Tim,

The colkin z-pros are looking like they will probably be out of my price range to get four, but I could maybe swing one or two with a filter holder. I'll also need to add a decent cpl as I got my 17-70mm sigma today (yay!!) And I didn't realise it was a 72mm filter thread. I've got a set of cheap thread on rings in various sizes that'll do the job too.

My IR filter is a screw on type and more a plaything than a serious attempt at IR photography as I am a bit reluctant to play about inside the guys of my back up camera

 

[Paul Josaph]

A couple of thoughts (keeping in mind, I'm not sure when you're doing and I have these stereotypical mental images of Scotland as windy and sometimes wet.

1. A rain sleeve for your camera and something that will keep you and your backpack dry and a couple of ziplock bags (no such thing as too much redundancy when you're going to be braving the elements for a while.

2. Absolutely you want a couple of batteries. Here's the deal (and I apologize if you've already experienced this and I'm preaching to the choir), this isn't just about using up the juice in one battery till it's dead then slipping in the new one. If you're in extended bouts of cold weather, your batteries will stop making connections (still have juice in 'em, they just need to be warmed up). So what you'll do is take a battery out and slip it under your arm pit (with another in the camera). Now, if you'll have plenty of opportunities to recharge on a regular basis, 2 batteries will suffice. Otherwise, I'd say 3 (if you're going out for a multi-day hike or it's going to be cold enough to see some snow or ice on the ground).

3. Going from warm to cold and back to warm (like in and out of a heated car or lodge) is a good way to develop mist and fog on your lens and condensation inside the body/lens if you're swapping out lens a lot. So bring cleaning and drying systems that work for you and you're comfortable using.

4. A level that attaches to your hot shoe. If you shoot a lot of landscapes on uneven ground or you shoot architecture, it's an invaluable device and will save you a lot of post-processing time.

5. I believe y'all in the UK call it a lamp...but some kind of very small LED flashlight (like the kind of thing you'd put on a keychain with your car keys when you're in a dark garage). I'm thinking of those pre-dawn shoots where you're waiting for the sun to rise or for animals to gather at the loch to feed and it's so fricking dark you can't see your hands. A small unobtrusive light (that you won't get pissed about if you lose it and the beam isn't so big it will wipe out your night vision for 10 minutes or scare away critters) that will clip to a tripod or camera bag is just the ticket.

6. DIY sand bag or weight. I imagine you'll be using your tripod quite a lot as a landscape photographer (I certainly do). In inclement weather, especially with a lot of wind, you'll want to weight it down. Throwing a backpack/ruck against one leg certainly helps. But you can preplan for this but just attaching a velcro strap to the side or something that will provide a more secure sandbag/deadweight when you put your backpack down.

7. If it is going to be cold, then a couple of the small chemical packs to warm hands and feet. They're small, fit in to a gadget bag easily and on long waits (where you aren't moving that much and thus burning body heat to stay warm but are in a hide waiting on a critter or counting the minutes till the sunrise), they're invaluable.

8. Download one of the several apps out there for your phone that will give you accurate sunrise/sunset/direction times for each day.

Great advice, thanks Joe. I'd pretty much forgot about waterproofing so I'll look into that over the next couple of days and make sure I'm sorted with that. I'll be going in May so hoping for good weather. Scotland at that time of year is usually okay temperature wise (usually around 15-21°C but I have seen snow here in May!) I will need to be prepared for it being wet and windy though there's a good chance of it being nice too or anything in between. I've a good headlamp that I use for my night fishing, so I'll take that too but will add a smaller light that isn't quite as bright too. Nice tip with the tripod weight, I'll be travelling light as I expect to be doing a bit of hiking so won't worry too much about a weight though I'll attach a couple of straps as you suggest to the tripod legs as it's pretty likely I'll be able to mock up a weight of some kind when I'm there.

yup nice piece of advice...

 

[TCampbell]

Thanks Tim,

The colkin z-pros are looking like they will probably be out of my price range to get four, but I could maybe swing one or two with a filter holder. I'll also need to add a decent cpl as I got my 17-70mm sigma today (yay!!) And I didn't realise it was a 72mm filter thread. I've got a set of cheap thread on rings in various sizes that'll do the job too.

My IR filter is a screw on type and more a plaything than a serious attempt at IR photography as I am a bit reluctant to play about inside the guys of my back up camera

I don't have an IR body either. I had toyed with the idea of converting my older body to IR but I think I should probably rent an IR body for a weekend to see if it's something I would use more than... once a year (if that's all I'd do with it then I'd rather rent one.)

As for CPLs... you you can get "banding" if you use a CPL when shooting at wide angles. This is because the amount of light blocked by the polarizer depends on it's angle as it passes through the filter (relative to how you've tuned the filter.) The banding doesn't show up in normal to long focal lengths because the angle of view is narrow enough (a "normal" lens has an angle of view of approximately 40º) that the amount of light being blocked is relatively even (in truth it's probably not especially even but it's not strong enough to be obvious to the eye). But when you get to wide angles of view ... this uneven effect starts to become much more obvious and you'll see a dark area through the frame (usually on a diagonal depending on how the filter is adjusted) and it fades to brighter areas where the filter can't block as much.)

If you go to images.google.com and use a search term such as "wide angle cpl banding" you should get LOTS of examples. Variable ND filters have the same problem because they are really two polarizing filters stacked on each other (and you twist them to adjust how much light you want to block.) That means the variable NDs can get double banding (typically in an X shape pattern.)

 

[Nevermore1]

Lots of good suggestions. I would recommend getting a red filter for your headlamp (or purchase one with a red light) so the light doesn't affect your nightvision (or those around) as much. Other than that the only other two major things I can think of have been mentioned - extra batteries and extra memory cards.

 

[mcap1972]

A sturdy tripod and wide angle lens.

 

[minicoop1985]

Be in decent shape to lug everything around.

 

[weepete]

Update:
Been on a little spending spree as I had a few other things to get as my walking gear is pretty old now and my 15 year old boots finally packed in a few weeks ago. So I'm now sporting a nice pair of Meindl boots too.

So the gear I am planning to take is:

Main Gear:
Canon 7D
Neweer Battery grip
Blackrapid RS-7 strap with FR-T1 fastener
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 + hood
Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4 OS + hood
Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 + hood

Filters:
Kood 100mm Soft GNDs 1, 2 and 3 stop
Kood 100mm Hard GND 1, 2 and 3
stop
Kood 100mm ND 1, 2 and 3 stop
The Filter Dude 100mm filter holder with 77mm and 72mm adapter rings
77mm Marumi CPL
72mm Marumi CPL

Misc:
Velbon Sherpa Tripod
2x Yonguno RF603c triggers
Cable shutter release
Bubble level
Lenscoat Rainsleeve small
Lenscoat Rainsleeve large
3x 16GB memory cards
1 1800mah OEM battery
3x 1600mah off brand batteries (7dayshop)
Canon battery charger
Microfibre cloths
Lenspen LP-1
Spare AA and AAA batteries
Petzyl Myo headlamp
Small survival kit
Swiss army knife

All of the above I plan to fit in drybags in a Lowerpro 400AW backpack

And if anyone wants to know a good product for rewaterproofing a jacket Nikwax is the bomb.

I'll also be borrowing a laptop with around 200GB free space for viewing/backups.

I am a bit worried if 4 batteries will do me though. I may still purchace an OEM one and a Hanhel dual battery charger if I have enough cash at the end of the month.