I need some accessories and some help...

[NancyMoranG]

I have had my Nikon D7000 as my only digital camera since 2012 and bought it new from a camera store.
I like 'hands on' and talking to a person IN person.

I am heading back to Grand Tetons N. Park for late April- mid October, as hubby is willing to work so We can live IN the Park all season!
Decided to spend a few $$ and accessorize.
I have never owned any of these items, so any thoughts appreciated.

Found out a tripod is cold when carrying it in cold temps. . So want 'stick protectors'.
'Apron' /'stone bag' to attach to tripod to hold small items.

What do I use to view photos outside via my back led screen?
Gimbal for my 200-500 on a Manfrotto tripod.
Window support for lens/camera.
Believe it or not, I have survived with ONLY the original battery. 2nd? Have thought of upgrading camera, but maybe not now..
Looking at some soft edge filters. I have 1 that is ?2 stop?

I did landscape and wildlife last year. Long periods of standing or sitting in truck or driving to find animals. Temperatures from 20's to 80's And LOVED every minute of it...

Any additional items / thoughts appreciated.
Nancy

 

[JBPhotog]

Sounds like a great opportunity to see the parks seasonal changes.

As far as 'stick protectors' this link has lots of options depending on the tripod and at somewhat reasonable prices.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=tripod leg padding&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma

I've had a Hoodman Loop for longer than I can remember and personally I find it indispensable for outdoor LCD viewing.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1353031-REG/hoodman_h32mb_hoodloupe_3_2_outdoor_loop.html

Depending on your tripod head, meaning if you use an Arca Swiss QR plate and clamp, the Wimberley Sidekick is a sweet set up. It will easily handle your 200-500 and is relatively light and quickly stored if you want to unmount it. You will need an Arca Swiss plate on your lenses foot.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/205329-REG/Wimberley_SK_100_Arca_Sidekick_Ball_to.html

A bean bag for window support could work and does double duty for low angle shooting but I think there may be specific window braces for this, I have never used one though. I do own two of these, Kinesis SafariSack, and highly recommend them. The side straps can adjust the profile to either lay flat or an 'A' shape to rest long lenses. I bought mine @11 years ago and they came with a quick release buckle to wrap around a bar or hook, perfect for safari vehicles with popup roofs btw.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081622-REG/kinesis_r427_h_safarisack_4_2_beanbag_camera.html

Yeah, I'd get a second battery.

Filters are personal preference but you may want to consider a 6 stop ND should you happen to see water you want to long expose.

Do you have a remote release? If not they are perfect for long exposures when you don't want to handle the camera. Lots of options from cabled to wireless depending on your budget.

 

[NancyMoranG]

@JBPhotog wow thank you!
Lots of great info and links too.
I have a remote release and should use it more..
Agree on the darker filter. I have done some slow water shots and really want to do more of them with better result.
Thank you.

 

[JBPhotog]

You are welcome, happy to help. BTW, I use all of my suggestions so they come from my experience.

Just a bit jealous of your 7 months in the Grand Tetons park. Be safe.

 

[SquarePeg]

So jealous! I don’t think I’m rescheduling my trip out there until next year. This year my daughter is starting college and in September we will have drop off and parents weekend and all that is involved in that. I don’t have any exact dates for any of that yet so it’s kind of impossible to make any plans.

To your questions - I can’t contribute much. Wasabi batteries are half the price and work great for Nikon, I had some for my 7100. I saw some ND filters online recently that attach to the ring magnetically which is kind of great if your trying to quickly add them after getting focus. I may look into those for myself!

Let us know what you get and how you like it. Where are you now?

 

[nokk]

i'll be in the tetons in september if i get time off for vacation this year, depends on how things go with the 'rona and crazy uncle joe.

smartphone apps : photo pills or the photographers ephemeris

i bought the slik sgh-300 gimbal. i like mine a lot. here's a youtube review:


kinda leary about having a tripod apron/bag, it's just something to get caught in the wind and make your tripod less stable. consider spiked feet for your tripod if you do decide to go that route, you don't want your tripod fall over in the wind. just happened to a buddy of mine not too long ago, he lost one of his 3 cameras while taking astro shots.

i've found gloves to be a better option than tripod leg covers. the gloves i have are touch screen friendly and thin enough to use the camera while wearing. if i'll be out in the cold for awhile i'll fit a larger, warmer pair over them. and get a good hat/cap while you're at it.

i bought really right stuff and peipro camera plates for my cameras so i could do away with tripod feet. the cameras are so much more comfortable in my hands now without that foot sticking into my palm.

for filters you really only need a circular polarizer and a good set of nd filters, you can do the rest in post processing.

get a locking cable/shutter release.

i'll second a beanbag pod for your car window.
here's mine - Movo Photo THB01 Camouflage Camera Lens Bean Bag with Head Mounting Plate - Mossy Oak (Junior) from amazon :
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017J44EW4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

initially i stuffed it with styrofoam micro bead filler, but they kept coming out of the bag and were messy. so i cleaned them out and stuffed it (really stuffed it full) with a polyfill fiber stuffing. it's soft and bouncy, but it cradles the camera or lens really well.

depending on how you're traveling consider getting a hard case from harbor freight for your camera gear. the line is called the apache protective case. the foam insert is pick apart squares so you can have it meet the specifications of whatever gear you're taking.
Apache Protective Case

get a second battery. if you purchase anything from this thread, get this. if your first battery goes or gets damaged your photography is dead in the water.

 

[NancyMoranG]

@SquarePeg
Congratulations on the new college student!! How exciting for you both.

Had not heard of the magnetic filter, so thanks for that.
I have spent SO little time researching things/accessories because I felt I got lost in tech speak..am now starting to watch/read a bit on what I need.

Am not rolling in the $$ but have saved my whole life, and not gone crazy on tech stuff
( because I haven't understood it totally, and I didn't need it) so now I have a few bucks I want to spend...
New laptop (in Off Topic Forum) PSE and video program, maybe newst phone from Samsung..(photo equip forum)

We had ER trip to Texas as my FILaw fell and wasn't found for a few days...dealing with family stuff..tough stuff for hubby etc all..
We should be able to handle with family for us to do Tetons.
Sharon, pm me if you get a vacation? Flights into Jackson, will pick you up!

 

[NancyMoranG]

@nokk
Oh my, thank you for all that Info!!

If you get the vacation let me know. You can do your own thing, but maybe I have some helpful info not for public info...
Can always give you a cup of coffee.
Keep me in mind..
Thanks again for the help!

 

[PJM]

I'll second the battery and the gloves. I have a pair of Vallerret gloves and love them. You can flip the thumb and finger tips back for easy access to controls and LCD. They have been plenty warm for any winter conditions here in New England that I've gone out in.

 

[photoflyer]

Depending on how you are set for power you might consider a backpack solar panel. If you hike in country for a few days and camp this can be useful for keeping flashlights, cell phones (don't expect them to find a network but they are good for editing photos while in the wild) and charging camera batteries.

 

[ntz]

Not sure what all you have, but if I'd be going for shooting landscape, my priorities in buying equipment would be

1) Battery ...
2) more batteries ... (3 should be ok, anything above 3 is plus)
3) tripod and L-bracket (you said that you have tripod ... if you don't have L-bracket, go for one)
4) Lenses (actually lenses are probably more important, but typically if you have some long zoom lens like 18-140mm (or even 18-200) you're all set) .. won't hurt if you have a "Holy Trinity" of lenses (wide, mid and zoom) to cover the range 10-200mm

I suppose that you have other gear and equipment like clothes (which is actually one of the most important for shooting outside), carrying, cleaning and protective eq, for your gear ..

enjoy your stay in the park ... make it big

regards, d

 

[Original katomi]

My vote
Extra batteries
More mem cards mixed size 8,16,32,64,128
At least 2 bean bags. I have used mine in so many different ways
Have you considered a modular system like the Tamrac camera bags for you kit
I have (some of ) the Tamrac system and mix and match what I take with me
IMO it’s worthwhile taking a look
Last and often over looked
Several extra lens cleaning cloths
Something I have seen time and time again
The photographer drops the cloth, picks it up and without thinking then goes back to cleaning the lens
Ouch..... opps there goes my.... l series lens

 

[NancyMoranG]

@ntz @Original katomi
THank you for those suggestions. Sounds like good advice and a new system I had not heard of.
My last few days have been reading/learning about what I need for laptop to do editing program. Geez.

 

[ntz]

@ntz @Original katomi
THank you for those suggestions. Sounds like good advice and a new system I had not heard of.
My last few days have been reading/learning about what I need for laptop to do editing program. Geez.

that's the whole different story ... but good news is that you don't need to go spending fancy and you can use a very good opensource programs .. you can use them for $0 .. just to make a long story short, as an alternative to LightRoom you can use RawTherapee (or Darktable - I prefer RT) and instead of Photoshop you can use Gimp .. And that's it ..

 

[NancyMoranG]

The Tamrac system is new to me also, will learn more about that too..