What Camera to Use?

CaptTom · Jun 21, 2013

Going back to Conrad's recommendation for a camera with zoom and images stabilization, here's a couple of shots I took last night with, and without, the zoom:

I shrunk these down quite a bit, I'm on a slow connection because I'm out at a mooring.

The first one is similar to what your cell phone or point-and-shoot camera might capture. The second one is zoomed way in. It's a little pixelated because I cropped out just the detail of the plane. But I think it demonstrates the value of both zoom and image stabilization pretty well.

CaptTom · Jun 21, 2013

Here's a couple more shots I could never have gotten with a point-and-shoot:

Again, they're low-res copies of the originals just to keep things moving.

We're at a mooring just under the approach to the Air National Guard base. The AF plane is a KC-135 tanker.

xfedex · Jun 21, 2013

Here is a good article about taking photos from a boat using a simple camera

http://floatingsomewhere.com/Magazine_Articles_files/P_& _S Like_Pro_SEA_10:10.pdf

I confess I wrote it. I have used point & shoot cameras and phones with some success. There is reason to look at an SLR and a 200+ telephoto for distant objects and animals.

BruceK · Jun 21, 2013

xfedex said:
There is reason to look at an SLR and a 200+ telephoto for distant objects and animals.

I read, somewhere, a 200 telephoto lens on a digital SLR gives more magnification than on an old film version SLR.
Is that right?

Giggitoni · Jun 22, 2013

Sometimes! The original digital cameras had a ratio of "film" size to that of a regular 35mm film camera (full frame). So we would end up with, for example, 1.7 times full frame when using digital. Recently digital camera companies have introduced "full frame" cameras which have the same ratio, 1:1, as original 35mm film cameras. A full frame digital camera has the same magnification for each given lens as a 35mm film camera.

I shoot a lot of wildlife so I appreciate the 1.7:1 camera because I can get "closer" to my subject than when using a full frame digital or film camera.

HopCar · Jun 22, 2013

"I read, somewhere, a 200 telephoto lens on a digital SLR gives more magnification than on an old film version SLR."

As I understand it, on low end DSLR cameras the sensor chip is smaller than a 35 mm film frame so you record only the center of the image that the lens takes in. That makes it look like you've gotten more magnification.

High end DSLR cameras have sensor chips the same size as a 35 mm film frame and you record the whole image so the magnification of the lens looks the same as it would on a 35 mm film camera.

I think the above is correct but I'm open to correction.

FlyWright · Jun 22, 2013

If we're talking airplane pictures here...

My daughter rented a 70-200mm telephoto lens for her DSLR camera last year for Fleet Week San Francisco. These shots were some of the over 1900 photos taken from the bow of FlyWright during one day of the Blue Angels show.

markpierce · Jun 22, 2013

Ray, would you please take some photos of the Osprey family living on the light stand at the exit of Mare Island Strait? Our cameras aren't up to the task.

xfedex · Jun 22, 2013

I know these are not what you asked for. They are at the nest west of the Ballard Locks in Seattle. They were on a railroad bridge pole. Burlington Northern, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Seattle Parks got together and put up a new pole near by with a nest platform on top. The birds came back in the spring, built a nest, and raised two young birds.

Giggitoni · Jun 22, 2013

Nice captures! What camera and lens did you use?

xfedex · Jun 22, 2013

I rented a 400f2.8 Canon for my 7D. I soon after bought a 70-300 f4-5.6. Hand holdable on sunny days

Nomad Willy · Jun 22, 2013

I have a FujiFilm EXR.

15X Zoom. 16 Mega Pixels.

It will fit in most pockets. It takes 4 to 6 MB pictures. All my pics on my trip south thread were taken w this camera. I keep a 6" tripod handy on the boat and occasionally in the car. I hand hold it for sharper pics in low light or fast subjects.

The biggest complaint we had w the earlier camera is that we had a terrible time seeing the view finder in sunlight.

These two zoomed in pics were taken zoomed a little w the camera when taken and zoomed a lot more on my i-mac computer. This FujiFilm camera costs about $400.

CPseudonym · Jun 23, 2013

Eric I've seen the picture of Willy and the Dashew before but what is the little pilot house boat in the last photo? It looks really interesting to me.

markpierce · Jun 23, 2013

Doubt there is standing room in that pilothouse! No thanks, as I'm usually standing/pacing in my pilothouse.

Nomad Willy · Jun 23, 2013

About the boat I don't know. We just passed her in the vicinity of Bella Bella. Took the pic to remember her. She's definitely my kind of boat. Bridge up high enough for great visibility and lower than a FB. We can't criticize as we don't know if she has a ballasted deep hull. Mark I think this boat is quite a bit larger than yours and I'd be VERY surprised if she didn't have plenty of headroom on the bridge. Here's a better picture.

She may have been a product of someone thinking about the Willard 36 Pilothouse. See the rondy pics in the Willard/Fales section. Decided to keep the bridge lower, further fwd and perhaps the pilothouse is built light w plywood and Lexan windows. The railing's low and the anchor equipment is minimized. Again my kind of boat.

Conrad · Jun 23, 2013

manyboats said:
About the boat I don't know. We just passed her in the vicinity of Bella Bella. Took the pic to remember her. She's definitely my kind of boat. Bridge up high enough for great visibility and lower than a FB. We can't criticize as we don't know if she has a ballasted deep hull. Mark I think this boat is quite a bit larger than yours and I'd be VERY surprised if she didn't have plenty of headroom on the bridge. Here's a better picture.

She may have been a product of someone thinking about the Willard 36 Pilothouse. See the rondy pics in the Willard/Fales section. Decided to keep the bridge lower, further fwd and perhaps the pilothouse is built light w plywood and Lexan windows. The railing's low and the anchor equipment is minimized. Again my kind of boat.

She vaguely reminds me of some Glen-L designs I've seen in the past.

dhmeissner · Jun 24, 2013

I have a Nikon point and shoot. A Olympus EP2, and a Canon 7d. For snaps I use the Nikon or Olympus. For photography I use the Canon.

Sent from my iPad using Trawler

What Camera to Use?

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