July 2013

Our Safari Photography webinar is now available online, courtesy of Datacolor and Sigma

If you missed our Datacolor webinar, co-sponsored by Sigma, on Safari Photography, good news. Datacolor has put a full recording of the event online. .

In honor of co-sponsor Sigma, Datacolor has also posted a summary version of my .

We hope you enjoy it, and of course feel free to holler with any questions. We'll be answering some of the most popular questions that we didn't get to in our blog and newsletter, so make sure to subscribe.

 

Nikon D7100 and Nikon 70-200mm f4 Lens: Action-friendly DSLR and lens combo for under $2500

For those looking to photograph wildlife, sports or other action without breaking the bank, you can’t do better than the DSLR coupled with the new . After shooting with them for two weeks in Alaska (as my second body & flight lens) I was thoroughly happy with both their performance and the resulting images. Sure, they are not going to deliver the same results as a coupled with the new or , but they are a fraction of the cost and much smaller and lighter.

Nikon 80-400

Think Tank Sling-O-Matic Bags: The ultimate field packs

I've spent the last two weeks in the field everyday with the new Sling Camera Bag. Moving through marshes and meadows, as well as across streams, the bag was put through its paces as the home for my second camera body and lenses as I led two photo trips in Alaska's Lake Clark Park. My need for something like the Sling Bag was the need to switch cameras and lenses coupled with the impossibility of setting a traditional backpack down in the water and mud we were often dealing with.

New Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 lens: Nikon and Canon 200-400mm killer?

Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Lens for NikonThe original Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 was a favorite safari lens for many pros. It fell behind with the introduction of the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 lens with built-in Vibration Reduction. It's subsequent model -- including Optical Stabilization -- regained it respect, but left it a bit behind the Nikon in usability and build quality. That has changed dramatically with the new version – the . Every bit the equal of the Nikon in both optical and build quality at a fraction of the cost, the Sigma is again likely to become the favorite safari lens of many pros and enthusiastic amateurs alike.

Ultimate Lightweight “pro” Safari photo rig: Under 30 pounds, all in!

In the continuing quest to get lighter & smaller I’ve written about taking the plunge to a mirrorless camera, but what if you want to stick with good-old DSLR technology? I’ve assembled the lightest and smallest bag I can think of that will do serious professional quality work on a wildlife safari – so of course I want to share it with you.

Shape-Shifter-7.jpg

Think Tank Shape Shifter