eclipse photos

I can't very well say you saw it here first, as I've posted these elsewhere as well, but I managed a few shots of the eclipse last night.

I spent a couple of hours going out to the driveway and back taking photos with my zoom lens and a tripod. The weather here was quite nice, so I was able to go out and take pictures with just a sweater, no jacket. The eclipse had already peaked by the time I figured out how to tighten down the head on the tripod that I've owned for 17 years now, and was well on its way out when it occurred to me that I could eliminate the rest of the jiggle from pushing the button by using the 2 second timer.

Before:



During:



After (with airplane(plus you can see at the start of the airplane trail where the camera jiggled from my finger pushing the button)):



And so on:





Saturated:

moss

Taken with my Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom lens at Smith & Bybee Wetlands in Portland, OR.

my setup

Just as background, I thought I'd discuss my setup today. It's nothing fancy, I assure you, in fact quite the opposite and I like it that way.

Before I had this camera, I shot quite a bit of material with a Sony DSCP10. You can look at my flickr set for that camera to see some of them. I was pleased with the pictures that camera took, but I wanted some better low-light options, and to have a smoother set of controls so I wasn't spending 15 minutes arguing with the interface just to take a macro shot that might or might not actually be in focus once I got it onto the computer.

I got my Pentax K110D for my birthday last year. I wanted to K100D, and in fact that's what my wife thought she ordered, but she was mistaken. I thought about sending the thing back and getting the K100D, but then I started thinking how I've never needed stability control before, and damned if I need it now. There have been some times that I've wished I had it, but I'm going to have to get a tripod regardless, so most of the time I just don't let it bother me. I like to think that there's some sort of manly austerity to shooting with the most featureless equipment available, but then I look down and the dial on my camera and think about how long it's been set on full auto mode, and I find something else to think about.

The K110D came with a very middle-of-the-road P-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 lens. It's a great all-purpose lens, but this summer I found myself wishing for a better zoom, especially on my trip to Mt. Rainier when I took this one:


I really wanted a better picture of that cave in the glacier, but my ass was whipped from a brutal hike the day before, and there was no way I was going to get the family up enough trail to make a difference. What would have made a difference? The lens I got for Christmas, a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom. I have yet to really have an opportunity to find out what this lens is capable of, but I know I'm going to put it through its paces as soon as I can get out hiking this year. Even though it's heavy and large in size, it really will be a great hiking lens, since most of what I shoot is either macro or zoom on the trail. A macro shot that could have used a little more zoom:


I was also fortunate enough to get a camera bag to help me heft another large lens and other gear:

All of my gear in this bag is kind of heavy for hiking, but if I take out the K Mart lens, it should be just about right. I've gotten used to carrying a small camera bag with me on the trail, so having a backpack case should be no problem, even with the added weight.