Going skiing...

[ilya]

I'm going up to Colorado for some skiing over Xmas and new years ... first time out since the kid was born :D. Also first time on slopes with the 10D. Need advice on what to get and what to bring. Plan to shoot and be shot in action, and nature and stuff.

Have right now: 10D, 17-40L, 28-135is, 75-300is, 50 1.8; 256mb and 512mb, 420ex, 1 battery, Laptop.

Figure I'll need a polarizer. Any other filters? What kind / brand?

One extra battery is probably a must. I don't figure I'll need any more storage since I'll download to laptop at the cabin.

Maybe some kind of an all weather cover.

I have a Velocity 7 bag. Anyone suggest a compact bag/backpack with enough padding that I can carry gear in while skiing/boarding that can take a mild fall (gasp, I know, but I have to get up and down the hill with the body and one or two lenses and I won't be doing the snowplow).

TIA
Ilya

[wtlloyd]

I'm very impressed with the LowePro Rover AW II I just bought. Not too sure how good it will be to land on, but it has the best waist belt of any photo backpack I've seen, just begs to carry a big load. I think the Velocity would be best on the slopes, smallish size, and better able to avoid falling directly onto it, if it comes to that. Wear it up high to keep your arse available to meet the ground ;-).
With a full double strap backpack, you really can't shift the load to the side if you feel a tumble coming on....

[robertwgross]

Let me state that I ski a lot, but it is cross-country skiing, and not lift-served skiing.

I find it totally impractical to ski with major camera gear inside a normal two-strap backpack. If you want to get out any gear, you have to stop, set your ski poles aside, then take off the pack, then unzip it to remove the camera. Then reverse the process after you've shot it.

A one-strap shoulder bag is moderately impractical, since it makes you unbalanced on one side.

In GB, I think it is called a bum bag. In the US, it is called a fanny pack. Get a very large fanny pack, except you wear it in front, not in back. One D-SLR with a short lens should fit it.

A friend has the same sort of thing, but it has a Galen Rowell label on it, so it cost about twice as much money.

---Bob Gross---

[IFLY]

Hi
A word or two based on my experience.
I go skiing every year, and in most cases I have brought my EOS 100 along.
Any SLR is rather awkward to carry with you on the slopes, and last year I decided to use a P&S camera instead, ( Canon Powershot A40) which gave me far better results than I hoped for ( see my gallery at my pbase adress ). Only problem is the dreadful shutter lag, making it almost impossile for action shots.

When I have been using my EOS camera on the slopes, I have found out that a bum-bag is the only practical solution. Find one that can take your camera with the biggest lens you intend to use, and if possible with space for an extra lens ( if not - the extra lens can be kept in one of you pockets).
While using the lift, you have to place the bag on your belly, but while skiing, it must be kept at your back, both for proper balance and for protection in case you fall. I failed once to move the bag from front to back after leaving the chair - the result - very damaged camera when I lost balance and fell.

Despite that accident, I plan on taking my 10D with me to Austria for my next trip.

[NILOLIGIST]

IFLY,

Very nice gallery, very impressive. Thanks for sharing. I like your style sheet, would you mind if I borrow it? If you dont' mind, would you email it to me, I like the format.

NiL,

nygemini2@nyc.rr.com

[CyberDyneSystems]

Definatley get another battery or two and a 77mm polarizer and whatever step up rings you need for the smaller diameter lenses. (77mm is the thread size fo rthe 17-40mm f/4)

But as indicated, while skying you will not be toting a pile of lenses I would imagine. So you may wnat a polarizer for the "one lens" that yuo expect to mount and carry in your fanny pack. Maybe the 28-135?

[robertwgross]

When you go skiing, just remember the standard exposure problems that you get with a large white surface in the frame. Now, whether you compensate +1 or +1.5 ... that is what takes judgment.

Lots of photographers can "meter by eye" pretty accurately. Unfortunately, when you stay outside in the sun with polarized sunglasses on all day, your eye can get out of calibration.

The good news is that many of the ski areas are at moderately high elevation. With the right sky conditions, you can get the sky looking almost black, and that can be very dramatic. Unfortunately, the ski resort operators seldom allow photographer-skiers to stay up high on the mountain for sunset.

---Bob Gross---

[Jim_T]

robertwgross wrote:
When you go skiing, just remember the standard exposure problems that you get with a large white surface in the frame. Now, whether you compensate +1 or +1.5 ... that is what takes judgment.


YES.. The 10D will try to average everything out.. If you shoot scenes with LOTS of white, you'll wind up with a dark image with gray snow.

Here's a resized (but unretouched) 10D shot I took last month when I was up north in the snow. It was cloudy but bright that day. This was with my 10D in 'P' mode using no compensation. Note that it looks underexposed. (I corrected this later using an EV of +1.5.

http://members.shaw.ca/jamestownsend/bears.jpg

When you take a shot, look at the histogram. If the information looks like a centered haystack, you aren't metering correctly.. Increase the exposure compensation until the little haystack is close to the right side,

Try get as little room as possible between the historgram image and the right side of the histogram box. But don't let it touch or go past the edge. If it does, you'll be getting badly blown out snow.

It wouldn't hurt to check the histograms periodically as the light changes and vary the compensation as required.

It is very difficult to tell if you're exposed correctly by looking at the image in the 10D's LCD. The above image looked perfect at the time when viewed on my camera.

The Gray condition can be corrected using a decent image editor, but it's better to get it right at the time the shot is taken..

Enjoy your trip !

[mpoole]

For lift served skiing I use a Lowepro back pack. I think the size is "200". It carries my Elan II , 28-105 and 70-200L F4 just fine. It works well because it has a sternum strap to stabilize it. One great advantage is that it sits fairly high on my back and rests over the back of the chairlift, so I don't have to remove it. I did a forward roll in powder at Fernie last year and didn't break anything. If the snow was hard the results could be much worse!

[jambo]

there are several snowboard/ski specific camera packs

burton make one call the zoom pack (its about $130) and dakine make one called the Reload (about $200).

i'm about to purchase the burton zoom because after checking out the lowepro's i wouldn't be happy boarding with one.

[ilya]

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
Definatley get another battery or two and a 77mm polarizer and whatever step up rings you need for the smaller diameter lenses. (77mm is the thread size fo rthe 17-40mm f/4)

But as indicated, while skying you will not be toting a pile of lenses I would imagine. So you may wnat a polarizer for the "one lens" that yuo expect to mount and carry in your fanny pack. Maybe the 28-135?

CDS, what polarizer you reco buying. Do I want circular or linear, and what's the difference.

Gents, thanks so much for all advice.

Ilya

[yorksman]

I am a Colorado based photographer so when I say be careful using a polarizer do so because of the altitude. Higher the altitude the sky seems to get even more bluer. Most likely for your skiing shots you will not neet the polarizer. If you buy one you need to buy the circular one. Any questions fill free to contact me.

Jody

www.jodygrigg.com

[ilya]

yorksman wrote:
I am a Colorado based photographer so when I say be careful using a polarizer do so because of the altitude. Higher the altitude the sky seems to get even more bluer. Most likely for your skiing shots you will not neet the polarizer. If you buy one you need to buy the circular one. Any questions fill free to contact me.

Jody

www.jodygrigg.com


Thanks Jody, will do. I really enjoyed your gallery btw.