Grand Canyon trip

[minicooper]

Hi guys, Happy New Year!

I am planning to go on a 10-day trip around the Grand Canyon area, taking in Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Zion National Park etc in September. First of all, what is the weather generally like at that time of year? I have only been to the US once, ages ago, so I have no idea what to expect weatherwise!

And what would be on your essential equipment list? Bearing in mind it's generally landscapes I want to concentrate on, and I don't want to take more than I have to. So far I reckon:


-10D

-Wide Lens (need to buy one- does anyone have any first hand experience on the difference between the Sigma 17-35 EX and the Canon 17-40L?)

-70-200 2.8

-All my memory cards

-Some sort of digital storage

-LOTS of charged batteries (how many do you think I'll need? If I am cautious about using the monitor I reckon about 5 would do)

-Tripod.


Any other suggestions?

Cheers!
Tom
Hampshire, England

[ashforth]

Hi Tom-

I've visited the Grand Canyon a few times and can tell you that you need a very wide angle lens. I shot it with both a 35mm Canon and a Minolta digital, each camera with a 28mm view and wished I had a wider lens.

The Canyon is tremendous and no matter how many photos you've seen, there is nothing that can compare to being there.

Hope you have a safe and fun trip. Enjoy!

Herb

[Vegas Poboy]

Hello Tom,
September can be a funny time of the year to predict the weather. This area of the country @ that time of year you can see anything from light snow to blazing heat. The color of leaves in Bryce might not have even changed yet.

I was planning that trip with a shorter route this year (oops last year) and the weather was still very warm, then work got into the way. I could only recommend carring clothing that you could wear in layers that way you could have everything covered. I do recommend a good pair if not two of hiking boots already worn in and a decent backpack with light weight tripod.

To catch the highlights of these areas you pretty much need to out @ sunrise & sunset thats when the colors really pop out. Daylight savings does not change over until October so the Sun comes up around 5:30-6:00 and the sun sets around 6:30 to 7:00. That will give you time in the midday to recharge batteries and download CF cards.

Personally I purchased a Dell notebook with CD burner for travel to store all of my pics. This way you can view and delete the images you know you can't fix right away. I do not edit with my notebook only view.

If you're staying in lodging that has power I see no need than two to three batteries, just keep charging overnight. If I remember right the average battery should get you at least 400 shots. CF cards will depend if you're going to shoot RAW or JPEGS and I'm sure by time summer gets here the price of Cards should drop to the point that you'll have more than enough on hand .

Now for the lense I'm the type of person if you have the room bring it and carry what you need. On my day hikes I carry a flash, that can help put highlights into areas with shadows, 70-200 f/4, Sigma 28-70 and soon to purchase a 1.4 extender. Also UV & CPL filters is a must. I carry all of this in a Velocity 7 sling and but I plan on looking at the lowepro Rover soon. I also carry my film camera with film in case a breakdown happens with the 10D.

Hopefully this will help, I did find a decent route plan in Sunset mag last spring so you may want to look them up on the net also I believe Outdoor Photography had something on the same area also.

Good Luck
Happy New Year to all
Bennie

[Belmondo]

Tom:

The important thing to keep in mind about the Grand Canyon is that it isn't a mile-deep hole in the ground; it's a mile-deep hole in a 7200 ft. plateau. The weather at the rim is definitely more consistent with what you'll find in mountains of that elevation.

In September, the daytime weather will likely tend towards warm---maybe even hot, although there's no guarantee. And even if it’s blistering during the day, it can be quite chilly in the morning, and later, cool off rapidly after sunset. The best suggestion I can make is to dress in 'layers.' That way, you can add/subtract clothing as the temperature dictates.

Ashforth is right about wide-angle lenses. Other than an occasional lizard, you're not going to have a great deal of use for longer lenses.

I don't know how you plan on traveling---i.e. camping or staying in hotels, but you shouldn't need more than a couple batteries for a day's shooting unless you're shooting thousands of pictures per day. Two suggestions for saving your batteries: turn off the LCD display, and turn off autofocus. A great deal of your shooting will be at infinity, and manual focus should be just fine for your purposes.

I’d think a good tripod would also be helpful, but keep weight in mind. You can do a lot of walking, and if you’re going to be carrying everything, you don’t want a monster like mine (15 lbs).

I have to get busy in the kitchen now, but I’ll think some more about this. I’ll check this thread later to see what others are coming up with and add my 2 cents worth if I having anything else to add.

You’re going to love it.

Tom

[Vegas Poboy]

I aslo forgot to mention the 17-40 gets tagged along and I give that one to the wife or kid to carry for me.

[minicooper]

Thank you so much for all the info, I can't tell you how helpful this all is!!

I'm not going to be seeing a powerpoint for the whole trip, which is why I am most concerned about battery life. At the moment, I just have the one battery for my 10d- I have never been on a proper photographic expedition with my 10d, so I haven't had a need for more batteries. Are 3rd party batteries worthwhile? Generally I like to stick with Canon but at £60 a pop, ebay seems a more inviting option, especially since I may be spending £400 odd on a the 17-35L!

I am especially looking forward to Angels Landing at Zion, sounds incredible.

Does anyone have any pictures to show me of these areas?

cheers!
Tom

[arthurb]

minicooper wrote:
I'm not going to be seeing a powerpoint for the whole trip, which is why I am most concerned about battery life.

What type of trip are you taking? I can't imagine anywhere in the US where you would not have access to power for more than 10 days.

You should check with your tour provider and see if you will be at a lodge or similar place for a day or two during the trip. Otherwise you should plan for a battery a day if you are going to take a lot of pictures.

As far as the advice to turn off the LCD and auto focus, you might as well not go. Seeing the shot on the LCD will let you know if you need to retake it. On the large vistas of the Grand Canyon with lots of sky, the metering is sometimes fooled, and what seems like a great shot in your head, may need some tweaking.

Traveling from overseas for a trip you may not get to take again, getting the shots right should be a priority.

Good Luck!

[sdommin]

minicooper wrote:
I am especially looking forward to Angels Landing at Zion, sounds incredible.

Does anyone have any pictures to show me of these areas?

Ah yes, Angel's Landing! What a hike, it is incredible. Some advice: if you're afraid of heights - stay away! Bring water, you'll need it. Don't bring too much extra stuff along - its a very strenuous hike.

From the bottom...
http://www.pbase.com/image/1519302.jpg

From the top...
http://www.pbase.com/image/1519413.jpg

More here:
http://www.pbase.com/sdommin/adventures_out_west

[hmhm]

minicooper wrote:

I'm not going to be seeing a powerpoint for the whole trip
...
Does anyone have any pictures to show me of these areas?


If you're traveling between destinations in a car, then I recommend an inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter and provides 120AC, allowing you to charge batteries while you're on the road. I used this one:
http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?prid=95&scid=46

You may also want to have at least one fast lens on hand, e.g. a 50/1.8 . A 70-200/4 could be lighter to carry, and you're not likely to need the f/2.8 or the IS for landscape use (not that you should customize your kit too much for just one trip).

Depending on your tastes, you might find Bryce Canyon to be the most "photogenic".