It's been awhile
you can say that again--
I'm supposed to be on (self imposed) vacation and you're dragging me out of it
Its all good
and I got away from the shopping because Christmas came up and well you get it. So now I see a newer thread discussing similiar issues and it gets me searching again. So my question for you Beancounter- I see a lot of guys (Boneaddict for example) who put up some nice pictures. Some people make their living doing it.
Less and less. Many artists have day jobs to supplement their income. Problem is getting worse with availability of decent quality DSLRs out there turning untold scores of soccer moms and retirees into instant fauxtographers. They're pushing wages down quite a bit. I was asked to shoot a coworkers wedding and quoted him $1,900 ($600+ off) and he went with some G.W.C.(guy wif camera) for $500. I'm not even going to try to compete with that. I'm going to try to keep my mouth shut and be a nice guy when I hear him whining about how his photos look... You get what you pay for!!!
I'm a weekend warrior and unfortunately I just can't give up my overpaid and underworked day job to go full time shooting weddings. I think if I tried I might wind up hating the art in the end as its now work and not fun.
Instead of the video route I was initially addressing, I've been looking at youtube video of regular cameras with incredible optical zooms mounted on tripods. There is a Nikon Coolpix with an 83X optical zoom that brings the moon craters right into your backyard. My questions (finally) Are any of these types of systems waterproof?
I could be wrong (usually am) but I think Coolpix uses "AW" as a designation for 'all weather,' so check the particular model number. Note that few cameras are actually waterPROOF but
weather resistant. Nikon's flagship D5 and Canon's 1D line specifically stipulate this. They'll take a rainstorm, but don't go swimming with it.
The most cost effective way into a weather sealed DSLR is Pentax. I believe High Country has one or two. Not sure if they use pentamirrors or pentaprisms for the viewfinder. The mirror box is much dimmer than the prism, so this will affect you ability to use it as a spotting scope, as Shawn mentioned above with his 7dII (7d2 has pentaprism). Note that when you're doing that method you don't have to have the camera on to do that--its purely an optical operation.. so less batteries used.
Would a camera like this that does stills and video give me superior images to an android phone mounted on a spotting scope?
Not likely. Better off putting more money into a quality spotter and having a form fitted adapter for the camera phone. The sensor size and a good quality mount will be the driving factors. Larger sensors mean larger photosites means more photons collected means more dynamic range, saturation, contrast, etc. I don't know much about the sensor specs of the Coolpix so i can't compare it to your 'Bamaphone.
Assuming it's possible to get antler clarity with a camera, do these kind of cameras come with the lens out of the box ready to see mule deer a mile away, or are you having to gradually build a system?
You'll be able to see them, but Bone gets the kind of photos he does not by toting around an 800mm lens in a shopping cart, but by being sneaky and crawling up on them the good old fashioned way. Your photos wont look anything like his, particularly if you want the nice creamy blurred background bokehliciousness, which is a function of aperture, focal length, and the
Circle of Confusion (yeah--its
really called that). Clear?
I appreciate any time you give me on this. When I spend $1000 plus on something I really want to be satified. I'm worried about going one way or the other and being PO'd or unsatisfied, which I dread when spending that kind of money. Anyway sorry for the long wind.
Be honest with yourself as to what's most important: the ability to glass all day or just quick looks here and there plus the ability to snap a photo while you're at it. I'm all about glassing. My 82mm spotter is a beast to drag up to my honey hole but I can glass all day long with it. I can tell you that for the $800 I spent on my spotter it has been a good investment as it has helped me end hunts much quicker because I wouldn't have known the deer were there without it.
