HarveyG

Photographic Workshops:

I’ve had the good fortune to travel around Africa on my photo tours/workshops and see many camps, lodges, parks, hotels, conference centres and the like. There are only a handful that are memorable and make you want to return time and again. Not just the scenery, wildlife, facilities and peacefulness but what really makes the difference is the people. Seokama is one of those rare places where you can relax with family and friends and truly feel at home.

At the beginning of, and throughout the summer I visit Dave, Monika, Peter, Ryan, John and Tepa. The Waterberg is one of my favourite bush-veld getaways. Whilst there are dozens of lodge choices in the area, I occasionally need some escape from the pressure of only chasing the Big 5 for clients and not focussing on the other wild and birdlife, scenery that Africa has to offer.

Seokama Private Lodge is this escape.

Lodge Building. Seokama Private Lodge.

Sunrise

Vista

African Sunsets

Within walking distance from the lodge, 4 luxury canvas tents sleeping 8 on very comfy beds, each one with a covered verandah and an en-suite bathroom where the shower overlooks the bush at the back (just your head is visible!). A well appointed lodge with kitchen, lounge, bar and pool deck with views of the bush-veld savannah tucked amongst some beautiful mountains and landscape, a boma with Bush-Baby’s calling at night, has all one really needs to wind down. There is also a conference centre for hire, with facilities. Seokama has an abundance of bird life, especially around the summer rainfalls, as well as a good variety of game..

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I’ve been asked that dreaded question again:
Q: More Mega-pixels is better, right?
A: Sure, if you can afford an H4d-200MS or 645DF & IQ180 Medium Format…with a lens or two.
Q: What’s Medium Format?
A: * Sigh *

Nikon Canon Nikon Canon ...

Has aggressive marketing and consumerism made potential DSLR buyers really believe that N is better than C or C better than N thanks to the Mega-pixel count of the latest release? Are Mega-pixels the be all and end all buying factor of the perceived quality of a digital camera and thus the only basis for a purchasing decision? It’s as bad a question as the “What camera is better? Nikon or Canon?” Define “better”?

What about Sony, Sigma, Pentax, Kodak, Olympus, Fuji, Samsung, Panasonic, Leica, Hasselblad, Phase One, Mamiya, Zeiss etc. Are they no good? Never heard of them? Won’t consider them?

Sensor Sizes (Not to scale) Image courtesy Wikipedia. Click on the image to go their comprehensive sensor article.

What about the actual sensor dimensions used in various iterations of all these brands and cameras?
What about the TYPE of sensor, the design and the technology of the actual sensors that record the image? There are many different types of sensors each with their own unique design and improvements over the years. How does the manufacturers in-camera image processing software algorithms shape up? Do you need to shoot low light without flash? Are you only shooting in natural light. Wildlife, events, PJ? How about studio work?
Are lenses/glass quality also not part of this equation? Do you want one lens that goes from wide angle for landscapes to 600x zoom for spotting the tick on a Warthog’s butt at 200 meters? It’s ok, it’s got anti-shake! Will it still be as sharp on a P&S 600mm 12Mp with 1/1.8″ sensor (24.7mm²) as on a full frame 24Mp with 600mm f/4? with a 35mm (370 mm²) sensor? What about the signal-noise ratio? The larger sensor also has less clipping.

Based on ones need, I can make a purchasing suggestion wrt body, make, model, lens and sensor type/mega-pixel choice. It’s about the intended use, not only the Mp. Get a FF DSLR and the 4 or 5 lenses you will need to go from Ultra Wide Angle to Super Zoom at 800mm. Now try sneak it on as hand luggage on your way to the Serengeti.

There is not one definitive answer unless money is no object. Note that these two cameras are used in mostly studio and product photography and may not be ideal or practical for wildlife, astronomy, your next fishing trip (or event work?) due lens selection and body size, practicality and even weather resistance:

Who here has seen (drooled over) the Hasselblad H4D-200MS yet?

Hasselblad H4D-200MS - CCD based back.

Or the Phase One 645DF with IQ180 Digital Back?

Phase One 645DF - CCD based back.

In order to answer the More Mp is better question:

What is your intended use of the camera? (Holiday snaps to billboard advertisements of supercars/models).
What print size do you want? (Postcard or a wall mounted A1 Canvas?)
What is your budget!? (How deep are your pockets?)
Have you got old AF or MF lenses from the film days and what brand? (Saving money on glass allows you to spend more on new body technology)
How big are your hands and how strong is your back? (Good glass weighs a tonne)

You can see where I am going with this… (continue reading…)

Buffel’s-Baai (Buffalo-Bay), Goukamma Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa

Pushed the limits on the HDR (ToneMap?) here as an experiment. (It is not my favourite processing style but simply an exercise for me.) The Haloing (created during Post Processing) is more evident on the Medium-High quality (Flickr) JPG than on the full size original (PC). I will have to work on that to reduce or remove the effect when posting to web.
Shot with my Nikon D80 (CCD) which is far richer than the later D90/D300 supposedly more advanced (CMOS) sensors! with my new Tokina AT-X 124 AF PRO DX 12-24mm f/4. and NO filter…
This is the original (2006?) Tokina 12-24mm, with glass made by Hoya (the filter people).
The newer PRO DX II version apparently has less flare and ghosting due to some improved coatings, but I don’t think my PRO DX is as bad as it’s made out to be in some reviews, judging by the above and other results I shot this week.

I took more care with the above processing and whilst perhaps not as impactful as the first, it certainly is more realistic and believable.

Gear I use: Bodies: Nikon D-SLR’s / Lenses: Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, Vivitar /
Filters: Hoya UV & Polarizing / Flash: Nikon Speed-lights / Bag: Lowe Pro /
Tripods & Heads: Manfrotto / Grips and Batteries: Phottix
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs for Noise Reduction, HDR.

Whilst it might not knock a purists socks off, (Too much black dead space in the middle), I liked the purples and mauves as well as the balance between the dead tree silhouette and the sun.

Shot with a Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 EX DG for Nikon

Fireball - (c) HarveyG Photography 2010

Click about/contact if you wish to order a print. Thanks!

We decided to leave a day early to visit the Hops Hollow Micro Brewery in the Mauchsberg, Mpumalanga.

Hops Hollow Brewery. Long Tom Pass. Mauchsberg, Mpumalanga, South Africa. The highest brewery in Africa. Over 2000m above Median Sea Level.

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