Going hiking need advice on camera settings: I'm going on a 5 mile hike through the Saguaro National Park in a few minutes .... I have a Rebel XT with a 28-105mm lens got my UV and...

photogrl57 Loc: Tennessee

I'm going on a 5 mile hike through the Saguaro National Park in a few minutes ....
I have a Rebel XT
with a 28-105mm lens
got my UV and Circular Polarizer filters in tow
Plus the tripods,and monopod.
Also taking the 200-400mm telephoto lens with the 2X extender just in case I get lucky
I was wondering ... if this were you what mode would you shoot in and what settings for the best color and clarity ?

RiverNan Loc: Eastern Pa

Oh my...you are going to have to change your settings if you change your lenses.....
not to mention when you will go from dense woods to filtered light to bright natural light.

put it on 200 ISO....set your shutter to 125 and start from there...good luck....hope it is a lot warmer than here.. Im going to hike to the garage..get in the car and hike to the movie theatre where I will sit on my but for about an hour and a half. but I got one for ya going to another thread.....HAVE FUN..if you get scared put it on auto.

photogrl57 Loc: Tennessee

rivernan wrote:

Oh my...you are going to have to change your setti... (show quote)

LOL thanks hun

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

Since you have a tripod, for your landscapes shoot at the lowest ISO you can and the smallest F stop, for the telephoto make sure you are shooting at a high shutter speed. Happy hiking.

photogrl57 Loc: Tennessee

Bmac wrote:

Since you have a tripod, for your landscapes shoot at the lowest ISO you can and the smallest F stop, for the telephoto make sure you are shooting at a high shutter speed. Happy hiking.

Awesome thanks :)

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

photogrl57 wrote:

I'm going on a 5 mile hike through the Saguaro National Park in a few minutes ....
I have a Rebel XT
with a 28-105mm lens
got my UV and Circular Polarizer filters in tow
Plus the tripods,and monopod.
Also taking the 200-400mm telephoto lens with the 2X extender just in case I get lucky
I was wondering ... if this were you what mode would you shoot in and what settings for the best color and clarity ?

Well if it was me I would do what I always do - I would pay attention, I would be open and receptive and the last thing I would think about is what mode to shoot in - I perfer a mindful mode.

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

Your subject matter and lighting will decide the settings for you. Use what is appropriate for whatever you are shooting.

A landscape or scenic on a tripod can be done with a low ISO, slow shutter speed, and small lens opening.

A hawk that suddenly appears flying out of nowhere is a whole different ball game.

cogerox Loc: Northern Cal

photogrl57 wrote:

I'm going on a 5 mile hike through the Saguaro National Park in a few minutes ....
I have a Rebel XT
with a 28-105mm lens
got my UV and Circular Polarizer filters in tow
Plus the tripods,and monopod.
Also taking the 200-400mm telephoto lens with the 2X extender just in case I get lucky
I was wondering ... if this were you what mode would you shoot in and what settings for the best color and clarity ?

Not sure if you got the answer you were looking for, or if you are already gone on your hike, but it depends what you are shooting at the time. If you're shooting landscapes you'll want to use the lowest ISO available on your camera, shoot in manual and use your widest lens. If you are shooting critters you'll need a faster shutter, so set it to ISO 200 or even 400, use (depending upon settings available on your camera) Shutter Priority or Program mode and use your longer lens. I shoot in Raw so color is taken care of in PP. Good luck.

wireman8 Loc: Toledo, Ohio

And someone to help you carry all your gear.

photogrl57 Loc: Tennessee

wireman8 wrote:

And someone to help you carry all your gear.

Yeah no kidding the backpack weighed about 30 pounds ... that was pretty darn heavy by the time I got back to the car.

photogrl57 Loc: Tennessee

I seem to go hiking a couple times a week now so all the advice will be put to good use ... thank you all for responding

JHodge Loc: Missouri

photogrl57 wrote:

I seem to go hiking a couple times a week now so all the advice will be put to good use ... thank you all for responding

So when are you going to show us some of the pics?
:-)

photogrl57 Loc: Tennessee

JHodge wrote:

photogrl57 wrote:

I seem to go hiking a couple times a week now so all the advice will be put to good use ... thank you all for responding

So when are you going to show us some of the pics?
:-)

I still haven't found any worth posting ... I had a really bad day behind the camera.

photogrl57 Loc: Tennessee

Here are a few from my hike. Nothing but cactus for miles and miles and miles. Unedited except to resize smaller.

took this laying on the ground

silver Loc: Santa Monica Ca.

photogrl57 wrote:

I'm going on a 5 mile hike through the Saguaro National Park in a few minutes ....
I have a Rebel XT
with a 28-105mm lens
got my UV and Circular Polarizer filters in tow
Plus the tripods,and monopod.
Also taking the 200-400mm telephoto lens with the 2X extender just in case I get lucky
I was wondering ... if this were you what mode would you shoot in and what settings for the best color and clarity ?

I tell my students to always shoot on manual setting and use a tripod. There is a lot of emphasis on hand holding a camera but do what feels best. I very rarely hand hold because I want the best quality image and handholding does more harm then good other then being able to brag about it. I always use the lowest iso setting and I always look at all 4 corners of the viewfinder to make sure that my image is what I want it to be. Take your time and love what you are doing. Hiking and photographing, how wonderful. My pack weighs 30 pounds also and that does not include my tripod (an older aluminum 200 series Gitzo) and my filter bag. Good photography takes work both physical and mental so you are getting the best workout there is. Enjoy.