atacama desert...patagonia
Nov 20, 2018 09:30:46 #
Hi, I was at the Atacama in January. Firstly I would suggest you set your camera to manual/infinity prior your astro tour as when you get there it is pitch black and you won't be allowed to switch on a torch, not even the one on your mobile, so you would be fiddling in the dark. I don't know what February is like but if anything like January, the milky way is not very strong and no planets in sight. Was told July would be the best time. After the talk, you would be able to go through all the telescopes as they would be pointing at different stars. As no planets visible, I used the time to set up the camera and take pictures of the milky way. So if you want to take pictures, you have no time to look through all the various telescopes. Ideally, a really wide angle lens (I had the 18-300).I'm attaching a picture of the milky way to give you an idea. Setting : Manual; F/3.5; Exposure 30 seconds. ISO 3200. I'm presuming you will be going to El Tatio Geysers - amazing place. I put the camera (at that time had the D3300) on Programme Mode and kept the ISO at 100, even when the sun was rising and got some good pictures. For the rest of the time, it will be very sunny and hot..so kept it on Programme with ISO 100. Didn't got to Patagonia. Hope this helps a bit.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
midazolam wrote:
Will be traveling to these places in February...would appreciate any and all suggestions regarding settings for both regions...also night photography of the milky way. I will be using DX Nikon D7000 with a nikon 24-70 f2.8 and a manfretto tripod 190 go ..also suggestions for any other lenses...dont want to overpack re equipment...thanking all in advance
Nov 20, 2018 17:13:30 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
For a trip like that I'd recommend NOT taking a 24-70mm f/2.8. IMO, a better "walk around" lens would be an AF-S 18-140mm VR DX.
I am not a fan of "do it all zooms" with extreme ranges, such as the Tamron 18-400mm Most of them just compromise too much for my liking. But I like to photograph wildlife, so would add a 300mm f/4 along with a 1.4X teleconverter or carry a 100-400mm zoom instead. There are some people reporting good results with that Tamron though, and such a wide ranging zoom has some appeal for travel.
For the night photography... look into the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. While you don't need f/2.8 on the other lenses, but it's different for night photography. Your D7000 has an in-body focusing motor, so you can consider the earliest version of that lens, which is less expensive because it doesn't have an in-lens focusing motor so won't autofocus on Nikon D3000-series and D5000-series cameras. But it's fine on D7000. I'd recommend the Nikkor AF-P 10-20mm VR instead, which is small, light and inexpensive... but I think there are some compatibility issues with AF-P lenses on D7000 and it's not an f/2.8 lens. With this (or other) lens for night photography, you'll need the larger aperture for a viewfinder that's bright enough to be usable at night.
Macro is the another thing you might want. With my crop sensor cameras I often use the Tamron 60mm, which is compact and reasonably light, plus has an f/2 aperture... a stop larger than most macro lenses offer, and 1.66 to 2 full stops more than some others. This makes it considerably more useful for other purposes, such as portraiture. I prefer a 100mm lens for macro, but it's a lot larger and is "only" f/2.8. The Tamron 60mm puts you pretty close to subjects and doesn't have fast AF. So it will never be a "sports" lens, but it's fine for a lot of other things.
An alternative is to carry a set of macro extension tubes, which can be used with many lenses to make them focus a lot closer and render higher magnification. I always carry a set of those, too... Kenko are a good brand at a reasonable price.
Other accessories I always carry are a flash and an off camera shoe cord (with a flash bracket, if I have space for it).
I haven't been to Patagonia, but understand it's pretty cold there. Take extra batteries and always keep at least one warm in an internal pocket, swap out when the one in the camera gets cold and the camera starts to lag. Re-warming that battery will usually bring it back to life so you can continue using it for a while. Also make sure you have a battery charger that can be used locally and/or is solar powered and/or can be used with a car's cigarette lighter. Also take plenty of memory cards. Your D7000 uses SD, I believe, which are cheap these days.
Another accessory I'd want for the wide angle and possibly the walk-around zoom is a circular polarizer. Those can make for a much nicer scenic shot, as well as have other uses. I recommend B+W F-Pro or XS-Pro C-Pols... they're top of the line quality at half the price of others with similar specifications.
Lens and sensor cleaning kits are important, too. Check if any liquids in those are okay to take on an airplane... there may be restrictions that dictate what type and size you can take.
Will you have a computer or other means of backing up your images? If possible, it might be good to upload important images to "the cloud" for safe-keeping, too.
Finally, take a few some plastic bags, rubber bands and gaffer tape to keep things dry and dust free. In fact, watch out for condensation taking gear in and out of the cold. If necessary, seal it up in a plastic bag and let it come up to room temp before removing it, to prevent condensation. The rubber bands also can be helpful removing a stuck filter from a lens, if that ever occurs (you might get nice wide ones for free from the clerk in your local grocery store's produce dept.)
I am not a fan of "do it all zooms" with extreme ranges, such as the Tamron 18-400mm Most of them just compromise too much for my liking. But I like to photograph wildlife, so would add a 300mm f/4 along with a 1.4X teleconverter or carry a 100-400mm zoom instead. There are some people reporting good results with that Tamron though, and such a wide ranging zoom has some appeal for travel.
For the night photography... look into the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. While you don't need f/2.8 on the other lenses, but it's different for night photography. Your D7000 has an in-body focusing motor, so you can consider the earliest version of that lens, which is less expensive because it doesn't have an in-lens focusing motor so won't autofocus on Nikon D3000-series and D5000-series cameras. But it's fine on D7000. I'd recommend the Nikkor AF-P 10-20mm VR instead, which is small, light and inexpensive... but I think there are some compatibility issues with AF-P lenses on D7000 and it's not an f/2.8 lens. With this (or other) lens for night photography, you'll need the larger aperture for a viewfinder that's bright enough to be usable at night.
Macro is the another thing you might want. With my crop sensor cameras I often use the Tamron 60mm, which is compact and reasonably light, plus has an f/2 aperture... a stop larger than most macro lenses offer, and 1.66 to 2 full stops more than some others. This makes it considerably more useful for other purposes, such as portraiture. I prefer a 100mm lens for macro, but it's a lot larger and is "only" f/2.8. The Tamron 60mm puts you pretty close to subjects and doesn't have fast AF. So it will never be a "sports" lens, but it's fine for a lot of other things.
An alternative is to carry a set of macro extension tubes, which can be used with many lenses to make them focus a lot closer and render higher magnification. I always carry a set of those, too... Kenko are a good brand at a reasonable price.
Other accessories I always carry are a flash and an off camera shoe cord (with a flash bracket, if I have space for it).
I haven't been to Patagonia, but understand it's pretty cold there. Take extra batteries and always keep at least one warm in an internal pocket, swap out when the one in the camera gets cold and the camera starts to lag. Re-warming that battery will usually bring it back to life so you can continue using it for a while. Also make sure you have a battery charger that can be used locally and/or is solar powered and/or can be used with a car's cigarette lighter. Also take plenty of memory cards. Your D7000 uses SD, I believe, which are cheap these days.
Another accessory I'd want for the wide angle and possibly the walk-around zoom is a circular polarizer. Those can make for a much nicer scenic shot, as well as have other uses. I recommend B+W F-Pro or XS-Pro C-Pols... they're top of the line quality at half the price of others with similar specifications.
Lens and sensor cleaning kits are important, too. Check if any liquids in those are okay to take on an airplane... there may be restrictions that dictate what type and size you can take.
Will you have a computer or other means of backing up your images? If possible, it might be good to upload important images to "the cloud" for safe-keeping, too.
Finally, take a few some plastic bags, rubber bands and gaffer tape to keep things dry and dust free. In fact, watch out for condensation taking gear in and out of the cold. If necessary, seal it up in a plastic bag and let it come up to room temp before removing it, to prevent condensation. The rubber bands also can be helpful removing a stuck filter from a lens, if that ever occurs (you might get nice wide ones for free from the clerk in your local grocery store's produce dept.)
Jan 29, 2019 11:49:19 #
midazolam wrote:
thanks all..will be spending 4nights in the atacama 3nights santiago 5 nights patagonia and 4 nights in el chatlan then 4 nights in buenos aires..done extensive traveling Congo Papua New Guinea India Bhutan and East Africa...first time to this part of the world..thats why am asking the question...I was under the impression that atacama would be clear and know numerous people who have spent only four nights in the atacama...
In the Atacama, it will be bright and clear (driest place on earth). Nights are clear. Some of the world’s largest telescope (optic and radio) are there. Milky Way may not be visible because of timing. San Pedro devAtacama is at 8000 feet. Going to the Alto Plano or Tatio means going to 16,000 feet and you could have altitude problems. You want depth of field as everything is expansive. Recommend aperture priority. Almost everything can be shot with ISO of 100.
Santiago is very smoggy yet very modern. Many universities there. Recommend day trip to Valparaiso. Very picturesque.
Pantgonia is fascinating. Wind and overcast can be a problem but the clouds tend to blow through but have rain gear for sure. While it is the end of summer the daily highs are usually in the 40’s to mid 50’s, your clothes should be wind proof (experienced wind up to 72 mph gusts on walks). Worth the visit for sure. Great variety of wildlife: guanaco, condors, foxes, rhea, pumas to name a few. Again use aperture priority but during cloudy or rain times may need to up ISO to get your depth of field.
Jan 29, 2019 13:35:24 #
Feb 3, 2019 00:02:45 #
as an aside I have the sigma 11-16 f2.8 dx...should I use it at night for milkyway without a filter? brining a tripod...feel the lens would also be good for day shots ....thanks in advance
Jun 25, 2023 09:16:25 #
midazolam wrote:
Will be traveling to these places in February...would appreciate any and all suggestions regarding settings for both regions...also night photography of the milky way. I will be using DX Nikon D7000 with a nikon 24-70 f2.8 and a manfretto tripod 190 go ..also suggestions for any other lenses...dont want to overpack re equipment...thanking all in advance
At Tatio geyser field you will arrive before or just at sunrise. It will be about 20 degrees F. The best pictures are at sunrise so you need f stop of 5.6 or lower and an ISO that gives you the picture you want. Smaller apertures and longer exposures can yield interesting picture.
As for the Milky Way, it may not be visible. We were there in early March and the Milky Way was not visible. If you are staying at Explora, they have a skilled photographer who can solve that for you.
Jun 25, 2023 12:09:01 #
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