zuzanne Loc: Crawfordville, FL

We are going to do the tour at California Caverns in May on our trip to Yosemite. Could use some advice on equipment to use as we have never been in a cave before. I will have my Canon T3i and my Canon SX50 with me. Do I use a flash or filters? Which lens, Ultra Wide Tokina 11-16 or Sigma 18-250?

I will have to take shots handheld as they don't allow tripods or monopods. The cave has lights but not sure how well lit it will be.

zuzanne

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

This is what I gathered a while back on cave photography. It might be useful.

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/a-shot-in-the-dark---guide-to-cave-photography-4680

http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/showcave/photo.html

http://digital-photography-school.com/14-tips-for-cave-photography

http://www.weatherfriend.com/travel/txcave/cave_photography.htm

http://museumca.org/caves/onli_photo.html

http://www.shutterbug.com/content/cave-photography-color-gear-and-light-painting-underground-style

zuzanne Loc: Crawfordville, FL

WOW! Thank you for all the links and fast response. I will check them all out.

zuzanne

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

You're welcome.

unclebe1 Loc: NYC & Wellington, FL

I visited Kartchner Caverns in AZ this past October along with 15 other photographers and had the opportunity to use both flash and tripod as well as having the cavern lights all on. It is not a photo friendly environment to say the least. The shots below were taken without flash, but at low ISOs of 100 and 400. They took approximately 2-10 seconds shutter speed. So, if you can up your ISO to 1600 or 3200 comfortably, you might get shutter speeds down to 1/15th or 1/20th sec at f5.6. You need to have patience and try different settings. The light is nowhere near uniform and will fool the camera light meter most of the time. Good luck!

MtnMan Loc: ID

How do get to take in your camera? They didn't allow them in January.

Did they prohibit flash? I got good results with my flash in Lehman cave.

You can check properties on this one for settings.

(Download)

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Beautiful!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Pop-up or external?

Deecee

I have visited this cave a few times, it is pretty dark, the lights are spread out and are mostly used to light the trails. That being said, photography is still possible even without a flash. You will need to use a high ISO and I recccomend that you put your camera in manual mode. The surrounding darkness will throw your meter off, so it will be just trial and error until you get the exposure right. You can use a flash, but it tends to wash the pictures out and they end up looking like something that was taken outdoors in a mid-day sun

There are several caves in the area but California Caverns is the better one to see. Don't waste your time on Merced Caverns, it's very small and there isn't much to see. Moaning Caverns is pretty cool abeit a little too comerciallized. The town of Columbia is worth the trip.

MtnMan Loc: ID

I used my SB 700 on my Nikon D800. I used it on camera.

My wife used her pop-up on her D5100. I haven't checked out her pictures on the computer but they look OK on her LCD.

I preferred the closer in compositions. Some caves have huge rooms and they'd be challenging with any single flash.

MtnMan Loc: ID

I can see where you'd have trouble without a flash and using manual. With a flash using TTL metering autoexposure works fine.

To use autofocus successfully you need to turn on your focus assist.

I took my pics in RAW so they are always washed out...and then processed in Lightroom. Using RAW gives you more latitude on exposure adjustments after the fact if needed.

I had a few rejects but not many.

Here's a few more from Lehman cave last month (Great Basin National Park in Nevada).

(Download)

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

One of these days I want to go to Howe Caverns again.

Psergel Loc: New Mexico

Hi Zuzanne
I visited Carlsbad Caverns here in New Mexico last summer. Same kind of restrictions. Also...I was using a T3i myself at the time. I used an EF-S 15-85 lens and that pretty much covered what I needed.
At Carlsbad.... in some cases what you are trying to photograph is too far away for a flash to work, however in most cases the formations are dramatically lit and a flash would just wash out the effects created by the professionals who did the lighting.

You will need to use the highest ISO you find acceptable. I ended up using ISO 1600 knowing that I would not be making any 8x10s due to the noise.
Use the largest aperture you can get away with and still keep the subject in focus. This is difficult since the formations (or clusters of formations) can be quite deep.
I ended up having to use f8 quite a bit.
This results in a shutter speed that isn't all that hand holdable. 1/8 or even 1/4. Hopefully your lens/lenses have OS.
If you have someone along who is tolerant and loves you, you have a monopod of sorts. A shoulder with a sweater over it works pretty well

:D

I took A LOT of pictures and dumped probably 80% of them. What was left was OK for the web or for small prints but........none of them are top notch due to the ISO and the shutter speed.
This one was ISO 1600 f8 1/8
BTW
It can be pretty chilly down there.

Jeff Smith 1 Loc: Pocono Mountains, PA

Last year my wife and I visited Cuevas de Nerja in Spain. Spectacular caverns, but no flash, tripods or monopods permitted. I used a high ISO (4000 on the attached), for 1/2 sec. at f/4 on my D5100. Bracing on railings helps greatly with camera shake, but it's still a bit iffy.
Good luck, and enjoy.

(Download)

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Just be careful around the wedding chapel they have there! You don't want to go home with more then you left with! :D