| Thanks to all who read my previous post on rationalizing my camera system. It worked like a charm. The 70-200 f/4 and TC20Eiii converter make an excellent telephoto that focuses quickly (with the range limter, especially) and the 16-85 is a step up from the 18-200. The whole trip was a good time for Mary Beth and me to relax and I had a fantastic time with the photography. For more details and some fairly high resolution images, continue reading. |  |
I downsized my Tamrac bags further after discovering the long lens and its D7100 will fit in a Tamrac 517 case, I bought upon my return, a Tamrac 515 for the D7100 with the 16-85, leaving the Tamrac 519 case for a future use.
I also bought a tiny generic “SLR” case that holds two battery chargers, the spare 18-55 lens, the 12-24 lens, and some miscellaneous accessories including the Kirk tripod adapter for the 70-200. That should solve some of the issues I had on this trip. I did not really miss the 12-24, but it was a shame not to have it.
The small Q-666C tripod worked reasonably well, but the ball head was not great. I’ve now swapped the original ball head with the Linhoff 3677 at the cost of 0.2 lbs.
The revised weights are: Small camera outfit: 4.4 lbs; Large camera outfit (with converter in side pouch): 6.6 lbs; Support case with three spare camera batteries, 12-24, 18-55, and a few other items: 4.4 lbs; Small pouch with SB-400 flash, SC-17 cord, diffuser and, six NiMH AAs: 1.2 lbs; Tripod with Linhof head: 3.6 lbs; and the Ruby monopod: 1.5 lbs. I did not bring the Ruby monopod and missed it. That brings the total weight with both monopod and tripod to about 22 pounds. All the equipment sub cases fit into a Tumi backpack/shoulder bag I’ve had for a while. The gear minus the supports is a bit under 17 pounds and the tripod traveled in a separate case from the rest of the gear.
Here are some samples (these images are copyrighted, please do not use them without credit/permission). Click for a larger view.
Surf on the North Shore:
Whale watching off Maalaea and Kihei:
Turtles at the Maui Ocean Center
A pigeon at the beach from about 35 feet.
And…I finally captured the green flash at sunset. If you look very closely at the third image,
there is a little indigo just above the ocean that is the end of the “flash.”
