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All information and recommendations given
here are those of the webmaster. The
pictures on this site
are my results.
Don't get obsessed with photographic gear, most
of my photographs that I have published on this site (those in the
Picture Galleries)
were taken using a now long largely obsolete mid-range completely manual
and mechanical 35mm film camera (a Pentax MX) mainly using a standard 50mm
lens for scenery and general shots or a 100mm lens for wildlife. Great photographs
are taken more by the photographer, less by the equipment and once you get
to a certain level of ability (lower than you might think) spending more
has little effect. It's always nice to have high quality, highly featured
equipment - just don't expect it to compensate for pointing it in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
Digital cameras are now the norm.
When I first wrote this piece in 2001, I said that I wouldn't take a
digital to Antarctica as my only camera. Times have moved on however and
digital cameras are now of a quality, price and reliability that they can
be used as the only camera with confidence.
| Digital - Sensor size counts
more than pixels |
You may have heard that there is more to digital cameras
than the number of pixels. For a number of years
now camera manufacturers have produced digital cameras with increasing pixel
counts, but without the corresponding increase in picture quality, why is
this? Shouldn't a 4Mp camera be twice as good as 2MP? an 8MP four times
as good?
Pixel number is misleading, it should be considered in
conjunction with sensor size as well.
The rectangles below are the actual sensor sizes for
four currently available digital cameras of similar pixel count.
As the sensor gets smaller, the pixels are squeezed closer together and
quality of image suffers. The advantage of a smaller sensor however is that
the camera itself can be significantly smaller. Camera size and weight are
also given for a comparison, though no comparison is made of features that
the cameras have, each is one of the best rated in its particular class.
There are other sensor sizes currently in use, those shown are amongst the
most frequently encountered.
Note the huge jump in pixel density in pixels/cm2
between the two SLR models and the two point-and-shoot models. This explains
why larger SLR cameras deliver far better quality results than smaller models
with the same number of pixels - Sensors - size
matters! Sensor size is comparable to format with film cameras.
SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. It means that
you look through the taking lens (it only has one), and so see exactly what
the film sees. Just before the photograph is taken a small mirror that enables
you to see flips up and out of the way so the light falls on the sensor
(some recent models such as the Lumix G1 above, do not have a mirror to
further reduce size and weight, viewfinding is electronic only via the sensor).
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SLR |
Point and Shoot |
Advantages:
 | Large sensor - high
quality images |
| Interchangeable lenses |
| Usually solidly built |
| Often have a full range of manual and
automatic settings |
| Fully featured (more so than point and
shoot) |
| Faster response times, shutter, focussing
etc. |
| More ergonomic functions, buttons and
dials rather than long choice menus |
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Advantages:
| Small and light |
| Self-contained often with high ratio
zooms |
| More affordable (because nothing is ever
described as "cheap" any more) |
| Simple to use, pick up and use straight
away |
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Disadvantages:
| Large and bulky |
| More expensive |
| Additional lenses can be expensive |
| Possibility of getting dust on the sensor
when changing lenses |
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Disadvantages:
| Smaller sensor means lower quality
images |
| Limited range of features, particularly
manual over-ride |
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A "standard lens" has a focal length of 50mm equivalent
on a 35mm film camera, this means that the camera sees whatever your
eye sees with no magnification and no wide-angle effect. Most cameras these
days come with a zoom lens which gives a range of focal lengths from wide
angle to short telephoto. Anything less than 35mm is a bonus, and for the
majority of shots, you won't need much longer than 100mm. There are many
zoom lenses that will cover this range and you will probably use them for
the vast majority of your photographs. Something towards 200mm is nice to
have, but anything beyond is really in the realms of the very serious photographer
and will hardly ever be used by any other than the photography buff or professional.
My preference is for a 50mm standard lens, a 100mm
fixed and then a 70-200mm (ish) zoom. I use these in the ratio of about
5:5:1 respectively. I feel that wide angles (less than 50mm) are a matter
of style rather than necessity. I like fixed lenses rather than zooms as
they make you move about and think about where you will stand to take the
photograph. They slow the process down and get your brain involved more
- that makes for better photographs.
Fixed lenses are lighter in weight than the zoom equivalent,
have a larger maximum aperture (they are brighter to look through) and will
always be of better quality than a zoom. Lenses longer than 200mm are essential
for much wildlife photography - but not in Antarctica, you can get close
enough without them.
 A
digital SLR in particular will need it's own case. While it is possible
to get a backpack dedicated to camera gear, this will be over the top for
most people. My own preference is for a padded case that can be worn around
the waist on a belt for quick access without wearing the camera round the
neck, more easily accessible than in a back pack and more freedom of movement
than a shoulder bag. This case and belt can be put into your backpack along
with your other gear for protection and ease of carrying.
Browse camera bags
You should always have a skylight filter on every lens
you have to protect it from damage, a polarizing filter can be useful
too to get some good deep blue skies and clouds. Beyond this - forget it.
I've never seen a single good wildlife or landscape shot that has been enhanced
by the use of a "creative" filter. To (mis) quote Samuel Johnson they are
the "last refuge of a scoundrel".
A must if you're a wildlife fanatic and
a "nice to have" if you're not.
"Incidentally, I see
you recommend avid wildlife watchers should take binoculars - everyone
should have them! It is very annoying having to share your binos with
someone for that rare glimpse of a distant blue whale or even just getting
a better view of scenery!"
- Robert Burton Antarctic tour guide and lecturer.
Binoculars are described by two numbers "10 x 50" for
instance. The first number is the magnification and the second is the diameter
of the front lens in millimetres. This tells you first of all how much bigger
things appear and then how much of it you see at that magnification, (a
bit like looking down tubes of different diameters). A front lens diameter
of 50mm is fairly common, but the binoculars will be quite bulky, anything
less than this is described as "compact", much easier to carry about, but
a smaller diameter tube to look down.
A magnification of 10 or 12 is about as much as most people
can manage to hand-hold without shaking about all over the place and is
generally most useful . Don't go for the "most powerful" binoculars you
can get, you won't be able to hold them steady without a tripod or something
to brace against.
If your pocket will stretch to it
there are now
"image stabilizer" binoculars available. These have an electronic method
of eliminating shake and reducing curvature of field.
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Recommended
photographic equipment list:
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Quality
digital camera*
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Standard
lens, around 50mm*
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Short telephoto
lens, 100-135mm*
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Longer telephoto,
around 200mm
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Camera bag
on a waist belt
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Skylight
filter for each lens*
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Polarizing
filter for standard lens
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Blower brush
and lens tissues to keep it all clean and dust-free*
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*Minimum
kit, a zoom lens can be used to cover this range
You could use one or more zoom
lenses to cover the range, I prefer fixed lenses as they are
lighter, better quality and encourage you to move around which
I think makes for better pictures.
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