Some pictures from our 2017 USA Road Trip ... part 2

Stormbringer

Sea2Ski said:

What fantastic pictures!!!   So envious!

I do not want to hijack the thread but I want to ask what tripod are you using?  I am in the market for a good travel model.  Leaning toward the vanguard because I do not want to spend more than $250-300 on one.
This one:
http://www.vanguardworld.us/photo_video_us/products/tripods/veo-2-265.html really has my eye at the moment because it folds small, is light but can hold a good sized camera and lens.

@Sea2Ski I picked up a new carbon fibre Manfrotto 190 tripod just before Christmas. It's rock solid. I tried a few different heads and ended up with a single handled ball grip style (below). I found this easier to use than the two-dial or long armed models. When I pull the lever, the head moves freely and easily, release it and the head is rock solid, as is the tripod. This is fine for out spotting scope, SWMBO got a heavy-duty version of the grip below because she has a heavy lens.

20stone

Thanks for posting this.  You almost have me packing my bags. 

RajunCajun

Amazingly beautiful pictures.  Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

Stormbringer

20stone said:

Thanks for posting this.  You almost have me packing my bags. 

@20stone maybe part 1, part 3 and part 4 will tip you over the edge . We're heading back next year in June and September.

Sea2Ski

@Stormbringer thanks for the followup. I did serious research, and I settled on the Sirui tripod with a G20 ball head. While the tripod did not have the flip locks for the legs which I really wanted for obvious reasons, it had everything else: strength, height, collapsed size, weight, weight hook etc...  For the price, I am very pleased. That ball head, once dialed in, is really nice and smooth. Even with my 500mm lens on a serious angle, that head does not slip, and that was one of my concerns.

Looking to your threads on your upcoming trips!

Stormbringer

Sea2Ski said:

@Stormbringer thanks for the followup. I did serious research, and I settled on the Sirui tripod with a G20 ball head. While the tripod did not have the flip locks for the legs which I really wanted for obvious reasons, it had everything else: strength, height, collapsed size, weight, weight hook etc...  For the price, I am very pleased. That ball head, once dialed in, is really nice and smooth. Even with my 500mm lens on a serious angle, that head does not slip, and that was one of my concerns.

Looking to your threads on your upcoming trips!

That's a good looking head.

SWMBO just bought a Tamron 18-400mm lens for Yellowstone. We have two Canon bodies, 60D and 80D, so one can have that lens and the other a Sigma 150-600. Last year we found there was quite a bit of swapping lenses around, and also her current Tamron 70-300mm lens is starting to die.

So looking forward to some more awesome shots next year indeed.

SamIAm2

Stormbringer said: 

So looking forward to some more awesome shots next year indeed.

So are we!!

THEBuckeye

Ansel Adams got nothing on you. Spectacular. 

Sea2Ski

@Stormbringer  You stated "her current Tamron 70-300mm lens is starting to die" What do you mean about that? I never heard of a lens starting to die. Cracked, shattered, light leaks yes, but I never heard "starting to die" for a lens.  Then again, I am not an avid photographer. An occasional weekend warrior at best, but always looking to learn!

Stormbringer

Sea2Ski said:

@Stormbringer  You stated "her current Tamron 70-300mm lens is starting to die" What do you mean about that? I never heard of a lens starting to die. Cracked, shattered, light leaks yes, but I never heard "starting to die" for a lens.  Then again, I am not an avid photographer. An occasional weekend warrior at best, but always looking to learn!

We think something inside has come loose, when SWMBO picked it up there was a grinding noise from inside and it felt like one of the components was wobbling. Best way I can describe it is to think of a cylinder with a dense rubber ball inside held in place by four strong pieces of rubber banding, if you picked that cylinder up quickly enough the ball would move ever so slightly after the cylinder did. Also it's AF isn't entirely accurate anymore. But it's a very old lens that has been used for literally tens of thousands of photographs and traveled a lot.

Also on our last holiday a child not looking where they were going trod on our camera bag. I had to bite my tongue.