Ask Dave, February 21st

I have decided to do a weekly blog post called 'Ask Dave.' I get tons of questions each week, and I always respond as quickly as possible; but I have decided that it is about time to also share the answers with all of you too. If you have questions you can email me at Learn@DaveShumway.com.

Question:
From Rick... I did not think that the 17-40/4.0L performed very well with a full frame image sensor. Many of your images indicate otherwise. I assume that most of your landscape shots are with the lens stopped down to f11 or more. Does that account for the apparent good image quality? Also how large of a print are you able to get using this camera/lens combination? What other wide angle lenses do you use with the 5DII?

Answer:
I love my 17-40/4.0L on the 5DII. I used the 16-35/2.8L; but found that it did not have what it takes, Canon agreed and made the new 16-35/2.8L II at it was quite an improvement; but the 17-40 is still better especially when it comes to landscape performance. Take a look at Canon's published MTF charts to see what I mean about the difference in image quality, contrast, and bokeh. Another benefit of the 17-40 is that it takes the same size Polarizer and ND filters as my 70-200/2.8L IS II and 400/5.6L, also it weighs less than the 16-35/2.8L II, while costing much less.

As with most lenses you do need to pull off your UV filter when shooting landscapes to keep flare and chromatic aberrations down.

I also use my 24/3.5L T/S II and it is, by far, the best quality wide angle lens I have ever used for shooting landscapes. The 24/1.4L II is also great; but not even in the same league. The Zeiss wide angle prime lenses are amazing too. The only real problem with primes is when you are backpacking/hiking/biking/skiing a light weight zoom is the only way to go.

As for my settings if you look through the gallery from my month in the Canadian Rockies you can view all of my camera settings. Just click on the blue 'photo information' button and you will see that I spend lots of time shooting landscapes from f/9.0-f/16 and up to f/22 from time to time. From my experience the lens is at its best around f/11-f/13 on a full frame sensor camera and f/9.0-f/11 on a cropped sensor camera.

Print size from the 5DII and 17-40/4.0L... Well, I have covered double decker busses with the combination, I have had two and three page spreads in magazines, and do quite a bit of printing at 16X20 & 20X30. With all of that I have yet to have any issues with a lack of resolution/quality. All of that said I am looking forward to 30-40MP sensors and using more tilt/shift lenses in the future. The reason? From my experience tilt/shift lenses are the only wide angle lenses that show no chromatic aberrations, they also give control over the convergence of parallel lines, and 30-40MP will let me make very large crop/panoramas.

I have also used the 24-70/2.8L and 24-105/4.0L IS; but never found them ideal as primary landscape lenses. I also use my 70-200s for landscapes often, the f/4.0L is amazing, as is the new f/2.8L IS II; but the previous f/2.8Ls never gave me the results I wanted. Heck I also use my 400/5.6L, 300/2.8L IS, and 500/4.0L IS to shoot landscapes on both full frame and cropped sensor cameras.

Glacier July 2nd - 6th

PHOTOS ONLINE

I finally made a trip up to Glacier National Park. It was well worth the extra 4 hours (each way) of driving compared to Yellowstone.

I have come to the conclusion that Yellowstone is the place for wildlife while Grand Teton and Glacier are the places to go for landscapes. I really enjoyed the 5DII and my 17-40/4.0L @ f/16 for landscapes. That said I was not all that pleased with the light that I was given to work with at sunrise and sunset.

I did have a nice encounter with a Fox den just outside of the park, Mountain Goats on Logan Pass, and with a young cinnamon Black Bear near Many Glacier.

In the 5 days (3 full days / 2 partial days) I put over 70 miles on my boots, which I believe is the best way to see Glacier.

If, like me, you have been putting off Glacier because Yellowstone is so amazing (and near), do not put it off anymore.

I would like to thank everyone who gave me advice on what to do and see in Glacier. I had a big list and got to check off many items on it during this trip. Fortunately while on the trip I added many, many, more points to the list, so YES I will be going back again (soon?).

The trip list includes everything from leaving my door in Billings to returning:

American Avocets
American Kestrel
American Robin
Bighorn Sheep
Brewers Black Bird
California Gull
Chipmunk
Cliff Swallow
Common Merganser
Douglas Squirrel
Dusky Blue Grouse
Elk
Great Blue Heron
Green-winged Teal
Horned Lark
Loon
Magpie
Mallard
Marmot
Mountain Goat
Mule Deer
Northern Harrier
Northern Pintail
Osprey
Pronghorn
Raven
Red tail
Red Winged Black Bird
Sandhill Crane
Snow Shoe Hair
Sort Eared Owl
Steller's Jay
Tree Swallow
Uinta Ground Squirrel
Western Meadow Lark
White Tailed Deer
(as always there are many that did not get on the list due to my poor ID skills and or memory)

I have the photos online and would love for all of you to take a look. There are about 25 HDRM images. There are also a few panoramas (8 images into one on the big ones). As always comments in my gallery are much appreciated as are thumbs up.

Enjoy

Glacier NP late June - July

Hello all, I need your help. You can email me at Dave_M_Shumway@yahoo.com or leave a comment here.

So I find it hard to drive up to Glacier with Yellowstone so very near.
That said I am going to take some time a visit glacier in the next few weeks.

The entire road is open this Thursday.

I was thinking about YNP this Saturday/Sunday (Trout), then Glacier for 5-7 days one of the next two weekends.

Is the traffic crazy over July 4th?

I would love any advice you have to share. We all know that I am all about photography. Landscapes with the new 5DII is one goal. Mountain Goats with Kids is my other must. Then the usual stuff falls inline.

I will camp.
I am more than willing to hike.
I have 9 weeks of vacation that I must burn over the next year so time is not a big issue.
I am leaving out of Billings, MT so I am only 5h30m from Browning, MT.

Any tips, thoughts, places to camp, places to hike, places to shoot critters, places/times to shoot landscapes, about anything would be greatly appreciated.

I have a few friends who have sent me some info and a few birding books and maps on the area but that really is it.

I feel a bit silly being such a tourist when it comes to Glacier, heck I know a ton more about the Canadian parks to the north than Glacier.

Thanks all