Camera Settings

[jbtaylor]

It's a slow time of the year and I am bored. I thought I would enlist the knowledge of the members of this wonderful forum.
I am taking a golf trip to Scotland next spring. This calls for renting the a900 and the CZ 24-70. The majority of the photography will be golf course landscapes and town landscapes of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. Please provide some pointers on camera settings and techniques as I will not have a chance to work with this camera until the day before I leave.
Should I take filters? If so, what kind?
What about the a900 underexposure issue? Should I bump it 1/3 and forget about it?
What should my other lens be (CZ 85, CZ 135, Tamron 14mm)?
Should I take the a700 too and if so does that change my 2nd lens choice?
Where can I get an electronic copy of the a900 manual?

Thanks in advance and have a wonderful and safe holiday.

[David Kilpatrick]

For the landscapes of St Andrews, and the most effective shots of Edinburgh, you will need a long lens. Edinburgh has many distant views and high viewpoints, but its streets are difficult in terms of lighting and width - either tending to be very narrow and steep (old town) or broad wide spaces (new town). Either way, I have found that the range 70-200mm works really well in Edinburgh for compressing and simplifying the view. Same for the gentle rolling contours of the old course, they look best when a tele perspective is used.

David

[jbtaylor]

Thanks David. My wife has the KM 70-200 SSM and I may take it with me. I have never used a tele lens for landscape (both golf or architectural). I am staying at the Old Course Hotel and had planned to go out of the course in the evenings with the tripod. I want shots of the town and the course. It never occurred to me that a longer lens would be optimal.
Another question for you, are you suggesting that the 70-200 would serve as a walk around lens for St. Andrews? Seems like I would be too close to the buildings. Also, is the a900 strong enough to carry that thing around for a few hours?

Thanks again.

[Lonnie Utah]

Where can I get an electronic copy of the a900 manual?

Here.

http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/3877682141.pdf

[David Kilpatrick]

St Andrews itself has a long, wide main street. The buildings look better from a distant perspective, stacked up. You will need a wide angle for the seafront and some of the older buildings clustered towards the sea. You will, I hope, make the ascent of the old cathedral tower which stands on its own - a lot of steps, but again both wide and tele views. The classic view of the hotel, and shots of the bridges etc on the course, are all definitely 70-200mm stuff.

I am not suggesting you could survive with just a long lens, only that if you omit to take one, you will regret it.

David

[jbtaylor]

Thanks Lonnie. Looks like good holiday reading.
Thanks David. I am having trouble visualizing shots of biuldings taken with a tele lens. Do you have any? I will have to get some practice in before May.
Regards to all.
JT

[David Kilpatrick]

Typical Edinburgh street - Victoria Street/West Bow:



The vertical nature and terraced lines of the houses just work best with tight shots from a distance - getting in close with wide-angles does not work as well. You need both, but don't do the trip without something longer than 24-70mm, and preferably not just a 135mm or 85mm.

Also, you may see wildlife and many surprisingly good distant views. Longer lenses are ideal in hilly or mountain countryside, and convey the impression better. Scotland does not have the kind of sheer huge mountains which demand wide-angles.

David

[jbtaylor]

Good stuff David. I will keep this in mind and start practicing as soon as the snow melts over here.

[alphaomega]

I have photographed both Edinburgh and St. Andrews using film and latterly my A700 and A350. I concur with David's view that you will need a full range of field of view from w/a to tele. I typically carry my Tamron 10-24, CZ 16-80 and Tamron 70-300 as well at my two cameras. The A350 will mostly have the CZ and I switch between the W/A and Tele on the A700 as required. I have some of the images on Alamy.com. If you look at "John Peter Edinburgh" and "John Peter St Andrews" you will see my images and the fact that all three types of lenses have been employed. You will find that to avoid walking on the fairway at St Andrews you will definitely also need a tele zoom to get interesting pictures. I would think the 14 mm and CZ 24-70 would be fine on the A900 and if you bring the A700 as well it could be useful with a tele zoom fitted to avoid frequent lens changes (and dust penetration on the A900).