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Photography and Geocaching


MW.outof.FL

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So who geocaches and does photography at the same time? I am not so much talking about taking a quick shot with your iPhone but has a dedicated DSLR or high end camera they lug with them? For me Geocaching is a way to get out of the house and get back into photography. Right now I have an old D90 with some average lenses. I really like the look of the new Fuji XT1. It might eat a good chunk of my Tax Return.

 

Here are a few of my photos from geocaching. Its my goal to get all the WA State Park Geocaches.

 

Lake Sylvia State Park, WA

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1538660_10152222413837628_1594686663_n.jpg

 

Rainbow Falls State Park, WA

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Millersylvania State Park, WA

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I have a digital camera I take most of my pictures with. I know its a Kodak, but forget the model number off hand. I got it back in 2004. I also have a decent camera on my Casio Commando 4G LTE phone that I will take pictures with when I remember that my phone has the camera built in. So aside from the occasional picture outdoors, photorgaphy is another hobby I have been looking at getting into if I can find the time. So for now, when I lug the Kodak, I take pitures with it as my first choice, and the cell camera is the backup when I think of it at the time.

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I've tried getting nicer cameras over the years. I've finally graduated to a Canon 40D. I'm happy with it, even though I lug it around with me everywhere, even on 8 mile hikes (it's the heaviest camera I've owned, but I have a nice strap). I took it everywhere with me while in India (I bought myself a wider range lens so I wouldn't have to lug around more than one), taking off all day with it over my shoulder, running through the gamut of tuk-tuks, traffic, people, big cities and little villages.

 

Here are a few geocaching photos with it:

 

Joshua Tree National Park:

 

5af3c193-857d-4bfc-b968-56e22a3e8dc6.jpg

 

My hometown:

 

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An old highway tunnel, Yakima WA:

 

bfd74804-34ae-48a6-a7c1-5f68dba1871e.jpg

 

Carlsbad Caverns:

 

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California Coast:

 

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South of San Fransisco:

 

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For serious photography I use a Nikon DSLR, but I'm not about to take it bushwhacking. I picked up an amazing little Canon Power Shot SX260 HS point and shoot that has an unbelievable 20X optical zoom, will do amazing available light photography, has and more settings then I will ever use. The only downside to all point and shoot cameras is their weak flashes. I used to do concert photography and some times needed to reach out 50 feet with my flash if I couldn't shoot available light. Most of the time now I just grab the Cannon.

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I think photography is perhaps the most important part of geocaching. When I first joined flickr I was disappointed that the caching groups were not getting that much traffic. But what I carry really depends on my purposes.

 

I will take my Canon DSLR when caching if there are specific photo ops in mind -- Sandhill Cranes flying overhead might be an example. But its a lot of weight if I carry some of the longer lenses with me. Generally I will only have that if the caching is secondary to the photography -- if I am in a place where I am going to take certain pictures and find a nearby cache since I am already there.

 

For a hike, I will usually carry the smaller Canon sx280, It has a 20x optical zoon and aperture controls and can be carried with a simple belt case. It meets most of my needs, particularly when I am five miles out on a trail..

 

But with the growth of iphoneography as a art form and apps like Hisptamatic, I often find myself taking pictures with the phone -- either instead of or in addition to what I already have with me. It can be particularly convenient for attaching photos to logs when I am traveling without a laptop.

 

I ended up using these iphone photos on caching logs. I think they hold their own to some of the photos I have taken with other cameras.

 

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Edited by geodarts
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I love that I can combine my love of geocaching with my love of photography. When I log finds on the website, I mostly use my iPhone (after using instagram much of the time). I do lug around my 5D Mark II with me most places I go though, which is usually heavier than the rest of the items in my backpack combined. It's worth carrying around though. If I don't have it with me, I typically regret not bringing it.

 

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On our long vacations I carry our Nikon D 70 / lenses, etc. My wife ALWAYS carries a small Canon in a belt holster for year round shots.

Photography and Geocaching really go great together.....I have thousands of geocaching photo's in our Gallery from around the U.S. for those who are interested.

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I like your pictures. :) Man. All of these are really good!

 

I don't really "do" photography, but if I find a real nice location, then sure I'll stop and photograph it.

 

Here's about ten of the pictures I've taken. Not as nicely edited as yours, but whatever.

 

This picture was taken at about N 45° 22.297 W 075° 48.179

b78c2a55-815d-4729-9d2f-37a39e4eb273.jpg

 

Here's one from Mont Tremblant, QC

d4286b12-c3b0-4935-ad83-62be1890e4d8.jpg

 

Power trail in Perth, ON

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These two are from a forest next to a chruch and farm in Kanata, ON

1f34c301-e789-43bd-ba32-b6658db02480.jpg4e3cc960-0417-4129-8218-70f8184a665d.jpg

 

This is an old quarry trail in Kanata, ON

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An old reservoir outside of Kanata, ON

8047dbf8-a134-45c7-b259-a37a48d20726.jpg

 

This was a neat little creek I found while hiking in the Gatineaus; A big stretch of forest in QC

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This one isn't nature. It's the museum in Central Park, NY.

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Here's a beach in Arnprior, ON. Nice place.

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Most of my geocaching pictures are me and friends with the cache, but there's a few more like that. I might go hiking in Vancouver an Calgary this summer, so I'll be sure to bring backs lots of good ones! :D

 

These pictures others have posted are actually real good though. :blink: Wow.

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I have a variety of cameras, and I have tried different ones.

 

I do not like hiking with the DSLR or other large bodied cameras, they tend to swing and snag on trees or bash on rocks and ground for me. If I put them in a backpack they are more secure but not easily accessible. And the cost of replacing it if I should damage it is definitely a deterrent.

 

I do have a Canon Powershot SD1100, and I absolutely love that camera. Fits in a pocket or on a belt, and has enough settings to take some really good pictures. The only thing it doesn't do is big zoom work. I almost always have that camera with me. That one is a little old, I bet newer ones in that genre are even better.

 

I believe that a lot of what makes a good photograph is really the photographer. Even with an OK camera, you can take some good pictures if you have a good eye and some knowledge of the camera you are using.

 

However, I have to wonder at phone based pictures. The camera there just does not have any features that you can control to take a really good picture.

 

Edited: here is one I liked:

e1cfad6d-2815-4d10-b510-e6df2fe75b8f.jpg

Edited by fuzziebear3
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However, I have to wonder at phone based pictures. The camera there just does not have any features that you can control to take a really good picture.

 

While I do not want to turn this into a Phone v. Camera discussion, my phone lets me control shutter speed (Long Exposure), compensate for different lighting or exposure factors (Pro HDR), adjust for various conditions (Pro Camera; 645 PRO Mk II), use various filters for different type of "film" or "lenses" (Hipstamatic), or apply any number of post-production filters or effects. It gives me a lot of control. If it had optical zoom I probably would not carry the Canon SX in as many situations as I do.

 

But in any event, that is a great photo. If I saw that, I would hope I had something other than my phone.

Edited by geodarts
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So who geocaches and does photography at the same time? I am not so much talking about taking a quick shot with your iPhone but has a dedicated DSLR or high end camera they lug with them? For me Geocaching is a way to get out of the house and get back into photography. Right now I have an old D90 with some average lenses. I really like the look of the new Fuji XT1. It might eat a good chunk of my Tax Return.

 

Here are a few of my photos from geocaching. Its my goal to get all the WA State Park Geocaches.

 

Lake Sylvia State Park, WA

1601367_10152222418972628_1224353931_n.jpg

 

1538660_10152222413837628_1594686663_n.jpg

 

Rainbow Falls State Park, WA

1525610_10152205985272628_267053773_n.jpg

 

Millersylvania State Park, WA

1476579_10152203861227628_1648872037_n.jpg

 

1536745_10152203778572628_1132296589_n.jpg

I do, I recently set up a series of cache called photo ops There are 6 in the series. I use a Nikon D800 with a 24-70 f2.8 lens as my primary set up

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However, I have to wonder at phone based pictures. The camera there just does not have any features that you can control to take a really good picture.

 

Some phones, sure. I have the new Ipod 5, and the camera on it works very very well. And if you get the right apps, you can add effects in, use focus blur-stuff, and lots more. So, yes, the expensive fancy cameras are better (of course), but phones aren't always that bad. The pictures I took in my post above were taken with a Nikon Coolpix. It wasn't a big camera you could change the lens on, like lots of you guys seem to be talking about, but it was light, portable, and easy to use, so I liked it. I honestly think my phones's camera is better though.

 

That's just me.

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However, I have to wonder at phone based pictures. The camera there just does not have any features that you can control to take a really good picture.

 

Some phones, sure. I have the new Ipod 5, and the camera on it works very very well. And if you get the right apps, you can add effects in, use focus blur-stuff, and lots more. So, yes, the expensive fancy cameras are better (of course), but phones aren't always that bad. The pictures I took in my post above were taken with a Nikon Coolpix. It wasn't a big camera you could change the lens on, like lots of you guys seem to be talking about, but it was light, portable, and easy to use, so I liked it. I honestly think my phones's camera is better though.

 

That's just me.

 

Yes, I had to laugh when I realized my Commando 4G phone had a camera with a higher MP rating than my Kodak. Though I can not tell the difference between the 2 camera when looking a simular photos taken by each, I am usually happier with the ones taken with the Kodak a bit more for some reason. Maybe I just think that picture taking should be done with a camera and not a phone, who knows. I will get some pics posted up as soon as I can. I just dont have any from geocaching adventures.

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Anybody else still work with film? I still love using my Ricoh KR10M, but it is getting harder and harder to find the films I want and even harder getting them developed properly. I wish I had the time, money, and space to do my own developing work!

I'm still a film guy, but I don't usually use it for geocaching, as the quick turnaround of digital is better for that. However, I do scout while geocaching. For geocaching, I use my D200. I also still have a darkroom, though I'm not using it enough to keep the chemicals up to date.

Edited by Dgwphotos
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I used to lug around a 35mm camera with primary lens. Metal and glass, must weigh at least 3 or 4 pounds. But I only posted 51 pictures in 4 years. Too heavy, and too valuable.

 

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At the Fairgrounds. McLeod County Fair, Minnesota. Taken with 35mm SLR.

 

I am now (since March) on digital point-and-shoot number two. In both cases I tried to get a dedicated camera that gave me some control. While I would like to use a good camera, I don't want to worry about losing or damaging something expensive.

 

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Snowshoes. Taken with Digital Point-and-Shoot Number One.

 

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Regola. Taken with Digital Point-and-Shoot Number Two.

Edited by msrubble
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I use a Canon 40D with a Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8. Sharpest lens I've ever used. It's sharper than Canon L lenses even when wide open at f/1.8!

 

For more reach I also use a Canon 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6L.

 

I usually don't carry my camera with me when caching though, as it's too heavy and bulky to be carrying around on foot.

Edited by diburning
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I lug around from an assortment of cameras. I was bitten by the shutterbug in high school, when I bought an old Zeiss Contaflex at a flea market for $35. I went through a few film cameras, finally settling on a Nikon FE2, which is still a good camera if I need to shoot film again. I could drive nails into a board with that and it would still work.

 

On the digital front I took my first foray into the field with a Nikon CoolPix 800, which did a pretty amazing job for a 2 Megapixel camera. It still works fine and occasionally goes with me. Alternates are the Kodak Zi6, which does some astounding macro work (at about 1/4 inch) on tiny subjects; Olympus FE 47, which is laughably labeled 14 Megapixel, but realistically is about 1, it's handy but hard to get good pictures out of; Samsung Galaxy S4, my phone, which does a pretty good job at times.

 

My first digital SLR was a Nikon D70s, which crapped out in so many ways I'm just not going to do anything with it (the 70-300mm tele is still ok, anyone want it?) It couldn't do so many things I was disappointed almost immediately after buying it. It finally started writing corrupt images to the CF card I gave up on it.

 

For the serious digital work, though, is the Canon EOS 6D. Canon's entry level full frame camera. It does a lot and with the built-in diopter adjustment is a godsend for my aging eyes. I'm still learning the things it can do and having quite a bit of fun with it.

 

70d7e492-0926-4848-9785-c33409dbd663.jpgA very patient hawk, which waited out my switch from 24-105mm to 70-300mm lenses.

 

335463ff-cad4-46b1-adbf-c42af28ed09b.jpgOne Fine Morning up Mt Diablo

 

cityatnight.jpgPhoto of some obscure west coast city after a day of geocaching

Edited by DragonsWest
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DragonsWest, I think I may be older than you, my first 35MM was a Nikormat FTN all manual with a match needle system but I think I could have played football with it without hurting it. I also have a FE2 a D90 and a couple of other Nikons sitting in a drawer gathering dust. I also had an 8008s That I gave to my granddaughter when she decided to try photography.

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I ended up using these iphone photos on caching logs. I think they hold their own to some of the photos I have taken with other cameras.

 

 

Gorgeous shots. Do you remember what apps and the settings you used? Were they all taken with Hipstamatic?

 

Thank you. The first was a Hipstamatic or Oogl, the second was using Pro Cam. Both were taken with an iphone 5. The last one was a Hipstamatic shot with a 3Gs. I don't remember the exact settings.

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Anybody else still work with film? I still love using my Ricoh KR10M, but it is getting harder and harder to find the films I want and even harder getting them developed properly. I wish I had the time, money, and space to do my own developing work!

I'm still a film guy, but I don't usually use it for geocaching, as the quick turnaround of digital is better for that. However, I do scout while geocaching. For geocaching, I use my D200. I also still have a darkroom, though I'm not using it enough to keep the chemicals up to date.

 

For caching I generally just use my cell phone. It does surprisingly well (teh vast majority of my gallery pics were taken with my, or my wife's, cell phone) and I have gotten some good shots out of it. But I like having my rig in the car just in case I spot something I want to take some time with.

 

I know film is SO 20th century, but I just feel like I put more of "me" into working with film and knowing I have to be far more selective in my shot prep and so on so I don't burn through too much film.

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For regular photos, I use a Canon 5D Mark II, love it.

 

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Now and then I also take out my Canon 5D, converted to infrared only.

 

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Most used lenses are 50/1.4, 70-200/2.8L IS USM, and 16-35/2.8L. Less often, 24/2.8L TS-E, 16/2.8 fisheye, and Lensbaby.

 

eece31b6-31c3-44d0-ac37-27ef6802a5cd.jpg

 

Ah, the Lensbaby. Nothing like making a prosumer DSLR into a Holga.

 

I keep meaning to break out my old Mamiya C330 medium format TLR, but I have no idea where I'd get the film developed these days.

Edited by hzoi
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Anybody else still work with film? I still love using my Ricoh KR10M, but it is getting harder and harder to find the films I want and even harder getting them developed properly. I wish I had the time, money, and space to do my own developing work!

I'm still a film guy, but I don't usually use it for geocaching, as the quick turnaround of digital is better for that. However, I do scout while geocaching. For geocaching, I use my D200. I also still have a darkroom, though I'm not using it enough to keep the chemicals up to date.

 

For caching I generally just use my cell phone. It does surprisingly well (teh vast majority of my gallery pics were taken with my, or my wife's, cell phone) and I have gotten some good shots out of it. But I like having my rig in the car just in case I spot something I want to take some time with.

 

I know film is SO 20th century, but I just feel like I put more of "me" into working with film and knowing I have to be far more selective in my shot prep and so on so I don't burn through too much film.

The last time I was geocaching at Cougar Mountain, I actually brought both the Bronica (which I keep loaded with Fuji Neopan 100 Acros) and the D200, along with a tripod, because we were going to be at a waterfall in the middle of the park. The last time I was there, I took some water motion shots of the falls, and during the processing of the film, the lid wasn't secure, and I tipped it over to pour out the developer, and the reels came sliding out and were exposed. The ironic/weird part is there were two rolls in the tank, with the roll that had the waterfall shots on the bottom, and another roll on top, and the roll that was ruined was the bottom roll, the top roll was not.

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I used to carry a Sony point n shoot digital pocket sized camera, but I like to travel light and realized I wasn't pulling it out of my pack or pocket enough. So I am using my Droid phone camera almost exclusively these days. It doesn't offer the flexibility of a better camera, but it does get used and that's the most important thing. And sometimes I get lucky with some pretty good shots too.

 

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Previous logs on this cache mentioned the river view from GZ so I was a bit skeptical as to what I would get to see since it was such a foggy morning. I think my view was pretty special. BTW this is just point n shoot, no effects, no instagram.

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I used to take pictures all the time. Literally all the time, with my phone. I kinda stopped that, though, since I never posted them on the cache pages. I also own a Cannon T3. I don't think I would ever take that caching-the Camera, kit lens, and 50-200 lens is more than a full paycheck. Actually the lens is worth more than I got for my last check(it sucks working at a restaurant) I don't want to risk damaging them. If I did, I'd probably spend the whole week crying.

 

Now events, well I don't think I put down my cameras-I think I had 100 pictures between 4 hours on one weekend. My DSLR just made it worse. My name is TDM22, and I'm a photographolic. I have to check into the Canon Clinic.

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I just got a Canon 6D and a backpack camera case that I love. Dragonwest's post on this thread helped convince me.

 

We are planning a trip that will include Horseshoe Canyon in Utah (unless there is a storm that renders the roads impassable) and it was time to upgrade the DSLR. If I am going to go to a spot on my bucket list, I might as well lug a good camera for the 7 mile hike. That area has no caches, but with the Arches, Goblin Valley, and Canyon de Chelley, there may be other places where it will come in handy. I hope so.

Edited by geodarts
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