[Leica] Northern Lights Trip

Tue Dec 12 06:48:41 PST 2017

Thanks, Don.  I got cold just reading that!!  I was surprised that we
stayed as warm as we did in Siberia and Mongolia last year.  It was 40
degrees below zero when I photographed the Ice Festival in the Gobi
Desert.  My batteries died after 3 hours but I stayed pretty warm!  Silk
underwear, glove liners, and socks seemed to help more than anything.  I
normally photograph people so thinking of landscapes and skies requires
different lenses.  I'll survey the widest I have - 12, 19, 21, 24 - and
probably will take the fastest.  The 12 is so tiny I can take it even if I
don't use it much.

Thanks, again.

Tina

On Tue, Dec 12, 2017 at 9:42 AM, Don Dory <don.dory at gmail.com> wrote:

> G'day and I hope the snow where you live is more manageable than in
> Atlanta,
> Warmth, don't bring jeans, bring several pairs of the new technical pants
> rated for the temperatures that you expect with the accompanying under
> layers.  Do the same for your three or more upper layers including a hat
> that covers your ears and a scarf or balaclava that covers your face.  The
> newer versions of the above will pack flatter than down and dry much
> quicker.  You could do worse than buy some outfits from military surplus
> for cold to extreme cold weather but the goods available at REI etc will be
> properly rated for where you are going.  If you are toasty warm then you
> will take your eye out of the viewfinder and just enjoy the show instead of
> rushing back to shelter.
>
> The suggestion for wide angle lenses is appropriate as the sky is a big
> place, plus with a wide angle you get a longer exposure time before the
> background stars start to blur; with a 21 I believe you get in the
> neighborhood of 15 seconds.  I also think that if you don't already have an
> area-swiss mounting system on your tripod solution you should look into
> one.  With the appropriate mount on your camera you can quickly and with
> little hand on metal time securely mount your camera to the tripod head
> when your are cold and possibly more concerned with not sticking to your
> gear than securing in tightly.  Don't ask please.
>
> Fast lenses will be very helpful, remember everything is at infinity and a
> fast lens lets you use a lower ISO giving you much cleaner images.  I ran
> into some issues with my A7R as my top ISO for clean images was 1250-1600
> and I didn't want star trails for some images: the northern lights will
> pose similar problems as you want a long enough exposure to show the
> beautiful forms but not so long as to show star trails for some of your
> images.
>
> Also, take a look at some of the articles written about shooting the stars
> over the Grand Canyon especially getting the milky way orientated how you
> want it; you may be after the Northern Lights but if they aren't
> cooperating then you can shoot the stars and the landscape around you while
> you wait.
>
> Last, battery life in the cold is very, very short.  If you can create a
> warm pocket space then rotating the battery after every few shots will help
> keep you shooting as a warm battery will take some more images before
> succumbing to the cold.  Ten charged batteries would not be too few if you
> intend to stay out for hours in the cold.
>
> All the best and I will report the experiences of a friend of mine who is
> in Iceland now sitting by a warm geyser watching the lights...
>
> On Tue, Dec 12, 2017 at 9:11 AM, Tina Manley <tmanley at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Thanks, everybody.  I knew I could count on you for good advice!  I will
> > consider taking an M body as back-up.  Tripod and monopod.  Extra layers
> of
> > clothes.  I'm going to try out my Voightlander 12 on the SL and see how
> > that works!  I know the 19R does great.  I'm going to pack my camera
> > backpack, weigh it, and start taking things out ;-)
> >
> > Tina
> >
> > On Tue, Dec 12, 2017 at 2:04 AM, Philippe <photo.philippe.amard at gmail.
> com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Xmas is close, very close.
> > >
> > > Wouldn’t it be high time for Tom to finally get his own SL body?
> > > He’s been dreaming of one for so long ...
> > > ;-)
> > >
> > > Against the cold, I don’t see many solutions but the onion technique.
> > > I sometimes even wear silk gloves under my ski gloves … makes it
> > difficult
> > > to feel the shutter release button though.
> > >
> > > I’ll ask a friend who made the trip with his nikons, and report when
> he’s
> > > anwered to me.
> > >
> > > Till then
> > >
> > > Amities
> > > Philippe
> > >
> > >
> > > > Le 11 déc. 2017 à 23:26, Tina Manley <tmanley at gmail.com> a écrit :
> > > >
> > > > PESO:
> > > >
> > > > One of the items on our bucket list is to see and photograph the
> > Northern
> > > > Lights.  We have planned a 25 day trip through Norway and Sweden
> > > beginning
> > > > January 24 until February 17.  It is going to be cold and dark.  We
> > will
> > > > stay in a cabin on an island some of the time, but there are a lot of
> > > > transfers from boat to bus to train all along the way.
> > > >
> > > > In a nutshell, we need to travel with as little luggage as possible.
> > > Right
> > > > now, I plan to just carry my SL with the two SL lenses that I have
> > 24-90
> > > > and 50/1.4.  I have the M to L converter and a couple of M lenses and
> > > the R
> > > > to L converter and couple of R lenses.  Battery charger, batteries,
> > power
> > > > pack, memory cards, tiny netbook, downloader, external hard drives,
> > > cables,
> > > > converters, power plugs.  That should all fit in my Lowepro backpack
> > and
> > > an
> > > > M Classic satchel.
> > > >
> > > > Clothes will be long underwear, jeans, turtlenecks, down coats,
> boots,
> > > > gloves, hats, thermal socks - all fitting in one roll-on bag. Small
> > > > travel-sized tubes of toothpaste, soaps, etc.
> > > >
> > > > I've made my list and checked it more than twice.  Am I forgetting
> > > > anything?  Have you photographed the Northern Lights?  Any
> > > recommendations?
> > > >
> > > > TIA
> > > >
> > > > Tina
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Tina Manley
> > > > www.tinamanley.com
> > > > tina-manley.artistwebsites.com
> > > > http://www.alamy.com/stock-photography/3B49552F-90A0-
> > > 4D0A-A11D-2175C937AA91/Tina+Manley.html
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Tina Manley
> > www.tinamanley.com
> > tina-manley.artistwebsites.com
> > http://www.alamy.com/stock-photography/3B49552F-90A0-
> > 4D0A-A11D-2175C937AA91/Tina+Manley.html
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Leica Users Group.
> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Don
> don.dory at gmail.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>

-- 
Tina Manley
www.tinamanley.com
tina-manley.artistwebsites.com
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photography/3B49552F-90A0-4D0A-A11D-2175C937AA91/Tina+Manley.html