An Archeological Exercise

[Tronhard]

Yes, I admit it, I have a lot of gear - mostly because over the years I have never sold much of it. So my older stuff remains, still with its original boxes and packing, even receipts! But that is not to say I don't use it from time to time, just to remind myself that it can do a job, to challenge myself to get a decent photo out of it (that's always a matter of opinion) and to remind myself that tech has got a lot better.

Buried at the bottom of it all is my first digital camera, a Canon G1, purchased (according to the receipt) in 2000 for my birthday according to the date. It offered a massive 3.3 megapixels of capturing capacity with its 1/1.8 CCD sensor. I even have the adapter ring and tele lens in their respective boxes. So rediscovering this was like going through an estate's collection of stuff: except, of course, I'm not actually dead yet!

Having been immured in my house for most of a week with massive storms outside, I got tired of watching the wind rearrange the garden furniture and decided to go to the beaches on the windward side of Auckland (in this case Muriwai, home of the famous gannet colony - although they are wisely in Aussie right now). For the sheer curiosity of it all I charged the massive batteries for the G1, also the SX60HS and my two water resistant cameras: an Olympus TG-5 and a Nikon 1 AW. I decided to do a comparative photo shoot. Not to be outdone I also took along the Canon EOS 5DIV with the 100-400MkII+1.4MkIII extender, and a Canon 80D with the Sigma 160-600 Contemporary lens, in case there were any serious shots to be had.

It was pretty windy when I arrived: steady wind of over 60km/hr with gusts up to 100km/hr. So there were massive seas and no surfers but quite a few wind surfers were out on their boards, spending a significant amount of time not touching the water.

So here are some photos from the experience. They were all shot hand-held in RAW, converted in Photoshop and output as low-res JPGS to put them up here - average size about 3MB.

First the venerable G1: f8, ISO 100, 1/320sec. I was pleasantly surprised


Next the Olympus. This is a much newer camera, released in 2017, with a not outrageous 12MP 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS Sensor and Trupic III processor. It offers 2.5 stops of stabilization. Personally I have issues with cramming huge numbers of MP into small processors and this camera is regarded as offering better performance in low light (not unusual underwater) and I note the newly released TG-6 has the same configuration. The TG-5 has constraints on what apertures you can choose, which I hope will help explain the difference in the settings.

Olympus TG-5: f4, ISO 200, 1/1000sec. The slightly darker result is most likely my inconsistent processing


And another of a different landscape


Next the Canon SX60HS. I am a fan of this camera IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS, and this was not one of those conditions. The light was not great and had got worse by the time I got this unit out. So with its 1/2.3 BSI-CMOS sensor it was more of a match to the Olympus, but it has many more, smaller sensors and I think that was not to its advantage in this situation.

Canon SX60HS: f8, ISO 200, 1/320sec.


Just to be fair to the camera, I took another view that I thought the lens would do more justice to


Next came the Nikon 1 AW. It was dealt a blow with many people complaining that it was not actually water-tight when used - something of a drawback for an underwater camera that claimed it would work down to 15m. Still, I got it so that if I got caught in a massive rain storm I would not lose my camera.

This actually happened about six weeks ago when I went hiking on the Tongariro National Park, which is centred on a set of live volcanoes in the central plateau of NZ's North Island. I had taken 2x EOS M5s and a PowerShot G5X with me and the day before I went I purchased ThinkTank Mirrorless Mover bags that boasted rain covers. The weather turned (really) bad and I had to turn back, and in the initial stages of a 17km, 4-hour hike I was caught in a big storm. I was fine but when I tried to deploy the covers over my camera bags I could not get the covers around the D-Rings for the camera straps - there were no eyelets. So with improperly covered bags I tried to keep them sheltered, but on getting back I opened up the bags and water literally poured of the cameras. I carefully dried of the cameras and the M5's came back to life but not so the G5X. So I got the Nikon to avoid such a situation again - it doesn't need to go under water, just survive a heavy rain.

BTW I contacted the store who agreed they had the same issue figuring out how to deploy the covers, and the ThinkTank people admitted they had not really made the point that there are two minuscule fabric loops at the back of the bag to which one is supposed to transfer the straps from the big metal D-rings so that the cover can be properly deployed. My bad for not checking before going, but their design and documentation could do with improvement too.

ANYWAY, the Nikon 1 has a 1" 14MP CMOS sensor- so significantly larger that the other cameras, which I think is noticeable. It boasts a Expeed 3A processor. The lens was the 24-72mm Equivalent waterproof zoom.

Nikon 1 AW: 32mm, f4.5, ISO-200, 1/1250sec.


Again another view with the same kit


Just because I took them, here are a couple of shots with the 5DIV. This was obviously at a super telephoto end and the results were more dramatic.

5DIV: 520mm, f8, ISO-200, 1/1000


The ability to crop this down was impressive, especially as all my shots were hand-held and the wind was brutal.



Finally the 80D with the Siggy 160-600, so Equivalent FoV being 256-960mm
This was taken at its widest, 256mm (FoV), f10, ISO-200, 1/320


A comment on conditions: While I was shooting an elderly gentleman (elderly is at least 15 years older than me) came by with his Sony bridge camera. I was in a partial lee so the wind wasn't too bad. After chatting for a while he decided to move further away into the unsheltered spot and when he did so the wind just took him out sideways - like an invisible footballer tacking him. I helped him up and he was OK but shaken.

So... this was just reporting on an exercise, partly for looking at how old vs. new shape up and of course to revel in the gear we are now able to put into the field.

[Wavelength]

Very nice set of images; my favorite is the last image

[Tronhard]

Thank you for responding Nandakumar and for your kind comment. It was one of those occasions when one waits for some kind of alignment in the interweaving patterns of windsurfers, while at the same time trying not to be blown off the peninsula I was standing on!

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[xpatUSA]

Interesting reading, Trev, and super shots!

[Cantab]

Hi Trev, an interesting set of photos and commentary.

The weather TV channel up here as had a number of video clips from NZ and Australa in the last while. You've certainly been experiencing winter!

[Tronhard]

Hi Trev, an interesting set of photos and commentary.

The weather TV channel up here as had a number of video clips from NZ and Australa in the last while. You've certainly been experiencing winter!

Hi Bruce:

Yes, things are getting more extreme now. I used to sail around here a lot in my teens, so you are very aware of the weather in those situations and in those days the temperatures were likely to be a bit lower, but the weather was less volatile I believe. The sea temperatures have increased, in some places significantly and it has implications for both sea life and our weather patterns.

The kelp forests around our coast are thinning. In cooler climates that do not support coral reefs, kelp forests perform the same tasks, namely providing a haven for younger fish to grow in relative safety from predation. Now many more young fish don't have that and the stocks at the bottom and middle of the food chain are reducing accordingly.

From our point of view we have more volatile storms with higher winds and at times torrential rain. This weekend we had gusts of over 100km/hr at my home. I watched a furled garden umbrella, complete with a 30kg base take flight across the deck - and I wasn't kidding about re-arranging the garden furniture either... Spring was equally tempestuous and it has created a shift in the seasons - we used to have quite warm but settled conditions early in December, just before Christmas and school summer holidays begin, but now that has been pushed back by about six weeks to be replaced by summer storms. It's frustrating for families as the weather comes right just before the kids go back to school. There was discussion of moving the school vacations to late in January or the start of February, but that is very challenging as Christmas and New Year would be coming smack in the middle of exam time in that case.

Over in Canada I continue to watch the fire season get more intense and longer - these things are the new norm, and will likely get more so I suspect. Back here, insurance companies are already refusing to cover low-lying homes or those on flood plains. One council has already abandoned providing services to a community very close to the ocean because of the erosion and back flow of water into pipes. It has started a difficult conversation about the costs of mitigation or moving whole communities, and who will pay for that.

[Jim A]

Very interesting read, Trev. I am already looking forward to reading your memoirs!

Of course, I have been in some of the area you are talking about. The past three years I have talked about making the not lengthy trip out to take photos of the gannets, but still haven't done it - next year!

I am particularly attracted to the last landscape image (taken with the Nikon 1 AW), everything is so vivid! The colours in the sea and the rays of light, add that certain something. Also, like the last one with the wind-surfers is great, the fact of there being so many gives it a certain uniqueness.

[Tronhard]

Hi Jim and thanks for your feedback!

Auckland is a very big place, so it's a long journey from the more remote parts of it to Muriwai, but that has been helped a lot by the bypass from West Harbour to Kumeu. I used to live out near Meadowbank and it was a long haul from there but now I'm in Sunnyvale near Henderson, so that's a lot closer. I go there quite a lot during the nesting season for the Gannets - the colony is the most accessible in the world and to top it off there is an excellent colony nearby.

I was very impressed by the Nikon 1. It seems to have a good sensor and optics, even if the zoom range is very small - the other Nikon 1 lenses have a bigger zoom range but are not rated for submersion. This is the first time I have used it. To me the larger sensor makes a difference - as one would expect. Still, at least it should survive a walk in the rain...

As to the wind surfers, there were heaps of them out there, certainly making the most of the conditions.

I'll send you my contact details via PM and perhaps we can compare notes.

[Cantab]

Over in Canada I continue to watch the fire season get more intense and longer - these things are the new norm, and will likely get more so I suspect. Back here, insurance companies are already refusing to cover low-lying homes or those on flood plains. One council has already abandoned providing services to a community very close to the ocean because of the erosion and back flow of water into pipes. It has started a difficult conversation about the costs of mitigation or moving whole communities, and who will pay for that.

Yes, as you'll have seen the forest fire season has started early in BC this year -- quite apart from the large fire in northern Alberta. My sister and her husband are heading off to their cabin in the southern interior in a few days so hopefully there will be no fires. My brother in law was in that area a few weeks ago and showed me photos of a forest fire that had started because someone had been driving with their parking brake on. It overheated, sparks hit dry grass and the rest was history.

I hope your weather and non-torrential photo opportunities improve soon.

[lovelife65]

Nice series Trev.
Yes, the fire season is going to be early and furious here this year. Seattle will hit the 90s this week, in JUNE!!! Crazy winter with wet and snow, and summer in May and June . Makes me very sad.
Going to be a sad smokey summer I'm afraid.

BTW: That last image, fantastic and my favorite.
The last landscape image is also wonderful, and I love that I can see the wind surfers in this image too, from a different perspective.

[Tronhard]

Hey Sharon:

SO nice to get your input!! Thank you for your gracious comments- I respect your opinion.

As far as climate and weather go, the world is changing fast. It's almost the shorted day of the year here and we just had a 20degC day - mind you it was sunny and with gentle winds but still that would have been almost unheard of years ago. Parts of the country are still in drought conditions from last summer.

I keep tabs on the US west coast and SW BC via the local media and the pattern of fires starting early and burning longer and, perhaps more concerning, hotter. I understand that fires used to burn the deadwood and undergrowth, allowing light into the forest floor and encouraging new generations of growth, now the temperature is killing everything down into the soil to the point that it virtually leaves a desert behind. That is horrific...

I am feeling happier and happier that I am where I am - we are experiencing changes and challenges that go with them, but not as extreme as the larger continents.

[tbob]

Serves to prove it is the operator not the equipment. Which is disappointing as i would dearly love to be able to share the blame.

I live in a hotbed of climate crisis denial. Or more precisely anthropogenic causation. The predominant industry hereabouts is oil and gas. Too much vested interest and employment. Despite the obvious change to our climate. We are now 5C warmer averaged over the year. And drier. When I moved here in 1986, in the summer you could not sit around after sunset without a sweater on. It would drop from 22C to 6C or colder quite quickly. Last night i was out reading on the deck until 10:30 pm wearing a T shirt and thin cotton trousers. No problem at 15C and it is not even summer yet.

[Tronhard]

Hi Trevor!

Your comment seems to disprove your byline - there is a way to make a big mistake by doing nothing apparently!

[Cantab]

Serves to prove it is the operator not the equipment. Which is disappointing as i would dearly love to be able to share the blame.

I live in a hotbed of climate crisis denial. Or more precisely anthropogenic causation. The predominant industry hereabouts is oil and gas. Too much vested interest and employment. Despite the obvious change to our climate. We are now 5C warmer averaged over the year. And drier. When I moved here in 1986, in the summer you could not sit around after sunset without a sweater on. It would drop from 22C to 6C or colder quite quickly. Last night i was out reading on the deck until 10:30 pm wearing a T shirt and thin cotton trousers. No problem at 15C and it is not even summer yet.

Trevor, I have a vague recollection you were planning to move down to the Okanagan. Is that still in the cards?

[tbob]

Still planned. We hope to be fully moved within eight weeks or before the snow flies Which in 1996 was August 21 and in 1998 was July 1. Unusual but early September is high probability for snow. We regard that as a gentle tap on the shoulder to get stuff done before full winter onset in Mid October.