SLR Photography tips for technical and/or wet canyons?

[bladerider]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, but not new to the sport.

These questions are for people who use SLR cameras in slot canyons. I have been using a Lumix TS2 point and shoot and it works great, but I would like to start bringing my Sony A55 into more canyons. I am looking for better IQ, more DOF control, and lens versatility. If I can't come up with a good system of carrying and shooting my SLR in canyons I may try to do a Canon S95 or Lumix LX5 instead, but I'm thinking the small image quality upgrade of those cameras may not be worth sacrificing the durability of the TS2.

1. For canyons that may be wet and involve wading or swimming, do you use a marine housing, pelican hard case, or a dry bag for your SLR? Any other case recommendations? Any tips, techniques, or methods for taking photos while in wet sections of the canyon?

2. Lens choices? Ideally I would be bringing just one lens, and I'm torn between an ultrawide 10-20mm (crop sensor), or something more versatile like a 18-55mm. Also my current lenses have apertures that only go down to f3.5, but I'm thinking that a 2.8 or lower might be critical for darker canyons. What do you guys shoot with?

Thanks in advance for the advice! I look forward to hearing what other people are doing.

[ibenick]

I bet Dan would have some good answers to this. Unfortunately he's somewhere in the Grand Canyon right now. I'll give my limited opinion on the subject. Keep in mind, I've done a couple of technical canyons but I'm not a canyoneer, mostly just a hiker.

First, anything other than an ultra wide lens would be completely useless. Even in a regular canyon, take Coyote Gulch for example, anything other than a wide angle lens will do nothing but take up space and weight in your bag. Tight spaces = wide lens.

Aperture: I think you're kind of screwed either way. If you shoot in a super fast aperture like 2.8 or even 3.5 you're going to get really soft edges with those walls being so close. I don't know if there is really a good solution. Maybe high ISO but then quality suffers. Or just do it right and bring a lightweight tripod. When I'm in a tight canyon I usually shoot a very tight aperture so that everything is sharp. Like f/11 minimum... sometimes upwards of f/18.

[bladerider]

Thank you for the response. I look forward to hearing from Dan as well. And i am especially interested in the camera carrying techniques people use. The reason I was thinking an ultra wide lens might not be ideal is because of the wonderful approach shots you can get on the way into and out of the Canyon. Also carrying a tripod is not ideal nor are slow shutter speeds as I will often be photographing people. Luckily ultra wides have a longer depth of field.

[jb]

I see 2 major advantages of using an SLR over a small format camera in slots: the much improved high ISO performance and the ability to use an ultrawide lens (mine is a 12-24 on a crop sensor). For me, it's the best single choice for most days, and I'm unwilling to carry multiple lenses on most slot trips. You mentioned the depth of field, it's more forgiving of a little camera shake, and the difference between 12mm and 18mm is large. If you're most interested in photographing people, perhaps some other lens will work best. I also rarely carry a tripod (so unwieldy), but will sometimes use a staff/monopod to get an extra couple of stops. I rarely shoot wide open or in the darkest sections of canyon--too little depth of field and too dark for handholding. Can occasionally handhold down to 1/4s at 12mm with acceptable results, but if you're serious about maximum image quality, there is simply no substitute for a tripod.

As far as carrying the thing, well, it's a pain. I use a small drybag that contains only the camera, and it went through a couple of canyons before I trusted it with the electronics. It always rides above everything else in the pack but under the top lid, and I haven't had any trouble. I use the drybag regardless of whether the canyon is wet, for sand protection, although if it's really windy with sand in the air, I sometimes won't even use the camera at all. To take a picture with this system, you've gotta stop, remove pack, remove drybag, open drybag, and fire away. Is the canyon wet or physical? Add removing glove(s) and getting your hands reasonably dry to that process. Now reverse everything before you're on your way again. I always take fewer slot pictures carrying an SLR, and that's the tradeoff for the improved image quality.

That's what I've done lately. I'm sure there are some more efficient systems out there.

[remoteman45]

Slot canyons and waterfalls are my passion and on my last foray into Blue John I debated about whether or not to take my Oly E3 DSLR or my much smaller Canon G9 and the E3 won because I know the camera better and I felt confident the camera and lens combination would produce better results. I use an 11-22mm 2.8 for my canyon shots usually at F-16 to F-22 at ISO 100 or sometimes 200 with mirror lock-up, bracketed for HDR and tonemapping and of course on a tripod with a cable release. I don't want the noise that can come from high ISO and I want my shots to be crisp throughout so low ISO and a tripod do the trick for me. Obviously these aren't the settings for people shots though. I shoot everything in raw and process with Photomatix Pro and Photoshop CS5. If there is any chance of flowing water I will carry a couple neutral density filters to slow down the exposure. I'll shoot in aperture priority most of the time and shutter priority for the water shots. In Blue John some of my exposures were almost 30 seconds - but no noise and sharp all the way through.

I realize that getting it out and shooting the way I do is a chore but I want the best shot I can get and who knows if the opportunity for that shot will present itself again. I use a semi hard camera case made for this model camera in a doubled up dry bag and bury it in my pack for protection. The camera's been around a bit including lots of ATVing and it's all about how you pack it. Of course the Olympus cameras are known for their toughness and dust and water resistancy and so far it hasn't let me down. The first shot below is in Boundary Canyon (obviously wet) and the second from Blue John. Pretty tough to get shots like these with a point and shoot.

[bladerider]

Thanks for the response remoteman45. Those are some pretty phenomenal photos, I can appreciate the effort it takes to capture those. One day I might be interested in capturing scenes like those, but for now I am mostly interested in capturing the "adventure" aspect of canyoneering. Having the camera ready and accessible is key for capturing those quick moments of climbing, rapping, swimming, etc. I know a point and shoot is the best answer but I'm sick of sacraficing image quality. I have definitely seen trip reports with the same types of photos I am describing (maybe on the latest rave?). I think they were shot with an SLR due to the narrow depth of field indicative of an SLR. If you are of the same mindset as me, lets hear your methods!

For me so far, I use a top loading lowepro case slung over my shoulder and clipped with a beaner to the side of my pack or harness to keep it out of the way. I can quickly pull out the camera and take my shot. Unfortunately I have not yet come up with a good system for handling wet sections of the canyon. Into the dry bag and deep in the pack it goes, and I miss a lot of great shots. And a marine case is just way too expensive.

[asdf]

1. For canyons that may be wet and involve wading or swimming, do you use a marine housing, pelican hard case, or a dry bag for your SLR? Any other case recommendations? Any tips, techniques, or methods for taking photos while in wet sections of the canyon?

Clik Elite recently posted some pictures on facebook of their new waterproof canyon camera bag that will be part of their 2012 product line.

[jwurst]

Been there done that. Last fall I rolled my old beater Sony A100 about 50 feet down a scree slope on the slog up to Cable Canyon. A bush caught it before it went over the brink. I got some great pictures on that trip. Like this one, and this one.

I normally just haul my super cheap 18-70 f3.5-5.6. It is a bit soft in the corners but otherwise pretty good. 18mm is pretty wide. Once in awhile I run out of light and have to up the ISO. I don't carry a tripod. I want to enjoy the trip too, and that wouldn't happen if I tried to bring a tripod when I'm also hauling a 60m rope, wetsuit, pothole escape tools, etc. Keep in mind that if there is no action in the photo then, by using the canyon walls to steady yourself, and by using your built in shake reduction, you can get sharp images with some pretty long exposures.

I also have a 10-20 ultra wide. I have brought it once or twice. It allows me to get some very interesting pictures but it also makes me miss some too because it is too wide. I would be more inclined to bring it on repeat trips through the same canyon.

As for packing... If I am expecting a lot of water then I'll pack my camera in a hard case. Mine happens to be a S3. Shop around for the smallest case that will hold the camera. I shake my hands off and maybe slap the canyon wall a few times before grabbing the camera. A little dampness gets in just from opening and closing and associated dripping. At the end of the day I leave the case open and let everything dry out. If I am expecting not much water then I'll bring a much lighter and smaller soft case with an option to pack it into a dry bag. When we find water I make someone else go first to test the depth so I know if I need to pack it. Getting it in and out of a dry bag in my pack is a major nuisance and causes many missed shots if there is frequent water.

I have considered a soft underwater case but have never taken the plunge. I think for it to be useful I would need to be able to put the encased camera in a small soft camera bag, but the underwater cases are too big for that. A soft underwater case would not survive if not protected in a case during climbing. Hard underwater cases are simply too expensive for me to consider, and they look bulky too.

[homerj]

Awesome photos remoteman45!!! Love these shots!!!

[accadacca]

Awesome photos remoteman45!!! Love these shots!!!

Totally agree. Whoa!!

[paul4886]

Thre major concers when taking a DLSR. These are:
1). Cost
2). Environment mitigation ( the sand and water )
3). Impact mitigation ( banging the body and lens agaisnt the side of the canyon walls when down climbing )
4). Narrow point of view and stance from subject
5). Dynamic range of light and dark in the shot.

For these I take a:
Body: A Nikon D90 .. has video for some fun action videos.
Lens: A 10.5 Fisheye and a 18-105 mm zoom.. pondering a 10-22mm wide angle zoom.
Cover: A velcro snap on camera cover to mitigate dust and impact damage
Water: At least two wet/dry bags with moisture abosrbing bags inside.
High Dynamin Range of light: I use a polorizer filter.

Link to recent trip as a sample:
https://picasaweb.google.com/PaulFrnSLC/MoabRehab#

[zzyzx]

Wow, great shots remoteman45!!
What a kind of sharpness and colors!
Are these places only for canyoneers? Iit's possible to hike in?
Thank you.

[remoteman45]

The Blue John Canyon shot you can certainly hike into and get but the Boundary Canyon waterfall shot is an all "in for a penny - in for a pound" type of day. Seems usually the good stuff is harder to get. If I can come back with even one good shot from the day I'm satisfied.

[zzyzx]

Thank you for your hints.
Maybe in the next summer - w/ some experienced ones at my site.
Our itinerary is fixed for this summer.