Landscape Gear

mal robb

mal robb

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Hi All,

Really enjoying shooting landscapes especially on journeys upto Scotland. I currently have a Canon 60D, 70-200 2.8 L IS Mk1, a Sigma 10-22mm and a 50mm prime. If I was to invest more thoroughly in this genre what should be by next purchase? I was considering a FF camera (Canon 6D), a 21mm Zeiss lens(2nd hand) or perhaps a 16-35mm or 17-40mm. Is there any ordering people would choose to buy this stuff? It would be staged buying but I was thinking of 6D and then swapping out the 10-22mm to get a 17-40mm lens, more suitable for FF.

Other thoughts were to get a Lee Filter system etc. or a better tripod head for my Manfrotto. I currently have a 327RC2 head and it is quick and easy but I find it often limiting as it cannot hold my 70-200mm in portrait orientation so again any recommendations around this would be appreciated.

Grateful for people's thoughts and views.

Thanks
 
I think if you're considering changing to full frame, the 6d is a fantastic value full frame camera, and paired with a 17-40 gives really good results.
Alternatively, you could go down the filter route first of all, and if you buy well, then these are something you could carry through any future transitions.
Your thinking seems to be a solid route, I went 5d, to 5d3, with a 17-40, which I have just upgraded to a 21mm Zeiss.
As an aside, did you go for the 70-200 2.8 for any reason? I'd love one for motorsport, but i have the f4, and find it perfectly suitable for landscape. Plus the weight saving is great for hiking!
An idea would be to free up funds by swapping it out for the f4, which would aid the upgrade process.
 
I hope you have deep pockets and plenty of money for that shopping list of wants. I would prioritise what you actually need first and work from there.
If you looking at tripod heads then the Manfrotto 410 geared head is very good.
I would also pick the 16-35 F4 over the 17-40 as it has a very good write up.
 
To be honest I wouldn't bother spending any more money on gear unless you're finding that in some way you're struggling to achieve the photos you want as a direct result of it lacking in some way.. the tripod head sounds worth a look as obviously it's an issue for you. Other than that I'd carry on enjoying what you have and keep the money in your pocket. It's easy to get a bit carried away with gear and much of the time you'll really not notice a significant difference except for the hole in your bank account.

Sorry... probably not what you wanted to hear but just my thoughts anyway

Simon
 
In your position I think I'd go for a better tripod head and some filters. Especially a polariser.

The Lee filters you mentioned are great, worth looking at the HiTech Firecrest ones as well IMO (I use these).
 
paul100 said:
I hope you have deep pockets and plenty of money for that shopping list of wants. I would prioritise what you actually need first and work from there.
If you looking at tripod heads then the Manfrotto 410 geared head is very good.
I would also pick the 16-35 F4 over the 17-40 as it has a very good write up.
Click to expand...

I'd agree on the 410 and the 16-35f4. I have both.
 
Without doubt FF is a game changer providing you have the correct lenses for it. I'm not a Canon person but Canon, Nikon whatever bodies are always changing every year, so I'd say spend your pennies on Good Lenses they NEVER devalue as much as a body would. Also a good lens is always a good lens! Whatever body it is on so buy good quality lenses for a Full Frame camera (No point in buying Crop Lenses) then when you have enough pennies you can get your FF body. By that time you may find the 6D has dropped in price or you can find a low mileage one for a good price either that or they will bring out the 6,1/2 DII GT by then.
Of course the Head and the Grads are very important. check out the Progrey filter system make a good alternative to Lee. Its a US company but I think they might even exceed Lee for quality and performance. http://www.progreyusa.com/
 
As above, there is little point getting a new camera unless you are limited by what you have. Personally the best non camera thing I bought was an L Plate / Bracket and an arca compatible tripod head. I think i I might seriously consider this sort of set up and the lee filters.
 
Thank you all for your comments, advice and guidance on this topic.

@MattyW I went for the 70-200mm 2.8L IS as I sometimes shoot motorsport and airshows and everyone recommended that you should spend as much on a lens as you can afford and I got it in the US so save a few quid. Appreciate the point about weight as it is a big beast but not sure if downgrading is the best option. Will have a think. As an aside I saw your photo from Skye on the other forum and it is amazing. Off there in June so hopefully get some opportunity but sense that I will be struggling to recreate anything like your images.

I understand the points made about not throwing money at the problem, as this will not make me a better landscape photographer its just that I moved from 20D to a 60D and observe that all great landscape shots are taken with FF cameras so would probably want to move that way in the future. You get such rare opportunity to stand in front of some of these amazing vistas and locations that you want to wring as much out of them as possible.

I think I will go for tripod head, 16-35mm or 17-40mm lens and then FF camera and then potentially the 21mm prime lens. As I said before this is a gradual staged, approach and just wanted to make sure my reasoning is sound.

Thanks again all
 
mal robb said:
16-35mm or 17-40mm lens and then FF camera
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I've a full frame and a 17-40mm lens and am very happy with it. From the above posts it seems as if you're much more enthusiastic with landscapes than I am. From what I read the 16-35mm is a much better lens. I feel you'd be missing out if you bought the 17-40mm and would only want to buy again a year or two later.

And another vote for the 410 junior head - not sure why this particular piece of equipment has appeared so many times in the last few days but I highly recommend it for landscape and "still" photography.
 
sk66 said:
Jeeze, and here I am frequently choosing my Nikon1 kit for landscape type work....
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And you are probably right in that the picture as seen on the monitor or whatever screen would be great but for me personally half the enjoyment is using the "nice" kit.
 
I don't shoot landscapes as much as I should, but from your first post I would go for the 17-40 and some filters. I'm lucky that I now have a 6D & 7D2, but it's the 6D I reach for when just "going out". I have the 17-40, 24-105 and a borrowed 50mm f1.2 in my bag with a set of ND grads & a polariser. This allows me to shoot landscapes (or city/sea scapes) whenever we go out. Just having the kit in a decent bag (not hard to carry) makes it all worthwhile.

On your cro body you need width, and the 10-20, although not bad (I have one also) is not a patch on the 17-40. Combine that with some ND grads to stop blowing the sky and the results should start to look better. With the right kit I find it easier to get consistent results, even if in my case, the results aren't that great :)
 
Along with the photographic gear the Photographer's Ephemeris (free for PCs and Macs) and an OS map (sometimes the OS map available on Bing Maps is enough) of an area you are interested in are really useful.

Dave
 
pjm1 said:
Actually mal, some of the great landscape shots are shot in a proper format - not this piddly tiny "full frame" nonsense ;)

And even my Mamiya shoots onto small squares of film compared with true large format!
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Hi Paul your back then!
You have changed your avata so didn't recognise you how you doing all sorted now.
Piddly full frame:rolleyes: Don't listen to Paul, he'll have us all using 8x10 wet plates:ROFLMAO::)
 
Some good advice above re filters and tripod head. A good, solid tripod/head is probably one of the most important pieces of kit for landscapes, and my Lee filters are almost always used too.

For landscapes, you can't beat a geared head IMO. The Manfrotto 410 junior head is a good, reasonably priced option, if a bit large and heavy. However, I find it invaluable to be able to alter the three axes independently of each other - provides finer control than a ball head, and no drooping like you get with some ball heads with a heavy camera/lens combo.

Just noticed others have recommended the same above - completely agree!
 
justinminns said:
Another vote for the Manfrotto 410 geared head and a set of Lee filters… those were two of the best bits of kit I have bought.
Click to expand...

Second that!
 
I can also give a thumbs up for the geared head . I bought the head last year and now I use it for all my macro as well as my landscape.
 
I have to agree the 410 geared head is fantastic, cant believe its been discontinued.
 
Can anyone recommend a good alternative to the Manfrotto 410?

I'm in the market for a similar head, but ideally one that takes an Arca-Swiss type plate.

I know you can get adapters, just wondered if there were any good alternatives?
 
I was told it was being fazed out with the xpro geared 3 way adapto taking its place? Maybe completely wrong.
 
Wissel said:
Can anyone recommend a good alternative to the Manfrotto 410?

I'm in the market for a similar head, but ideally one that takes an Arca-Swiss type plate.

I know you can get adapters, just wondered if there were any good alternatives?
Click to expand...

Not in the manfrotto price range. There's the Arca Swiss D4 at about £860 if you've got deep pockets ☺
 
pjm1 said:
Actually mal, some of the great landscape shots are shot in a proper format - not this piddly tiny "full frame" nonsense ;)

And even my Mamiya shoots onto small squares of film compared with true large format!
Click to expand...
You'll always be limited with 35mm and medium format systems.
Move up to Large format to open up a cartload of new opportunities, options and experiences
 
I have just purchased the 6D and haven't looked back at all mate. I would like the Zeiss 21mm but haven't got that spare case even for a second hand one. At the mo I'm just using a 24- 105 and a 70-200 and find them ok for now but would like something a little wider.
For the tripod I have the Manfrotto 190 Carbon Fibre with the pro 3 way head and does the job for me even with the 70-200.

I also know people with the 17-40 and they love it mate and say its a great lens.

As for filters I just cannot afford the Lee Filter set up so I got The Filter Dude version of the Lee Filter attachment with some Kood ND filters but I did go for the Lee Little Stopper.

Posiview said about L Bracket, I ordered the Manfrotto Q2 L Bracket which came today but it gets in the way off where the cable release goes if you dont use a battery grip which I dont so Ill be sending that back as I always use the cable release.
 
Wissel said:
Can anyone recommend a good alternative to the Manfrotto 410?

I'm in the market for a similar head, but ideally one that takes an Arca-Swiss type plate.

I know you can get adapters, just wondered if there were any good alternatives?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately not as far as I know - I love my Manfrotto 410, but would like something a bit smaller and Arca-compatible. As taxably said, the only option I've been able to find is the Arca D4
 
Lee, have you got the correct L bracket? Might just want to check you've ordered one without the grip fitted.
 
Hi Lee, it does state grip required so might be bad advice.
Have you looked at a different make, like SUNWAYFOTO ? I use them on both my 5d mk2 and 5ds with a manfrotto 410 gear head. They are very good and I've had no issues at all. I had to get a plate for the head but it wasn't that expensive. Check out fleabay (cguk )and perhaps contact them. They were excellent with very quick service.
 
paul100 said:
Hi Lee, it does state grip required so might be bad advice.
Have you looked at a different make, like SUNWAYFOTO ? I use them on both my 5d mk2 and 5ds with a manfrotto 410 gear head. They are very good and I've had no issues at all. I had to get a plate for the head but it wasn't that expensive. Check out fleabay (cguk )and perhaps contact them. They were excellent with very quick service.
Click to expand...

More likely I just didn't read it properly.
I will check them out and see what I can find, thanks for the heads up.
 
I really like my 6D the only bodies I'd consider swapping it for are a 5DSR or a Sony A7R2. Whilst I can see the attraction of the 17-40 based on cost the 16-35 F4 is all round better. Whilst mainly doing landscapes I don't feel the need to drop £900 on a Zeiss which is covered by the 16-35. Filters for it are going to be steep too at 84mm. Longer term Lee or another 100mm system is the obvious way to go but in the interim a Hoya polariser at 77mm would fit the other zooms at a fraction of the cost. Before I got a Lee ND grad I had a set of Koods which were ok on a budget.
 
Essential items should include a decent tripod (I had a Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 but upgraded to a Gitzo GT3542XLS which is so much more sturdy than the Manfrotto but a lot more costly.).

As far as the tripod head, I used to favour the Manfrotto 410 but now prefer a ballhead and levelling base. Part of the reason was I wanted to use the Kirk L bracket. There are lots of excellent ballheads available, the Acratech GV2, the Benro BH3 or the RRS BH-55 would be my favoured models.

A decent wide angle lens and a medium telephoto should feature. I have the Zeiss 21mm which is a superb lens, I also use the Canon ts-e 24mm f/3.5 Mark 2 tilt shift lens which is often overlooked but is permanently in my kit bag. A 70-200mm f/4.0 is also really useful.

Filters are not essential but are very handy. Look at Lee or NiSi and make sure to include a polarising filter.

Finally, a decent pair of wellies are an essential item and not to be overlooked!

Andy
 
Spend your money on getting better rather than just buying better gear. The more time I spend outside the better images I get so maybe more money towards trips.
 
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