Monday, October 10, 2016

Road Trip; Part V

Hunter Brook Beach in Acadia National Park (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 50-140mm f/2.8 lens @ 140mm; 1/3 sec. @ f/16 + 6X ND filter; ISO 200
This beach was unique in the aspect that it was all rounded rocks and pebbles, unlike the typical rocky shore of Maine

The New England road trip continues and it just gets better and better!  The combination of my wife and I together enjoying our exploration to many new and interesting places, the cooler and drier weather (I'm not a hot weather person), the emerging fall color and the Fuji gear all make this trip a joy.

Our time in and around Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park has come to an end.  I made some nice images (my opinion, of course) and we enjoyed our time in Maine.  We now drive west to spend a few days in New Hampshire and the area of the White Mountains.
Lobster Pots and Buildings, Bernard, Maine (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 27.4mm; 1/60th sec. @ f/11; ISO 200
The X-T2 is working very well for me.  I am enjoying using it.  The camera's controls and menus allow me to change settings and not break my concentration on making images. However, I have identified a couple of nits to pick.  Just minor things that could easily be fixed, in my opinion, but may not even be a concern for others. The one that has my attention is the diopter adjustment dial.  Either as I place the camera in my bag or as I am using it, the diopter adjustment wheel is often moved from the position to which I set it.  It is a bit startling to look though a viewfinder, half-press the shutter button to autofocus and nothing seems to come into sharp focus!  The first time it happened I thought it may be my eyes (I did have a bit of an eye problem earlier this year which resulted in blur) but then I realize the diopter adjustment has moved.  Nikon has a nice system that Fuji might emulate.  To adjust the diopter on my last two Nikon cameras one pulls out the knurled knob, turns it to the appropriate position, then pushes it back in where it locks.  Very simple and elegant.  No worries about unexpected changes which could result in missed images if one is working fast.

We ate well all week.  We enjoyed some fine meals in several local restaurants on the island.  Paddy's, Galyn's, Side Street Cafe, West Street Cafe, The Asticou Inn (where we had some lovely popovers and strawberry jam) and could not seem to walk by Mt. Desert Ice Cream whenever we passed it.  Either location.

On to photography.
Bernard, Maine Lobster Pot Floats (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 16mm; 1/70th sec. @ f/11; ISO 400
I like the light in Acadia.  Early morning light is clear, warm and enveloping.  As the morning progresses the light retains its lovely quality.  I don't know if it is because it is the fall time of the year when days are shorter and the humidity is down, thus giving what I call a "purer" light (less atmospheric moisture the less water vapor affects the various color light waves and the more pure the light) or it is that way all of the time.  I just know I like its quality.  The issue is shooting with auto white balance and the camera wanting to neurtralize that warm light.  Set your camera on the daylight setting and it will stay warm.
Boats moored in harbor between Tremont and Bernard, Maine (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 17.6mm; 1/480th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200
Another thing I like about Acadia and the region is the diversity of subject matter.  Even though I live very close to the coast in Virginia, the scenery, industries, historical structures are much different than ours. 

 If you plan on photographing nature in Acadia, I am told August is peak month for visitors so you might want to go, as we did, in September.  Also, start early in the morning as people flock to the park after 9 a.m.

 However, as much as I enjoyed time photographing nature, the ocean and shorelines and the other treats Acadia provides to us photographers, I enjoyed photographing the myriad of man-made subjects that equally caught my interest.  I loved photographing around the buildings, boats and infrastructure that supports the fishing and lobster industry.  Lobster pots, old weathered buildings, boats in harbors, a lighthouse or two, rows of coiled ropes, colorful lobster pot floats attached to walls, etc., all are interesting fodder for the observant photographer.  One just has to get out, got down back roads, side streets, out onto docks (asking permission of course) and use the vision you were given to turn just about any scene into an interesting photograph.  There were interesting photographs everywhere I turned.

Reeds and Lily Pads in the Tarn outside of Bar Harbor, Maine (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 50-140mm f/2.8 lens @ 63.4mm; 1/210th sec. @ f/11; ISO 400
Also, I would recommend visiting, along with Acadia National Park, Bass Harbor, Tremont, Southwest Harbor, Southeast Harbor, Bar Harbor, Thuya Gardens, Cadillac Mountain and the hiking trails through the Park.  That list doesn't include all of the small towns and harbors south of Acadia that are just as beautiful.  

 The lens I used most in Acadia and surrounds was the 16-55mm f/2.8.  Second to that was the 50-140mm f/2.8.  On occasion I used the 10-24mm f/4 lens when I needed the expansive field of view and, when my friends climbed the Precipice Trail, I pulled out the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 + 1.4x tele-converter. But the 16-55 is the "bread and butter" lens for sure.  The focal lengths cover 85% of my work, the lens is sharp even wide open and it is not too big or heavy to carry with me at all times.

Bar Harbor Harbor (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 50-140mm f/2.8 lens @ 140mm + 1.4x tele-converter; 1/320th sec. @ f/11; ISO 400
Finally, Acadia is the type of place in which you must return over and over to get a deep appreciation of all it has to offer.  Seven days there can't do justice to its potential.  It is the kind of place that I think would grow on me as I felt "at home", relaxed, calm, and serene in its surrounds.

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 16mm; 1/220th sec. @ f/11; ISO 200
I had to make a tourist type image of an iconic Maine lighthouse.  Wrong light, wrong time of day
but good location.  It was a real challenge climbing down on these rocks with camera and tripod to make this image.
Next entry I will have some narrative and images from New Hampshire.  Come back and see what I found.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

 Dennis A. Mook 

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6 comments:

  1. GaryOctober 10, 2016 at 8:21 AM

    You commented about the light in Acadia. Having grown up in coastal Massachusetts just north of Boston, and spent a lot of time in Maine over the past 30 years or so, I can confirm that the autumn light in the whole region is pretty special. The sun is lower in the sky, and the humidity has decreased significantly.

    And yes--October is a perfect time to visit weather-wise. Just need to avoid the leaf-peepers. Traveling to the White Mountains during the week is a good way to do that. Weekends can be very traffic-y with cars full of leaf-peepers clogging the roadways.

    Question for you, Dennis, as you continue to put the Fuji through its paces. At any given wider aperture, say f/2.8, can you achieve the same limited depth of field as you could with a full-frame DSLR like the Nikon 810 you sold to buy the Fuji gear? It's my understanding that a larger sensor would permit shallower depth of field, but I don't know (1) the size of the Fuji sensor, and (2) whether the mirrorless aspect has any effect.

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    1. The Wandering LensmanOctober 10, 2016 at 8:45 AM

      Thank you for confirming the beauty of the light. It is just not me.

      As to your question, depth of field depends upon a few things. Aperture, focal length, distance focused and size of the recording medium, in our case, the size of the digital sensor.

      A general rule of thumb is that a full frame digital camera will have one stop more depth of field at any given aperture than an APS-C sized sensored camera, all things being equal. For example, at f/2.8 on a full frame camera would have equal depth of field as f/2 on my Fuji camera. In an opposite example, the depth of field at f/5.6 on my Fuji would equal the depth of field at f/8 on a full frame camera. Two stops difference if you are using Micro 4/3. These are generalizations for easy reference.

      Yes one can emulate the difference if something other than aperture changes. For example at, say, f/2.8 on both cameras, I would have to either have a longer focal length or a shorter distance to my subject to achieve the same depth of field.

      This translated to film cameras as well. Medium format was capable of shorter depths of field than 35mm at equal apertures. 4X5" cameras even less depth of field. When you got to an 8X10" view camera, where a normal lens is 300mm, one would use an aperture of f/45 to achieve a moderate depth of field for landscapes. Its all relative.

      If you want equal depth of field in an APS-C sized sensored camera as in a full frame digital camera, you need to open up one stop and buy faster lenses.

      I hope this helps and I hope I inadvertently didn't make a mistake. After all, it is Monday and we just had a huge hurricane pass through the area over the weekend! But all is well.

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  2. Peter F.October 10, 2016 at 11:07 AM

    I love Bernard. Did the timing of your visit there enable you to stop for lunch at Thurston's. They make a nice lobster roll! ---Peter

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    1. The Wandering LensmanOctober 10, 2016 at 1:18 PM

      Was too early. Did eat a lobster roll at Galen's however.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 10, 2016 at 4:53 PM

    "Reeds and Lily Pads..." is especially beautiful. It really made me stop and look on in wonder!
    --Walter Foreman

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