MT. BAKER-SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST, WA :: I kicked off the summer by renewing my Golden Eagle pass and bagging my third summit of Mt. Dickerman. I hadn’t been on a hike in four months and I wasn’t sure how well my legs would carry me up 3900′ and over 8.6 miles. Fortunately, the ascent is gentle during the first three miles of this popular trail.
The going was a little tougher on the final mile, still under a considerable amount of snow. Each step was a sink, slip, and stick. A few times it was just a deep sink. I followed tracks leading directly up steep slopes that cut across many switchbacks, finally making it to the top in about 2.5 hours. Trudging through the snow added to my time, but it felt great on this 85 degree day and the long glissades back down were very fun.
The 360 degree views from the top are rewarding. Baker, Glacier and a little bit of Rainier can be seen, along with most of the peaks along the Mountain Loop Highway. The impressive north face of Big Four looms over the trail for most of the hike.
The going was a little tougher on the final mile, still under a considerable amount of snow. Each step was a sink, slip, and stick. A few times it was just a deep sink. I followed tracks leading directly up steep slopes that cut across many switchbacks, finally making it to the top in about 2.5 hours. Trudging through the snow added to my time, but it felt great on this 85 degree day and the long glissades back down were very fun.
The 360 degree views from the top are rewarding. Baker, Glacier and a little bit of Rainier can be seen, along with most of the peaks along the Mountain Loop Highway. The impressive north face of Big Four looms over the trail for most of the hike.
Nice pictures! I especially like 2.jpgHave you started using a polarizer? Sun was quite intense this weekend, but it didn’t look like you had problems.
No polarizer yet. I’d still like to get one, although I’m concerned how evenly it’ll be able to render a wide angle sky.
I’m starting to notice specks of dust on my sensor… There are a couple faint blobs in the upper-right corner of 1_large.jpg. Have you cleaned your sensor yet? If so, how?
John
I haven’t noticed any dust yet, but I haven’t really been looking. There are probably a few on mine, I just haven’t seen. Actually, I would have never seen the one on yours if you did not point it out.
At this point I think I have more dust on lcd screen than anything else.
I have seen this article about cleaning sensors, a little Nikon slanted so your mileage may very.http://bythom.com/cleaning.htmI haven’t tried it, but the author seems pretty well respected in the Nikon community. I am sure there are other equally good articles you have found too?
Are polarizer’s known to have problems with WideAngle lenses? What about an ND filter. Not that these photos need it, but I think they would have helped me a bit this weekend.
Basically, the polarization effect is not even – it’s most pronounced at a perpendicular angle to the sun. A wide angle lens includes a larger amount of sky, so the uneveness is more apparent.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/polarizers.shtml
For reducing the brightness of the sky to better match your exposure of the landscape, I think a gradiented ND filter would do the trick. My old G3 had a ND filter built it, but it covered the entire lens opening (great for waterfalls on a bright day). I don’t have any experience with a split or gradiented filter. If you ever get one, let me know how it works for you.
John
So what is it about cannon specifically that you love so much?
I have a nikon – for about a year – and it has done me well but I am rather new to the more advanced photography area (ie not point and shoot) and am trying to get some info for my next camera.
Zac
Hi Zac,
I’m also new to what you call “advanced photography.” I’ll answer your question, but I’m certainly no expert on the topic!
I’ve been using Canon cameras for a while and have never had any problems with them. At the time of purchasing each, I felt the G3, Elph and Rebel XT were the highest quality and most fully-featured cameras on the market within their price categories. Other camera companies may have since caught up and even surpassed what Canon offers, but I haven’t been keeping on top it.
If you’re happy with Nikon, stick with it. Based on the thousands of online photo galleries I’ve seen, it isn’t the camera so much that determines the quality of the image, but the photographer’s skill.
John