Blue Planet Photography

Blue Eyes

This is the follow-up to my initial review posted in January.

I recently took a 10-day trip to Uruguay and brought my new Nexto Ultra (80GB) along. I also brought my Delkin Devices Efilm Picturepad (20GB) as backup. I have to say that I’m very pleased with the performance of the Nexto. In the actual 8 days of shooting, I amassed about 34GB of files. Uploading from my Lexar 2GB 133 CF cards took between 90 - 110 seconds for full cards, averaging about 100 seconds. The simple LCD screen kept me aprised of the remaining space left on the hard drive and battery life. I brought the AC adapter and a voltage adapter in case I needed to charge the internal battery, as well as the external battery. I didn’t need any of that. When I got home, the battery was still at half charge. The other photographers in my group were very interested in the performance as well and were surprised at the speed and battery life.

I’m very happy with my decision to purchase the Nexto. It fits my needs with fast uploads, long battery life, and reasonable price. If you’re looking for an efficient storage device without all the frills and extra cost, the Nexto is a good choice.

The only suggestions I would have so far is (1) that the carry case be a bit more sturdy and “beefy” so that it can be worn on a belt while hiking or working a sporting event without worry that the seams might tear or the belt loop come off. (2) that the flap be large enough (or the case long enough) to velcro closed when a CF card is loaded and uploading. On this trip I didn’t wear the Nexto on my belt, but would have been a little nervous about hiking through thick brush if I had. The case for my Picturepad is heavy nylon, padded, and double stitched. The flap also allows the device to be secured while uploading in the case when I’m also shooting.

Those are relatively minor criticisms. Others have commented that they would like to see better internal shock protection (or maybe an armored cover). This would also be nice, but with the proper care the Nexto should be durable.

I did receive a comment on my last post about the USB upload speed. I didn’t check the upload speeds when I returned from Uruguay, but they were probably about the same 4 minutes or so. I do think I have an issue with my computer in that regard, but I haven’t tested the Nexto on another system yet. I may do that soon, to determine if it is a system or device issue. You might see more on that later.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is facing a $3 Billion budget shortfall for programs that need to be funded to maintain the refuge system for the public trust. You read it correctly, $3 Billion. Congress has failed to keep up with the demand on resources that new refuge designations and increased public use have placed on the system. That means the funding requested by the refuges for programs such as education, law enforcement, habitat management and improvement, endangered species recovery, and invasive species control, among others, and improvements to buildings, roads and other infrastructure, hiring of qualified staff, upkeep of vehicles and equipment, etc. is short $3 Billion. 

The National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) system encompasses 547 refuges across all 50 states covering nearly 100 million acres. Within this system are 3000 waterfowl production areas (areas important or critical to waterfowl breeding), habitat for 700 bird species, 220 mammal species, 250 reptile and amphibian species, 200 species of fish, and 25% of all Federal threatened and endangered species. Refuges were set up in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt specifically to protect habitat for wildlife and since the 1973 Endangered Species Act, close to 60 NWRs have been set up specifically for the recovery of threatened or endangered plants or animals (http://www.refugenet.org/new-general-info/Refuge%20system.html).

Covering more land and geographic area than National Parks, NWRs are essential to conserving wildlife habitat and providing natural recreation lands for future generations. Also, since many NWRs are centered around waterfowl, riparian areas critical for flood mitigation and water quality are being protected.

However, NWRs are funded at approximately $4 per acre whereas National Parks are funded at $20 per acre (http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2007/2007-03-12-06.asp).

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The next generation 1D digital SLR is the world’s fastest, at 10 frames per second, shooting 110 JPEG or 30 RAW frames per burst. Not a full size CMOS (APS-H), the 1D nonetheless has an impressive ISO range of 100 - 3200 with extension down to 50 and up to 6400, with reportedly ultra-low noise.

Other features are Live View LCD which allows the photographer to view the scene through the 3.0 inch LCD on the back of the camera, like most point and shoot cameras allow. Additionally, Live View can be operated via tether or wireless for remote operation in real time.

An integrated sensor cleaning system which shakes dust off the sensor cover and shutter helps to reduce sensor dust. In case there are any dust specks, the Digital Photo Professional 3.0 software that comes with the Mark III tracks dust specks and automatically erases them from image files.

Other new features:

Improved autofocus

Digic III image processor

Safety Shift allows the camera to make adjustments to ISO, shutter speed, or aperture automatically to compensate for changes in lighting conditions

LC-E4 Lithium-Ion battery replaces the NP-E3 Ni-MH battery with lighter weight and nearly double the number of frames (2200 with the LC-E4 vs 1200 with the NP-E3)

sRAW file type, 1/4 the resolution and 1/2 the file size of RAW

The ability to switch to external USB storage when the memory card is full when using the wireless transmitter

For more detailed information see http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20070221_1dmark3.html

This was originally posted on my old blog on 2/4/2006

The issue of estate planning in photography is big one. What is the value of the images from an “unknown” photographer versus someone who is known? Is the value purely monetary or is there a societal/historical value also which supercedes any monetary value? Where and how will the photo library be stored and managed? What is included, i.e. prints, negatives, slides, business papers, correspondence, etc.?

I talked with Al Weber a couple years ago regarding his efforts to educate photographers about archiving their images rather than destroying them or giving them up to family members who may not know their significance or understand their value either monetary or historical. Al Weber, who was a friend of Ansel Adams and a well-known photographer in his own right, believes it is extremely important to make sure the image collections of photographers are preserved for the future. He started a collections program at the University of California Santa Cruz because a collection of photographs by a friend of his (I can’t remember who now) was going to be lost through neglect by family members who didn’t know what they had.

“Art is an important form of communication. If work is lost, or locked away where it can’t be experienced by new generations, we break an essential historic link. ” — Al Weber

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I’m pleased to report a happy (and somewhat surprising) ending to the copyright infringement issue I reported on earlier. I received a check for the invoice, payment for the use of the image, a letter of apology, and the surprise was a second check as a deposit for additional photos needed by this person. I will be meeting with her in a few days to discuss her photo needs. I think dealing with this issue in a calm and professional manner was (and is) the best course of action. If there is sufficient documentation, the facts will speak for themselves. I learned when I was a state park ranger that it is much easier to get tougher from a friendly stance than it is to get friendly from a tough stance. It’s easy when you’ve been taken advantage of to respond with anger. I was certainly frustrated and bewildered and, yes, angry. Rather than reacting immediately, which is often not the best course of action, I gathered the facts, made sure I was in the right, then contacted my attorney. Sometimes, these issues can be dealt with directly without the need for an attorney. It’s up to you to make that decision based on your own experience and the facts of the individual case.

I’m glad it’s been resolved and I hope for a mended relationship with this person.

It’s late summer and it had rained the day before. With the sun just coming over the horizon, and a cool breeze blowing, we loaded into the back of Nestor’s truck for the ride out to the marsh. We were getting the full-on tour by the ranger of the Estación Biológica Potrerillo De Santa Teresa, home of the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) or as they are called in Uruguay, carpincho. Capybaras are found throughout much of South America and into Central America (Panama). Semi-aquatic, capybara frequent marshlands, feeding on grasses and aquatic plants. They live in social groups with a dominant male.

Capybaras are the world’s largest rodent, reaching up to 4 feet in length and up to 2 feet tall, weighing from 75 - 140 pounds. Looking a lot like giant guinea pigs, they are covered in sparse-looking brown fur. When startled, capybaras move into the cover of dense vegetation and can submerge for up to five minutes.

Carpinchos are hunted and eaten, their flesh is said to taste somewhat like pork. Capybara leather is used to make wallets, gloves, and other items. Their natural enemies are jaguar and caiman.

After a short drive we come around a clump of short trees and see the marsh, filled with tall grass, and several brown lumps of carpinchos at its edge. We stop and Nestor leaves the engine running. The carpinchos are used to this sound and it calms them, he explains. We get out quietly and move slowly toward the carpinchos as they graze in the early morning sun. A handful of adults and several young of the year sit on the boundary between tall grass and short grass. We sit at the boundary of mud, a few yards away. The carpinchos do not run. Some are grazing, others are soaking in the rays.

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The Alaska Game Commission is considering a proposal to allow hunting in a previously protected area near the McNeil River Bear Sanctuary in Southwest Alaska. The bear sanctuary was established in 1960 to protect the population of bears in that area while they fished on yearly salmon runs. A permit system was developed later to allow up to 250 people per year to view the bears up close. The McNeil River Bear Sanctuary has become one of the best locations in the world to observe and photograph grizzly bears in the wild.

The proposed hunting area is the Kamishak Special Use Area east of the sanctuary. There has been no hunting in this area for 20 years and the proposal will open this area to hunting in the fall of 2007.

For the past 20 years (and more) a relatively harmonious relationship has been established between humans and bears at McNeil River. The bears know where they can and can’t go, and are acclimatized to human presence only in certain areas. The buffer of the Kamishak Special Use Area provides additional space for bears where they are unmolested. By introducing hunting to the area adjacent to the sanctuary, additional stress will be placed on the bears, potentially making them less predictable and putting spectators at greater risk.

You can fax your opinion to the Alaska Game Commission at 907-277-7423. Be sure to include: “Regarding Support Proposals 38-48″.