Virgin River

Zion Narrows Take IV (Just how Waterproof is Canon’s EOS Mirrorless R5?) Part II

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This is Part II of images I took on a June Narrows Hike.

I have hiked the Narrows Trail in Zion National Park 4 times. The other 3 times were in the Fall when you need a wetsuit. This June was my 4th time and everyone in my group was  wearing shorts.

The “trail is the Virgin River, literally. The water is mostly ankle to knee deep but in spots can be up to waist deep.

I took a spill in water that was deeper. I carry my camera high in deeper water but fell forward. My camera and lens were totally, and I do mean totally submerged for however long it took me to raise it out of the water. I will guess 1+ second.

I had an R5 with a circular polarizer adapter, and 24-105 L lens. There are about 24 buttons or dials, a flip screen, battery compartment, flash card compartment, and two side panels for various electronic connections.

So what happens to an EOS R5 when it is totally submerged for a second or two?

That is not a question I cared to find the answer to, but I now have the answer.

What happens? Nothing!

I expected a nasty repair bill but thanks to a metal screw cap that I keep on all my lenses, not even the lens got wet. The only leakage I could see was a single drop of water on the front element. As soon as the camera dried off, I tested the camera and it worked fine. It’s still working weeks later.

Kudos to Canon for a clearly a superior job in taking rain resistance to a much higher level. I had a second lens with me in a backpack that was in the water for 20 seconds or so until someone helped me up. That lens may have been ruined but it was in a dry bag as was my iPhone.

Continue reading “Zion Narrows Take IV (Just how Waterproof is Canon’s EOS Mirrorless R5?) Part II” →

Zion Narrows Take IV (Just how Waterproof is Canon’s EOS Mirrorless R5?)

Posted in Zion National Park UtahTagged , , , , 2 Comments

I have hiked the Narrows Trail in Zion National Park 4 times. The other 3 times were in the Fall when you need a wetsuit. This June was my 4th time and everyone in my group was  wearing shorts.

The “trail is the Virgin River, literally. The water is mostly ankle to knee deep but in spots can be up to waist deep.

I took a spill in water that was deeper. I carry my camera high in deeper water but fell forward. My camera and lens were totally, and I do mean totally submerged for however long it took me to raise it out of the water. I will guess 1+ second.

I had an R5 with a circular polarizer adapter, and 24-105 L lens. There are about 24 buttons or dials, a flip screen, battery compartment, flash card compartment, and two side panels for various electronic connections.

So what happens to an EOS R5 when it is totally submerged for a second or two?

That is not a question I cared to find the answer to, but I now have the answer.

What happens? Nothing!

I expected a nasty repair bill but thanks to a metal screw cap that I keep on all my lenses, not even the lens got wet. The only leakage I could see was a single drop of water on the front element. As soon as the camera dried off, I tested the camera and it worked fine. It’s still working weeks later.

Kudos to Canon for a clearly a superior job in taking rain resistance to a much higher level. I had a second lens with me in a backpack that was in the water for 20 seconds or so until someone helped me up. That lens may have been ruined but it was in a dry bag as was my iPhone.

Continue reading “Zion Narrows Take IV (Just how Waterproof is Canon’s EOS Mirrorless R5?)” →

Rockville Bridge Milky Way and Grafton Ghost Town

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The Rockville Bridge and Grafton Ghost Town are just outside Zion National Park. The bridge was built for the National Park Service in 1924 to provide a link between Zion National Park and the North Rim area of Grand Canyon National Park.

The Rockville Bridge is 91 years old now and is showing its age. The Department of Transportation’s inspection of the bridge in 2012 revealed such deterioration that the bridge’s load rating was reduced from 25 to 14 tons and the Town of Rockville was put on notice that “something” needed to be done about the bridge.

Plans were made to put up a new bridge next to the old one but the town objected. In 2016, the Joint Highway Committee allocated $2,500,000 for the Rockville Bridge to be rehabilitated – with the condition that the Town submit a plan for an alternate route for a new road and bridge to cross the Virgin River at another location.

In March of 2017, the Town of Rockville finished raising the matching funds required for the Federal funding of the bridge restoration project. The project is scheduled to get underway in October of 2017.

The preceding three paragraphs are slightly modified excerpts from The Rockford Bridge Organization. The organization has a photo tour.
Continue reading “Rockville Bridge Milky Way and Grafton Ghost Town” →

Zion National Park – Autumn – Hiking “The Narrows” Part III

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This is the third and final of a series of posts that covers the “Narrows”, a hike whose only trail is the Virgin River itself. Some parts of the hike are relatively open, but other sections are narrow, between water-carved sandstone walls rising over a hundred feet on each side of the river.

In the summer you can hike in shorts, but in November, when we went, a wetsuit is best.

Water carved beautiful shapes in the canyon walls that rise up on both sides you for hundreds of feet.

If you are in or near the narrows in a flash flood, you will not survive as there is no reachable high ground.

Tip List

  1. Get up early. Be in the river at dawn. If you wait until later in the day there will be masses of people in every shot.
  2. Rent your gear the night before.
  3. Turn around. Look behind you every few minutes. Light in the canyon can change fast
  4. If you see a section of the canyon you like and it is not lit up with reflected light, try again a half hour or so later.
  5. Once you reach the section of the canyon of the feature image with nearby ferns on the wall, the best sections of the narrows are downstream. I recommend spending more time in the narrows than going further upstream.
  6. Be careful with vibrations. The water may move your tripod if the sand or rocks below it shift on long exposures.
  7. Consider taking one exposure for the canyon walls and another longer exposure to smooth the water.
  8. Reflected light is best. Avoid the sky and any direct light on the canyon walls.
  9. I only used two lenses in the narrows: a 16-35MM lens and a 24-105MM lens. Long heavy lenses are not useful and will weigh you down.
  10. Rent a half wetsuit rather than a full one. The latter is too hot and too cumbersome when you have to pee.

Feature Image Details

Additional Images

Reflected light is the key images in the Narrows in general. There is no sunlight on the water or the canyon walls. Rather the light hits one canyon wall and bounces off it providing a glow everywhere else.

I used a polarizer on this image as I did every image in the Narrows.

Moving Water

There is no tripod movement if you are braced on hard rock. But in the water, currents can vibrate the tripod resulting in an image that looks nice on the playback screen but is actually a little soft.

In this particular area, I ruined a lot of images and could not figure out why until much later.

If I am in the narrows again, I will take a much faster image of the walls at a higher ISO then a slower image to get the water the way I like.

Gear

We rented wetsuits, hiking poles, and shoes suitable for river hiking.

For an image of the rental gear you will need, please see link #9 below. There are numerous places just outside the park to rent equipment.

I only took two lenses with me: A  Canon 16-35MM F4 L Lens and a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens.  Add a polarizer and a tripod (the latter is a necessity), and that is all you will need. If you are in the canyon and you think you need a flash, you are shooting in the wrong light.

I saw people carrying massive telephoto lenses and I was constantly wondering “What they hell do they need those lenses for?”

The hike is not strenuous if the water level is low. If the water level is high and fast, they close the hike. There is no elevation change but you are hiking in the river, against the current on the way in.

Relatively speaking, I found the upper Emerald Pools Trail more difficult than the Narrows, but we were fortunate to have easy conditions. The rental places and the park visitor center can assist if you have questions.

Other Zion National Park Images

  1. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part Three – Inside the Subway
  2. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part Two – The Crack
  3. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part One – Archangel Falls
  4. Zion National Park Autumn – Great White Throne
  5. Zion National Park – Autumn – Lower Emerald Pools Part 1
  6. Zion National Park – Autumn – Lower Emerald Pools Part 2 (After a Rainfall)
  7. Zion National Park – Autumn – Middle and Upper Emerald Pools
  8. Zion National Park – The Watchman – Autumn
  9. Zion National Park – Autumn – Hiking “The Narrows” Part I
  10. Zion National Park – Autumn – Hiking “The Narrows” Part II

Equipment

Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.

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Mike “Mish” Shedlock

Zion National Park – Autumn – Hiking “The Narrows” Part II

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This is the second in a series of posts that covers the “Narrows”, a hike whose only trail is the Virgin River itself. Some parts of the hike are relatively open, but other sections are narrow, between water-carved sandstone walls rising over a hundred feet on each side of the river.

In the summer you can hike in shorts, but in November, when we went, a wetsuit is best.

The feature image is the classic view of the narrows. Water carved beautiful shapes in the canyon walls that rise up on both sides you for hundreds of feet.

If you are in or near the narrows in a flash flood, you will not survive as there is no reachable high ground.

Feature Image Details

Reflected light is the key to this image, and images in the Narrows in general. There is no sunlight on the water or the canyon walls. Rather the light hits one canyon wall and bounces off it providing a glow everywhere else.

I used a polarizer on this image as I did every image in the Narrows.

Additional images near this location.

 

Exposure Tip

There is no tripod movement if you are braced on hard rock. But in the water, currents can vibrate the tripod resulting in an image that looks nice on the playback screen but is actually a little soft.

In this particular area, I ruined a lot of images and could not figure out why until much later.

If I am in the narrows again, I will take a much faster image of the walls at a higher ISO then a slower image to get the water the way I like.

Gear

We rented wetsuits, hiking poles, and shoes suitable for river hiking. For an image of the rental gear you will need, please see link #9 below. There are numerous places just outside the park to rent equipment.

I only took two lenses with me: A  Canon 16-35MM F4 L Lens and a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens.  Add a polarizer and a tripod (the latter is a necessity), and that is all you will need. If you are in the canyon and you think you need a flash, you are shooting in the wrong light.

I saw people carrying massive telephoto lenses and I was constantly wondering “What they hell do they need those lenses for?”

The hike is not strenuous if the water level is low. If the water level is high and fast, they close the hike. There is no elevation change but you are hiking in the river, against the current on the way in.

Relatively speaking, I found the upper Emerald Pools Trail more difficult than the Narrows, but we were fortunate to have easy conditions. The rental places and the park visitor center can assist if you have questions.

Other Zion National Park Images

  1. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part Three – Inside the Subway
  2. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part Two – The Crack
  3. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part One – Archangel Falls
  4. Zion National Park Autumn – Great White Throne
  5. Zion National Park – Autumn – Lower Emerald Pools Part 1
  6. Zion National Park – Autumn – Lower Emerald Pools Part 2 (After a Rainfall)
  7. Zion National Park – Autumn – Middle and Upper Emerald Pools
  8. Zion National Park – The Watchman – Autumn
  9. Zion National Park – Autumn – Hiking “The Narrows” Part I

Equipment

Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.

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Coming up:  More Narrows 

Mike “Mish” Shedlock

Zion National Park – Autumn – Hiking “The Narrows” Part I

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The premier hikes in Zion National Part are “The Subway” and “The Narrows”. Competition for the Subway is intense and there is a lottery system as explained in my previous posts (links below).

This set of posts covers the “Narrows”, a hike whose only trail is the Virgin River itself. Some parts of the hike are relatively open, but other sections are narrow, between water-carved sandstone walls rising over a hundred feet on each side of the river.

In the summer you can hike in shorts, but in November, when we went, a wetsuit is best. The feature image is just before the narrows. I have more dramatic images coming up, but I like autumn colors and the stream reflections in this image.

Feature Image Details

Reflected light is the key to this image, and images in the Narrows in general. There is no sunlight on the water, the tree or the canyon walls. Rather the light hits one canyon wall and bounces off it providing a glow everywhere else.

I used a polarizer on this image as I did every image in the Narrows.

Many photographers carried cell phones with HDR (High Dynamic Range) programs to see what images would look like before deciding whether or not to taking their cameras out of their dry bags and setup.

It seemed easy enough to me to tell whether or not I liked an image without having to rely on a cell phone app to check.

Narrows Equipment

That’s what hiking the Narrows looks like. I took the image using my tripod and a self-timer: ISO 800, 21mm, F13, 1/5 second.

We rented wetsuits, hiking poles, and shoes suitable for river hiking. In addition, I rented a dry bag for my camera (the gray bag in front of me). Those are full wetsuits. Unless it is really cold, I strongly recommend a half wetsuit. If you have to pee, full wetsuits are more than a minor nuisance.

There are numerous places just outside the park to rent equipment.

On my back is a CamelBak Backpack. CamelBak makes a great hiking pack. The model I have is called HAWG NV. On B&H, the equivalent seems to be the Fourteener 24 22 L Hydration Backpack with 3L Reservoir. This is a wonderfully light pack and it comes with a water hydration system. It is well constructed and I am not worried about leakage. Pick one that meets your needs. In addition to 3 liters of water, the backpack will hold a couple of lenses, batteries, a flashlight, filters, ect., but not large lenses.

I only took two lenses with me: A  Canon 16-35MM F4 L Lens and a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens.  Add a polarizer and a tripod (the latter is a necessity), and that is all you will need. If you are in the canyon and you think you need a flash, you are shooting in the wrong light.

I saw people carrying massive telephoto lenses and I was constantly wondering “What they hell do they need those lenses for?”

The hike is not strenuous if the water level is low. If the water level is high and fast, they close the hike. If a big rainstorm is on the way, you will not survive the narrowest sections.

There is no elevation change but you are hiking in the river, against the current on the way in.

Riverwalk Area

 

One can take the above image without getting wet.

Relatively speaking, I found the upper Emerald Pools Trail more difficult than the Narrows, but we were fortunate to have easy conditions. The rental places and the park visitor center can assist if you have questions.

Other Zion National Park Images

  1. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part Three – Inside the Subway
  2. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part Two – The Crack
  3. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part One – Archangel Falls
  4. Zion National Park Autumn – Great White Throne
  5. Zion National Park – Autumn – Lower Emerald Pools Part 1
  6. Zion National Park – Autumn – Lower Emerald Pools Part 2 (After a Rainfall)
  7. Zion National Park – Autumn – Middle and Upper Emerald Pools
  8. Zion National Park – The Watchman – Autumn

Equipment

Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.

Please Share!

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Much more coming: Click to Subscribe by Email.

Coming up:  More Narrows 

Mike “Mish” Shedlock

Zion National Park – The Watchman – Autumn

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Everyone wants an iconic image of the Watchman. An hour or more before sunset, people line up on a bridge that provides the viewpoint. You will stand shoulder to shoulder, assuming you can find a parking spot and photography spot.

There are white painted lines on the bridge that give each photographer his 24 inches of space or whatever it is. Spots directly over the Virgin River are the most coveted spots. To get a good spot, you may need to be two or more hours early.

Feature Image Details

The guidebooks all say to be on the bridge at sunset. Phooey. I took the feature image in the early afternoon. I had the entire bridge to myself.

There was nothing in the near foreground so F8 was quite adequate. Shortly after I took the above image, the clouds dissipated but the crowds came pouring in.

At sunset, in November, there is no light at all on the cottonwood trees. And if there are no clouds coupled with deep shadows on the trees, there is not much of an image. Nonetheless, nearly every day, people stacked up, waiting hours for a shot could not happen under the existing light.

In such conditions, I suggest doing something else. Anything else. We went hiking on the Emerald Pools trails for the second time rather than fight the crowds.

Other Zion National Park Images

  1. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part Three – Inside the Subway
  2. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part Two – The Crack
  3. Zion National Park – Subway Trek Part One – Archangel Falls
  4. Zion National Park Autumn – Great White Throne
  5. Zion National Park – Autumn – Lower Emerald Pools Part 1
  6. Zion National Park – Autumn – Lower Emerald Pools Part 2 (After a Rainfall)
  7. Zion National Park – Autumn – Middle and Upper Emerald Pools

Equipment

Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.

Please Share!

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Coming up: Hiking the Narrows.

The Narrows is a premier hike in Zion, second only to “The Subway” see links 1-3 above.

Mike “Mish” Shedlock

Zion National Park Autumn – Great White Throne

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Hiking and exploring opportunities in Zion National Park Utah are nearly endless. My favorite time of year is Autumn. I recommend staying in the park lodge, but don’t try to book at the last moment.

Before your trip, the first thing you should do is pick up Joe’s Guide to Zion National Park. It’s free. Joe describes all the major trails and offers recommended hikes.

My one caution is everyone wants an iconic image of the Watchman. An hour or more before sunset, people line up on a bridge that provides the viewpoint. You will stand shoulder to shoulder, assuming you can find a parking spot and photography spot. If the light isn’t perfect you will stand around for hours doing nothing.

I suggest doing something else. Anything else. Other parts of the park can be crowded, but the Watchman at sunset is the worst. In autumn, the trees from the Watchman view are in deep shadow at sunset.

I will display a Watchman image later, but I took it in the middle of the afternoon where there were interesting clouds and the sunlight was hitting the cottonwoods. There was no one else on the bridge, and the light was better than at sunset.

Feature Image: Great White Throne

 Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L Tilt-Shift Lens, F/14, for 0.3 seconds.

All the images on this page are High Dynamic Range (HDR), made by combining multiple images from the exact same position but different exposures. I try to use just two exposures if I can get away with it, one for the sky and one for the rest of the image. Lightroom has an HDR merge function or there are other programs you can use.

Here is another image from the same area.

There is not a soul in sight.

Equipment

Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.

Please Share!

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Much more coming: Click to Subscribe by Email.

More Zion National Park images coming up.

Mike “Mish” Shedlock