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Second the weathersealing suggestion-- there's plenty of blowing mist as you walk along the road 'atop' the falls, and if you ride the "Maid of the Mist" boat (on the actual water near the falls), it's a must. I was lucky -- I'd brought my 70-200L and rented a 1D4 for my trip. Even with the poncho, rain hat, glasses, etc I still came out looking like a drowned rat and squelched for the rest of the day. There's no way my 20D or kit lenses would have survived.
The 70-200 on a 1.3 crop was too tight for the panoramas-- I wanted maybe 24-70L or -105L, but with all the water, changing lenses was out of the question, and L or not I'd be dubious about anything but a prime or an internal zoom. You could maybe get away with some creative application of plastic wrap and electrical tape, but I'd check my insurance coverage first.
The 70-200 on a 1.3 crop was too tight for the panoramas-- I wanted maybe 24-70L or -105L, but with all the water, changing lenses was out of the question, and L or not I'd be dubious about anything but a prime or an internal zoom. You could maybe get away with some creative application of plastic wrap and electrical tape, but I'd check my insurance coverage first.
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IIIHobbs
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X3jasium said:
We did the Behind the Falls, just getting to the entrance above he falls was a soaking experience.
I did not even get my SLR out of the bag because the conditions were so severe. I took some shots with the powershot and then tucked it back in under the rain poncho.
There are good venues from a distance, where a 100 or 135 may be useful.
Canon 40D 17-40 f4 (from a mist free distance)
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I do not have any wide angle lense.
I am looking to rent one for his trip. I am not planning to tak any shots with my 5DM-III when I am close to water. But would love to hear any about protection kit I can use to take shot closely.
But main goal will be to take some Panoramic shots to cover the full width. Will be on both US and Canada side.
I was thinking of renting EF 14mm f/2.8L wide angel lense.
Apprecite your input.
I am looking to rent one for his trip. I am not planning to tak any shots with my 5DM-III when I am close to water. But would love to hear any about protection kit I can use to take shot closely.
But main goal will be to take some Panoramic shots to cover the full width. Will be on both US and Canada side.
I was thinking of renting EF 14mm f/2.8L wide angel lense.
Apprecite your input.
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If you have the 5D3, the 24-70 might be enough. I shot this from the railing by the falls, on the Canadian side, with a 7D with a 16-35, which is roughly 24mm @35mm equiv. And hopefully you are going to Canada. The views are so much better. Also, click the photos to find more shots. The lenses used should be in the EXIF. And I went on January 3rd, and it was freezing as hell. lol. And the shot above was from the Skylon tower. Costs $12 to get up there, and you get a nice view. It was empty when I got there so I was able to open up my tripod.
Horshe Falls by Jaszek PL, on Flickr
Horshe Falls by Jaszek PL, on Flickr
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Realgeni
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Jaszek said:If you have the 5D3, the 24-70 might be enough. I shot this from the railing by the falls, on the Canadian side, with a 7D with a 16-35, which is roughly 24mm @35mm equiv. And hopefully you are going to Canada. The views are so much better. Also, click the photos to find more shots. The lenses used should be in the EXIF. And I went on January 3rd, and it was freezing as hell. lol. And the shot above was from the Skylon tower. Costs $12 to get up there, and you get a nice view. It was empty when I got there so I was able to open up my tripod.
Horshe Falls by Jaszek PL, on Flickr
Amazing shot.
What time did you take this shot?
Also what do you mena by "The lenses used should be in the EXIF"?
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Realgeni said:
Thanks.
That was taken around 9pm in January.
And I meant that when you go to my flickr to check the photos from Niagara, you can click the "Canon 7D" on the right and it will show you what lens and settings I used for that particular shot.
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I dont think you will need to go wider, you can always get a few shots and stitch them together. But then again if the rental is cheap you might as well get both.Realgeni said:
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Realgeni said:
You should also get a ND1000 filter to get some smoothness into the motion of the waterfalls - better is to get several NDs like 400 & 1000 and GND 0.9 and/or 0.6 so you can adjust the smoothness level in the water motion ...
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To give an idea of distance:
The pictures below were taken with a Fuji T300 Point and Shoot last week. I'm not sure how wide it is, but it was set at it's widest setting, so probably 24 to 35 mm. These shots were taken from the Maid of the Mist. The boat was in the middle of the river. If you were on shore, you would be twice as far away, so I think if any thing, 24-70 may be too short for some shots, but it will certainly be wide enough. I have a Rebel that I was not willing to take on the boat (and I'm glad I did not) but there was at least one person on there with a 60D with no protection.
If you've never been on it, the Maid of the Mist approaches the Horseshoe Falls and goes full throttle until the current keeps it from going any closer. They hold the position for a few minutes. Depending on wind, you will stay fairly dry approaching the falls, but when I was there, it changed very quickly as we approached. It was like standing in a massive rain storm. Just be prepared as the conditions change quick. Whatever you do use, don't forget the lens will get wet and mess up the photos, so be prepared to be able to wipe it off.
The boat rocks around a lot and there will probably be alot of people, so it really isn't the best photo place, as I think you may have stated above. The provided photos were of the American Falls and it was whatever I was able to see on a bright day on the EVF, handheld on a rocking boat with a mist coming now and again and peoples heads in the way. As you probably already know, your best shots will come on land.
You can also get some nice shots from the Cave of the Winds. It depends on the wind, but there are places you can take pictures and stay fairly dry, but you never know when the mist will come. However, you will pass through the Hurricane deck where you will want protection for your gear (good protection). They say the conditions vary, but when I was there it was more of an experience than actually something to see as the was was so intense you had to squint to see anything at all.
Make sure to take photos from the observation deck on the US side. Consider a trip to the Whirlpool State Park for a different perspective. You can hike down to the river, but the guide said it is very tricky and do not go in the water (it is illegal and you will be fined $3000 if you survive - they loose 2 people a month). There is also a cable car on the Canadian side that goes over the whirlpool as well as a jet boat (you won't want to take a camera here!).
As stated, the Canadian side has better views and better attractions. The tower is also very nice. They have a dining floor that rotates once an hour. I went in years ago and tried to time it for sunset.
Have fun!
The pictures below were taken with a Fuji T300 Point and Shoot last week. I'm not sure how wide it is, but it was set at it's widest setting, so probably 24 to 35 mm. These shots were taken from the Maid of the Mist. The boat was in the middle of the river. If you were on shore, you would be twice as far away, so I think if any thing, 24-70 may be too short for some shots, but it will certainly be wide enough. I have a Rebel that I was not willing to take on the boat (and I'm glad I did not) but there was at least one person on there with a 60D with no protection.
If you've never been on it, the Maid of the Mist approaches the Horseshoe Falls and goes full throttle until the current keeps it from going any closer. They hold the position for a few minutes. Depending on wind, you will stay fairly dry approaching the falls, but when I was there, it changed very quickly as we approached. It was like standing in a massive rain storm. Just be prepared as the conditions change quick. Whatever you do use, don't forget the lens will get wet and mess up the photos, so be prepared to be able to wipe it off.
The boat rocks around a lot and there will probably be alot of people, so it really isn't the best photo place, as I think you may have stated above. The provided photos were of the American Falls and it was whatever I was able to see on a bright day on the EVF, handheld on a rocking boat with a mist coming now and again and peoples heads in the way. As you probably already know, your best shots will come on land.
You can also get some nice shots from the Cave of the Winds. It depends on the wind, but there are places you can take pictures and stay fairly dry, but you never know when the mist will come. However, you will pass through the Hurricane deck where you will want protection for your gear (good protection). They say the conditions vary, but when I was there it was more of an experience than actually something to see as the was was so intense you had to squint to see anything at all.
Make sure to take photos from the observation deck on the US side. Consider a trip to the Whirlpool State Park for a different perspective. You can hike down to the river, but the guide said it is very tricky and do not go in the water (it is illegal and you will be fined $3000 if you survive - they loose 2 people a month). There is also a cable car on the Canadian side that goes over the whirlpool as well as a jet boat (you won't want to take a camera here!).
As stated, the Canadian side has better views and better attractions. The tower is also very nice. They have a dining floor that rotates once an hour. I went in years ago and tried to time it for sunset.
Have fun!
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TTMartin said:
I think wide wide wide is going to make the falls far far far away. I suppose it depends what you are after and for sure you will want if for some shots. I think a wide lens and a longer lens would be the way to go. I'm not familiar with it, but the 24-105 would seem like a perfect range if you wanted just one lens.
Check the website of Rolf Hicker, under the waterfalls link (I didn't know if I could provide a link). He has a photo of Niagara Falls. It was shot at 73mm on a 5D III. This will give you another idea of what lens length will give what perspective. This is shot from the Canadian side. Very nice shot, I might add.
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tntwit said:
There are a whole bunch of pictures Niagra Falls at http://www.hickerphoto.com/photos/niagara-falls-pictures.htm
None seem to have the focal length or maybe I'm missing it.
I've been to Niagra Falls many times, and I'll tell you it's the big vistas that you want.
What lenses do you already have?
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