Kit / Equipment & Shopping Lists

[dogs32]

No worries Harry. I got the one Pat's talking about which also doubles as an intervalometer so I wont be needing two.

Yes Pat its the dogs (pardon the pun) especially for 30 squid.

..excellent for 30 quid....and its the Gorilla's Bxxxxxxx

..not long now

Only going to use the trigger for daytime and this fab thing for night

[Ross B]

It will be funny if you all buy the same holdall from Argos

Pat/John, what remote is it that you have both bought? My wireless one is ok but you need to be in front of the camera for it to get a signal which sort of defeats the point for lightning.

[John Hanrahan]

It will be funny if you all buy the same holdall from Argos

Pat/John, what remote is it that you have both bought? My wireless one is ok but you need to be in front of the camera for it to get a signal which sort of defeats the point for lightning.

Hi Ross,

This is the one were on about. One of the other guys recommended it (think MCT not sure). Had it bout 2 months and is a nice little bit of kit. Basically its a standard remote release cable but it can also act as a timer / intervalometer. Linky here...

TR-90 C6

Took about 3 weeks to arrive from Hong Kong so if your in a hurry you will be able to get the RS-60E3 (you've a 450 right?) Canon remote switch from and good camera shop that stocks Canon. All you need for night time lightning really. The intervalometer just saves you the hassle of connecting your camera to a lappy when shooting timelapse.

[Ross B]

Thanks John, I've got a 400D but will probably order it and use it next year if it doesn't arrive on time (If i get to go this year!) I'm going to order one of those cheaper lightning triggers as well ($126 here: http://www.aeophoto.com/)

[John Hanrahan]

Thanks John, I've got a 400D but will probably order it and use it next year if it doesn't arrive on time (If i get to go this year!) I'm going to order one of those cheaper lightning triggers as well ($126 here: http://www.aeophoto.com/)

I'm tempted to get one of those myself. I built a lightning trigger myself last year. it didn't rely on the detecting the light from the strike to react, just the AM radio pulse emitted my the strike. Theory being that the shutter should be open even before the return stroke. Worked OK ish but had some problems with reaction time. Haven’t had time to make any modifications to it for this year, but with my limited experience you can’t beat a remote release at night for the best photo. Now Pats trigger kicks ass for the day time stuff.

[Ross B]

Yeah, I don't think I would have used a trigger for night shots last year, it was harder to miss the nightime lightning, but it was missed for the daytime shots. Very difficult to get a good shot unless you have the luck of Paul S!

You could try to make some modifications for next year and see if you can get it to work better, it would be good to see what the results would be like compared to the lightning trigger.

[dogs32]

Yeah, I don't think I would have used a trigger for night shots last year, it was harder to miss the nightime lightning, but it was missed for the daytime shots. Very difficult to get a good shot unless you have the luck of Paul S!

You could try to make some modifications for next year and see if you can get it to work better, it would be good to see what the results would be like compared to the lightning trigger.

Ross..have you got the link for the trigger as this one isnt working..

[John Hanrahan]

Ross..have you got the link for the trigger as this one isnt working..

Pat just drop the )

http://www.aeophoto.com/

[gpspete]

Pat just drop the )

http://www.aeophoto.com/

the same guy sells them on ebay even cheaper uses buy it now or bid also see that someone in turkey is doing exactly the same

DONT FORGET CUSTOMS FEES

when I PURCHASED THE LLC Lightning trigger it was £65 + £16. 70 parcel force admin mind you these cheaper versions will attract less duty

[dogs32]

the same guy sells them on ebay even cheaper uses buy it now or bid also see that someone in turkey is doing exactly the same

DONT FORGET CUSTOMS FEES

when I PURCHASED THE LLC Lightning trigger it was £65 + £16 70 parcel force admin mind you these cheaper versions will atract less duty

I had the same problem with duty tax.....Surely this is unfair and must be a way around it....

[Dorsetbred]

I had the same problem with duty tax.....Surely this is unfair and must be a way around it....

I organised with the guys at Stepping Stone to ship to a hotel where a friend of mine was staying for three days on a convention. Managed to tie the delivery in spot on and saved all those extra charges.

Guess it was a lucky one off

[dogs32]

I organised with the guys at Stepping Stone to ship to a hotel where a friend of mine was staying for three days on a convention. Managed to tie the delivery in spot on and saved all those extra charges.

Guess it was a lucky one off

thats a great idea save 80 quid from rip off UK...

They are real cheap from AEO....tempted myself to get one....And compare this to my Stepping Stone's one for accuracy or frequency of captures

I have some lovely day light shots that I wouldnt of caught without the trigger

WELL WORTH IT FOR DAYTIME

Highly recommend

[Dorsetbred]

thats a great idea save 80 quid from rip off UK...

They are real cheap from AEO....tempted myself to get one....And compare this to my Stepping Stone's one for accuracy or frequency of captures

I have some lovely day light shots that I wouldnt of caught without the trigger

:drinks:

WELL WORTH IT FOR DAYTIME

Pat

I think I'm going to be tapping you up for some assistance as having just bought all my gear new it's never yet seen a lightning bolt, hope your prepared to play teacher

[dogs32]

Pat

I think I'm going to be tapping you up for some assistance as having just bought all my gear new it's never yet seen a lightning bolt, hope your prepared to play teacher

lol...np mate...

just need to get the settings CORRECT for daylight and then the trigger will do its job...

Even if the Trigger fire's every few seconds IF your camera's settings are wrong...then no cigar..

This I learnt from my mistakes In Spain..

F16 AT 1/4 I found to give the best results for a Canon Rebel 400d in fairly light conditions

in RAW format.....so you can ajust the exposure if need to later in processing

The above pics(3pm afternoon Spain) apart from last two... are realy lighter than they look...but i turned the exposure down to give lot more of a effect

in the processing

[D-J-V]

Alright Guys,

I managed to get my hands on a new EOS 450d for £300 seemed like a popular camera amoung you guys, so swapping all my nikon kit out for Canon gear.

What do you guys recommend in terms of filters, triggers/ shutter releases, lenses etc? It comes with the 18-55 IS kit lens.

I have had a look at some wide angle lenses but there not cheap so maybe a telephoto is worth buying incase that Tornado is far far away!

24 days to go for me

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

Good choice Dave, that's what I have and I also bought the Sigma 10-20mm wide angle lens last year. It was hardly off the camera and it's great for fitting in the huge supercells! Also good for lightning too, especially the anvil crawlers when they cover so much of the sky. If I had to choose telephoto or wide I would go wide.

As for filters I had a polariser last year which I used a lot, other than that not sure but I'm going to look for more before this year. Maybe a UV filter would be useful for taking away the haze. Also ND filters can be useful to allow you to use longer exposure times to capture more lightning, and also give you a better chance of capturing daytime lightning.

A remote is really useful too, if I wasn't at work I would post a link to the one i've got, it's the one a few others on here have too from Hong Kong.

Can't believe how quick this has come round, only 3 and a bit weeks!

[Dorsetbred]

Dave, don't forget the more obvious things, like:

Spare battery(ies)

Spare memory cards if they are different to your other camera.

[Gorky]

One more satisfied customer here, with a Sigma 10-20 with the 77mm (Hoya I think) Polarising filter. Only left the camera for wildlife shots really. 99% of shots of storm photos were taken with those combos on. Problem is, combined, they'll set you back more than a 450d probably :unsure: Definately err towards the wide angle though... can't stress that enough. The only time I'd contemplate a zoom lens or something less wide would be for zooming in on a debris cloud at the base a tornado or something... The 50ml F1.8 lens is what I used for that sort of scenario. Having such a large aperture, it is pretty nice in low light or hand held.

[dogs32]

yes wish I got the 10-20 but had to buy other things around this time...this is my only regret as I have seen the nice results from this len's..

[Dorsetbred]

One more satisfied customer here, with a Sigma 10-20 with the 77mm (Hoya I think) Polarising filter. Only left the camera for wildlife shots really. 99% of shots of storm photos were taken with those combos on. Problem is, combined, they'll set you back more than a 450d probably :ph34r: Definately err towards the wide angle though... can't stress that enough. The only time I'd contemplate a zoom lens or something less wide would be for zooming in on a debris cloud at the base a tornado or something... The 50ml F1.8 lens is what I used for that sort of scenario. Having such a large aperture, it is pretty nice in low light or hand held.

Yep, it's a good lens I've got one also.

Dave, of course, there is another option, given the wide angle cost, but it's usefulness for storm chasing, you can hire one, and that is a lot lot cheaper. Type in Camera lens hire in Google and check the options, it's quick, & less expensive than buying and you'll be so amazed with the lens you'll buy one for next time. :unsure:

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

Yep, it's a good lens I've got one also.

Dave, of course, there is another option, given the wide angle cost, but it's usefulness for storm chasing, you can hire one, and that is a lot lot cheaper. Type in Camera lens hire in Google and check the options, it's quick, & less expensive than buying and you'll be so amazed with the lens you'll buy one for next time. :unsure:

Another idea is buy one used off Ebay, as long as it doesn't get damaged you should be able to sell it on for around the same price when you get back.

I'm thinking of doing this to get a Casio EX-F1 for videos, good zoom and it's slow motion feature.

[John Hanrahan]

Jez, this is turning into an homage to the Sigma 10 -20! But well founded, I have one, and works great with the 450D. Tis pricy no doubt though.

[D-J-V]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all your great responses, looks like im going to go wide! Great thinking Hiring/Ebay and then selling on.

I bought 2 spare batteries today.

Will order the remote trigger from HK pretty sure I have enough time for it to be delivered!

Yea I need alot more memory cards, but selling my Nikon D40 might help cover the costs of the upgrade!

Gees this storm chasing business aint cheap, was in the market for a new laptop so am thinking I should get one before I head out too!

Right off to find me a wide angle lens!

:unsure:

[TornadoJo]

Hi All,

Not long to go now!

Just a few questions as usual!

Ok - Tour 2 - is anyone on the BA flight from Heathrow at 11.40 on the 8th May? Just wondering if I'll be on my own?

Mobile phones - I have a HTC HD2 on Virgin. I don't plan to use as a phone while I'm away but I'm guessing I might be able to access the web via wi-fi at hotels. Is that right?

So far I'm taking

Sony HX1 with 24gb worth of memory + 2 sony battery's with charger

Little Samsung camera for spontanious shots

Waterproof fleece

Wellies (I saw when you got stuck in a field LOL)

Trainers

10 pairs of bottoms - a mix of trousers/short and 3 1/4 lengths

10 vests/t-shirts

Undies + socks

2 sweaters

Pyjamas

Cosmetics (I'm a girl!)

Sunglasses

First Aid Kit

Europe - USA adaptor

Anometer + emergency survival kit (Were gifts, might be fun!, you never know...)

Obviously passport & money

My bag is not massive (Height 70cm, width 35cm, depth 30cm) but is still pretty empty - did I forget something? If not I might downsize!

[Paul Sherman]

Jo

ALL Hotels we stay at have free Wifi - So if your Laptop is Wifi Compatable you will pick up the signal and get online, sometimes they have a Block but will give you the Code.

Regarding the Phone, you can take your Mobile but Netweather have a Phone that is linked to the Internet and you get free calls back home to the UK (Landline) Even when we are out chasing and have a Wireless Signal you can use it. How cool is that!

Paul S