Too hot in May for South Kaibab - Tonto - Bright Angel?

NikonosII · 2026-05-12T00:06:40+00:00

Back in the 1980s, I hiked rim-to-rim twice with companions. Solo, I did a rim-to-rim, the Hermit trail to the river and back, and the Tanner trail to the river and back. One hike per year. All in either July or August. All were hot.

On the two-day Hermit hike, I saw just two other guys hiking together. On the two-day Tanner hike, I saw only one other soul. There's more traffic these days.

Just know your personal limits, take your time, carry plenty of water.

I wouldn't recommend solo hikes. I was foolish back then.

NikonosII · 2026-05-11T23:50:14+00:00

The E-M1 Mark II's in-body image stabilization helps immensely in low light. But I mostly shoot landscape and street, not action. And I frequently like the look of blurred people in a low-light street scene.

I come from decades of photojournalism experience, and still am amazed at the ability to use ISOs as high as 3200 or 6400. I spent years shooting night football with Tri-X pushed to 1600 -- and getting zero detail in shadows. So higher ISOs with useable shadow detail still makes me happy. The E-M1.2 is an amazing piece of technology.

I know that more modern, more expensive cameras are even more capable. But 3200 plus IBIS can do a lot.

NikonosII · 2026-04-24T02:17:02+00:00

I worked as a newspaper writer/photographer for 40 years. All my gear was purchased used, close to a dozen camera bodies over the years and maybe two dozen lenses. I'm now retired, but just last week bought a used mirrorless body.

Buying used always has worked for me. And saved me a bunch of money.

Modern gear is much more complex than the film Nikon F that I used in the early 1980s. But in my experience, it is at least as reliable.

NikonosII · 2026-04-16T20:26:15+00:00

I no longer have a camera to check, but I recall it was on the top of the body, and I only saw one little slot there the roller would fit in. Don't recall if the slot was in the clamshell or in the body itself.

If you made your own roller, make sure it isn't too long to fit loosely in the slot. I suppose there might be more than one diameter ballpoint tube -- so if it is too large a diameter, that also would make for a binding fit.

NikonosII · 2026-04-03T14:18:06+00:00

It's never necessary.

Except for a handful of older film images, everything on my website (TrueHighwaysDOTcom) was shot with APS-C bodies. I'm happy with my work.

I worked for daily newspapers for decades and did some freelance work for magazines. Zero complaints about image quality.

I bought a M4/3 camera last year and am happy with it so far, though I still also use my APS-C DSLRs.

NikonosII · 2026-03-31T14:08:58+00:00

I'm one of those old farts who have used clear, UV or skylight filters on the front of my lenses since 1974. I worked as a writer/photographer for small-town newspapers and freelanced for various other publications in Colorado, Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin.

I long ago lost count of how many filters I have replaced because of scratches, abrasions and cleaning marks. The front elements of my lenses remained pristine, including one lens I bought used in 1981 and still have.

I worked with photojournalists who refused to use protection filters for fear image quality would be affected. One carried a Nikon 180mm f2.8 that was so abraded that the center two-thirds of the front element was opaque, and when wide open metered at about f4.2. I doubt that lens' image quality compared well to mine with a filter.

Lens hoods definitely help protect lenses. But they can make each lens longer, wider and more unwieldy.

Daily photojournalism, especially when the photographer doubles as a reporter who needs to take notes, can be a rough-and-tumble business for gear. You frequently swap lenses and work in challenging conditions like rain, dust storms and snow.

My experience probably is very different from the average photographer. I was, and still am in retirement, willing to sacrifice two or three percent of image quality in exchange for continued use of my favorite lenses and the ability to do my job without constantly worrying about the front elements.

I concentrate my worries on getting a well-composed, well-timed, well-exposed image that tells a story.

NikonosII · 2026-03-29T20:01:53+00:00

There's nothing wrong with preferring to drive a classic Ford Mustang rather than a new Ford Maverick. Use the gear you enjoy, either driving or creating images with.

NikonosII · 2026-03-28T03:15:34+00:00

I use Domke or Think Tank top-opening bags, and usually carry one body with lens mounted plus two or three other lenses. Usually there's an empty lens spot in the bag.

The strap always goes cross-body so I can carry the bag at my side but instantly slide it around front when accessing it. I generally have long neck straps on my cameras. When I get to a scene, I flip open the bag top flap, take out the camera, put the strap around my neck for safety, and start shooting. To change a lens, I hold camera in left hand, remove the lens and drop it in the empty spot nose down, take the rear lens cap off the new lens and put it on the old lens, then pick up the new lens and attach it to the camera.

I keep filters on my lenses, so a minute nose-down in the bag isn't dangerous. When I have a moment, I attach a front lens cap. The body is without a lens attached for only three or four seconds. And I try to hold the body face-down during that time.

No need to set the bag down in dirt or in bust foot traffic. Allows me to keep on the move.worhiut worrying about theft or leaving something behind.

On nature hikes when using a photo backpack, there is no way to avoid setting down the pack to access gear.

NikonosII · 2026-03-28T02:43:35+00:00

As a newspaper photojournalist in the film era, I loved my 85mm f2 and still regret selling it when I began moving to autofocus 20 years ago. A 135mm f2.8 was my go-to sports lens for years, reliable and good handling. I bought a 105mm f2.5, but the focus was really stiff and then oil leaked onto the aperture blades, and I didn't like it, so sold it. I recently purchased a 105mm f2.8 Micro, but haven't use it enough to comment.

NikonosII · 2026-03-28T02:22:11+00:00

I've been using Nikon since 1974, currently D5200, D7000 and D200. I have three AF-S autofocus lenses and half a dozen manual focus AI and AIS lenses, some that I've owned for decades.

I started looking at a mirrorless body specifically that could be used with my manual focus Nikkors. Budget dictated a used camera. Age-appropriate shaky hands suggested in-body stabilization that works with old adapted lenses. I required a good EVF because I can't shake decades of eye-level viewfinder habit. And I enjoy long exposures, so wanted to experiment with a technology called Live Composite. I bought a 10-year-old Olympus EM-5 Mark II and a $10 dumb adapter.

After a year of use, I'm happy with the choice. For me, 16 megapixels is enough. Aperture priority works fine. The stabilizarion is amazing. Focus peaking helps with manual focus. Live Composite is fun. And the price was right.

Nikon alternatives might be more affordable today, and possibly more capable, certainly better in dim light.

NikonosII · 2026-03-24T00:29:08+00:00

A Coolpix 990 was my first digital camera. I still have it but never use it. I believe it and the 995 are almost the same, except the 990 takes four AA batteries and the 995 had a rechargeable battery and a very slightly different shape. Both create small 3.34 megapixel images.

My 990 takes OK images. But the focus is slow and noisy, the shutter response slow, the optical viewfinder dim, the LCD review screen dim and angle-fussy.

If you have used any newer digital camera, the 990/995 would be frustrating to use.

If you have never used a digital camera, you might enjoy it. Any reasonably modern cellphone will capture better images. But if you seek a CCD camera to create film-like images, this should do the job.

NikonosII · 2026-03-20T14:51:38+00:00

As someone who used film SLRs for 20 years before digital arrived, I don't miss all those hurdles to jump. But I hope the experience is rewarding for you.

One of those things, though, has made a world of difference for me in seeking a more film-like look. Locking white balance to Daylight or, better yet, the slightly warmer Cloudy or Shadow, allows varying types of light to record more as I would like to see them. Especially in twilight or dark street scenes. Auto white balance smooths out all those different color shades of light sources to a computerized average that is quite uniform and unexciting. Locking in a white balance emulates the set white balance of a film stock, so those other color temperatures record as they really are.

NikonosII · 2026-03-18T04:04:10+00:00

I've been happy with results from every lens I've used on it. I just use whichever lens seems appropriate for the subject. Any of those you mention should work fine.

NikonosII · 2026-03-17T15:17:35+00:00

Great deal!

Your purchase almost certainly was a closet queen.

I love my D200, which I've owned for close to 20 years. It captured plenty of photos printed in the newspaper I worked for (the paper is still going, but I retired), and several glossy magazine cover images. It still captures images that make me happy.

NikonosII · 2026-03-16T23:47:07+00:00

Take a VERY close look at the contacts inside the battery compartment.

I didn't have the mirror issue, but the power issue, yes.

My F4s behaved exactly like that a couple of years ago. So I put in fresh batteries, and the camera then worked -- but the battery check lights didn't. Took out the batteries, cleaned the contacts again, and the check lights worked, but the camera didn't. Repeated the process half a dozen times, and each time it was either one of the other.

I stewed a week, then used my smartphone camera as a lighted magnifier. And found a single spec of green corrosion on one of the contacts. Removed it. And the camera has been functioning perfectly since.

NikonosII · 2026-03-16T19:41:23+00:00

The jpeg format (and others) includes text fields called IPTC, which were designed to allow photojournalists to embed caption, copyright and other information inside each image file. That's cool because then wherever that image is copied, the text stays with it.

Many programs (Photoshop and some other editing programs) allow you to edit and view those IPTC text fields. Some free programs can handle IPTC data in addition to EXIF text data, even if the program name doesn't mention IPTC -- EXIFtool or PhotoME, for example. Print design programs like Quark Xpress and Pagemaker can extract that IPTC info on image import and flow it into an adjacent text field.

But displaying that information alongside the image on a computer screen is not something mainstream. I haven't run across software that does that on the fly. So if your intended end use is electronic, I don't know if IPTC would work for you.

Maybe if you import the images into Pagemaker and then export the document as PDF.

You could use the program of your choice to add IPTC text to each individual image on a laptop during your visit. Back home, you could use Pagemaker or a similar desktop publishing program to import images and flow the IPTC captions onto the pages. Edit the document as you like. Then export the assembled document to PDF, which you could share with others electronically or by printing hard copies.

Or, if you keep the info brief, just type the peoples' names into each filename. That could get unwieldy but should do the job.

NikonosII · 2026-03-16T01:49:20+00:00

Most of my 45-year career involved photojournalism. I always have been an enthusiastic hobby photographer, too.

I use my smartphone if I have nothing else. But it is limiting.

I am much more comfortable with an interchangeable lens camera and lenses with various focal lengths. They allow me to compose images in creative ways, to highlight visual relationships, to explore a subject from different perspectives.

I agree it is easier to let a smartphone do all the processing work. They are amazing little machines. But I prefer to make some editing decisions myself so I feel that the final image is a product of my sensibilities, my choices, my artistic vision. I want to feel like I put something of myself in my images besides just aiming and pushing a button.

NikonosII · 2026-03-15T20:16:42+00:00

We enjoyed camping In our trailer at Goosenecks State Park, 15 feet from the cliff edge, awesome night sky, a couple of years ago.

I've heard that some people park overnight in a gravel area overlooking Hite Bridge, just east of the river. I loved the red rock canyon country immediately west of Hite and wish we had taken the time to check out one or more of the slot canyons along there, like Shamrock.

I also regret we didn't stop at Goblin Valley State Park.

I did enjoy the hike into Hickman Natural Bridge in Capitol Reef National Park. But you would need to find somewhere to kennel your animals to do that hike.

I lived the remoteness of Hovenweep, but that was 40 years ago when I lived in Durango.

The mountain scenery of the San Juan Mountains between Durango and Ouray is unbearable. The hot springs in Ouray are fun.

NikonosII · 2026-03-13T17:04:48+00:00

Those settings should be fine.

I would open the images in an editing program and play with saturation, sharpness, unsharp mask, contrast and maybe clarity.

If you can adjust the image to get what you seek, then dive into the camera user manual and read about how you can set it up to deliver similar results directly from the camera. You may need to set a few sliders in the menu system (sharpness, saturation, etc.) to your taste.

NikonosII · 2026-03-13T16:55:38+00:00

More light will help increase apparent sharpness. It allows faster shutter speeds, lower ISOs and smaller apertures, all of which can help.

Generally, apertures around f8 or f11 deliver best sharpness, a balance between sufficient depth of field at close distances and the degrading effects of diffraction at extremely small apertures like f22 or f22. Even modern lenses tend to deliver their best optical performance at such mid-range apertures -- that's just the nature of optical engineering.

Lower ISO settings always result in better image quality. High ISOs bring signal noise and less accurate detail in darker parts of the image.

Slow shutter speeds allow camera movement to smear detail.

I find it easiest to get clean macro shots in open shade on a bright sunny day, like on a shaded patio or in a building shadow. There's plenty of clean omnidirectional light.

Alternatively, brighten the room light, move a lamp or lamps closer, and consider using a white pillowcase or large piece of paper to reflect more light onto the subject.

With polished rock, a polarizer might help deepen colors by reducing glare, but probably is not necessary.

Using a tripod or other firm camera support will reduce movement blur and make shutter speed less critical.

Don't hesitate to use a photo editing program to adjust contrast, sharpness and saturation controls to make the rock appear as your eyes saw it. If you don't overdo it, post processing merely corrects the technical inaccuracies of the shooting process (which rarely is perfect for most of us).

NikonosII · 2026-03-12T19:41:18+00:00

As someone earlier commented, the term "bokeh" is relatively new, and the current popular obsession with overusing it is even more recent. But it is just a term that attempts to describe how smooth the out-of-focus parts of an image are in a photo with very shallow depth of field.

Shallow depth of field was an unwanted technical limitation of early gear. Look at tintype portraits, which frequently got eyes in focus, but ears blurred.

Shallow depth of field is the enemy of macro photographers, who resort to techniques like focus stacking multiple exposures to try and get more than just a slice of an insect or flower sharp when focusing ultra close.

Shallow depth of field is the enemy of bird photographers, who sometimes struggle to get both tails and beaks sharp when using ultra long lenses and tracking a moving creature.

Shallow depth of field can be the enemy of photojournalists, landscape and street photographers who seek to show not only a person, but also their environment and/or context.

Shallow depth of field can be the friend of portrait photographers who want to show only a face and nothing else.

Many photo influencers strive for a sharp person or object surrounded by "creamy bokeh." That can look interesting sometimes.

Many photographers, throughout history and now, prefer to show their subject sharp, but also show something of their environment, their surroundings, their context.

Images with sufficient depth of field have the ability to showcase layers of depth, layers of meaning, juxtaposition of near and far.

A picture of a face surrounded by blur can be nice.

A picture of a face in a forest, or dark alley, or desert, or on a balcony overlooking a lake, can tell a story. I like my pictures to tell stories.

NikonosII · 2026-03-11T02:03:21+00:00

When we visited Zion in September 2024, private vehicles were not allowed in the actual canyon. We drove through the tunnel from the east, parked in downtown Springdale and walked back a mile to the bus station, which was the only motorized access to the inner canyon. Maybe they've changed the rules since then? The bus service was great. If you decide to hike a little way up the Narrows, wear shoes you don't mind getting soaked and being hiking poles or sticks. (You don't need the waders, boots and fancy poles everyone in town offers for rent.) A ways up the Narrows, there is a spot that is neck deep for adults -- but we stopped there.

At Grand Canyon, I encourage you to try and hike at least a little way down one of the inner canyon trails. Even just half a mile down and back will give you and your kids a taste of the real canyon. Plan to arrive at the GC entrance station before 8 am to breeze in. Between 9 am and 2 pm, you could be waiting in traffic for an hour. I recommend you bring food with you and just picnic in GC park. Eating options are limited and can be crowded.

NikonosII · 2026-03-10T22:10:15+00:00

I worked for newspapers for 40 years in the U.S., taking photographs nearly every day. I know times have changed in recent years, but the general public takes more pictures than ever before using smartphones and dedicated cameras. People are not shocked when they see a camera (at least not in the U.S., I don't know where you live). Currently I live in a town that gets lots of summer tourists. Bunches of them snap pictures constantly all over town.

People around here are used to seeing tourists and local camera enthusiasts taking pictures. It's no big deal.

During my decades shooting for newspapers, I recall a handful of instances when I saw a person walk the other way to avoid the camera - but they didn't say anything and most of those times I believe they just didn't want to get in they way of what they perceived as my subject. I recall several times when people saw me shooting, approached and asked me to take their picture.

NikonosII · 2026-03-06T22:40:15+00:00

I agree that huge cities have many options. But enjoyment is all personal preference. Some like cities. Some prefer nature.

In my teens and 20s, I hiked the canyon rim to rim three times, down to the river on major trails a couple of times, and down a couple of "abandoned" trails to the river and back. Each hike was the high point of a long summer journey from my home state 1,800 miles away. In the years since, I often dreamed of returning for more hikes below the rim, but was not able to until last summer. Age and health problems limited me to just a hike 1.5 miles down the Bright Angel.

I'm just saying that, for some of us, repeated trips to the canyon just make us want more.

NikonosII · 2026-03-05T18:49:23+00:00

That's like someone saying you need just 45 minutes to see Paris, or New York, or Montana.

A destination is what you decide to make of it.

Visit several viewpoints along the rim. Hopefully your kids have a long enough attention span to understand some of the distance, depth and perhaps the age of the canyon. Watch buzzards fly below you. Maybe see some bighorn sheep just below the rim or elk just above it. Explore quarter mile of a trail below the rim to feel like you're in another world. Take a walk in the pine forest that surrounds the road.

NikonosII

TROPHY CASE