Monthly competitions (1 Viewer)

It really depends on the goals of the contest. Certainly we want to promote excellence in the current contest. ( I really enjoy looking at the photos and voting but wouldn't even consider entering.)

If we wanted to promote learning more about wildlife photography, we might want to consider more than one contest--say--youth, novice, intermediate, advanced and professional contests. If we want to promote even more growth you might have --say --- youth digiscoping, youth DSLR, youth point and shoot, then novice digiscoping, novice DSLR etc.

More contests means more participation, more work from the staff and more growth. I admit I feel real intimidated by the level of competition currently. I would like to see more contests with an emphasis on teaching wildlife photography skills.

Digital vs. film...

Reader said:

Having looked at the standard of photos ....I doubt very much that any Digital camera would have gotten any images remotely close to those that came in the first three. This is not a gripe but a fact. ....I wouldn't mind seeing all your points of view on this whether you be Digital or DSLR users.

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I have to disagree with you on this point if you are talking about ANY DSLR vs. SLR.... I would challenge anyone with a film camera on a one-day toe-to-toe competition to capture the best image (dtill or moving) with their film SLR vs. my digital SLR. I would bet that I can give them a run for their money and gear no matter what subject they would pick because...

1 - DSLRs are now so close to film, there is almost no comparison in image because factors like lens quality and the user's focusing ability (and therefore image quality) come into play.
2 - I don't have to overshoot "just in case" to get that right image because I can see what I have immediately
3 - No processing time to wait for, just pop in computer and go
4 - Furthermore, don't forget the right-place right time factor, user knowledge of equipment, etc...
5 - +++ too many to list, you fill in this blank...

There are many more benefits to digital vs. film, but don't get me wrong, I still shoot slides once in a while when it is important for mega-blow ups. But again, when was the last time any one of us blew something bigger than 16*24??? (I can with my DSLR)

My point is that now a days, there is no, and should be no, disadvantage in doing digital photography because of the high resolution and size of CCD or CMOS chip (image-capturing sensor) which in some cameras is full size 36mm*24mm just like your regular SLR....

There will always be those hard-cores who will only go with the true-and-tried equipment, but if you look into what you are missing, you will become a digital believer too.

Regards,

Raul Roa

Renting

Bird photography is an expensive hobby.
Throw away your Kodak and get a Canon DSLR and then learn how to use it.

Great bird shots are a combination of camera/lens and photographer. The latter being the most important. :eat:

The idea I think, it's to participate with no regard to you skill or equipment. For myself I make photography for only one year now,and make digiscoping mainly because i'm doing nature observation, not because i'm a photograph. Some of my pictures are not that bad (but I see a lot here really really better, and this is very nice) and so I can show them and share with other what I have the opportunity to see. So see that as an amical competition.

MrColin,

where does renting enter into the point you're making?

Oh - and just for completeness' sake - there are DSLRS out there that don't have "Canon" stamped on them...

mrcolin2u said:

Bird photography is an expensive hobby.
Throw away your Kodak and get a Canon DSLR and then learn how to use it.

Great bird shots are a combination of camera/lens and photographer. The latter being the most important. :eat:

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And those of us who can't afford to do that should just quit taking bird pictures?

I'm primarily a digiscoper because I needed really good optics for birding and sort of backed into digiscoping when both of my ancient SLR's started to give me problems. Unfortunately a DSLR and lens was/is just too expensive.

I don't see the need for two monthly competitions. I take my pictures for fun and a couple of times I have submitted one to the competition. I don't think that I ever got a vote but that's ok. It was fun to try.
If we start breaking things down we may have to start looking at locations. think of the opportunities to be had in Costa Rico, for example. Doesn't that give people who go there an advantage?
Isn't this month's theme "Anything Goes"? I may just put something in that wasn't digiscoped. What the heck! It's just for fun and glory. :bounce:

Cameras

snowyowl said:

And those of us who can't afford to do that should just quit taking bird pictures?

I'm primarily a digiscoper because I needed really good optics for birding and sort of backed into digiscoping when both of my ancient SLR's started to give me problems. Unfortunately a DSLR and lens was/is just too expensive.

I don't see the need for two monthly competitions. I take my pictures for fun and a couple of times I have submitted one to the competition. I don't think that I ever got a vote but that's ok. It was fun to try.
If we start breaking things down we may have to start looking at locations. think of the opportunities to be had in Costa Rico, for example. Doesn't that give people who go there an advantage?
Isn't this month's theme "Anything Goes"? I may just put something in that wasn't digiscoped. What the heck! It's just for fun and glory. :bounce:

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I agree there is nothing wrong with taking pictures of birds with any camera. I had nothing but a 2 mp olympus until recently when I splurged out for a Canon 20D and a canon 400mm lens.
I did enter contests with my Olympus and on occasion I won , although not with birds shots. However , if I didn't win I did not complain because other entrants were using better equipment. Realistically you do need to get up close for bird shots either physically or using a telephoto lens or digiscoping.
I was planning on getting a digiscoping setup because of all the wonderful images have seen using this method.
I decided to go with a dslr because of the limitaions of cameras for digiscoping. I must say I couldn't be happier with my equipment.

Kind regards,
Colin