JMT(+side trip) planning for magic hour and night photos

[CharlieW]

Maverick, I didn't know about that one, but I had investigated something I think is similar: photopills.com. For JMT I'll just carry a data sheet with accurate numbers (above are not since they are for Fresno) and a decent compass. I think one of these phone apps may be more useful to me for everyday use when I'm not planning in such detail (and don't have to worry about charging a phone in addition to camera).

[CharlieW]

Someone asked upthread about gear. This has evolved quite a bit over the last 3 months:

Sony a7r w/ FE 35mm F2.8 ZA (21.3 oz.; inclds battery and tripod mount)
REI Trail 2 Waistpack (4.8 oz.; fits above configuration snugly)
Sirui T-025x Tripod w/ ball head, top extender pole removed (27.7 oz.)
Suntactics sCharger-5 (8.6 oz.)
USB2 charger cable (0.8 oz.; I may bring extra as this is a likely failure point)
extra 64Gb SD card (negligible)
2 extra batteries (3.2 oz.)
Rokinon 24mm f/1.4, packed away for night shooting (23.1 oz.)
Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 (16.9)
(& some cleaning gear)

So about 6 lbs including power. That's a mix of owned and rented gear. Actually, much of my "evolution" came about because I payed $75 to lensrentals.com for a year of free shipping, allowing me to try out different options (I highly recommend this to anyone). I first tried Sony RX1r thinking I would go very simple and light (18 oz but fixed 35mm). I think my creativity is better when I have only one focal length to think about. However, it just won't do the job I outlined above, so gear list had to expand. I took some picts with the above setup (35mm lens only) on a recent trip up to the Ontario side of Lake Superior, posted at my brand new photo site here. Hopefully I'll have a nice Sierra section there in September! (And a trip report with photos here of course.)

One equipment note: Contrary to reviews, the a7r (and I assume all other a7 cameras) charges the battery in only 2 hours if you use a 2 amp USB wall charger and decent cable. It charges in 3 hours with perfect sun from my Suntactics sCharger-5. (The camera comes packed with a 0.5amp USB wall charger and a very wimpy cable that make this 5-6 hours, the spec given in reviews.)

I'm currently playing with different ways to arrange gear on myself. The waistpack with its tiny load is quite comfortable strapped under backpack, with compartment laying over backpack straps in front. It's easy to get to and doesn't obstruct my view of the ground. I hiked many miles (in dark and/or rain) in Ontario with the Sirui tripod simply tucked over my waistpack strap. With backpack I'm experimenting with a loop on shoulder-strap. (The trick with this tripod is to leave the top extender part at home. It all balances much better that way in its folded configuration without flopping around. And more stable as a tripod without it.) The Rokinon stays packed away for night shooting only. I still have to figure out how to carry the Zeiss Batis lens. I'd like to have it out and available, maybe on the other shoulder strap in some protected compartment (?). This is a rental and I understand that sand is the one thing not covered by the "lenscap+" insurance.

[JWreno]

I took the Suntactics sCharger-5 last year on the JMT. I kept our SteriPens and iPhone charged up. I was carrying a Canan 6D with plenty of spare batteries but now I am taking a Sony RX100 III and the Suntactics sCharger-5 works great for the Sony batteries in the external USB charge holder. I am thinking about buying a Sony RX10 II and having my wife carry the RX100 III. There are a lot of nice astronomy and photography apps for the phone. If you leave the phone in airplane mode most of the time the battery doesn't need charging very often.

I used the charger in camp and I had a velcro on the top of my pack. I would charge what needed charging whenever I was hiking above the tree line. I may start carrying a GPS again when doing route finding since the solar charger could top up the GPS rechargeable batteries.

I am glad to hear you are taking your time of the hike. We did it in about 17 days and i didn't have a lot of energy for extra excursions to setup shots in the early morning or evening. I made a few exceptions such as Garnet lake. I spent a few hours after and before hiking taken dusk and dawn pictures.

I have used the Rokinon 14 and 24mm lens for Milky Way shots when I am doing astronomy related stuff. Very good value in the manual lenses.

[maverick]

I am thinking about buying a Sony RX10 II and having my wife carry the RX100 III.

How long did it take you to charge the SteriPens and I-Phone with it JW?

[JWreno]

If I was above the tree line I could charge the Steripen in about 3-4 hours of good sun. Typically I would charge a Steripen about every 5 days. I had a total of 3 on the trip, one for each of us. I would top off my phone in the afternoon about every other day so it usually stayed about 50% with it being on airplane mode. I measured the output of the panel and I was getting a full amp at 5 volts under full sun when testing in my back yard in Reno.

I am really amazed how effective the charger was when riding on the top of my pack. Obviously the charger would usually not be aimed optimally at the sun since I am moving around. The only time the charger wasn't doing much was when I was hiking below the tree line going through intermittent shade.

I was going to be doing an 8 day trip on the SHR from McGee creek to Piute pass and wanted to have the GPS along. I stopped taking one on trips that are mostly on trail because I didn't like going through all the disposable batteries. Since the SHR requires more navigation the GPS would be a nice way to be sure I am not deviating from the route too much. The GPS rechargeable batteries could get a good 3-4 hour charge each day and still have enough solar power for my other needs such as camera, phone or SteriPen.

My backpacking trip is on the rocks because of a car-deer crash a few weeks ago. Instead of hiking when planned I may be taking the Amtrak back to Omaha to pick up my car from a body shop and then driving it back to Reno. Because of a lot of projects a work, I may only have time for a couple 3-4 day weekend trips this year.

[CharlieW]

Thanks JW for sharing your experience with the sCharger. I've done about as much testing as I can short of the actual backpacking trip. I thought it might be marketing gobbledygook, but the "restart" feature (or whatever they call it) seems to work as advertised. When I shade the panel, charging stops, but restarts on its own within a minute or so for both my iPhone and the camera. I'm also using it for steripen and my headlamp. My main worry now is the USB cable micro connection. I had one fail already in my living room.

Yeah, 10 miles / day seemed right to me if I wanted to run around photographing for a few hours at the start and end of each day. Ideally I'd like to get to my endpoint by 3 pm each day so I have hours to scout and plan for evening, night and morning shots.