Whistler Trip Action Photos!

[Photo-John]

I haven't been posting much here lately, mostly because I've been doing so much writing. However, I just came back from a trip to Whistler, BC and it would be irresponsible not to post any photos from that trip. For those who don't know, Whistler is probably tied with Moab, Utah for the most popular mountain bike destination in the world. They have, hands-down, the best lift-assisted mountain biking on the planet as well as a ton of great (and technical) singletrack. It also happens to be beautiful - lush, coastal rainforest surrounded by huge mountains and glaciers. It's spectacular. And did I mention the mountain biking?

I took three cameras - the Nikon D4 I'm reviewing, my own Canon EOS 7D, and the Olympus TG-1 waterproof point-and-shoot. I mostly used the Nikon and the Olympus but I took my 7D into the Whistler bike park for a couple of days because it's a lot smaller and lighter than the Nikon - plus, I have a flash for it. The Nikon, however, doesn't really need a flash most of the time. I shot what I think are solid photos with the D4, right up to ISO 6400. Gotta love that - especially in the super deep, dark BC woods. The photos below were all shot with the D4 at ISO 3200 or ISO 6400. They've also been pushed pretty hard in post.

[Photo-John]

Here are a few more taken with the D4. It's punishing to carry on the bike. But I think it's worth the extra effort - at least in these kind of conditions.The 10 FPS burst and perfect continuous auto focus don't hurt, either

[Photo-John]

I only took a few photos with the 7D. I took them all in the bike park, where I didn't want to ride with the D4, and I used flash for almost all of them. Using the 7D made it really clear how much better the full frame Nikon D4's image quality is. On the other hand, the D4 is huge, weighs a ton and costs $6000 for just the body. My 7D is way more packable and only cost about $1800. And the photos I took with it look great. I just don't want to go over ISO 800 with the 7D. But with a flash, I'm cool in the trees. Really, I should have used flash for some of the D4 photos, to make the rider stand out more. But trying to use my Canon flash with the Nikon was more trouble than I was willing to deal with.

Note: these photos are of my wife Jenni and my friend Greg, who came up from Seattle to ride with us for a day. This was only his second day on a mountain bike. He came up, rented a bike and gear, took a lesson and then rode with us the rest of the day. What a champ! I think he might have caught the bug

[Photo-John]

The new Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS (Olympus TG-1 First Impressions) was my pocket camera on this trip. It was in my pocket while I was walking around the Whistler Village, and it was in the pouch on the shoulder strap of my pack whenever I was on the bike. I used it for quick grab shots when I was too lazy or didn't have time to get into my pack for the DSLR. Right now it's my favorite waterproof point-and-shoot. It's got an f/2.0 lens and the best image quality I've seen so far from a rugged point-and-shoot camera. The image quality isn't as good as a non-waterproof camera and it's certainly not as good as a digital SLR, but it's waterproof, shockproof and it fits in my pocket, so it's perfect for quick outdoor snapshots - and then some.

The first photo here is Jenni on her first day in the park, in the rain. It's got a bit of motion blur, but it was really dark in those trees. The second photo was taken on the infamous GLC Drops at the bottom of the Whistler bike park. The TG-1 can shoot 5 frames per second at full resolution so I was able to shoot a burst and pick the best one of this guy chucking himself off the drop. The last photo is my friend Milosz, from Poland. He did a mountain bike stage race from Victoria, BC to Whistler and this was the start of the last stage. He came all the way from Poland for this race and I saw him and snapped this photo in about 30 seconds. That's a short visit but I'm happy I was able to get this photo

[mattb]

Nice John. I'd love to hit Whistler sometime, winter or summer.
All the shots look good and the D4 shots look great! I'd like a camera like that one day but I couldn't see myself carrying it in the backcountry much. Especially when my K-5 does pretty well up to ISO 6400. But that IQ is pretty compelling...
Also the Oly shots look pretty good. And I have to say that second Oly shot is kind of hot! ;)

[Photo-John]

Also the Oly shots look pretty good. And I have to say that second Oly shot is kind of hot! ;)

You mean the drop photo or the wife in the gondola? I think Jenni's short shorts and pink armor are super sexy

[jasonvh]

It's nice to see how the 7d ranks compared to top level bodies. I know every time I shoot (with my 7D) next to someone like Ian (Hylands) or Tim (Zimmerman) you can really see the difference in the files. I'd love to see how the 5DIII and 7D compare in a head to head if you get the chance. I can't justify a top pro body, but I may be able to convince myself that the $3k is worth it.

It is nice seeing the point and shoot shots in the mix too- every once in a while I think I should get another one, but my Phone does just fine.

[Photo-John]

It's nice to see how the 7d ranks compared to top level bodies. I know every time I shoot (with my 7D) next to someone like Ian (Hylands) or Tim (Zimmerman) you can really see the difference in the files. I'd love to see how the 5DIII and 7D compare in a head to head if you get the chance. I can't justify a top pro body, but I may be able to convince myself that the $3k is worth it.

It is nice seeing the point and shoot shots in the mix too- every once in a while I think I should get another one, but my Phone does just fine.

Have you seen my 5D Mark III review? The 5D Mk III is definitely way better than the 7D as far as image quality goes and the auto focus is awesome. But the 7D is faster and a lot cheaper. With E-FS lenses, it's also smaller and lighter, which is a big deal for me. The question you have to ask yourself is, "How good do I actually need?" I generally shoot in good light so I don't really need the 5D Mk III, D4, 1D X image quality. The 7D more than gets the job done for me. Sure, I'd like another stop of performance. But if I'm honest with myself, I can live without it. On the other hand, if I lived in Vancouver or Seattle, I might feel different.

[Franglais]

It's interesting how the look of the image is completely different on each camera. The Olympus ones are snapshots, the 7D ones are nervous, almost abstract. The D4 images are the ones that make me stop and think "Gosh what an interesting place" because you've managed to integrate the bikers into the surroundings to make a harmonious composition.

[Old man  big kid]

Wow! Those are great photos and an awesome track. Wish we'd had tracks like that over here when I was doing my MTB riding in anger! Well jealous

[mattb]

You mean the drop photo or the wife in the gondola? I think Jenni's short shorts and pink armor are super sexy

Jenni! You are right the shorts and armor have a kind of stockings kind of thing going on. Good stuff!

[Jimmy B]

Looks like you both had a good time up there! Thanks for posting the images.
Jimmy B

[Photo-John]

It's interesting how the look of the image is completely different on each camera. The Olympus ones are snapshots, the 7D ones are nervous, almost abstract. The D4 images are the ones that make me stop and think "Gosh what an interesting place" because you've managed to integrate the bikers into the surroundings to make a harmonious composition.

This is a really good observation, Charles. I like what I was able to do with each camera, given the conditions and limitations of each one - the main limitation of the D4 being the size and weight - it hurts to ride with it. But the D4 really did help me make some very special photos. Being able to get good quality at ISO 3200 and 6400 allowed me to really share the feel of the landscape and terrain. I actually mentioned that in the video review I made. There was a time when you couldn't really shoot those trails and include a rider - a sharp one, anyway. But the D4's high-ISO performance makes that possible now and I'm really pleased with the results. To be fair, this isn't a Nikon thing. I could have achieved the same results with the Canon 5D Mk III - it's a 2012 full frame DSLR thing

[SmartWombat]

I'd like to see the OM-D at high ISO in comparison.

[Photo-John]

I'd like to see the OM-D at high ISO in comparison.

I wish I'd been able to take it with me but Olympus didn't let me keep it very long. You can compare my studio samples, if you want. Complete sets from both cameras have been shot and posted: Digital Camera Sample Photos

[Photo-John]

Wish we'd had tracks like that over here when I was doing my MTB riding in anger! Well jealous

Whistler and British Columbia are special. That's where trails like that first appeared. That style of trail building is happening all over the world now, though - including the UK. How long has it been since you were serious about mountain biking? The bikes have gotten a lot better, too

[Old Timer]

Thanks a lot John, now I've gone from just admiring the D4 to drooling over it. Great group of pics, I'll take the D4 stuff hands down. Beautiful!

[Photo-John]

Thanks a lot John, now I've gone from just admiring the D4 to drooling over it. Great group of pics, I'll take the D4 stuff hands down. Beautiful!

Sorry about that. Believe me, I hated to return it. I also loved the 28-300mm VR zoom - the only lens I had with it. And the only lens I needed. It's a big, heavy camera. But if I could only have one camera and lens, that would be a pretty damn sweet setup. I'd just have to get stronger

[MotorToad]

I actually rather like the 7D photos. I like the actiony blur to the backgrounds. The first ones from the Nikon show a LOT of the aspects of photography that I'm not getting yet, though. They look a lot like I think it'd look to look on the scene without a camera, and I've never really done that with a camera.

[Old Timer]

Sorry about that. Believe me, I hated to return it. I also loved the 28-300mm VR zoom - the only lens I had with it. And the only lens I needed. It's a big, heavy camera. But if I could only have one camera and lens, that would be a pretty damn sweet setup. I'd just have to get stronger

I have the 28-300mm VR lens, I bought it with the D7000 and have found it to be very versatile. I used it on the baseball pics I posted today. We had three grandsons with us at the game and I wanted to travel as light as possible. I worked out great.

[armando_m]

What a beautiful place

When I rode MTB I never used a full helmet as shown in some of your photos, but then I never rode downhill at crazy speeds as now I see young guys , also jumping in mind boggling places. I still have my 1994 Bianchi MTB, but I can not find spare parts any more ...

Very interesting to see the difference between the 3 cameras.

[spotwin]

Great shots John. I'd love to ride up in BC someday ...soon. Those trails look amazing!
...and it looks like Jenni was charging hard!
Steve

[somegeek]

/goodtimes!

[splats]

Nice Pics,

Whistler has Been on my must hit list for a long time!

[Photo-John]

Nice Pics,

Whistler has Been on my must hit list for a long time!

As it should be! And since you live in Boston, the rocky stuff will be more familiar for you - although on a much bigger scale than you're used to