Filed under: Action Photography, Action Sports, Adventure, Adventure Photography, Landscapes, Mountain Bike Photography, Outdoor Photography, Photography, Skiing, Skiing Photography, Snowboarding, Uncategorized, Winter X Games | Tags: action sports, Adventure Journal Prints, camelbak, camera, Courmayeur, High action sports, Italy, Lighting, markewitz, Mountain, nex-7, point-and-shoot, review, Salt Lake City, scott, Ski Photography, Skiing, Skiing Photographer, SMP, Sony, spring, versatile, Winter
I had the opportunity to test out the Sony NEX-7 camera this winter. It’s a small, mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses that’s only slightly larger than a point and shoot, and it has most of the features and image quality of a full size professional camera. What I’m most excited about is that it shoots 24 MP Raw files at up to 10 frames a second – a big plus for shooting any action sports.
I’ve had it in my pack as a backup camera, or sometimes I’ll ski around with it in my pocket and pull it out for quick shots on the mountain. I’ve put it to use in a variety of situations, from fast action at the X Games, cold deep powder in Utah, to spontaneous travel photos in Europe, and have been really impressed with the results and quality of the images so far. Especially in broad daylight, the image detail and dynamic range are really good.
There’s a lot packed into this camera, so it’s worth taking the time to learn all the functions, but overall the controls are pretty intuitive and the settings are easy to adjust on the fly. The autofocus works well when you need it and it has a cool feature that zooms when you want to focus manually so you can really dial it in. The low light capabilities and the size of the image buffer don’t stand up to a full size DSLR, but overall it’s an amazing little camera that is setting the stage for things to come.
Smaller, lighter, faster – that’s the future for everything electronic. The Sony NEX-7 is a big step in that direction and overall does a great job going head to head with my full size Nikon DSLR. I’ve been looking for a camera like this that I can grab and go, or take with me on long adventures when weight is an issue. Now that spring is here, I’m really looking forward to taking it with me in my Camelbak on long mountain bike rides and coming back with quality images.
Here are a few shots I’ve taken with the NEX-7 this winter. I’m excited to show you more soon….
Filed under: Action Photography, Events, Italy, Outdoor Photography, Salomon, Skiing | Tags: Amie Engerbretson, Anne-Sophie Bron, Champoluc, Italy, Julien Henry, Spring Skiing, Tyler Ferris, Winter
SMP X Italy Trip 2012
I had heard stories and seen photos of the incredible winter that was happening in Europe this year, so when I got the call from Salomon to fly over for a shoot in Italy last month, I was more than excited. When we got there, winter had shut off and spring had taken over the Alps. It was warm and sunny, the snow was melting fast, and the forecast projected even warmer temps for the next several days.
Riding up the lifts the first day looking at nearly brown south facing slopes, I wondered how we were going to be able to pull off this shoot and make it look like winter. But, we were surprised to find cold, dry snow on the north faces and large swaths of powder sitting untouched almost a week after the last storm.
Italians ski like they drive, fast and seemingly on the edge of control. Setting up a shot on a groomer was a scary proposition with people flying by way too close for comfort, but as soon as we skied off-piste it was as if we had the mountains to ourselves. It was an amazing contrast, and one of the things I love about skiing in Europe. There are so many areas where the vast majority of skiers stay on the groomed runs, leaving great off-piste powder skiing for days after a storm.
I love skiing and shooting in Europe. No matter what the conditions, there is nowhere else where food, culture, and history are as much a part of the experience as the skiing itself. We had an incredible week with great food, fun times and a really productive shoot. Thanks to Salomon for bringing me over and thanks to the great crew of skiers – Amie Engerbretson, Tyler Ferris, Anne-Sophie Bron, & Julien Henry.
Until next time, Cheers!
–Scott
