Badlands Offroad Park-Nov 5-6th-Attica In

[Hunner]

Thanks everyone for helping the newbie around the park we had a great time and enjoyed the experience. Like most I am sorting through video and pictures and hope to have some up here later this week. I didnt take that many pics as I had too much adrenaline pumping through me. Thanks Hunner for getting a shot of mine going up that hill!

If I got this right that is you with the P on the front of the Silver H3?
One farther down the hill

and one up close

 

[spongebobnopants]

I have had some time to decompress and went thru the rest of my pictures. I may start a camera thread at some point but wanted to throw out some observations about this particular event. Just wanted to share some opinions on shooting these kind of pictures.
I too have many more and if someone wants a shot of their rig I can send you the full file so prints will be high quality.
I found this run to be like most, that it is hard to be everywhere at once. I'm slower than I used to be!
I see shots I can't grab and because of a large group and moving along it's hard to jump out and get. Some windshield shots work fairly well but do affect color balance a bit but auto compensation usually balances it out.
Saturday was one of those severe clear days. Low morning sun and late afternoon sun this time of year plus very high contrast conditions made it hard for me to get the right combinations. I used a matrix metering setting and still had some dark shadows. I did post process a few to lighten shadows. I used the on board fill flash for some shots down in the bottoms because of the deep shadows. I probably should have pulled out my high power flash but already had more than I could grab and jump out and shoot.

I sold my D200 and all my Nikon glass a couple of months ago. I found myself leaving lenses behind on trips cause they were so heavy and wanted to sell them while they were still worth a decent buck. Your 70-200vr is hands down the best lens! I converted to Sony last year and have pretty much stuck with the A55 and my 11-17 wide angle. You inspired to me to kick things up a notch and I just ordered the new 24mp A77 combo with the 16-50 2.8 IF. I don't have it in me yet for a 70-200 yet, at least not for a sony or zeiss.

You have a great eye for composition, I just hold down the button for 10fps and hope a get something good...:giggle: I also shoot everything RAW since I need as much help as I can get for being lazy with my in-camera settings. When things get bad, Photomatix is my ace in the hole.

Keep the photos coming!

 

[Hunner]

When I retired I had a Nikon F4 and it was hard to convince me this new digital stuff would work! haha That was in 98. I tried the D70 when it came out, but it was not there yet. Then I had a D200 but mine seemed to lack contrast I wanted but it was good and I was able to post process if necessary. I still carry that for a spare, Hunner theory. I tried a D300 and it seems to have what I want and plenty of options. I of course can still use any of my 40 years of Nikon lenses, but these new ones for DX with VR and decent auto focus are really nice.
I have always carried lots of equipment so to me it's just part of the process. I used to shoot larger format 6x7 and 645 so these DX cameras are sporty to me.
I played with a 10.5 and it was fun but hard to get good horizon level shots that did not have the fisheye effect.
Replaced that with a 12-24 that is not distorted unless you force it to up close.
My 17-55 2.8 is my studio lens but I found that a 16-85 with VR is a sweet overlooked lens. I use that for most offroad work of vehicles and it stays on the camera. Easier to carry also.
I pack a 80-400 VR for reaching out there but it takes some practice because it is a bit slow to focus. I got that before they brought out the 70-200 which is really fast focus and good color saturation. I set up different profiles in camera for each lens as I found that they all have their differences. That is a neat feature of digital.
Looking for the next place to go....................
Like I said, we might should start a photo thread and share camera info. Might just copy this to that.
The 80-400 also makes a good telescope on those night runs to places that are really dark.

 

[spongebobnopants]

That's a great idea! My wife is torn between the FJ that she owns and the H3 because they really impressed her. You build could help her decide.

If I was in a position to do it all over again, I'd seriously consider an '09 or '10 Alpha. Width/Approach/departure/ground clearance is all better stock. The one advantage the FJ has is the WB is 6" shorter, and any rear seat passenger will let you know that for sure. When the kid gets her own car, out goes the rear seats permanantly... fortunately you can take the seats bottoms out in 3 min and fill it with more expedition crap.

I'm not sure what FJ she has and that may help in the decision making. They introduced direct injection for 2010 and eliminated the need for premium gas. I refused to consider an FJ before 2010. Stockers come with 17 rims. My TT has 16" which works out perfect IMO with the Goodyear 33" MTR's that I will run all year round. 16"'s give you a longer sidewall for cushion on the trial and the tread width of this specific tire does not rub at all. Many people with other tires have reported that they had to do a body mount chop to fit larger tires... esp. if the go with 35's. Gas mileage has suffered going to a 33" mud tire, but the healthy V6 has no issues and does not feel sluggish climbing the hills.

Another thing to consider. Does she have a rear locker and A-trac? If no, get rid of it. If yes, consider this: A-trac is a FAUX locker... It actually works pretty good for climbing with the reduced risk of breaking something with a true locked front end. In the mud Atrac is almost useless in the worst of situations, but can inch you out (think army crawl) if you otherwise didn't have it. You can also steer with A-trac, which can be very dangerous with a front locker.

Lastly mileage. My rig is HEAVY! Without passengers, I have an extra ~700lbs of weight I carry regularly and average around 15mpg. Stock was about 19mpg on the LT AT's. Folks with 35's claim 12mpg or less. Don't go by window stickers or any of that crap as the EPA and NHTSA only test the top selling models of a vehicle. Neither the FJ TT or the H3 Alpha were tested. IMO, the H3 weighted down will be less affected by mileage with the V8.

Once she/you figure out if it's worth switching or not, let me know. Other than tires and a 3" lift, I have nothing mechanically upgraded. Everything else is pretty much armor.

Sorry to thread jack

 

[cgalpha08]

Someone told me that the interior of the fj was pretty much all waterproof/resistant like the dash, controls, and floor etc, is this true, cuz i thats something that i really like

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[spongebobnopants]

Someone told me that the interior of the fj was pretty much all waterproof/resistant like the dash, controls, and floor etc, is this true, cuz i thats something that i really like

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

The floors, seats and some controls on the doors yes, the dash, I'm not sure. Cleaning up dog puke was pretty easy though.

 

[Paladine71]

I'm not sure what FJ she has and that may help in the decision making.

My wife has an '08 stock FJ. It does have a rear locker, a-trac and 32" Yokohama Geolander M/T+ tires on 16" wheels. I drive an '08 H3 Alpha with "just a few" mods. She carries next to no gear in it, I always pack heavy, and I still beat her hands down on gas mileage. I also have a much better turn radius than she does, even with the 35" tires, despite her shorter length. How does the FJ do on stability. Hummers are able to handle great angles and aren't known to roll too easy. How about FJs?

 

[Paladine71]

The pics from the other thread...

 

[CNY750Rider]

Looks fun there!!!

 

[Paladine71]

 

[kflips]

Looks like a great trip. Great lead paladine. Glad to see the number of Ts present for duty

 

[spongebobnopants]

My wife has an '08 stock FJ. It does have a rear locker, a-trac and 32" Yokohama Geolander M/T+ tires on 16" wheels. I drive an '08 H3 Alpha with "just a few" mods. She carries next to no gear in it, I always pack heavy, and I still beat her hands down on gas mileage. I also have a much better turn radius than she does, even with the 35" tires, despite her shorter length. How does the FJ do on stability. Hummers are able to handle great angles and aren't known to roll too easy. How about FJs?

I have a blackout bumper, if your interested. Also have to replace the nerf bars with real sliders. I can help you with that too if your interested in my OEM sliders. I think I'll be getting something that pushes me out a little. Watching you kiss that tree solidified my decision. As far as rollover goes, these thing are surprisingly wider than they look, but I just put a 70+ wheel on the roof, so I guess I'll find out. The rear articulates pretty well stock and I have heard of folks removing the rear sway, but I haven't seen the need yet. Like most of the other rigs out there... Anything is possible with a bottomless wallet and a skilled driver... I have neither.