Takayuki Maekawa (Markins BV-HEAD)
Theme
Animal Photography
Photographer
Takayuki Maekawa
Date
June-October 2020
Location
Tohoku Region
Device
Markins
CANON
EOS-1D X Mark III
EOS R5
EF600mm F4L IS III USM
RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
EOS R5
EF600mm F4L IS III USM
RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
GITZO
Review
Takayuki Maekawa
URL : www.earthfinder.jp
Born in Tokyo in 1969. Animal photographer. After working as an engineer at a computer-related company, he began self-studying photography at the age of 26.
He served as an assistant to animal photographer Mitsutsune Tanaka from 1997, and began working as a freelance animal photographer in 2000. He has expanded his field of work to Japan, North America, Africa, Asia, and more recently to Central America and Oceania, taking photographs of wild animals in their natural habitats and presenting his work in many media, including magazines, photo books, and photo exhibitions.
He served as an assistant to animal photographer Mitsutsune Tanaka from 1997, and began working as a freelance animal photographer in 2000. He has expanded his field of work to Japan, North America, Africa, Asia, and more recently to Central America and Oceania, taking photographs of wild animals in their natural habitats and presenting his work in many media, including magazines, photo books, and photo exhibitions.
Member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society
- AWARD -
2008
Photographic Society of Japan Award Newcomer Award
2013
First Nikkei National Geographic Photo Award Grand Prize
URL : www.earthfinder.jp
From summer to autumn, I worked on photographing Asiatic black bears in the swamps of the Tohoku region.
When I first started working as a photographer, I decided to photograph bears, and I have been in contact with bears in North America and Hokkaido. Asiatic black bears live in Honshu, and although they are smaller than brown bears, they have beautiful jet black fur and are my favorite creatures.
This time, I tried using the Markins tripod head, which has a good reputation in many circles, for the first time. I have used various ball heads, but it is very important that the ball stops firmly.
First, I tried it with a 100-500mm, and I was able to tighten and loosen the screw with ease. The most important job of a tripod head is to be able to move it smoothly to the angle you want to stop it at, and this was a success without complaint.
I also tried mounting my usual lens, the 600mm F4. At first I was a bit worried, but it supported the camera very well and moved smoothly. The precision is amazing, even for such a compact body. By attaching the BV-HEAD, which fixes the camera in two ways, you can easily handle heavy lenses.
I also replaced the tripod mount of the EF600mm F4L IS III USM with a special ring plate from Markins. It's lower in height and easier to put in my camera backpack, which I'm very happy about.
Such small changes have a big impact on the field.
If you're in a field where you don't move around much, a slightly heavy head won't be a problem, but if you're walking through the mountains chasing animals for hours, or if you want to keep the weight down as much as possible, the BV24SET is very effective.
Any photographer who is passionate about photography will understand its appeal once they try it.
When I first started working as a photographer, I decided to photograph bears, and I have been in contact with bears in North America and Hokkaido. Asiatic black bears live in Honshu, and although they are smaller than brown bears, they have beautiful jet black fur and are my favorite creatures.
This time, I tried using the Markins tripod head, which has a good reputation in many circles, for the first time. I have used various ball heads, but it is very important that the ball stops firmly.
First, I tried it with a 100-500mm, and I was able to tighten and loosen the screw with ease. The most important job of a tripod head is to be able to move it smoothly to the angle you want to stop it at, and this was a success without complaint.
I also tried mounting my usual lens, the 600mm F4. At first I was a bit worried, but it supported the camera very well and moved smoothly. The precision is amazing, even for such a compact body. By attaching the BV-HEAD, which fixes the camera in two ways, you can easily handle heavy lenses.
I also replaced the tripod mount of the EF600mm F4L IS III USM with a special ring plate from Markins. It's lower in height and easier to put in my camera backpack, which I'm very happy about.
Such small changes have a big impact on the field.
If you're in a field where you don't move around much, a slightly heavy head won't be a problem, but if you're walking through the mountains chasing animals for hours, or if you want to keep the weight down as much as possible, the BV24SET is very effective.
Any photographer who is passionate about photography will understand its appeal once they try it.
■ Asiatic black bear
EOS-1D X Mark III / EF600mm F4 L IS Ⅲ USM1/500 s F4 ISO2000 -1.3EV
■ Asiatic black bear
EOS-1D X Mark III / EF600mm F4 L IS Ⅲ USM1/500 s F4 ISO400 -1.3EV
■ Grey Heron
EOS R5 / EF600mm F4 L IS Ⅲ USM1/640 s F4 ISO160
■ Spot-billed Duck
EOS R5 / RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM1/500 s F7.1 ISO1250
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