I spent a pleasant couple of hours today exploring the LaSalle Park Marina area, and walking along the shoreline pathway.
Even though I’ve lived in the general area for quite a few decades I had never ventured to LaSalle Park in Burlington Ontario. I’ll certainly be returning in the future. I imagine that this area will be quite beautiful in the Autumn when the trees will be in colour. During my visit today I spent all of my time in the marina area and strolling down the shoreline path.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.
The LaSalle Park marina is fairly small with a private mooring area. There are also a few park benches and some paths that follow the shoreline of Hamilton harbour.
For those interested there are some distant views of the steel mills in the industrial section of Hamilton as well as the Burlington Bay Skyway Bridge.
A lot of folks visit LaSalle Park to hike the shoreline trail, or simply take in some sun.
Recently I’ve been testing out my camera ‘travel kit’ and captured a selection of images with it during my LaSalle Park visit.
Once on the shoreline trail at LaSalle Park various lookouts are found along it, some of which have some good views across Burlington Bay.
As you stroll down the path, much of which is boardwalk, the views of the water are obstructed much of the time.
If you keep an eye for details you may find a few subjects along the walkway that may be of interest to you from a photography standpoint.
I’m quite partial to old stumps, fallen trees and similar types of subjects.
As a result I found a few items along the way that seemed to deserve a shutter click or two.
The texture of tree bark often intrigues me, especially with fallen trees.
Towards the end of the trail there is a small footpath that will lead you out to the water, giving you some views of Hamilton and the Skyway Bridge.
Those particular views didn’t interest me from an image perspective. I did find the lookout platform with its partial state of disrepair unusual and captured the somewhat abstract image above.
Chipmunks and squirrels abound along the walkway. Some photographers are drawn to the area to capture images of some of the wildlife, including various birds.
If you stop along the path the chipmunks seem to assume that you will feed them, and they will run up to great you. The little fellow above grabbed a whole peanut in-the-shell from a hiker. After shoving it into his cheek, he then scooped up another peanut and began to devour it.
Mute Swans and Trumpeter Swans frequent the shoreline. I was able to get quite close to them and captured a few images.
There were no young cygnets in the immediate area. This may be one of the reasons why the adult swans appeared quite calm in our presence.
Almost all of the ducks in the area appeared to be Mallards. I did spot what I guessed to be a Hooded Merganser. Readers who are more familiar with birds can provide some insights.
I’m not sure if the mottled chest indicates a juvenile bird or not.
The spring migration is over in Southern Ontario. I imagine that a visit to LaSalle Park during the spring and fall migrations would likely result in a wider variety of birds.
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Tom, as always, an informative article and a good read. Now that you have purchased your J5, how are you finding it? Do you miss the viewfinder? Currently, I have most of the 1 Nikon lenses, but not the newest 10-100mm – worth it? My V1 does very well, but I am wondering if I should get the J5 or the V3 . . . what do you think?
Hi NMDrew,
I’m actually very much enjoying using the J5…so much so that I bought a second one. I do miss not having an EVF from time to time, but overall I have made the transition to composing from the back of the camera. It is not quite second nature to me, but I’m getting there.
I’ve put together my ‘travel kit’ which consists of a J5 with the 6.7-13mm mounted, a second J5 with the 10-100mm non-PD mounted and a V2 with the CX 70-300 mounted. I’ll be doing a general review of the Nikon 1 gear I own later on in June. So far my ‘travel kit’ is working out extremely well and meeting my expectations.
I like the J5’s new 20.8MP BSI sensor’s performance in terms of improved dynamic range and colour depth. Since I was planning on using the J5’s for landscape, street photography, flowers and macro-type images the J5 is a great choice. I’m still using my V2’s for birds in flight and other moving subjects, as well as for my client video business.
The AF-C on the J5 isn’t as quick as my V2’s, the buffer is smaller, and is slow to clear. So…if you are thinking about upgrading your V1 to photograph primarily moving subjects then the V3 would be a better choice. If you’re like me and you plan to mainly use a J5 for the same types of images for which I use mine…I think you will be pleased with the J5’s image quality. At about $500 US the J5 is quite a nice little camera. I have the function button on the front of my J5’s programmed to adjust ISO so the handling is pretty decent.
I quite like the 10-100mm f/4-5.6 and after doing my review of that lens I ended up buying one for my business. The focal range is very practical and the overall performance of the lens is quite good. It is much smaller than the 10-100 PD zoom I also own. The 10-100 PD is a tad sharper and the VR is a tiny bit better, but overall the 10-100 non-PD is a great all-in-one walkaround lens. Since buying it I don’t think I’ve used my 10-30 zooms other than when shooting video with multiple cameras and needing that focal range for all cameras. One of the advantages of the 10-100 non-PD lens that many people don’t talk about is its relatively short minimum focusing distance. This provides additional flexibility to the lens. I still prefer the 30-110mm for use with extension tubes for macro-type work.
In my ‘holy trinity‘ article I picked the 10-100 non-PD as one of the lenses, the other two are the 6.7-13 and CX 70-300.
Hope this has helped…
Tom
Hi Tom – yes, your info is always helpful! Tough decisions to be made! – N
Hi Tom,
Maybe the “LCD viewfinder loupes Magnifier Eyecup Extender” can
help using back of a camera LCD screen in a more convenient way ? (as EVF).
Something like that:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-8x-LCD-Viewfinder-V5-Magnifier-Eyecup-Extender-Magnetic-Hood-For-Nikon-1-J1-/370773359895?hash=item5653d07d17:g:uSMAAOSwwE5WXrAg
Moshe.
Hi Moshe,
I have a Zacuto Z-Finder which I can attach. Hoodman also makes a unit that can be used on cameras without an EVF. The bigger issue that I have with the J5 is the small buffer and the long time that it takes to clear. I’ve also noticed that the AF-C is not a fast as with my V2. Folks that don’t have a V-series camera may want to go the Hoodman route.
Tom
Hi Tom:
I really enjoyed your beautiful pictures with the 1J5 “travel kit”. You chipmunk picture turned out very nice. The duck needing identification appears to be a Hooded Merganser according to the National Geographic Complete Birds of North America.
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the supportive comment – glad you enjoyed the images! And, thanks too for researching the Hooded Merganser for me.
Tom
Hi Tom,
very nice pics
Michael
Glad you liked them Michael!
Tom
Always a joy to view your images and read the articles. Thanks.
Thanks Anders!
Tom