Ha you are probably right I mean they make tabs of it to treat ‘wild water’ - I’m so sensitive to chlorine so I can’t see putting it in a bladder I drink from (most municipalities use chloramine not just chlorine now; chloramine is less volitile so it stays in the water much longer to the end of the lines) but our house is so close to the plant when they treat the water it’s worse than showering in a pool >.< like you turn on a faucet in the kitchen and it just fills the room with that “Your In a Public Pool” smell. So I’m always treating our water with vitamin C (it reacts, neutralizing it - it just precipitates out but its so little you won’t notice it in a jug). Most water filters (at least older ones like the one in our fridge) don’t work on chloramine but my vit c trick will work! so that was my use all that ochem for something solution haha. (Now we have a Berkey filter though).
Protip if you like cold water, I use a platic 4cup measuring scoop, fill it with ice, dump it into your camelbak first. Then fill with water. Mmmm cool water for hours. If I’m using a bottle, I actually keep a nalgene in the freezer half full of water, frozen, so topping it off the empty half with water works great for about 4 hours of cool water.
For water i refil from streams/etc (‘wild water’) I use a UV sterilizing pen. I can’t stand any of the add-a-tab purifiers the taste makes me wanna puke. But most water around here is in limestone streams so it is wonderfully sorta sweet flavored if let be!
Absolutely seconding the boots. Upgraded from wearing rain boots to hiking boots and redwings(depending on the terrain) and it has been an immediate improvement. Grip makes a difference
I use a DSLR for most of my stuff, a TG6 when it’s wet or something super tiny, but I kick myself whenever I don’t put my iphone in my bag… sometimes, the sensor on the TG isnt doing what I like or I would prefer to be able to more quickly share an image (to send to a biologica or social media) and it just works… it will shoot images extremely fast and often can handle weird stuff like illumination from a LED flashlight, this in particular makes the sensor on both my DSLR and my TG6 go haywire (even with adjusting for the “flicker” frequency), however the iphone just nails it sometimes… usually for insects, but I honestly think it takes better plant photos than my Nikon sometimes… I also can get away with carrying only a 150-300 mm lens on my Nikon, but still having the flexibility to take captivating landscapes if need be…
Now I also have a low-end samsung A02 (yes, it exists) and it’s camera is pretty much garbage and generally useless for IDs unless it’s like a big iguana or something
again it depends on the caliber of your phone of course…
I dont upload anything through the mobile app, it’s just a little to clunky, and I’m often sorting through 80 or more images to perform a “bulk upload” If you are having trouble with it, you could download Whatsapp to your desktop and phone, link your devices, and send the pictures “to yourself” and then drag them into iNat… works wonders, especially for audio observations.
that said, I also keep my iphone in a very expensive case, and guard it with my life, and put it into my camera bag immediately after using…
Absolutely this. I have added about 15 thousands observations with manual locations - for many there was nothing else to be done, because they were historical ones, but I did that also with new observations … until I got really fed up with it and realized that I can just log my position with my phone to a GPX file and then geotag all images by time using ExifTool. What a world of difference!
I have a dslr but i still take pics with my phone because i usually have a macro or tele lens attached which isnt good for photographing whole plants.
For geotagging i usually use a gps tracker app from my phone then geotag the pics using an app like geosetter (lightroom also works). The innate gps system from the default camera app is often inaccurate imo.
I never really use the mobile iNat app to upload because it crashes often just like yours. I transfer the photos from my phone to my pc and then upload it through the website
I’m glad I upped my game with a Garmin eTrex10. Inexpensive device provides geolocation data where cell phones fail. Adds a measure of safety too. Out west (canyons, or remote locations such as tribal lands), hikers should consider a Garmin or similar device.
Thanks for those lighting recommendations. I do a lot of macro (mostly insects) in dim light, and probably ought to use one of these instead of built-in flash, which doesn’t work well for macro.
I use a DSLR, and upgraded a few years ago to a 55-250 zoom. For what I do, it’s all I need. Small things, and dodgy zoom shots I can enlarge. To identifiable standards!
Boots are of course important. Waterproofing them is also important. I have found Sno Seal (Amazon.ca : sno seal) to be fantastic. Apply it in the summer when the sun is out, and let it soak in.
In winter, Mukluks are great for fresh or deep snow. Mine are mid - calf height, and I’ve used them at -30 C. Use a felt foot pad.
Balaclavas are essential in the cold. One (or two) with a watch cap, keeps the ears warm and protects face from wind.
In cool/cold weather, wind is a concern, so any type of windbreaker is essential. Nylon pants, and a nylon jacket. Or woven cotton. I use a down coat in the colder weather. With a hood. Hoods are essential! As are Long Johns.
Wool. Also essential. Fantastic insulator, and even keeps you warm when wet.
I’ve been using a lot of this stuff for a long time (I used to ride my bike to work in the winter) so it’s not really an upgrade for me. It may help others, though!
Another +1 for the Olympus TG-5/TG-6 series. Waterproof, bulletproof, macro, focus stacking, etc. I got a light ring for it and it’s good, but maybe not great (could be a little brighter) for insects. Has GPS but it chews up battery faster so I use a Garmin GPS and hit “tag” when I take a pic or collect a bug. A bit manual to match up later but very accurate.
Sony RX10iv has been life-changing for insects - 600mm super-zoom, I get good shots of small insects from 2m away. Technically not a DSLR (fixed lens) but I’ve never felt the need for another lens with it. Will also do macro, focusing only a few cm from lens face. Several years old now (think it came out in 2017?) but nothing else like it on the market right now.
That said, best camera is the one with you. I’ve taken reasonably good insect pics with my iPhone in a pinch, and iPhone 13 does macro.
Hmmm, camelbacks seem so hard to clean and dry well enough for storage. My friend stopped using hers. We discussed how to clean and dry the inside well enough to avoid health problems, but did not come up with a good solution. Do you have some tips for keeping them hygienic?
Must be an ordeal at the security checkpoint, though.
I’ve had to do that too. I don’t have the iNat app, but the upload page of the website just doesn’t work well on my smartphone – I can’t combine photos into one observation or add metadata for several photos at the same time (unless I select all, which I don’t always want to do), and when the metadata fields magnify, I often can’t move the screen back to the “submit” button.
For me, the most transformative upgrades have been, first, a camera with underwater capability, so that I’m not limited to dry land; and second, a gorillapod, so that I can do macro shots without camera shake.
Simplest/cheapest: snorkel+mask - hello you have just unlocked a new world to explore
I’m going to go against the grain and say boots → hiking sandals (with rubber that goes over the toes). You lose a little grip but basically become amphibious. I’ve found that they get the job done 99% of the time and much less to worry about in terms of getting wet. I’ve hiked hundreds of miles in mine and wear them swimming to protect my feet from crabs, rocks, and such.
Pair that with the next upgrade of shorts → “hybrid” shorts (basically swim trunks that look like shorts) and you’re ready for a swim any time! I live near the ocean so I want to always be prepared for a dip…
Every smartphone I’ve owned (on no. 4 now) has been a flagship model. Make that a second hand flagship model.
For the price of a new mid-range model, you get all the extra features AND you’re reducing the overall e-waste load.
The bigger problem though is that all manufacturers have moved away from user-servicable design. I used to replace my phone batteries regularly for very little cost, but now, it’s risky and quite expensive. Even the external memory storage option is quickly vanishing, and it never even existed in the Apple line.
Anyhow, yep. Go for the flagships. Even older ones generally have better cameras and graphic chips. Do your homework first, yes, but generally speaking, in-depth camera reviews and specs are available for almost any model, as are test image galleries.
Macro quality is likely tops for most nature observers (say, vs. optical zoom or bokeh depth), but so is max resolution and low light (or high ISO) noise levels. (Though it’s amazing what good noise correction software can do.) Which also brings up the RAW image option. Really good to have.
A couple of less-acknowledged features I like in nature shooting on a smartphone? Vocal shutter control (“Mommy, why is that weird man shouting ‘capture’ to his phone?”), manual settings support (at least in focus, shutter speed, ISO) and good burst and image save speed.
With a backpack or carry-on, often everything has to go back in in a certain order to make sure everything fits and/or doesn’t get squished/damaged. Because TSA usually makes you separate food, electronics, toiletries, etc. into separate bins, I find myself waiting for things to come down the conveyor, amassing bins.
With cargo pants, whatever’s coming down the conveyor has a designated pocket ready for it. You also don’t have to compete for overhead space once you’re on the plane.
Using the iPhone app, I can only load one observation at a time. My phone also has a few mysterious behaviors (ones the persist even from old phones to new phones despite many consultations with Apple geniuses and senior advisors).
I use the Bad Elf GPS Pro+ which goes for about $250-300. It’s very pricy, but it also has great battery life and storage, is very durable, and also works in places where my phone can’t connect at all (such as deep in Everglades NP). There are cheaper options, but a lot of them require a paid subscription. Might be worth saving up for if it’s something you’d be interested in.