artsupreme
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Newenglandrocks wrote:
And I'm not convinced this could have been taken in the DSLR days. It is quite possible that you actually need the 30FPS to really nail the shot.
As a surfer and a surf photographer this shot is a very easy one to take and could have been taken with a Canon 10D or Sony/NIkon equivalent 20yrs ago. It's not a high speed erratic subject as he floats through the air over the back of the wave. What Gabriel is doing in the shot is called a "flyaway" and surfers do it very often when waves are closing out. The most difficult part about capturing this shot was getting to the location in Tahiti and getting on a boat to shoot this event from the channel.
However, with that said I would not let that take away from the significance of the shot which is more important than the difficulty of capturing it. Medina had just gotten an amazing wave that deserved a 10 (they gave him a 9.9), and he was "claiming" it to the channel full of boats/skis. Most surfers try to avoid claiming unless it's a really really good wave, but in this case Gabriel's claim was warranted. The standout part about this flyaway is the positioning of his Gabriel's body and board. When we do flyaways we are often diving or flipping but he kept his posture upright to deliver his claim, and then very luckily (for the photographer) his board is perfectly vertical with him which makes it more significant.
Note, if a surfer isn't guiding his board away from him in the air the leash can tug on your board and pull it beneath you, causing you to land on it which can injure you. The fins are very sharp. I've landed on a few boards doing this exact same thing but luckily only got bruised and I avoided stitches. When you kick out of a wave late you may not be in control as it sends you spiraling in the air.
Medina is still in the contest in the Semis and the winner of his heat will likely win the contest (Gabriel or Jack Robinson). This is of course as long as they wait for good conditions with big clean consistent swell. I'm sure Medina will really love this shot of himself he ends up winning the gold.
As for which brands of bodies are better, I think we are splitting some very tiny hairs nowadays. Any brand is capable of getting the shot. And I honestly don't think anyone would be able to tell the difference between the final output of this year's Olympics and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. At the end of the day the keepers are all very similar, but the new bodies just make it easier to capture them.
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) but I think that camera could do 60FPS so there's a good chance it would have nailed the moment. I've been married to the X-H2s + 200mm F2 since the body came out because it makes nailing that decisive moment so much easier. 
