byargertx

We just got back from our Alaskan cruise. I took my Sony RX10IV along with my Sony A7C and a couple of lenses. The RX10 still sells new on Amazon for about $1700, above your range, but it was a great performeron the cruise and excursions. Really fast auto focus, 24 fps burst mode, great range with the 600mm reach. Fantastic not to have to switch lenses. Great image quality. Those are all the reasons I took the RX10 instead of the rest of my fullframe gear. Samples below.

Thanks, everyone.

Online princess is correct

Logged out and back in again, still same - pending

Looked at Princess app just now (we board Grand today) and my cabin and deck are “pending” instead of the cabin number we’ve had assigned. Any ideas?

I agree with Host. Get to a real camera shop and talk about your requirements and budget and your comfort level with technology (you have to the pics off the camera). Go to DPReview.com and look at their buying guides to help you get info on choices. DPReview.com (in spite of the site being shut down by owner Amazon, well, maybe shutdown) is the best possible reference you can use. I have had a camera in my hands for 60 years, from film TLR’s to SLR cameras throughthe digital evolution, and you have never had a better choice fromwhich to pick.

Thanks, gottago. We’re in DFW. My son is an Aggie and wife went to A&M Commerce for graduate school. Whoop!

Down to the last few days before our cruise/land tour, Packed the following:

Sony A7C

Jjwarrin - last trip to Alaska I shot about 2,500 pics. This trip in June I hope to have a great shooting experience, besides the cruise spending three days at Denali.

BTW, I see you are in Findlay. I was born and raised in Lima. Been living in Texas for many years now.

I would echo the comment on the Sony RX10 mIV. Due to my shoulder issues, I am leaving my full-frame Sony gear behind and taking the RX10 mIV along with my Sony APS-C 6400 and a couple of lenses on our Alaskan cruise this time. And I’m sorry about your elbow injury. I hope it heals quickly.

I have the A7RIV (for a year now) which has really been spectacular even up against my A7RII, so I’m going to keep my IV for another year or two. But the specs on the V are great! Have fun!

I am a Sony shooter with a full complement of full-frame cameras and lenses (in addition to my APS-C Sony cameras), but I am probably taking my Sony bridge camera to Alaska this summer on my cruise. I have the Sony RX10 MIV. It’s the 1” 20 mp sensor with a Zeiss lens 24-600mm F2.4-4.0. It shoots 24 fps and has the fastest autofocus in a comparable camera. Full pro feature set if you need that much. This is my second RX10 (I converted my original to infrared). The RX10 is much bigger than a point & shoot, but is great to shoot and covers every eventuality, extremely sharp at all lengths and fstops. 
 

I’ll cloud the issue by saying I also have used a Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II and its performance was also excellent at half the price of the RX10, but at 24-400mm, it has less reach. 
 

I’ll post some from the RX10 IV later. Here is a pic from the Panasonic DC-FZ1000 II.

That was one of my first full-frame lenses. It has performed very well at all lengths. I haven’t noticed any issues with focusing time. It has always been very sharp for my needs and provides extra range above the standard zoom ranges.

Last Alaskan trip with my Sony mirrorless full-frame body, I used my 24-240mm lens almost exclusively (2,950 out of about 3,000 pics). I felt like the 24mm end was wide enough for almost everything.

This is the classic issue I am also wrestling with now, in preparation for our June 2023 cruise to Alaska. I am also a Sony photographer, with both full-frame (A7RIV and A7C), APS-C (A6400 and A6000), and 1” sensor all in one RX10 MIV (24-600mm). My last trip to Alaska in 2016, I took my full-frame rig (A7II and A7RII) and took three lenses: FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS, FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS, FE 28mm F2 OSS. I took about 3,000 pics and all but 50 were with my 24-240mm OSS lens. Throughout the trip, though, I felt I didn’t have enough lens a lot of the time. Frankly, looking at my pics, I was either in the 24-50mm range or the 200-240mm range the bulk of the time.

This time out, I’m not taking my full-frame gear, primarily because I am having a lot of shoulder issues and I need to keep the weight down as much as possible. So I am taking the following:

Sony RX10 MIV (Zoom range 24-600)

Sony A6400

Sony A6000

Tamron 17–70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (stabilized)

Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD(stabilized)

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

Sony E 18-105mm F4.0 G PZ OSS

These are all compact, OSS lenses, including the Tamrons, since my two A6xxx cameras are not stabilized.

If I were going with my full-frame gear and weight were not a problem, it would be:

Sony A7C

Sony A7R MKIVA

FE Zeiss Vario-Tessar *T 16-35mm F4.0 ZA OSS

FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS

Tamron 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (FE) (stabilized)

FE 35mm F1.4 GM

In summary, based on my experience you need and will use wide (17-35mm) and long (200-400mm) more than anything else, so if you can take anything longer than 200mm, it will really help. I am seeing great reviews on the new Tamron full-frame 28-200mm f2.8-5.6. An all-in-one lens works best so you are not changing lenses all the time. In addition, everything I am taking is weather-sealed.

We are on the Grand Jun 17-24 this year. First time on Grand. Went to Alaska on Crown Princess in 2016. Haven’t found a roll call for it yet.

The longest lens I took last year for my Sony full frame was the 24-240mm. The excursions I took didn't really require anything longer. And I echo the previous comments about the wide lenses, the bulk of my pictures shaded to that side.

"Secondary" platform. I hate autocorrect!!!!!

We are going in about 2 weeks (cruise only) and I'm taking my travel system, which is my second day platform. My primary work (professional) gear is Canon - 7D Mk II/7D with a slew of lenses. My travel gear is Sony - Alpha 7 Mk II and A6000, with several lenses (primes and zooms). I also use Blackrapid slings for the gear. The very compact Sony gear really makes it easier for the excursions, but I am sacrificing length - my longest Sony lens is the 24-240mm FEI lens. I definitely have not regretted leaving my heavy Canon gear behind for those compact mirrorless Sony cams. Great IQ!

On the Skagway in Focus excursion, is the three hour duration adequate for shooting the various locations? Also where did they take you? Thanks.

I used mostly my Sony 35mm f1.8 and my 19mm f.28 inside the ship.

Canon 7D Mk II, Canon 7D, Sony A6000, Sony A 7 II, Sony RX10

One more thing, the Fotiodiox Pro EF lens adapter also allows me to use my Canon EF lenses on the A6000.

I went to the Sony A6000 as a primary travel camera. My professional business gear, Canon 7D Mk II, etc. with the full size lenses have just become too much to cart around on planes and cruise ships. The Sony works great, high IQ, fast autofocus, and more makes it work for me. The lens quality is also high. I'm primarily using the Sony 24-240, the Sony 18-105 and a couple of wide-angle primes.

David Busch and Gary Friedman both have good books on the A6000 also.

I prefer Outdoor Photographer as a print version, but go to the Photography Life website (photographylife.com). It has great tips, reviews and a wide range of other photography resources.