joshgates

Yes

It constantly changes depending on where I'm going and what my mood is when I leave.  A significant part of my photography life is spent in a studio working on various projects, so I tend to travel much lighter than than how I work at home.  Partly because I'm a fan of constraints breeding creativity and partly because if I have a lot of equipment with me I'm just not going to want to carry it around and would leave it in my cabin more than I'd take it out.

I've done cruises where all I've taken is a Q2M, so a fixed lens 28mm, black and white only camera, along with my phone.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshgates/albums/72177720295648109

https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshgates/albums/72157719575136290

I've done ones where I've only taken a 23mm (35mm equivalent) including one where I had a brain freeze and left it in JPG only for the week

https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshgates/albums/72177720298744134

https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshgates/albums/72177720305321819

I've done trips where almost everything was done on my phone because I took too much equipment and I just didn't want to think about it.

A couple weeks ago I took a 23mm and a 70-300mm, mostly to test the 70-300mm before taking it to Antarctica.  I did enjoy the extra options that lens got me, but unless it's a more photography focused trip I doubt I'd take it again.

I think my favorite travel kit to the Caribbean, so far, is the Fuji X-Pro3 and the Voigtlander 23mm.  It's small, my favorite focal length (35mm equiv), great image quality with some character, suitable for indoor or out, and I love that it's manual focus.  I know what will be in the frame before I even take it up to my eye because I've been shooting that focal length so long, and I know how it handles different scenarios. 

Have a missed shots I could have gotten with a full kit? Absolutely. Have I gotten shots that I'd have missed because I was changing lenses, not seeing in a specific view, or because I just didn't want to carry a lot of equipment with me?  Heck yeah.  For me, the lightweight and single prime lens kit is the right choice, but everyone's got different priorities 🙂 

I use a combination Flickr and Ghost to host my travel site.

Flickr’s pro plan (around $80/year) has unlimited storage of full res files and you can embed them into whatever site you what at various resolutions or by letting it scale based on browser.

I use Ghost (ghost.org) as a CRM, but there’s plenty of other’s available, including keeping Wix as your host and just changing all your images over to Flickr.  Migrating from Wix would be a potentially huge undertaking, so splitting off to a different host for the photos could save a ton of work.

I wandered up to the bar while they were doing a tasting of the drinks for some new officers on the Getaway and they let me join in, never saw it as an option to book though.

The leftover food is used to make things like infusions, syrups, or garnishes like flavored salt/sugar for the rims. Nice program overall IMO, and if I see it as an option for something to do on a sea day I'd book it.

No, it won't work.  While you're in the ship you're not getting GPS or a cell signal, especially while you're underway so it'll report the location (if it reports at all) based on the ships internet provider.  Last summer when I checked mine out of curiosity it had them in Miami the entire trip.

About the only time it could conceivably work is when they're on the top deck, in port, and near someone who's connected to the mobile network of whatever port you're in.

You could use precision finding, but at that point you're going to be close enough to see them anyways.

51 minutes ago, JustAPilot said:

Agreed price point is getting out of hand, if the whole reason you are booking Vibe is to be away from kids why would you book a family cruise line to begin with? Virgin Cruises is adults only and they have lots of padded seating. 

Maybe they're traveling with an extended family and still want some more "quiet" time, or they have somewhat older kids and want a place to escape, they might like the ships or itineraries better than what Virgin offers.  There's dozens if not hundreds of reasons why someone might choose to sail NCL and still want a place away from kids, not to mention that being far from the only reason to book Vibe.

Different strokes for different folks, luckily no one's forced to get a pass if they don't want one.

On 7/16/2022 at 7:41 PM, Jim The Lizard said:

This would be great if it's true. But my 5 previous Vibe experiences had no menu.  Maybe it's a new thing...but it's possible that the repis giving you some erroneous info.  

One exists, at least since 2018 when I saw it in the Vibe on the Breakaway, but it's quite literally 4-5 items that are just snacks, not anything that could be considered a meal, or worth the price they were charging.

This is fantastic (for me).  I'm always going to get the WiFi upgrade (non streaming) and the extra 2 dining, so that's already going to be $180.  For another $115 I can get my preferred gin, bottled water, and starbucks, which to be honest would pay the difference alone most weeks.  I'm all for this.

The ones I've done there's always been a letter sent out on day 5(ish) with where/when to meet, to bring your passport, and to pick up your new card from guest services in the morning.  So far I haven't had to disembark, they just had one of those podiums they use for entry/exit setup next to the theater and they'd scan us out and back in.

For the Vibe pass, just go to guest services a couple days early and let them know you'd like one, when you pick up your card on changeover morning they'll have the charge slip ready to sign and you'll get a pass right then.

Bit of a photo dump from yesterdays travel day and this morning

I'll go a little different than the other responses (although truthfully they gave some fantastic options that will likely be a better fit for you)

The last couple years I started traveling with just a single prime lens, usually a 35-40mm equivalent, or a Fuji x100v.  I like the creative constraint of a single focal length and having to explore a scene more to get the photo I want.  I'm more likely to take it with me everywhere since it's small and light and I don't need to worry about if I'm taking the right lens...because it's the only one I brought.

It's not for everyone, you have to be ok with missing some shots you could have gotten otherwise, but for me at least the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.  I'm not too familiar with Sony lens choices, but something in the 20-28mm range would be good for that.

I may have made a mistake in trying out this camera, now I think I'm keeping it.

Memorial Day was a nice time to test a new camera a bit with a quick walk around town in the morning

12 hours ago, BSR said:

I've done several b2b's and only received 1 bill at the end of the cruise.

This is my experience too, I've only done a couple but both times they kept the account open or rolled the balance over to the second one.

Yeah, on the Breakaway in December 2019 they were $209.

Last few I was on they were being sold in Headliners, but there's a sign pointing people there so they don't stand in line with everyone else at guest services.  Maybe it was just the ones I was on, but seemed like there were still passes available early afternoon.  Last cruise I was in boarding group 4 (I think, it's been so long..) and I was the 6th person to get one.

I have a few of the moment lenses (anamorphic/macro/58), and they're great for what they are.

They're not going to improve the image quality, but they will give you more options for how you take a photo and what you take it off.  They've even got an option for a filter attachment so you can use polarizing filters/etc.

If you're looking for something that gives you extra options, is good quality, and minimal hassle, I'd recommend the moment lenses.  Admittedly I don't use mine much since I prefer to take one of my regular cameras with me, but I still keep them around and use them semi regularly.

17 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Here. Use this link. The number is now 1600 but very small in relationship to the number of vaccines given. 
 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html

Over 92 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through March 8, 2021. During this time, VAERS received 1,637 reports of death (0.0018%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. CDC and FDA physicians review each case report of death as soon as notified and CDC requests medical records to further assess reports. A review of available clinical information including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records revealed no evidence that vaccination contributed to patient deaths. CDC and FDA will continue to investigate reports of adverse events, including deaths, reported to VAERS.

Directly from the page.

56 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

Christmas trees and decorations everywhere? Christmas Shows and music all over the ship? Families gathering in pyjamas and opening gifts with kids screaming and running around the atriums? How is that anything like a normal cruise and not christmasey?

There are absolutely Christmas influences with the decorations, background music, some activities, and people wearing Santa hats and what not but it's very much a normal cruise.  

You'll have a Christmas Variety show, but you'll still have your normal shows too.  You'll have a Christmas menu, but you'll have your normal menu's too.  You'll have Christmas activities, but you'll have normal activities too.  You'll have Christmas decorations, but they blend into the background in short order just like they do when you're walking through stores and down streets. You'll see some Christmas decorations in some ports, but they're very much normal (though sometimes not everything's open).

The best way I can describe them is they're essentially a normal cruise with more families and a festive atmosphere.  You can focus on the Christmas themed things if you want to but if you don't they very much fall into the background.  

I'll second the Rokinon/Samyang 12mm f/2.  Fantastic lens for crop sensors for the ultra wide, it's one of the three lenses I take when I'm traveling (the others being either the fuji 23mm or 35mm and the 56mm.)

I think it really depends on what you're looking to take pictures of and what you find yourself frustrated with most currently.  Are you wanting something wider, longer, faster, etc?  What do you find yourself taking pictures of now and what do you wish you were able to do?

1. Harmony - Dec 13th 2020
2. Oasis - May 16th 2021
3. None really.  I'll be disappointed every time a sailing cancels but it is what it is.  I'll likely still be around when they restart and every time a couple cancel, I upgrade the next couple.  Eventually I'm going to have some pretty awesome cruises that actually happen.  Or aliens invade during a Yellowstone eruption and it doesn't really matter.  

For me, and this is a personal opinion, I’d go with the 30mm f/1.4.   The 12mm is way too wide to be an all purpose lens and the 16mm is wider than I’d like for most cases.  If you tend to prefer a wide angle though, I’d probably get the 16mm over the 12mm.

I've been in pretty much the same boat, when I'm at home I like having all the options available to me in my studio or on the go, but on a vacation I just want to travel light and have fun.  Nowadays having the best image quality is taking a backseat to just getting the shot, especially when they live mostly digitally.

Before my first cruise I was actually on here asking if I should take a medium format camera... So glad I listened and didn't, but even half of what I took then just stayed in my cabin.  I actually tended to leave my camera in the cabin more often than not and just used my phone for probably 70% of that trip.  Since then, I've been refining my travel kit down and right now it's sitting at:

• Phone - I have a couple of moment lenses that I toss in my bag since they're decent quality and add next to no size/weight.  It's decent for photo and video, is always with me, and some of my favorite photos have come from it in the last few years.
• GoPro - This I take on anything active.  Surprisingly decent photo quality, good video, and since it's waterproof* I don't really have to worry about it getting wet.  I prefer to leave it set to a "linear" field of view, so it's not quite as wide but you don't get nearly as much distortion. It's also tiny and unobtrusive.
• Dedicated camera - here I have two options depending on the trip type and my mood
  • Fuji x100v - There's other options from other manufacturers out there, and different models of this one, but the important thing is it's an aps-c fixed lens camera.  35mm equivalent field of view and a f2 lens.  This is my desert island camera, I love the look and feel of it, if I want something wider I can stitch a panorama, if I want to zoom in closer, I can walk or crop.  I like being locked to one focal length, forces me to be more creative with my compositions, explore a scene more, and you don't have to worry that you brought the wrong lens with you.  It's light, small, and the perfect travel camera for me.
  • Fuji x-pro/x-t/x-whatever series - Interchangeable lens mirrorless system.  Other brands (like your Sony) work just as well, I'm just only familiar with Fuji.  The standard kit lens for this is the 18-55mm which covers the 27-82mm (equivalent) range well and is good quality, but I could never get used to using zoom lenses, so I take three primes with me.  The Rokinon 12mm that @pierces mentioned above, just a fantastic quality wide angle when you have focus peaking, a fuji 56mm f/1.2, and then either the 23mm f/2 or the 35mm f/1.4.  Still a small kit overall since the lenses are so tiny, but incredible quality and versatility.  I can also just stick the 23/35 on the camera and leave the rest in the room and not feel like I'm missing out while having more options if I really want/need them.

Now, all the said, if it's a bucket list / once in a lifetime trip, like Antartica, I'm taking the best equipment I can, regardless of size/weight 🙂

Yeah.  I canceled one for July a little after final payment (was waiting for Delta to update their policies).  I got the refund portion last week and just waiting on the FCC for the rest.

July 12th/December 13th/December 20th

Holding pattern for now, I'll likely make the final payment for the July one since it's due in less than a month, but I'm 50/50 if we'll actually be able to sail.  

Seconding KEH.