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Alaska 300mm 2.8 vs 70-200 2.8 and TC?


Mr. Click
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thanks.

 

anyone else have info? I'm particularly interested in whether I should pop for a whale excursion, or if there's enough sightings from the ship to be sufficient with my 300mm. I'm already planning on dumping some major bucks on a helecopter to the top of a glacier

IMHO the whales we've seen from the ship are great for seeing but terrible for photographing; they're surprisingly far away and/or you have such a downward angle that your photos are Downright Boring. It's whale watch or bust for me.

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I have just started planning my gear for my Alaska cruise in June so this thread is very interesting for me.

 

On recent cruises I’ve been leaving my DSLR at home in favor of my much lighter Sony A6000 setup. For the Caribbean this worked well but I think it won’t be enough for Alaska.

 

For Alaska I’m thinking of bringing my DSLRs to capture all of the landscapes and wildlife. I have a Tamron 150-600 and a Sigma 70-200 that I can use for wildlife with a monopod. For landscapes I was planning on using my Sigma 10-20. I have two camera bodies and a double blackrapid strap so I can have two setups at the ready and limit having to swap lenses. I also have a Tamron 18-270 that I can use onboard around the ship for candids when we aren’t on an excursion.

 

So considering the above, I have a couple of questions for the experts here:

 

Are there any other lenses that you think I should bring? I am open to purchasing or renting additional lenses if needed.

 

For our helicopter glacier dogsled excursion which lenses do you think are appropriate? Should I bring the 70-200 and the 10-20 and two bodies? Or just take the 18-270 and one body?

 

What is the best way to keep the glass from fogging up?

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I have just started planning my gear for my Alaska cruise in June so this thread is very interesting for me. On recent cruises I’ve been leaving my DSLR at home in favor of my much lighter Sony A6000 setup. For the Caribbean this worked well but I think it won’t be enough for Alaska.

 

For Alaska I’m thinking of bringing my DSLRs to capture all of the landscapes and wildlife. I have a Tamron 150-600 and a Sigma 70-200 that I can use for wildlife with a monopod. For landscapes I was planning on using my Sigma 10-20. I have two camera bodies and a double blackrapid strap so I can have two setups at the ready and limit having to swap lenses. I also have a Tamron 18-270 that I can use onboard around the ship for candids when we aren’t on an excursion.

So considering the above, I have a couple of questions for the experts here:

 

Are there any other lenses that you think I should bring? I am open to purchasing or renting additional lenses if needed.

 

For our helicopter glacier dogsled excursion which lenses do you think are appropriate? Should I bring the 70-200 and the 10-20 and two bodies? Or just take the 18-270 and one body?

 

What is the best way to keep the glass from fogging up?

Helicopter tour: one lens, period. Odds are high that you're going to be CRAMPED in the helicopter, and I did not enjoy constantly balancing one camera on my lap while I shot with the other camera. A one-lens solution would have been better. Best way to keep the glass from fogging up is saying NO when the pilot asks if you want the heat on when getting back into the helicopter. :)

 

 

Personally, I think you have too many lenses if you're debating between a 10-20, 18-270, 70-200, and 150-600. The 70-200 is almost completely redundant since it's covered by the 18-270. 10-20 feels way too wide if paired with anything but the 18-270 (18-70mm gap is significant and 18-150mm gap is cavernous). If the 150-600 is really good to the long end, then take it, otherwise I think I'd be doing the 18-270 and leaving the rest in the cabin if not at home. (I realize the 70-200 has an aperture advantage; I just don't know how much that matters in Alaska.)

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Why not take the long lenses for the DSLR and let the A6000 handle the wide to normal?

 

Another suggestion would require knowing which DSLR you own. I shelved my DSLR when I got my A6000 since the autofocus was superior and the burst rate, while the same, didn't lock metering. The two pound difference was a bonus.

 

Justin (zackiedawg) is a regular here and has used the A6000 to great effect as a birding shooter, which puts a camera to a heck of a test.

 

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/sony_a6000

 

Even if you end up taking the DSLR an long lens, I would consider taking the Sony for walkabout times when wildlife is not the prime target.

 

 

There's no rule saying you have to carry both if you take both. :)

 

Dave

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Peety3 and Pierces, thanks for your replies.

 

The 70-200 is faster than the 18-270 and would be the fastest lens of the set, but you’re right, it’s probably redundant. I’ll leave it at home.

 

I appreciate the guidance regarding the helicopter excursion. I wasn’t sure if I would need any extra reach beyond 270 once I was on the glacier.

 

My DSLRs that I’m planning to take are the Canon 70D and the 60D. Bringing the A6000 instead of one never really crossed my mind this time. I think I may have done it once in the distant past when I first bought the A6000 and only had a couple lenses for it. I still don’t have a super telephoto for it so it wouldn’t be good for wildlife.

 

Taking the a6000 camera body and lenses would certainly be smaller and lighter for walking about on the ship though. Although, if I took the a6000 and 70D then it would mean bringing both chargers and battery sets and and carrying two sets of batteries on excursions. I may try packing each way and comparing.

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Taking the a6000 camera body and lenses would certainly be smaller and lighter for walking about on the ship though. Although, if I took the a6000 and 70D then it would mean bringing both chargers and battery sets and and carrying two sets of batteries on excursions. I may try packing each way and comparing.

 

 

I see room for a charger and several batteries... ;)

 

p2809940995-5.jpg

 

 

I ordered one of these USB charger/battery combos from Amazon. The batteries seem to work just fine and the charger is quite small. I went with Mirrorless to save room and weight on the second body before the cameras outpaced my DSLR and I went full mirrorless.Searching for reduced mass in accessories has become a new hobby. :)

 

 

51-XPAAM0PL._SL160_.jpg

 

 

Dave

Edited by pierces
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Fellow photographers,

 

I went to Alaska in Sept 2008, actually bought a 300mm F2.8 specifically for the photographic opportunities. I was looking for advice on the net prior to booking the holiday in 2007- best advice - longest lens you can afford / carry and cover yourself in Goretex for the wind and rain.

The 70-200 F2.8 + TC may not be long enough though you could crop in processing. At the time I was using a Nikon D2x with a 1.5 crop factor so the 300mm was a 450mm F2.8. Considering returning to Alaska in 2020 and taking my 70- 200, 300mm and using the DX crop feature on my D5.

Few other thoughts - you will consume memory cards, have a secure area to replace mid shooting, protected from the rain etc. Have a rain cape for the camera and lens, a chamois to dry equipment. I was shooting at F2.8 on 800ISO no monopod due to deck vibration.

Have a great time, Alaska has wonderful photographic opportunities.

 

Photo Andy.

Always carry a camera.

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Aerial photos, scenic type, from small aircraft I'd use a 16-35ish on a FF body or 12-24 on a cropped sensor. Whale watching from a tour I'd use a 70-200 on w/o any converter is 1st choice. A light weight 300 f/4 also works nice on a FF body but harder to acquire target on a crop body. I try and keep my shutter speed high and VR off when on the boat.

 

When a whale starts breaching get ready because they'll do it again soon. You just don't know where it coming up next. That is why you need fast glass and body to acquire focus fast.

 

Have fun. I'll be there end of May.

 

framer

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

3 week cruise of the Mediterranean next month. Taking my Nikon D7500. Question is: Do I take my Tamron 150-600 or just the Tamron 16-300? Took them both to Alaska last year and got great shots with the longer lenses of wildlife (whales, eagles, sea otters, puffins). Don't think I'll see much wildlife on this cruise and it's quite heavy and takes up room. Your opinions would be helpful.

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3 week cruise of the Mediterranean next month. Taking my Nikon D7500. Question is: Do I take my Tamron 150-600 or just the Tamron 16-300? Took them both to Alaska last year and got great shots with the longer lenses of wildlife (whales, eagles, sea otters, puffins). Don't think I'll see much wildlife on this cruise and it's quite heavy and takes up room. Your opinions would be helpful.

 

This is obviously a personal opinion but it has some actual research behind it. A quick search in Lightroom shows that I have less than 1% of my non-Alaska cruise shots showing over 105mm (150-ish equivalent) and those are almost all sunsets. Leave the bazooka at home for this one is my official advice. :)

 

Dave

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I went through my med photos a bit as well. Nothing over 250mm. In most cases, the types of photos you will be taking are details or landscapes. Take the 16-300 and if you really want some reach rent an inexpensive teleconverter. If you want to have some fun, a fisheye lens would be my second choice for a trip like that, or maybe a low light nifty fifty for museums that allow and are dim.

 

 

I literally can't think of any port in the Med where the 600 would be worth the weight, maybe on sea days or near Greece for wildlife spotting, but not worth the carry for that.

 

 

 

3 week cruise of the Mediterranean next month. Taking my Nikon D7500. Question is: Do I take my Tamron 150-600 or just the Tamron 16-300? Took them both to Alaska last year and got great shots with the longer lenses of wildlife (whales, eagles, sea otters, puffins). Don't think I'll see much wildlife on this cruise and it's quite heavy and takes up room. Your opinions would be helpful.
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I was on a cruise in the Medi at the same time of the year and used an 18-135. I can't remember ever needing anything more and even at 135 some of the coast shots started to show haze. I would think the only need for more than 300 would be for birds. I actually left my 55-300 home. I just checked, I used 135mm 80 times out of the 1,592 pictures. That cruise was to a lot of ancient sites. The Medi cruse last year, more of a middle ages sites, I used the 135mm (max) 32 times out of

1124 pictures. I know what you mean about lugging around a lot of camera stuff. On a cruise and tours you can't really set around for the right light to get the best shots anyway. Having said that I am going to take my Pentax film camera along on my next cruise to NE/Canada, just for fun, because it's a direct flight and easy transport to the ship/airport. I just saw the comment about the fish eye, that really would come in handy for the churches, etc. I do have and 12-24mm for that stuff. I would say a super wide angle is more important than a tele, IMHO. The vast majority of my pictures are taken at 18mm, FWIW.

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Good move to leave it at home. I have done a few Med cruises now and 90% of what I made that I really liked was done with a 24 to 70 2.8. I rarely even took the 70-200 out of the safe unless I was chasing lighthouses.

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