Antarctica Photography - Stills, Video or both?

[BORDER REIVER]

When we travel to Antarctica, we want to capture as many special moments as possible. We've looked at compilations / slide shows / videos by others (mostly on YouTube) and some are excellent, but others are not so good. I have a very good Panasonic Lumix TZ8 compact digital camera, which takes super stills and quite acceptable video, but whilst I can get all the stills I would ever need onto a 16gb memory card, the mp4 video mode takes up massive amounts of space. I have thought about the options.....more memory cards? shoot less video? or buy a digital camcorder? At present, I think it might be sensible to buy a reasonably priced camcorder....probably one with a built-in hard drive, and take it as well as my compact camera. I've never owned a camcorder, but I believe that athough they do take stills as well, they are of relatively poor quality.

I was wondering how others have dealt with this. Is it feasible to carry and use both a compact stills camera and compact video camera on shore expeditions?

I always carry a spare camera battery and charger that will take most voltages. Any other considerations?

Any advice from those of you who've done this trip will be much appreciated. Thank You.

[cougfan]

Hello,

 

On my Antarctic trip last year I took a Panasonic FZ30 for pictures and a ZS3 (TZ7) for photos while on the zodiac cruises and for videos. For the ZS3, I had two 8 GB SD cards (actually using only one) and used the AVCHD lite video mode and it didn't seem to take that much space. I did maybe 15 minutes total of video. I found that I spent most of my time just soaking in the sites and would then remember that I could video/photograph it. For the FZ30 I had 10 GB total of memory and used most of it. I had two extra batteries for each camera and the chargers. I did take a small laptop to download after each outing. I was very paranoid about losing my pictures of a "once in a life time" trip.

 

When I got back I used the "Windows Live Movie Maker" which comes with Windows 7 to make a wonderful movie using my pictures and some of the video.

 

Julie

[BORDER REIVER]

Hello,

 

On my Antarctic trip last year I took a Panasonic FZ30 for pictures and a ZS3 (TZ7) for photos while on the zodiac cruises and for videos. For the ZS3, I had two 8 GB SD cards (actually using only one) and used the AVCHD lite video mode and it didn't seem to take that much space. I did maybe 15 minutes total of video. I found that I spent most of my time just soaking in the sites and would then remember that I could video/photograph it. For the FZ30 I had 10 GB total of memory and used most of it. I had two extra batteries for each camera and the chargers. I did take a small laptop to download after each outing. I was very paranoid about losing my pictures of a "once in a life time" trip.

 

When I got back I used the "Windows Live Movie Maker" which comes with Windows 7 to make a wonderful movie using my pictures and some of the video.

 

Julie

 

Thanks for the info Julie. Sadly, my current camera doesn't have Avchlite (although the TZ7 it replaced did), so it has to be memory-eating mp4 (or buy a video camera). Memory isn't a problem as I have two 16gb cards and two 4gb cards. I don't have a laptop, but I was wondering if it's possible to download pics directly from memory cards to the ship computers and onto a disc.

How did you find the 2 camera deal? Did you find you were constantly finding you needed the one you didn't have handy - or were they both ready to use at any time.

 

Your paranoia about losing pics is justified. Last year, we cruised to Ireland. Greenland, Iceland and Norway and after visiting Ireland I found my (cheap) memory card had ceased to function andI had lost arounf 100 photos and a fair bit of video. The ships photoraphic wizards managed to recover all my photos, but none of my video. Luckily, it was the least important part of the journey. I've learnt my lesson there ....no more cheap equipment.

 

Thanks again.

[digitl]

I found my (cheap) memory card had ceased to function andI had lost arounf 100 photos and a fair bit of video.

A good reason for not using large capacity cards. I use several 1 or 2GB cards on the basis that if one goes down I've 'only' lost a relatively few images.

 

This worked to my advantage a couple of months ago on our Panama Canal cruise when I went to check an image I had just taken of an iguana. The camera reported that it couldn't read the card! Being a small card I only lost a few images. If it had been a 16GB card that had gone down...

 

That said, I do back up the cameras (Canon 600D and my wife's Panasonic Lumix TZ10, both of which take more than adequate video) to my laptop and a flash drive every day!

[cougfan]

Hi,

 

I had my larger Panasonic FZ30 in a camera bag which I had over my shoulder and my ZS3 in the pocket of my Parka. That worked real well when I had to change from one camera to the other.

 

Since I had my laptop I never used the ship's computers. You would need to contact the company you are going with in order to find out what they can do. I know on large cruise ships you can download pictures and have them put on discs. I really enjoyed looking at my pictures at the end of the day. It also really helped me see if I had made mistakes in how the pictures were taken and I could change or try new settings on the cameras. The laptop was no more expensive then other photo storage gadgets that I researched. During my research I read about many people who would take at least three ways to back up pictures, laptop, storage device and lots of memory cards. At the end of the trip I had all my memory cards full and the pictures copied to my computer. So I could have done without the laptop but it was worth the peace of mind.

 

By the way, who are you going to Antarctica with?

 

Julie

[BORDER REIVER]

Hi,

 

I had my larger Panasonic FZ30 in a camera bag which I had over my shoulder and my ZS3 in the pocket of my Parka. That worked real well when I had to change from one camera to the other.

 

Since I had my laptop I never used the ship's computers. You would need to contact the company you are going with in order to find out what they can do. I know on large cruise ships you can download pictures and have them put on discs. I really enjoyed looking at my pictures at the end of the day. It also really helped me see if I had made mistakes in how the pictures were taken and I could change or try new settings on the cameras. The laptop was no more expensive then other photo storage gadgets that I researched. During my research I read about many people who would take at least three ways to back up pictures, laptop, storage device and lots of memory cards. At the end of the trip I had all my memory cards full and the pictures copied to my computer. So I could have done without the laptop but it was worth the peace of mind.

 

By the way, who are you going to Antarctica with?

 

Julie

 

We are still at the planning stage, as it's going to be around 3 years time before we can go, but we are intending to go with Hurtigruten on MS Fram. We have researched this a lot and although some other operators do appeal, Hurtigruten fits our budget and needs very well. If we go over our budget on this one, then we'll have to cut back or postpone trips to Spitzbergen and East Greenland, among others.

I would be happy if I could download my pictures at the end of each excursion / landing, then I'd know they were safe. I have a 40gb USB2 hard drive that might do the job as long as the computer has a card reading slot. From what you say, it sounds like common sense to buy a digital camcorder with it's own hard drive and that would allow a lot of video footage to be taken.

[dpro]

When we travel to Antarctica, we want to capture as many special moments as possible. We've looked at compilations / slide shows / videos by others (mostly on YouTube) and some are excellent, but others are not so good. I have a very good Panasonic Lumix TZ8 compact digital camera, which takes super stills and quite acceptable video, but whilst I can get all the stills I would ever need onto a 16gb memory card, the mp4 video mode takes up massive amounts of space. I have thought about the options.....more memory cards? shoot less video? or buy a digital camcorder? At present, I think it might be sensible to buy a reasonably priced camcorder....probably one with a built-in hard drive, and take it as well as my compact camera. I've never owned a camcorder, but I believe that athough they do take stills as well, they are of relatively poor quality.

I was wondering how others have dealt with this. Is it feasible to carry and use both a compact stills camera and compact video camera on shore expeditions?

I always carry a spare camera battery and charger that will take most voltages. Any other considerations?

Any advice from those of you who've done this trip will be much appreciated. Thank You.

 

We sailed on the Fram in Feb 2010 on the Shackleton Route. We took 4 cameras, two of them DSLR's, (with a variety of lenses), a backup P&S, and another spare pocket camera to take shots with while on the zodiacs. The zodiac trips can be wet so consider that, but we did get some great shots while on the Zodiac that a lot of others didn't because they had their big expensive cameras stowed for the zodiac trips, (they tell you to put them in your backpack). One of the DSLR cameras would take video. We took both stills and video, but on return we liked the stills much better, and since we had high quality cameras we could print a few in large format. I would suggest both, as some of our best video shots came about while doing scenic cruising in Wilhemina Bay and other places. I would not hesitate to upgrade to a high quality camera for this trip, you won't be disappointed in the scenery. Some guests had camera failures due to the cold, so if your camera is not rated for cold weather, beware.

 

We took a small laptop, a 250g portable HD, and every day we dumped our shots from our cameras onto the portable HD. We used 2 & 4 gig SD cards, and had backups. The laptop worked well also in keeping a log of our journey.

 

You will have a fabulous trip, we want to go back, maybe in 2014 after we clear a few other trips off our bucket list.

 

Read our report here, if you wish: opatravels(dot)blogspot(dot)com/2010/02/goin-south.html

 

Rc

[dileep]

I used my Panasonic Lumix FX28 and took pictures and short video clips. I also had my Canon HV30 video camera. You can see my photos and videos at links in my signature.

Like cougfan, I too used Windows Live Movie Maker for the videos using my Lumix shots

http://www.youtube.com/user/DileepB#grid/user/544207CBE0CF6593

 

the video camera movies are at http://www.youtube.com/user/DileepB#grid/user/1C31A1227C162B83

[BORDER REIVER]

Many thanks for your replies, there's much useful information there.

I didn't want to post this on a photography site as I think it's necessary for me to get good information from people who have actually been to the polar regions.

I'd also like to know peoples opinion on whether or not it is advisable to use a tripod or monopod. My previous videos (especially from a ship) tended to be a bit shaky and I tend to pan too quickly - I thought a lightweight compact tripod might help.

[2552phxcrzr]

We had 2 DSLRs, a P&S, and 2 video cameras. I took a monopod (still shots); hubby had a tripod (for video). We found them useless on the ship unless we were in calm waters (we were on a 48 pax ship, so there was more movement than on a bigger ship). The problem with using a monopod/tripod on the ship was that as the ship moved up and down on the waves, what we were focused on quickly moved out of the viewfinder's range. We used both the monopod/tripod without fail on land; didn't find lugging them ashore or taking them on walks to be a problem at all. In fact the monopod made for an excellent walking stick. We simply handed them to the zodiac driver before we attempted to board ourselves and kept them on the floor of the zodiac during the ride to shore. Didn't take them on excursions that were zodiac rides only.

 

Other tips: don't use the ship's railings to steady yourself; the vibrations from the engines can travel to the camera through your body; the rear decks provide excellent bird in flight opportunities; take handwarmers and put your spare battery in a pocket with the handwarmer (cold weather drains batteries more quickly) or at a minimum, keep batteries in an inside pocket against your body.

 

My photos from our Antarctica trip are here:

 

Have a terrific voyage.

[dpro]

Many thanks for your replies, there's much useful information there.

I didn't want to post this on a photography site as I think it's necessary for me to get good information from people who have actually been to the polar regions.

I'd also like to know peoples opinion on whether or not it is advisable to use a tripod or monopod. My previous videos (especially from a ship) tended to be a bit shaky and I tend to pan too quickly - I thought a lightweight compact tripod might help.

 

We did not take mono or tripods. We had a large group of Chinese on our tour who did bring tripods, etc. and they were unable to use them at all. Even on the relative calm waters in Wilhemina Bay, there was too much ship movement to use the pods. None of the professional, ships' photographers used pods at sea or while on shore. FWIW

 

Rc

[dileep]

we did not take monopods, tripods, or even ipods :D

[digitl]

We did not take mono or tripods. We had a large group of Chinese on our tour who did bring tripods, etc. and they were unable to use them at all. Even on the relative calm waters in Wilhemina Bay, there was too much ship movement to use the pods. None of the professional, ships' photographers used pods at sea or while on shore. FWIW

 

Rc

I have a couple of zoom lenses for my DSLR, the longest of which is an 800mm equivalent, so will be taking a monopod. For the weight, the space it occupies and the slight inconvenience it presents, I would rather have it with me and stand a better chance of sharp images than leave it at home and later wish I hadn't.