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

[PixShooter]

For most the 70-200 would be fine but it sounds as though you’ve been doing this for a while. 200 is too short for Alaska, even with an extender.. Dave got a good fluke shot there with it but most of the time whales won’t be at 100 yards, they will be much further away. I think you’ll be disappointed with it once you get home and need to crop, crop, crop.

 

I know I was disappointed with the limited length for most shots last year. I was using the Olympus 40-150 so an effective FOV of 300mm. Except for the rare encounter where the whales came in closer, it simply wasn't enough. Thats why for me, I will slimming down this time. This is a vacation, not a photo trip. :)

[chipmaster]

Our first Alaska cruise is coming up in July and I keep debating do I take my 300 2.8 and bear the wrath of DW asking why?????? or will I be reasonable happy with my 70-200 2.8 and the TC 1.4. All of the gear is Canon and the current models. Thoughts of those of you who have been? We are doing a photo safari in Juneau...

 

Depends on you going on vacation and opportunistically shooting or taking a vacation and have to have the best, everyone vacations differently.

 

IMHO a prime ( a 300 2.8 ) is to limiting a lens to be lugging around. Yeah great for low light, field sports etc. and if you are out on specialized trip hunting bears so to speak.

 

I'd take the 70-200 2.8 and shoot that on a crop sensor.

 

These days don't feel the need to take "impressive" pictures, they are dime a dozen on the WWW, but of course if that is what get's the joy... take the big guns and deal with the wrath, LOL

[Mr. Click]

Thanks again for all of the comments and input. Hopefully this helps others as well. As I said earlier, the 300 is gone, arrived at its new home yesterday and hopefully that young man will continue to use it and make money with it. If I started asking now I could probably get a loaner from CPS for this trip but the more I think about it, the less I want to be burdened with carrying it around. This trip is going to be more about relaxing, enjoying and seeing new things. If I can make some memorable images that will be great, but seriously, between our granddaughter and some desert landscapes I have made in the last year, wall space is getting short. I had to do a mixbook from our AU/NZ cruise so I could have the images out to enjoy regularly.

[JPCruising]

I am going on a Europe river cruise this summer and my wife let me know she was not going to haul around heavy Canon gear on this trip. I use 2-1DX cameras and 5DS, and my lens include 400mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8 and 100-400mm II. We had been doing a little research but happen to stop by local camera store recently and the Olympus rep was there that day with a full display. We were extremely impressed with the new Olympus Pen-F and loved the 12-40mm f/2.8 & 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro lenses which we purchased for her. I was still planning on taking some of my Canon gear but decided the lightness and compactness of the Olympus system made more sense so I purchased the Olympus OMD E-M1 and 7-14mm f/2.8 and we will share the 40-150mm f/2.8 I am extremely impressed with the Olympus camera and lenses and just love how light everything is in comparison to what I usually carry around. I have been to Alaska twice and if I was going this summer I would definitely make my life easier by leaving my Canon gear at home and would take my Olympus OMD E-M1, 7-14mm f/2.8, 40-150mm f/2.8 and would purchase the Olympus 300mm f/4.0 as well. The Olympus cameras have a 2X crop factor so the focal length equivalent would be 14-600mm and you can use the 1.4 tele extender on the 40-150 & 300mm for even more reach. The in body stabilization on the OMD E-M1 is excellent and I am amazed at the shutter speed I can shoot at and get sharp images with the 40-150mm handheld. All that being said I photograph a lot of sports and action photography and still prefer my Canon gear for that. But for fun and travel it is my Olympus gear.

[StormyStarwardCruise]

Looking for expert advice on which of my "stuff" to carry on an Alaskan cruise in June

 

I have a Canon T1i (entry level dslr) with 24mm 2.8 and 50mm 1.8 primes and the 18-55 and 55-250mm kit IS lenses. I also have a variety of point and shoots - particularly a Samsung wb-100 which alleges a 26x optical zoom with IS and digital zoom up to 130x. Also have miscellaneous inexpensive Kodak point and shoots - nothing special on those and Samsung s3 phones which take decent pics. The Samsung is about the size and weight of the T1i.

 

To travel light - what lenses should I take to Alaska for my Canon?

Not up to renting long lenses - or buying new equipment at this point.

 

The point and shoots are largely for use by my spouse (although I'll keep a Kodak in my pocket to use quickly). Thanks. I'm obviously a gross amateur photog but do want to capture the moments for us. (Fwiw - my previous SLR was a Honeywell Pentax basic that I used for years and years. I have a long lens for that camera somewhere too).

[Glaciers]

To travel light - what lenses should I take to Alaska for my Canon?

 

I would take all of those lenses. What are a few extra pounds? Once you get here you’ll have a better idea of what you need to take off the ship depending on your activity/excursions and what you’ll be shooting. You’ll need the wide angle for landscapes/glaciers and the 55-250 for wildlife. If I really had to leave something behind it would be the primes. I would be going for the range from 18-250 in two lenses but again, I’d bring all of them.

[peety3]

To travel light - what lenses should I take to Alaska for my Canon? Not up to renting long lenses - or buying new equipment at this point.

Both zooms for your Canon DSLR. Either the primes or a point&shoot for you. Perhaps the only reason I'd take the P&S is as a spare, but if you wouldn't be happy with it in place of the DSLR, just go without and enjoy your cruise.

[StormyStarwardCruise]

Thanks very much.

My wife will have the P&S.

I'll take all 4 of my lenses and see what happens. I bought the 24mm especially for this trip - scenery. If I shoot anything that I'm really proud of perhaps I'll post.

[pierces]

Thanks very much.

My wife will have the P&S.

I'll take all 4 of my lenses and see what happens. I bought the 24mm especially for this trip - scenery. If I shoot anything that I'm really proud of perhaps I'll post.

 

Take a couple of bags. One to hold all your gear to get there and another small sling or rucksack to wear on shore excursions (preferably one you don't have to take off to access the contents). Pick your load-out for the plan of the day and leave the rest in the cabin. Get a good neck strap. It makes a big difference when you're wearing a camera 8-10 hours a day. I find the cross-body BlackRapid straps to be the most comfortable for extended wear.

 

If you bought the 24mm for scenery, Alaska won't be a disappointment! Our last trip there was 2013 and I'm ready to go back.

 

Photos here, if you're interested: http://galleries.pptphoto.com/alaska2013

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Dave

Edited April 19, 2016 by pierces

[peety3]

Take a couple of bags. One to hold all your gear to get there and another small sling or rucksack to wear on shore excursions (preferably one you don't have to take off to access the contents). Pick your load-out for the plan of the day and leave the rest in the cabin. Get a good neck strap. It makes a big difference when you're wearing a camera 8-10 hours a day. I find the cross-body BlackRapid straps to be the most comfortable for extended wear.

+1 on the two bags idea, and +1 on the BlackRapid straps idea. I use a backpack to haul my gear (usually), and then have two setups I use regularly: a one-camera "easy" setup, with a Shootsac to hold 1-3 lenses, and a BlackRapid basic strap to hold my camera; or a LowePro vest/belt system with a BlackRapid Double strap "buckled into" the vest so it doesn't move around, and LowePro LensExchange 200 AW case(s) as needed to hold lenses (plus a couple other cases depending on the need). The vest makes me look like a serious photographer, which I could care less about, but it keeps everything super-comfortable and at the ready. I've used it religiously in Alaska ever since I got it put together, and can easily carry three cameras with 3-5 lenses, spare cards/batteries, gloves/hat, water bottle, etc.

 

And obviously we went BlackRapid. We went BR and never looked back. I decided to make the leap a little more expensive up front, but easier in the long run, by adding Really Right Stuff B2-FABN mini-clamps to every BlackRapid strap. Every camera we own, plus every collared lens, has some sort of Arca-Swiss plate, so this way we're never competing for the tripod screw on anything, losing plates, etc. Nor are we having to buy a BlackRapid fitting for every camera/lens (which would be cheaper than plates, if we never used them, but...).

[byargertx]

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!

[byargertx]

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

[rmalbers]

...

The photo safari is out of Juneau. I forget who runs it but when I tried to book it though them they said I had to book it through Celebrity. The cost is about $200 per person includes a glacier hike and the whale watch on their boat devoted to this type of stuff. They are small and only take 12 people. Since we are not doing any flying--DW won't and I don't want to if they wont take the doors off for me-- this is out big splurge.

 

That is a great excursion, I got some of my best pictures on that but I had good luck with the weather during that excursion also, mostly blue sky!

[pierces]

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

 

That's all white. We all reply too much on technology!

 

Dave

[framer]

Having got back 3 weeks ago from my Alaskan outing I did have a change of heart. In other trips cruise tours my 400 would have been a lot more useful. On this cruise I did take the 400 on a whale watching boat and got about 20% use out of it during the tour and 80% the 70-200 was perfect without any TC attached. I did use the 400 from my balcony enough to justify bring it but over all 80% of all teli shots were using my 70-200 f/2.8 VR II lens.

 

I also found when I needed to acquire the image when a whale was breaching the 400 was very difficult to get thing lined up and focus before the big splash occurred. I switch to the 70-200 @ 200 and nailed about 15 breaches. If I had continued using the 400 my keeper rate would have been a fraction of that amount.

 

Your 70-200 w/ a TC should do you well. Do take an UWide for when needed.

 

Next time to AK I'm leaving the 400 home unless I do a cruise tour.

 

Have fun on you trip next month...

 

framer

[Mr. Click]

Thanks for the update framer. DW and I were talking about this the other day and she re-iterated that "you are retired, you are NOT bringing a ton of gear".....and the 400 and the 300 are both in new homes anyway now. A good friend did offer to loan me his 300 as long as I brought him along on the trip. So my Think Tank Retro 50 is going to have a 5D Mark III with the grip, 16-35mm 2.8, 24-105 4 IS and the 70-200 IS II and the 1.4 and a flash for "take my picture when we dress up"....... We leave in 31 days... really looking forward to this adventure.

[framer]

Sounds like a perfect kit to me. Have fun, don't forget to enjoy the view. I was processing a pano last night that I had taken with my 400 w the 1.4 extender of an island in GBNP. After bringing the image to 100% I was shocked to see 100's of lion seals, birds and other wildlife hanging out. Never saw any of it when taking the photo. I would have needed a telescope to have seen what the camera captured.

 

framer

[Mr. Click]

Thanks framer, great stuff you have posted. Our trip does not go to GBNP but we do see Hubbard on the cruise and Portage post cruise. For me it is has always been about enjoying what I am seeing and making things work to capture images. I could always use a longer or wider lens sometimes but this is real life. My biggest concern now is finding wall space for that one image....

[gpb11]

I know I was disappointed with the limited length for most shots last year. I was using the Olympus 40-150 so an effective FOV of 300mm. Except for the rare encounter where the whales came in closer, it simply wasn't enough.

 

Yep; I was using the Olympus 40-150 f/2.8 with 1.4x TC (thus 112-420mm in 35mm FF terms) and while I could have used more reach at times I was very happy with the lens. The Panasonic 100-400 would have been fun to try.

 

In terms of choosing between a zoom an fixed-length telephoto, go with the zoom. I used the 40-150+TC a lot over the course of the trip at all different focal lengths. I'd have gotten much much less usage out of a fixed-length telephoto.

 

 

Looks like you're doing the photo safari with Gastineau Guiding. [...] Molly is young, bubbly, but extremely good for all aspects of the tour.

 

Sound just like the Molly we had with Gastineau a couple weeks ago (booked through HAL). She was really great with everyone. A real asset to the company.

[Mr. Click]

Just off the Millennium and wanted to follow up. The 70-200 plus the TC 1.4 Series III covered about 90% of my needs. There were a few times I wished I had more reach, especially with eagles but by and large I am happy with the way all of the gear worked for me. The 24-105 F4 IS was on more than anything else, a very handy walk around lens. Special thanks to our captain for working his way through some fog and then a full field of ice to get within 1/2 mile of the Hubbard Glacier. It was all pretty amazing. Off to Denali for a few days in the AM. Thanks again everyone for your input.

[hoosieratsea]

I'm going to be on an inside passage tour on Holland in July. I have two questions. First, how likely will I see whales from the ship itself? Second, how do you know when a whale is about to jump? Any trick to anticipating it? Or is it just about luck?

[rmalbers]

Can't add much but here you go: That is a great area, not sure about whales there, I didn't see any there but I was there in Aug. I can tell you a couple of things I just learned in Maui, when you see a whale's tail out of the water that means they are going to dive deep, so they aren't going to be jumping then, but I don't know if there is a way to tell when they are going to jump. I saw the splash after a jump and managed to get a picture of the splash, LOL! It actually was kind of a neat picture because there was another whale watch boat behind the splash and the splash was twice the height of the boat! You have to be quick and lucky to get a good whale shot!

Edit: You know, I was just thinking, we did see whales from the ship there in Aug but they were off in the distance and you really didn't see much, just their backs and some water spouting up.

[pierces]

I'm going to be on an inside passage tour on Holland in July. I have two questions. First, how likely will I see whales from the ship itself? Second, how do you know when a whale is about to jump? Any trick to anticipating it? Or is it just about luck?

 

You may see whales off the ship, but having them in position to photograph is only remotely possible. A whale-watching tour with an established company is best. Especially if they have a marine biologist or someone with a lot of experience on the staff.

 

Once the whales dive, there is a fairly predictable span until they surface again. Surfacing may only be another few spouts until diving again or it may be a breach. You just have to guess where resurfacing will happen based on the direction they were going and how long they are down. Often the tour operator will announce estimated timing over the PA. Have your camera ready to go. Keep tapping the shutter release to keep it awake or turn off power-saving entirely. Hand-held with a stabilized body or lens is best. Bend your knees a little to even out the rolling motion. Tripods and Monopods are worse than useless on a small bouncy boat with engine vibration as they will transmit the vibration and motion to the camera.

 

And yeah, luck. Lots and lots of luck.

 

Dave

[hoosieratsea]

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

[hoosieratsea]

You may see whales off the ship, but having them in position to photograph is only remotely possible. A whale-watching tour with an established company is best. Especially if they have a marine biologist or someone with a lot of experience on the staff.

Dave

 

Thanks Dave. That's pretty much settles it. Gotta do two excursions at Juneau. And it sounds like the 300 with a monopod from the deck of the ship will be good, but the 70-200 handheld on the excursion. Good info.