Camera lens recommendations?

[Absolutheada]

We're cruising to Alaska and would like another lens but not really sure what. I have a Nikon D 5000, I've taken some photography classes but still very amateur. Lenses I currently have are

 

18-55mm kit lens

50-200mm

50mm

 

What lens would be awesome when viewing/photographing the glaciers? Would probably like to spend $700 or less....

[hosscow]

I think your fine with what you have for scenery. Maybe a 24-70mm tamron in your price range.

 

But, I would rent a 200-500mm or larger for wildlife. We saw bears along the shore and quite a few whales.

[markluke]

You have the basic assortment as you mention (I have similar ones for my D5100). There are a couple of options that come to mind.

 

1) More wide angle - something like a 10-24 - if you want to capture landscape.

 

2) More telephoto - something like a 55-300 - if you want to zoom in.

 

3) A more expansive single lens - like their 18-300 or bigger still - if you want to not have to switch when you're taking pictures. These are out of your price range.

 

Another option you might want to consider is lens rental. There are companies out there that will rent expensive glass for a couple of hundred dollars for the cruise instead of you buying it. I've never used this option but you can google for companies offering this service.

Edited April 2, 2016 by markluke

[DYKWIA]

I'd probably move towards a prime wide angle lens - Lightweight, better picture quality than most lens and a much wider maximum aperture (great for low light and getting that depth of field blurriness (bokeh) that helps your photos look fab.

 

Your crop sensor on the Nikon d5xxx series means that your lenses are about 1.5x the focal length than on a full frame camera (i.e your 50mm shoots at the equivalent to 75mm on a full frame (or old 35mm) camera. This means that with a crop sensor camera you'll not get the wide angles that you can with the more expensive full frame cameras.

 

Nikon do a very good 35mm f1.8 DX that is very cheap. I have one that I brought second hand for £100 off ebay and to be honest it's the lens that I use more than any other on my d7100. The extra few stops over the kit zoom lens gives me so much flexibility in poor lighting.

 

If you're not aversed to the idea of manual focusing Samyang do a 14mm f2.8 that gets great reviews.

 

Ken Rockwell has a very good website (IMO) that gives a lot of information on the various lenses out there for Nikon cameras (particularly in the second hand market) http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/index.htm

 

If you think you might eventually trade up to a full frame camera then it might be worth while moving away from the Crop sensor (DX) lenses and buy Prime FX lenses (which will work as a DX lens on a crop sensor camera like d5xxx series - i.e. will still magnify by 1.5x) - as most DX lenses will result in some slight vignetting if used on full frame camera (not the end of the world if you're happy to crop). Glitch is FX Lenses tend to be more expensive - but there are some gems out there that can be picked up cheaply second hand (I have a 50mm f1.8 pancake lens that is about 35 years old that I brought for next to nothing from ebay that gives great results). When buying second hand lenses use someone like Ken Rockwell's site to check your lenses are compatible with your camera. With older models (and the more budget models) of cameras there can be issues with auto focusing and meter reading with older lenses.

Edited April 2, 2016 by DYKWIA

[rmalbers]

I think these responses are right on target but I do want to mention that you might be in situations where changing lenses might be hard, like when whale watching, birds, etc. Some times the action comes quick and that makes it hard to pick a lens to go with and you'll miss the shot changing lenses. An 18-250 or something might be nice because of that. I had two bodies with me with an 18-55 on one and the 55-300 on the other and that worked well when on boat and bus excursions. FWIW: One of the best excursions I went on was called a 'Photo tour' something out of Juneau which included a boat trip and a hike to views of a glacier, I got my best pictures on that trip. Anyway, you'll definitely get great shots no matter what!

[Keith1010]

Heather, not sure if you know this but their is a camera and photo board on CC and the people are very helpful and knowledgeable on that board.

 

You might want to also post this on that board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=118

 

Keith

[Absolutheada]

Thanks everyone for your great input. Lots to think about for sure. I def don't want to be lugging a ton of lenses with me but don't want to miss anything good either!!

[Airportlimbo]

Depending on the quality of your glass, you maybe better off upgrading to better glass (even used). I'm a canon shooter so I'm not familiar with the Nikon lenses but in the Canon world some of the L lenses have a dramatic image improvement over some of the cheaper lenses. I'm sure Nikon also has a premium line. So I would be probably be looking at a better 70-200 or 24-70 2.8 or 4

[north29]

From point and shoot to DSLR's with normal to 300mm lens and 300 MM is still not enough at times. My lady the artist, did not want to carry all that stuff around. For $700, WOW, too much for my wallet and backpack. I just picked up a Canon SX60, yes point and shoot type but a little more sophisticated than most. It has a 65X telephoto, and I think it goes to 18 MM wide, you can read a barcode on the other side of Best buy with it. It weights about a pound and size slightly less than most DSLR cameras with basic lens. Price was a little high @ $449 but you can find it for less, if you dare. It was bought for our upcoming land trip to Africa. I just ordered a protective neoprene case and a good deal on batteries and a walking stick monopod(generally needed for 65X, for it from the Big A company.

If you are a Nikon fan they make a similar model.

[markluke]

Nikon do a very good 35mm f1.8 DX that is very cheap. I have one that I brought second hand for £100 off ebay and to be honest it's the lens that I use more than any other on my d7100. The extra few stops over the kit zoom lens gives me so much flexibility in poor lighting.

I second this. A great walkaround prime lens if you're at port and want to capture some shots around town. Should be under $200 new.

[2CatsInFlorida]

I think these responses are right on target but I do want to mention that you might be in situations where changing lenses might be hard, like when whale watching, birds, etc. Some times the action comes quick and that makes it hard to pick a lens to go with and you'll miss the shot changing lenses. An 18-250 or something might be nice because of that. I had two bodies with me with an 18-55 on one and the 55-300 on the other and that worked well when on boat and bus excursions. FWIW: One of the best excursions I went on was called a 'Photo tour' something out of Juneau which included a boat trip and a hike to views of a glacier, I got my best pictures on that trip. Anyway, you'll definitely get great shots no matter what!

 

 

I completely agree with an 18 to 250 or 300 zoom. You will miss action shots otherwise. A normal high quality 50mm prime for those situations when you have time to change lenses.

 

I also keep a 10x zoom compact on my belt all the time as a backup or when I need extra focal length.

 

 

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Edited April 2, 2016 by 2CatsInFlorida

[markluke]

From point and shoot to DSLR's with normal to 300mm lens and 300 MM is still not enough at times. My lady the artist, did not want to carry all that stuff around. For $700, WOW, too much for my wallet and backpack. I just picked up a Canon SX60, yes point and shoot type but a little more sophisticated than most. It has a 65X telephoto, and I think it goes to 18 MM wide, you can read a barcode on the other side of Best buy with it. It weights about a pound and size slightly less than most DSLR cameras with basic lens. Price was a little high @ $449 but you can find it for less, if you dare. It was bought for our upcoming land trip to Africa. I just ordered a protective neoprene case and a good deal on batteries and a walking stick monopod(generally needed for 65X, for it from the Big A company.

If you are a Nikon fan they make a similar model.

One piece of advice if I may if you're going on safari and bring a super long zoom. Unless the SX60 is different than another I've had they are pretty slow to lock focus which is frustrating when shooting wildlife that might be moving. Landscape and other stationary objects aren't as much of an issue.

 

Nothing is frustrating than the sensor hunting and you ending up with a slightly blurry "once in a lifetime" picture.

 

With my DSLR for long distances with telephoto I usually manually adjust the focus ring when composing my shot.

[markluke]

I think these responses are right on target but I do want to mention that you might be in situations where changing lenses might be hard, like when whale watching, birds, etc. Some times the action comes quick and that makes it hard to pick a lens to go with and you'll miss the shot changing lenses. An 18-250 or something might be nice because of that. I had two bodies with me with an 18-55 on one and the 55-300 on the other and that worked well when on boat and bus excursions. FWIW: One of the best excursions I went on was called a 'Photo tour' something out of Juneau which included a boat trip and a hike to views of a glacier, I got my best pictures on that trip. Anyway, you'll definitely get great shots no matter what!

A good point. A used D5000 goes for under $200 on eBay now. Unless it's thrashed or has 100,000 shutter actuations it should be great as a second camera.

[DYKWIA]

A few other things that I think helped change my photography for the better and both are a LOT cheaper than new glass

 

One - A decent polarising lens filter - might be even more use for Alaska! I found the polariser really helps the clouds and sky jump out and can cut down on annoying reflections from water. (Tip when you buy a polarising lens buy a pair of lens filter clamps - polarising lenses can get stuck on lenses very easily)

 

Two - experiment with shooting RAW instead of JPGS - yes you will need to do post production and yes you will need more memory cards because the file sizes are so much bigger but you have so much more flexibility to enhance your photos in post production.

 

Three - Play around with your camera settings - I found notching up the Vivid setting on my camera delivered shots that were much more pleasing to my eye.

 

Also big lenses might look sexy but they're heavy and unless you're paying a fortune will have smaller maximum apertures -- hence you'll need good light to get fast shutter speeds (unless you ramp up the ISO and can lead to noisy photos). A tripod or/and a lens with Vibration Reduction might be necessary

Edited April 2, 2016 by DYKWIA

[markluke]

Depending on the quality of your glass, you maybe better off upgrading to better glass (even used). I'm a canon shooter so I'm not familiar with the Nikon lenses but in the Canon world some of the L lenses have a dramatic image improvement over some of the cheaper lenses. I'm sure Nikon also has a premium line. So I would be probably be looking at a better 70-200 or 24-70 2.8 or 4

The challenge with Nikon is if it's DX or FX format, and even within DX if it's AF or AF-S. Most of the consumer/prosumer Nikon bodies require a lens with an autofocus motor (AF-S) so if you get good glass without it you'll be left with manual only.

[prim8keeper]

Before you buy you may also think about renting a lens so you can try it out. I rent equipment from ATS rentals and have had really good experiences. I do this to not only try out equipment before buying, but I also sometimes just rent a particular lens that I think will be useful on the trip rather than buying it. Especially if is something that I think I may not get much use out of otherwise. I can also rent more expensive/better quality lenses than I I could justify buying.

[DYKWIA]

..... Most of the consumer/prosumer Nikon bodies require a lens with an autofocus motor (AF-S) so if you get good glass without it you'll be left with manual only.

 

Yes, I'm not sure d5xxx's have in built motors (the d7xxx's do). I have found Ken Rockwell's site really useful in this capacity he's reviewed virtually every lens that Nikon has ever made (and some by other manufacturers) and generally tells you what will work best with what camera

[2CatsInFlorida]

If you are in the market for a new system I would suggest Olympus micro 4 thirds. I have the OMD Em10 with a 28 to 300 zoom (ff equivalent) for travel photography. Very compact and lightweight with excellent IQ and fast auto focus. Changing lenses in a marine environment could be problematic.

 

For extra zoom and backup I agree a super zoom is good to have, but you need a shutter speed of 1/focal length to avoid blur even with stabilization on.

 

 

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[Absolutheada]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to have to digest all these suggestions for a bit and figure out which way to go.

[Host Walt]

Just a comment. Keep in mind that humidity and temperature can/will vary between inside the cabin and outdoors.

 

Fogging of lenses occurs frequently when the lenses are stored in a climate controlled cabin overnight then taken outdoors for shooting.

 

What I do is store my camera bag out on the balcony overnight and not open the bag until I'm back outside on the deck or ashore.

 

Some have recommended using a hair dryer if the equipment is stored inside. I am a worrier and would be uncomfortable using heated air on lenses to dry the moisture accumulation.

[Mr. Click]

Leaving gear, even in a bag outside over night is not the best idea in my mind. Exposure to salt air and other elements can make a mess and if they happen to run the window washer, yikes. A better solution is to keep gear in zip lock bags so the moisture forms on the bag and not the gear. Fogging is a bigger problem coming from the cold into the warm. Not so much the other way.

[peety3]

We're cruising to Alaska and would like another lens but not really sure what. I have a Nikon D 5000, I've taken some photography classes but still very amateur. Lenses I currently have are

 

18-55mm kit lens

50-200mm

50mm

 

What lens would be awesome when viewing/photographing the glaciers? Would probably like to spend $700 or less....

The wider the better...to some degree the tighter you're zoomed, the harder it is to detect a glacier calving event and aim/focus/shoot.

 

+1 on renting. I use LensRentals.com, and they have the best lens testing operation of any of the rental places, hands-down, by a mile. They sell every single item once it's two years old or it's had 40 weeks of rental service, so it's never old or beat up. You can also buy used gear from them, and you can also rent a lens and then stand up to proclaim "It's a Keeper!"...then click a button on their site and simply buy that exact lens outright.

 

If by chance a second camera is in the cards, it's a great idea, but that's probably more than you want to swallow, and I'd shy away from getting another D5000...move to a newer model instead, but that's more expensive.

[kctwinmommy]

I was just thinking to come ask this same question, but you already did! LOL!

 

I have a Canon, and my go to lens is my 18-200, which I like for most everyday things, and some of the traveling we've done. But this trip, I want to make sure I've got what I need.

 

I'm most likely borrowing my dad's 100-400 and his wide angle lens as well. I usually only bring 1 lens on our Caribbean cruises, but this is a different type of trip for sure.

[Glaciers]

The 18-300mm is a good lens and would allow a wide enough view for glaciers as well as wildlife that will be at a distance. Always nice to have something longer but this would be in your price range and allow you not to have to change lenses.

 

There’s little need to worry about camera fogging/condensation during the summer in Alaska. The only time I bag my gear is in the winter when it can be below zero and then bringing my gear inside.

[Host Walt]

I experience fogging every time I take my lenses out of a heavily air conditioned venue (cabin, MDR, whatever) to the outside deck with humid and warm outside air. It usually takes about 10-20 minutes for the lenses to clear up.