Gear for Alaska cruise

[va2vegas]

To start off, I know there are many many many posts on here on this topic.  I just want to make sure what I am bringing is appropriate and not overkill (wanting to lighten the load if I can).

 

We will be in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.  I am doing the following excursions: Alaskan Rainforest Sanctuary and Crab Feast in Ketchikan, Endicott Arm Fjord and Glacier Experience, Whale Watching and Glacier Photo Safari in Juneau and Yukon Adventure and Railway in Skagway.

 

I am bringing my Nikon D850 and D500. 

 

I was thinking of having my Nikon 16-35mm on my dD850 for the Rainforest Sanctuary tour.  Again, the 16-35 mm on D850 for Endicott Arm and either Nikon 70-200 or Tamron 150-600mm on D500.  The same for the whale watching and glacier photo safari.  Really, I could use the same kit for Yukon Adventure/Train.

 

I also have Nikon 24-70.  Would I need this at all?  The Nikon 28-300, which I like for walking around, but being I have the trinity, probably wouldn't use it for the excursions, and I have a myriad of primes, including Tokina 14mm. Plus I have a 1.4x extender.

 

Would you make any changes to the gear I am bringing?  Also would polarizers be suggested?  What about flash?

 

Thanks for your suggestions!

[peety3]

I would not fret about the 24-70 if you're using the 16-35 and 70-200. If you're going with the 200-500, I might plan to have the 24-70 on the camera and the 16-35 handy. Often times, we end up using our zoom lenses at either end of the zoom range and rarely in the middle, so think of a 24-70 as a 24 and a 70, etc.

 

I'm a gear freak, so my most recent Alaska cruise was done with a 24-70, 100-400, 600 with 1.4x TC on three cameras, and a 14/2.8 in a pouch that rarely got used. Again, don't worry about the gaps in between.

[masterdrago]

I found my 28-300 very perfect on the whale watching tours but at times almost not wide enough on my DX bodies. I left my D750 at home. It was on a D7500 and I also had the 10-24 on the D5100 for landscape pix. I did use my 150-600 on the transit bus in Denali where at times I was able to use the window frame when needing 600mm. But on a pitching boat, the long zoom will eat you alive in both weight and motion. Just my opinion from our May trip.

[DJDiver]

There's absolutely no time to change lenses or add the 1.4xTC on the whale watching trip.... when it happens, the action is fast and random.  If you don't have the right lens already there, you'll miss it.  I used my 100-400 mm lens exclusively.  I tried to remember to have it at 100mm in between action, just in case a whale breached or dove close to the boat (we had a bubble-net feeding pod surface right next to us once).  Then, practice quickly zooming in if the action is further out.  It's also easier to find the whale in your viewfinder if you are zoomed out a bit.  I brought a second camera body with a 70-200mm lens, but never used it.

 

[peety3]

On 7/25/2019 at 5:39 PM, DJDiver said:

There's absolutely no time to change lenses or add the 1.4xTC on the whale watching trip.... when it happens, the action is fast and random.  If you don't have the right lens already there, you'll miss it.  I used my 100-400 mm lens exclusively.  I tried to remember to have it at 100mm in between action, just in case a whale breached or dove close to the boat (we had a bubble-net feeding pod surface right next to us once).  Then, practice quickly zooming in if the action is further out.  It's also easier to find the whale in your viewfinder if you are zoomed out a bit.  I brought a second camera body with a 70-200mm lens, but never used it.

 

Wholeheartedly agree. Don't "try to carry every millimeter (of focal length)". Use multiple cameras if that's the answer to having options at the ready. Good stuff about zooming out for readiness too!

[chipmaster]

16-35 on D850 provides plenty of cropping

100-400 on D500 should be just enough reach 😁

Carry an iPhone for everything else