travel advice. What to take?

[Fred Woodman]

Headed on an Alaskan cruise next week, wondering what others experience has been as far as lens choice. 500 f4.? 300 2.8.? 100-400 5.6.? 5D mark 111 body. Will be spending some time on land before joining boat. Any suggestions, thoughts would be appreciated.

[Doug West]

Do you have a teleconverter? If so, my suggestion would be a 1.4x (and 2x if you have it) and
pair that with the 300 2.8. That'll give you the coverage of all the distances while saving on
weight.

If you don't have a teleconverter, you could always rent them from lensrentals.com or borrowlenses.com.

Or, if renting intrigues you, the 200-400. You'll get the benefit of a zoom with the built in 1.4x for more range,
all with excellent image quality.

Doug

[Fred Woodman]

Your thinking is like mine the 300 2.8 and 1.4 teleconverter which I have.

[Ian Cassell]

I went on an Alaskan cruise about 5 years ago with just a Sigma 100-300 f/4 (with a 30D crop sensor at the time). 300mm was definitely not long enough. There were many opportunities to shoot sea otters, puffins, whales from the boat, but I didn't have enough reach and wished for a 500 or even longer. If you bring a 300/2.8, I would add a 2X. The same goes for my time in Denali NP before the cruise. I wished desperately for a longer lens than my 300 (missed a great scene of two grizzly cubs playing - they are just small images in the frame).

[Fred Woodman]

Thx Ian, I am also spending a few days in Denali, also around Vancouver Island before flying back, maybe I should find a way to bring the 500.???




I went on an Alaskan cruise about 5 years ago with just a Sigma 100-300 f/4 (with a 30D crop sensor at the time). 300mm was definitely not long enough. There were many opportunities to shoot sea otters, puffins, whales from the boat, but I didn't have enough reach and wished for a 500 or even longer. If you bring a 300/2.8, I would add a 2X. The same goes for my time in Denali NP before the cruise. I wished desperately for a longer lens than my 300 (missed a great scene of two grizzly cubs playing - they are just small images in the frame).

[Ian Cassell]

I know that if I were to go today, I would definitely have my 500 and a 1.4 x along with me.

BTW Before my trip, a friend recommended a plane ride from Talkeetna to land on the Ruth Glacier next to Mt. McKinley (Denali). I was skeptical as it was rather pricey. I say now that it was amazing and a highlight of my trip and would highly recommend it if you have the time.

[Rachel Hollander]

Don't forget a wide angle lens for the great scenery and landscapes.

Rachel

[David Stephens]

Get a balcony room and set your tripod up out there with your long lens. You'll use it a lot, if you try.