Two23
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Upload & Sell: Off
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I haven't tried the Tango/Commander 120, but I looked at the specs. First, I see it's a sit-on-top. I personally don't like those for two reasons. First, they don't handle very crisply, and second they are the wettest riding type. Since I use my boats in early Spring and late Fall, that is important to me. I have used sit-on-tops several times, twice in Hawaii and once on Californy coast. For some reason I just couldn't get the seat adjusted and that affected my ability to paddle efficiently. And like I said, they handle like a 2x4. This one could be different, I don't know. I note it's 30 inch beam (width = beam) and that would make it pretty stable. Not one for paddling up against a strong current very far but there are compromises on every boat. My personal preference is for the sit-inside boats as I feel they offer better handling and more protection for my gear.
OP needs to decide on three things in boat selection. First is price. I agree the Wilderness System boats are very nice, but they are very high in price. You could conceivably buy a boat for under $300 that will get the job done. Second thing is do you want to paddle in tight places like mangroves, or more open water? If tight places, go for as short a boat as you can make fit. A 9-10 ft. is a good size for that but there are even shorter ones (the Otter?) I would get one with a flat bottom, for stability. If you are going more in open water, look for 12 ft. Not as maneuverable but tracks a little better. Third thing is color. Do you want to photo skittish wildlife or take landscape type shots? If you want to do some wildlife, go for a camo type color. You can add camo cloth to any boat with velcro, but it's not quite as effective. Keep in mind that camo boats are hard for other boaters to spot. Bring an orange flag on a pole. Finally, how much does the boat weigh? A thirtyfive pound 9 ft. boat is no problem for most people to hoist up onto a roof rack. A sixty pound boat is another story.
I love my kayaks and also use them for photography and "exploring". They get me into places others can't go. Many animals don't seem to recognize me as something dangerous, and that makes them a bit more approachable. (The ducks have certainly figured me out though!  ) I ended up with two kayaks for different purposes. The 9 ft., 26 inch beam kayak is very light, very fast in the water, and turns quickly. It's easy enough for my 12 yr. old to paddle. My 10 ft. duckboat is sort of like a Jeep. It's highly maneuverable, fairly strong & light, and can haul a lot of stuff. More stable than a Jeep though.
One other thing I'll mention that hasn't come up is using a camera from a kayak. Tripods are useless unless you've grounded the boat against the mud or a sandbar. The boat will slowly drift & turn otherwise. Some of the duckboats have a way of running a PVC pipe through the hull on each end of the boat, which effectively pins the boat to the bottom of the lake (if shallow enough of course.) If you are just floating in the water here's something to keep in mind. When you stand on the ground and take a photo, your feet are braced against solid earth. In a boat you are NOT braced against anything solid. It's easy to look through a viewfinder and not keep your sense of balance. If you lean over too far, the boat will spin right over since there is no friction holding it upright. This hasn't happened to me, but I have seen it happen to newbies on Hawaii. The wider the boat the less likely this is. My 26 inch-wide kayak will do it, but my 32 inch duckboat probably won't.
For poking around mangroves where there's aligators, I suppose a longer boat might look more intimidating to a gator. Don't know how big a problem gators are for kayakers. Someone else will have to comment on that.
Kent in SD
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I don't have to dig it up 
