Bill Graham Offline Upload & Sell: On
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Need Help Finalizing Lenses for Yellowstone Winter Trip | |
Every time I make a winter trip to YNP I pare down the gear list. Assuming you're flying you're limited in what you can carry on and every pound you save is a pound that has to be hauled through multiple airports.
My third winter trip was in early February, 2020 when the pandemic was just a ghost on the horizon. Here's what I took:
Cameras: D5, D500, Z6
Lenses: 800E w/1.25 converter, 300 PF, 70-200 F/4 and the 24-70 Z lens. I alternated the 300 and the 70-200 on the D500, the 800 was glued to the D5 and the 24-70 stayed on the Z6.
Support: RRS 3-series tripod with the Wimberley gimbal. On previous trips I had lugged along another tripod with the Arca-Swiss head, never used it so I left it at home on this trip. If you're somewhat landscape oriented you might want to take a ballhead along but either your Z9 or D850 will do great for that handheld with the 24-70.
My recommendations:
Put the 800 on the Z9 and leave it there. Just like cubic inches in racing, focal length is everything in Yellowstone. You're not going to get within petting distance of anything other than bison. If you want to rent the 1.4 TC for video go ahead but you'll be diffraction limited depending on video resolution.
For the D850 you can alternate between the 200-500 and the 24-70. The 200-500 will get you the mid-range and the 24-70 covers the landscape. If you need to you can crop the 200-500 to get you the DX equivalent of 300-750mm with no loss in IQ.
If you're going to rent anything I'd suggest renting a Z6II and the 24-70 f/4Z. Dedicate that to landscape and people, put your 200-500 on the D850 and leave the 800 on the Z9. The most important thing when shooting wildlife in Yellowstone is to be ready when opportunity presents. You can't be screwing around swapping lenses or fiddling with tripods while the subject is hauling ass in the opposite direction.
Hope you have a great trip, wish I could join you. My winter trips have been out of West Yellowstone on snowcoaches, no opportunity to visit the Lamar and Northern Range areas. Maybe next time....
Best,
Bill
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