p.2 #1 · Gear to bring for Alaska cruise this May.
Ltgk20 wrote:
I'll be cruising Alaska in May myself. I've been thinking about what lenses I'll bring and thus far it includes the 1.4 and 2.0 TCs, the 300, the 70-200f4G2 and the 50f1.4 (indoor pics of the family). After that it'll probably be either a 20f1.8 or Tamron 17-50 and maybe a 28-200. I could also bring the 35-150, but I'm not sure. My intention will be to bring a bit too much, but only take pieces of it when I'm off the boat, depending on the focus.
That is great. There will be at least 3 of us going in May. We have similar setup. Just got the mavic 4 pro, do you think drones are allowed? I cringe at the thought of losing it in the ocean but would be amazing to take those shots from above. I hope you and your family have a great time!
p.2 #2 · Gear to bring for Alaska cruise this May.
Bill_A wrote:
Leaning towards this. Is this overkill?
28-70 F2 GM - For family and low light.
300 F2.8 GM- With 2x and 1.4 tele for wildlife
14 1.8 GM for ultrawide family shots and landscape
I was on a 2-week cruise back in early June 2019. Participated in the daily available photo tours offered as much as possible, The 3 lens combo above would be ideal both land tours and on ship opportunities. Don't forget to enjoy the scenery outside of the viewfinder.
Thank you! "Don't forget to enjoy the scenery outside of the viewfinder" - Love this!
p.2 #3 · Gear to bring for Alaska cruise this May.
timgangloff wrote:
Not sure I've seen you say what excursions, if any, you are doing...although you may have indicated none, but those things can change as you travel and or get closer to sailing. This makes all the difference for any wildlife viewing and what lenses to bring. If just from the ship, with some walking around the ports, you won't likely encounter any wildlife worth toting a big lens.
Appreciate this and makes sense not to bring the 400-800. Will take the handholdable 300 just in case together with 70-200, 28-70, and 12-24, TC's and the 45 . Thank you!
p.2 #4 · Gear to bring for Alaska cruise this May.
@CKPhotos - we’re not serious cruisers but I would strongly recommend the excursions - particularly the Zodiac tours - at least on Seabourn. We enjoyed them so much that we’re looking at booking an Antartica cruise next mainly for the Expedition excursions.
You’d miss out on getting to hug glacial ice that could be thousands of years old and many cool photo ops. This ended up being one of my wife’s favorite picture of us.
p.2 #5 · Gear to bring for Alaska cruise this May.
These are amazing pictures! Pretty sure they even look better hanging on the wall. We are looking into the available excursions as well. Probably not as grand as this one. I just got the 100 macro and my bag is getting heavier . Thanks again for sharing these and hope you enjoy your next trip!
p.2 #6 · Gear to bring for Alaska cruise this May.
My wife and I have been on four Alaska cruises spread out over 30-something years. You don't mention the ports that you're visiting, but I'd definitely recommend signing up for tours if you can afford it. Simply walking around most of the usual port towns won't give you much in terms of photo opportunities. You have to get away from the tourist shops to experience the real sights and experiences of Alaska.
As examples, I'd recommend that you try to take a whale-watching tour, a glacier visit and a food-oriented tour (like a salmon bake or crab feast) is enjoyable, too. Get out there and have fun!!
p.2 #7 · Gear to bring for Alaska cruise this May.
My first ever cruise was to Alaska recently and I went through this exact question. I think the balance of traveling might vs making sure you end up having every basis covered is a bit tricky, but what I ended up with was:
I can’t emphasize enough that you’ll need more reach than you’d think but thankfully the A7r is so good for cropping that it wasn’t an issue. We were also on a very small boat and it allowed us to get very close to the glaciers, but this may not always be the case for larger cruises. With that said, I never used the teleconverter at all and never felt I needed any additional lenses as my bases were pretty well covered.
p.2 #8 · Gear to bring for Alaska cruise this May.
From what you already own, I would take:
1) 16-35 GM II Why - You don't need 12 or 14mm that 12-24 or 14 GM's provide. While the 16-35GM II is only f2.8 the coma performance is outstanding wide open so night shots are as good as others that need to be stopped down
2) 70-200 GM II Why - Super sharp and good reach with 1.4X TC. Leave the 28-70 f2 at home. Too big and heavy, don't need 36-69mm range between the 16-35 and the 70 to 200. If you really feel you need something 50mm ish I'm sure you have a small light one.
3) 300mm GM with the 2X TC as a minimum preferably 1.4X also. 300GM with 2X TC is OUTSTANDING!!! With 2X on the 300GM and 1.4X on the 70-200 you have 600mm f5.6 and 98-280mm covered for range of wildlife. The 300 GM is so light and sharp that it is not worth getting the 200-600mm. I thought the 200-600 was a great lens until I got the 300 GM and the 400-800. The 300 GM is a joy for small, light, and fast and better at 600mm than the zoom. You can probably live without 800mm or 840 mm of the 200-600 zoom with 1.4X TX
. Thank you!
