I am headed to the Big Island in a few weeks and if the park is open I was wondering what lens I would be able to get away with. I dont really want to bring my 200-600 but will have the 70-200 and the 2x. Has anyone been recently that can confirm I can get away with the smaller combo or need the big gun.
When I was there last year for the eruptions, I only had my 28-200 with me and found it worked well enough. I needed to crop via APSC mode a few times, but if you're bringing a TC it should be a non-issue. Other than the viewpoint for the eruptions, I don't think I shot over 70mm though.
If photographing the eruption at night, I HIGHLY recommend going as late as possible at night while they are still open. It gets very crowded when it first gets dark, and it was hard to find space to set up a tripod without it getting bumped by people. Also, it was very misty at the park even though the rest of the island was dry, at least when I was there.
70-200 with the 2x will be fine. Go during the day and stay thru twilight to get the best shots. Twilight still gives you some visible foreground while also giving you that orange eruption.
