p.1 #1 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
Hi everyone, Hoping to glean some thoughts from the collective on gear to take for an upcoming trek to Antarctica in December. Having almost no international travel experience personally but lots of domestic travel within the US, I'm hoping to get some insight from those who have been to Antarctica or on similar shoots.
I'll be shooting with my sony system on the trek using an A1 body (probably will rent a second A1 as backup). My 600f4 is too large to take so crafting a kit to buy/rent. but my shooting priority is first wildlife, and second landscapes/nature/environmental wildlife shots.
Some items that I have taken note of are: limited flexibility in movement due to being on a boat a good amount of time and restrictions while on land, so I'm thinking mostly zooms will be needed to fill that gap. I typically like the 18-22mm range for wide landscapes, I don't do TONS of normal range shots unless it really fits the composition, and for wildlife at least 300mm, but ideally 600mm+ is where I like to be around here in the US. Again I don't know how flexible it will be to walk around and find the best shot which is why I'm biasing towards zooms that will allow that flexibility for the most part
I know those are moderately heavy lenses, but personally the weight doesn't bother me, I'd rather lean towards the best image quality and carry heavier lenses. alternatively a lighter but less optimal kit would be the B kit without the 300 GM and use the TC's on the 70-200 to get up to 400mm f5.6, which feels a little short and not super fast but my understanding is that the wildlife *can be* fairly close down there and over 400mm isn't always needed....but for a once in a lifetime trip, I don't want to get there and wish I had more focal length.
I also understand that due to restrictions on the continent you can't put things (bags/gear/yourself) on the ground while hiking around on land, so lens changes etc will need to happen while standing. I'm looking at something like this bag that looks like it could be valuable for changing lenses while standing without putting things on the ground, so any feedback would be helpful on this as well. https://bevisgear.com/products/the-top-shelf
p.1 #2 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
I've visited Antartica twice and learned a lot from the first trip that made the second one easier and better. A lot depends on your actual itinerary and whether you will be making zodiac landings. We included the Falklands and South Georgia on both trips as both have amazing wildlife, birds and vegetation. Try to be flexible and not extreme in the amount of equipment you carry and the characteristics of the lens you take. Boarding and exiting zodiacs can be rough and risky for camera equipment so make sure everything can be carried securely and "waterproofed" to the extent practicable. I never changed lenses after leaving the ship-wind, moisture and rocky terrain aren't your friend. Try not to spend all your time looking through a viewfinder and fiddling with your camera but enjoy and experience some amazing surroundings.
p.1 #3 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
rancherpix wrote:
I've visited Antartica twice and learned a lot from the first trip that made the second one easier and better. A lot depends on your actual itinerary and whether you will be making zodiac landings. We included the Falklands and South Georgia on both trips as both have amazing wildlife, birds and vegetation. Try to be flexible and not extreme in the amount of equipment you carry and the characteristics of the lens you take. Boarding and exiting zodiacs can be rough and risky for camera equipment so make sure everything can be carried securely and "waterproofed" to the extent practicable. I never changed lenses after leaving the ship-wind, moisture and rocky terrain aren't your friend. Try not to spend all your time looking through a viewfinder and fiddling with your camera but enjoy and experience some amazing surroundings....Show more →
Great info. Appreciate the insight! If you were there shooting wildlife, did you find 400mm long enough for your needs?
The current itinerary after drake passage is to come in through charlotte bay, go on land at portal point, spend some time around Brown station, Jougla point, Danco island, Hydrurga rocks, hike the volcano at Deception island, Telefon Bay, and head out. it's a 10 day excursion, with 4-5 of the days on land in and around those locations I believe. I wish we were doing the Falklands and South Georgia, but we're going with a group at the school where I'm doing my Masters at for a pretty good discounted rate, so they set the itinerary for the whole group.
p.1 #4 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
My most useful lens was a Canon EF 70-300mmL (white) lens. This was back in the days of DSLRs. That kind of range should cover a lot for you, plus your favorite light weight wide lens. Seriously, don't try to take too much. There won't be a lot of high speed action shots (seals and penguins are slow) so concentrate on "set" shots-penguins, chicks, glaciers, sunsets, etc. If I did my same itinerary today I'd probably take two Sony A7cr units and a couple of lightweight Tamron lenses. Lightweight, easy to use and totally adequate to the job. BTW-if you rent a second A1 take the rental company's insurance. You don't want to be paying for a waterlogged A1.
p.1 #5 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
If it were me, and I have all the lenses you listed except for the 18mm Batis, I would take the new GM 100-400mm f4.5 with x1.4 converter and the GM 16-35mm f2.8 II.
p.1 #6 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
Yeah I might have to lighten things up based on international carry on weight limits. Ill have to re evaluate a little bit.
I was really interested in the new 100-400 but its quite larger than I expected. I still might rent it or something, but not totally on board with it right now. I think I'll want to go to the camera store and test it out in person first.
It would be nice though to have 2 bodies one with the 100-400, and the other with a 16-35 and never have to swap lenses.
p.1 #7 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
Do you have the 200-600? If you're not taking your 600 f4 then you need this lens. I wouldn't worry about carry on weight. I've been there twice and many other trips to south and central America as well as Africa and Europe. Never had my carry on weighed and I was carrying a lot. Since you mentioned wildlife, the 200-600 is ideal there.
p.1 #8 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
I have been to Antartica, as well as South Georgia, and my experience led me to the following suggestions:
Two lenses and two bodies. Telephoto zoom and wide angle zoom.
I used a Canon R3, RF100-500mm zoom and a Leica Q3 28 on my trip to Antartica. No regrets on my equipment choices. East to transport.
The new Sony 100-400 f/4.5 would be ideal for land and zodiac based photography. You can get very close to the penguins, seals, as well as birds, and that lens is perfect. You can use the teleconverter for the zodiac based photography to obtain ideal pictures of the shore based scenes/wildlife.
When you arrive on shore, after being transported by a zodiac, there is a large tarp where you leave your life preserver vest and backpack, in order to avoid carrying excess baggage while walking on land. You only need one camera/lens while exploring the land/wildlife and it's not advisable to be walking up and down snowy hills with unnecessary gear. The weather can be variable. It would be advisable not to change lenses or add/subtract teleconverter on land or in a zodiac for fear of contaminating the sensor.
Carry your cell phone to get the wide angle photos or videos. It's nice to record a video with the sound of the penguins and seals. Easy to keep your phone in your pocket for quick access.
The 16-35 GMII is ideal for ship based photos of the land and icebergs. Not really needed on shore although it may be useful on a zodiac excursion since your camera bag will be at your feet.
Utilize a dry bag with shoulder straps for the zodiac trips or to transport your gear to shore. High likelihood you'll get splashed with water so keep your gear dry. You can wrap the camera/lens in a towel for cushioning. I used a 20 liter OverBoard backpack for the shore and zodiac excursions. I put it flat in my luggage since it does not occupy much room when empty and is lightweight. It is very protective of inclement weather and waterproof. I had a separate camera bag to transport my gear from home to airplane to the ship.
I believe that Avian Flu precautions are still followed so no kneeling or sitting on the ground.
Renting gear is a consideration when it involves a unique photo opportunity justifying the most appropriate means of achieving the desired result.
I would second the comment made earlier that enjoying the scenery without the aid of a camera viewfinder is very much encouraged. It is a unique and beautiful part of the world. You will enjoy your travel to Antartica.
p.1 #9 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
That's excellent info! Appreciate the details. When walking around on the shore you mentioned one camera/lens, Im guessing this was your 100-500? Did you take a camera bag at all while on land, or was it just with a strap/harness?
p.1 #10 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
I used the 100-500mm lens on shore and it was carried only with a strap. The photo opportunities present themselves rather quickly and unpredictably at times so it was best to quickly have access to the camera. I did carry a Sea to Summit waterproof stuff sack in my pocket to cover the camera/lens in case it was snowing as I wanted to keep my equipment dry and lens clean. I draped the stuff sack over the lens while I was carrying it when the weather wasn’t ideal. This stuff sack served as a second waterproof layer when my gear was in my backpack during zodiac excursions. This stuff sack was also utilized to cover my camera/lens when photographing from the zodiac to keep it dry but maintain quick access. I draped the camera strap around my neck and kept the camera in the stuff sack ready to be extracted at a moments notice.
p.1 #11 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
I hate recommending stuff that people don't already have in their kit, but honestly, with everyone talking about the new 100-400 f/4.5, this would be a great time to snag the older 100-400 f/4.5-5.6. Would be perfect for this trip. I would try to limit the lenses I carry and instead focus on taking in the trip itself. Not sure I'd be taking as many primes as you're listing, to be honest.
p.1 #13 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
This is all fantastic and very helpful information, thanks everyone!
As you might tell, I tend to *over-pack* for things lol. I actually have been in the progress of re-vamping my kits the last little bit, so unfortunately I have sold a number of lenses before this trip was a possibility, like the old 100-400, and the GM1 version of the 16-35 recently that could have been useful. I've had the 200-600 in the past and it was good, but wasn't quite what I really needed. So I don't mind lens recommendations for things I don't have.
Right now my remaining sony kit is a 600f4 and a voigtlander 110 macro and the 14mmGM (both the voigtlander and 14 are currently for sale, so won't have those to use, but not really ideal for this trip anyways) I'm making my sony kit focused on action/wildlife as I've transitioned my landscape/static subject/walkaround kit to hasselblad, but I won't be taking the hassy kit with me.
I think after talking to everyone here I'm leaning towards getting the new 100-400 f4.5 on my A1, probably throwing a TC in the bag just in case. probably renting a A7RVI with something wide for landscapes, maybe the 16-35 GMII, or maybe the 20-70f4G? I've never used the 20-70, seems interesting and small/light, seems to get good IQ reviews.
p.1 #14 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
I don't know how anyone can tell you what lens is 'ideal' for any given situation. Maybe ideal for the image they wanted to make but not necessarily for you. Telling you to not take a wide angle lens onshore and to use your phone for wide images is absurd. Antarctica is BIG and if you enjoy landscape photography then you will want a wide lens so you can have high quality and large files to print later. Getting close portraits of wildlife is not the only thing to do. Many of us also make wildlife images that show the critter in their environment so the surrounding landscape is important. You should always have wide and long lenses with you.
p.1 #16 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
Just a personal tip: I would never take the latest, greatest most expensive kid on the block to Antarctica. You won't have developed the intuition and muscle memory to properly and effectively use the new equipment and the risk of costly disaster is real. Which is why I always took my well-used and older gear on my Antarctic (and Arctic) trips. I was comfortable with the gear and if it got wet or otherwise damaged I could live with the potential costs.
p.1 #17 · Gear recommendations for Antarctica trip in Dec
Jeffrey wrote:
I don't know how anyone can tell you what lens is 'ideal' for any given situation. Maybe ideal for the image they wanted to make but not necessarily for you. Telling you to not take a wide angle lens onshore and to use your phone for wide images is absurd. Antarctica is BIG and if you enjoy landscape photography then you will want a wide lens so you can have high quality and large files to print later. Getting close portraits of wildlife is not the only thing to do. Many of us also make wildlife images that show the critter in their environment so the surrounding landscape is important. You should always have wide and long lenses with you....Show more →
I get where you're coming from, but just so we're all on the same page here, I'm not asking how to get the ideal image. I know how to shoot and I know my equipment. If this trip was to somewhere like Alaska I wouldn't even ask. my question is about what worked for others when they were navigating the unique restrictions and logistics around Antarctica since I am not familiar.
I totally agree on having a wide, I wouldn't rely on just my phone for non-telephoto shots while on land, but that's what worked for them, and I can appreciate the input. and given the broader feedback, it sounds like packing lighter might be more valuable than having every option available, so instead of packing a backpack full when I can't even put it on the ground to unpack, maybe a sling with a second body with a wide zoom would be a better option.
It's also worthwhile to note that my core equipment is insured against accident and loss, so if the worse should happen I can get replacements, for things that aren't insured the risk of loss or repair is something I can deal with and absorb costs if needed. So I'm protective of my gear, probably more than most, but it's something I'll be prepared for so it won't be a hinderance.
So everyone's feedback really has been helpful. keep it coming.
