Tripod for Alaska glacier viewing days?

I am debating whether or not to bring a tripod to Alaska to use while cruising in Glacier Bay.

Any comments to pack or not to pack?

Unless you're planning long-exposures, you don't need a tripod. If you're there during the day, there will be enough light that you don't need it. Even if it's overcast. And I might be misunderstanding, but if you'll be visiting Glacier Bay on the ship or in an excursion boat, a tripod is totally worthless.

Tripods are only needed for long-exposures, heavy rigs (the kind that people would take to shoot wildlife and do not take on glacier tours), and shots with the photographer in them. For the latter, you can just hand your camera to a nice person nearby.

Couldn't agree more.

Not only will a tripod on a crowded tour boat attract more hate than a closed lane on an LA freeway but it firmly attaches your camera to a moving/rocking boat. Even a monopod is a bad idea due to the motion of the boat.

Your elbows and knees should do just fine to smooth out the bumps and bobs.

Dave

What camera do you have?

In general, another vote to skip the tripod. A rocking boat limits it's use and waste luggage space.

I do pack a small table tripod and gorilla pod.

Here's a vote to bring the tripod. If your "neighbors" be hatin', let them hate. You're eligible to be there too...life goes on. Having the camera on a tripod makes it easier to get pictures: with a wide-angle lens, you can get the camera level and improve your pictures, and with a telephoto lens, your arm won't self-destruct trying to keep the camera up. If you have a remote shutter button, you might really like the tripod.

My wife and I both shoot. We're taking two tripods and two monopods on our next cruise.

For the record, I pack my tripod on cruises. I just don't take it on daytime excursions or small boat rides, so my advice was for the reason given in OP's post.

deleted. Double post.

I am debating whether or not to bring a tripod to Alaska to use while cruising in Glacier Bay.

 

Any comments to pack or not to pack?

How about a chain pod. Stabilizes your camera but of course not as much as a tripod and is unobtrusive. I can guarantee that if you put your tripod as a crowded viewing area at the railing, it will be kicked - sometimes purposely.

Between you and your tripod and the people holding up IPads in front of everyone's face, it becomes a combat zone at the railing.

DON

If you are shooting something lone, > 300mm than I would say a monopod is nice to ease strain on the arms, elbows and shoulders if you are holding for long times waiting for the Kodak Moment. I found crowds do disperse but can be crowded that a tripod is going to get hate look.

I found crowds do disperse but can be crowded that a tripod is going to get hate look.

Step 1: place eye against viewfinder.

Step 2: keep eye against viewfinder.

End result: eye doesn't see the looks of hate from others.

It doesn't matter what they think - we're all entitled to enjoy the cruise with a reasonable amount of personal space, as we all paid the cruise fare. If they've got a problem with it, they can take it up with Princess. Otherwise, they may accidentally encounter the barrel of the lens i have sitting on said tripod...

Step 1: place eye against viewfinder.

Step 2: keep eye against viewfinder.

 

End result: eye doesn't see the looks of hate from others.

 

It doesn't matter what they think - we're all entitled to enjoy the cruise with a reasonable amount of personal space, as we all paid the cruise fare. If they've got a problem with it, they can take it up with Princess. Otherwise, they may accidentally encounter the barrel of the lens i have sitting on said tripod...

Seems like that if you use a tripod, you are taking more than a reasonable amount of space - the space for you and the space for your tripod. Using your "I paid for it" logic, they should increase your cruise fare to account for the space taken by the tripod.

My logic is obviously absurd and flawed but space at the railing does get very crowded at choice places and you and your tripod will be interfering with other people who also want to be at the railing.

DON

Seems like that if you use a tripod, you are taking more than a reasonable amount of space - the space for you and the space for your tripod. Using your "I paid for it" logic, they should increase your cruise fare to account for the space taken by the tripod.

 

My logic is obviously absurd and flawed but space at the railing does get very crowded at choice places and you and your tripod will be interfering with other people who also want to be at the railing.

By your logic, as stated on another thread.

" I would guess that the ship would consider it a professional setup and tell you to take it down."

"There are professional photographers who have paid the cruise lines to take pictures on board. You do not have to buy stuff from them but you do not bring professional equipment w lights on board and steal business from them." "They have paid for the right to shoot "professional" pictures on the ship using "professional" equipment. You have not."

Interesting that you didn't take this angle on my comments this time...

I always pack my tripod but rarely use it on a cruise. It would be difficult to use it on Glacier Bay day unless you find a deck and area where there isn’t a lot of traffic. The best viewing areas can be 2 and 3 people deep shoulder to shoulder. Even if it wasn’t intentional, you will find your equipment being bumped, at the least.

I am debating whether or not to bring a tripod to Alaska to use while cruising in Glacier Bay.

 

Any comments to pack or not to pack?

A different perspective maybe, but I plan on bringing my small travel tripod that I can set up for days like glacier bay to get pics from my balcony. I'm traveling with my sister and if we want nice pics together then we can self timer nice photos that way.

If you have a balcony cabin, YES! take the tripod. I've used it on Promenade deck 7 in Alaska to do glacier panos as see in my signature. I've got great eagle and whale images from the balcony using a 600mm telephoto. Normally when out on a excursion I'll bring a mono pod if I'm taking the big teli or the tripod if planning a pano. I plan out what I want to shoot ahead of time if it not needed It would be left in the cabin 90% of the time.

If I am using a 300mm lens or smaller and no pano's planned then no tripod or monopod needed.

framer

I was fortunate to be able to do an Antarctica expedition aboard the National Geographic Explorer two years ago. FWIW, I can't recall anyone, even the Nat Geo professional photographers on board, or the serious birders with really long lenses, setting up a tripod on deck.

But that's not Alaska:D You can never have too much glass in Alaska.

framer

The fundamental question, are these stills or videos? Responders so far assume the tripod is to support a long-lens DSLR or some such. If that's you, I agree the spread of those legs will make you unpopular. (The other side of this is with a really long lens surely you can find an unpopulated area to set up with no loss in quality.) If yours is a video setup, though, do plan to bring some means of support. Not obnoxious equippage of course, but something to steady things as your camcorder tries to reach out from a corner someplace out of the way. Good luck. I'd be interested in reading your thoughts in retrospect, on this dilemma.

One added comment on the National Geographic professional comparison. If you are married to the DSLR as many of these pros are, then of course you routinely do stuff the rest of us mortals only dream of. Anything lower on the aptitude-scale, I say use anything you can manage, to get the results you long for. Only not obnoxiously of course.