Antarctica: Pack my camera bag for me!

I'm going with Lindblad next year. I consider myself to be a good amateur photographer. I happen to have lucked into being able to use pro gear for the trip.

I intend to take a mixture of landscape and wildlife photos. My question is this: I'm going to be on an expedition ship. Should I take my 200-400mm zoom lens or not? The short upside is that it would let me get a lot of faraway shots. The short downside is that it's 14 inches long and weighs over 7 lbs. I have a light tripod that holds it well, but that takes up more space and weighs another pound. Considering weight limits, that's eight pounds of other stuff I won't be flying with.

I've posted this here rather than on a photography site for this reason: I don't really want to talk about photography technique and gear. I want to know this: for wildlife, will I want the range of a long lens, or will I be getting up so close all the time that a 135mm lens (one third the length, one quarter the length) will be more than enough?

I've seen the pictures of people up-close with penguins, and whales ten feet away from Zodiacs. Is it always like that, or will I need to take my long-range lens? This is going to be a once-in-at-least-ten-years trip, so I want to get it right.

My husband who, like you, is a pretty good amateur photographer says that the 135mm is not long enough.

Yes, you will be close to wildlife when on shore. And, yes, whales can come close to a ship. But if you want to shoot wildlife like whales, seals and penguins from on board your ship, you'll want a longer lens.

My husband took a 300mm lens and he has a 1.6 multiplier in his Canon camera. He regularly carries a back pack camera bag on our trips that weights about 15 lbs. Additionally, he'll pack an extra body in a suitcase (we do all carry on).

My husband asked if the 200-400 lens has image stablizing or vibration reduction on it? He thought you would need it if you are shooting at 400mm.

On our cruise there was one gentleman who had a large lens with the camera and tripod all hooked up together. When on board ship, he walked around with it leaning over his shoulder.

Here's a post from my travel blog with some photos taken from the deck

http://www.travelsnippetsandmore.com/2008/03/antarctic-wildlife-from-deck-of-ship.html

Diane: thank you very much for your reply. Great webpage too! I appreciate very much that you took the time to pass on the link and your husband's opinion.

Yes, the lens has vibration reduction on it. This goes more to technique than anything else but yeah--I'm figuring I'll be using it from the ship only: no way do I want to be trying to bounce in and out of a Zodiac with it.

Cheers,

Shawn

Diane: thank you very much for your reply. Great webpage too! I appreciate very much that you took the time to pass on the link and your husband's opinion.

 

Yes, the lens has vibration reduction on it. This goes more to technique than anything else but yeah--I'm figuring I'll be using it from the ship only: no way do I want to be trying to bounce in and out of a Zodiac with it.

 

Cheers,

Shawn

Take the long lens - with a 100-400m on a 1.6 crop I am usually at 400m for birds (wandering and royal albatrosses in particular rarely approach close to the ship) which is what you will see the most of on the way to the peninsula and as you go through the Beagle Channel. Practice on the giant petrels and black-browed albatrosses - they are the 'ship followers' and are usually there if it is windy enough for them. You may be lucky enough to have ONE close encounter with a whale or a leopard seal from a zodiac - the rest will be from the ship and they will be 'close', but not that close.

My travel kit is a 24-105 on a full frame and the 100-400 on a 1.6 crop. I've tried primes and different focal lengths (eg took a 400 prime and a 70-200 as well on two different trips) - this combo is now bedded in and proven. That said, make sure you can hand hold the 200-400! Tripods/monopods are really only usable on land due to the vibrations from the ship's engines, windy conditions and the movement of the ship.

Parischris: thank you very much for your helpful ideas. I've been bouncing around the boards and I note I'll be traveling on the same ship as you were on, NG Explorer. Can I trouble you with a few specific questions:

Photography:

--Even with VR on the lens, is the tripod that useless onboard? If so, I'm inclined to leave it home as I'm fearful to take the long lens in the Zodiac. (Should I be afraid of that?)

--More broadly, did you have any issues keeping your gear dry?

--Putting this as gently as possible, did you ever worry about leaving gear unattended in your cabin?

General:

--There are very few CC members' reviews of NG Explorer. Can you expand on the bits of yours I've found around these boards? Impressions, dos-and-don'ts, anything you can think of that you wish you'd known in advance? Anything at all would be a further great help.

Cheers,

Shawn

Shawn,

I went on the Nat Geo Explorer, Nov 2010. I remember many long lenses on the back of the ship taking "Bird in flight" pictures but not too many long lenses on land. I had a P&S (Panasonic FZ30) with 12X zoom and found that was generally fine for while on land. I also had a Panasonic ZS3 with HD video and I have really enjoyed seeing the short videos I took of the penguins. While avidly reading everything about Antarctica I could find, I determined that a tripod was really not needed. Maybe if you really had a heavy camera/lense combination. It was hard enough getting into and out of zodiacs with camera bag and walking stick, I was glad I didn't bother with the tripod.

We flew LAN airlines from Santiago to Ushuaia and they had very strict carry-on rules (8kg). They weighed all carry-on bags and made people put stuff into their checked bag if it was too heavy. I saw many people wearing their cameras around their necks. They now fly through Buenos Aires, so the carry-on weights may not be so strict.

Julie

If I were spending as much on this trip as you are, I would also pickup one of the superzoom cameras. It obviously is not as good as the rest of your stuff but it is a lot easier to carry when you do not want to or can not carry your good equipment. I would also buy or rent a backup body - just in case.

You can not buy stuff in Antarctica so make sure that your kit includes spares of everything that might break. Your trip is costing you a whole bunch of money so spending $500 or $600 on photo stuff is, in my opinion, a worthwhile investment.

I assume that you are taking your laptop and a backup hard drive so that your pictures are doubly safe.

DON

I'll second everybody that advised you to take your long lens. You might not need it ashore, but you will probably be happy to have it when you are on board. I'm not sure the tripod is necessary, unless the lens is too heavy to keep it steady by hand. The nights are short at this period so you should get plenty of light for your pictures. Using it on board can be a bit tricky because of the vibration and movement of the ship.

I also took 2 SLR bodies, just in case. I went also with my laptop for backup, and enough memory cards so that I'd have sufficient card storage not to erase any of them before coming back (or so I thought... ;) ).

Take the long lens, hopefully image stabilised, and a monopod.

I took my 18-250 and 150-500 lenses on a Canon 600D crop frame and found them really useful at full zoom both on board and on landings. On board to deal with the distance between the ship and the subject, and on landings to bring things closer and to create some beautiful bokeh.

The monopd was useful to take some of the weight of the 150-500 (the days could be quite long!) and to take out some of the ship's movement. Vibration through the deck wasn't an issue. I didn't take it ashore on this trip but I will on the next to help take some of the shake out of the long zoom video I'll be taking.

My wife had her point-and-shoot superzoom to get the particular images she wanted if we were not together (you may find that one of you finds one element of a landing interesting and the other enjoys something else) and for occasions when the DSLR wasn't appropriate for the location.

When going ashore there wasn't too much water thrown up by the Polar Cirkels so it was usually sufficient to simply keep the second lens in a small backpack and the camera and other lens under my waterproof coat. If the transfer looked as though it might be wet, everything went in the backpack which was then placed under my coat!

I had an external hard drive on my tablet computer and a large USB flash drive for backup, along with plenty of memory cards to avoid having to reuse any of them. This meant that I had the images in three separate places 'just in case'!

Other 'things'? Spare batteries, kept fully charged; gloves with fingers that are not so padded at the end that you can't feel the camera controls; keep moving around the decks - you never know what might be on the other side; be patient, you will get the shot that you want (eventually) and consider switching to burst mode if you're looking to take images of penguins/seals/birds on the move.

Parischris: thank you very much for your helpful ideas. I've been bouncing around the boards and I note I'll be traveling on the same ship as you were on, NG Explorer. Can I trouble you with a few specific questions:

 

Photography:

--Even with VR on the lens, is the tripod that useless onboard? If so, I'm inclined to leave it home as I'm fearful to take the long lens in the Zodiac. (Should I be afraid of that?)

--More broadly, did you have any issues keeping your gear dry?

--Putting this as gently as possible, did you ever worry about leaving gear unattended in your cabin?

 

General:

--There are very few CC members' reviews of NG Explorer. Can you expand on the bits of yours I've found around these boards? Impressions, dos-and-don'ts, anything you can think of that you wish you'd known in advance? Anything at all would be a further great help.

 

Cheers,

Shawn

Hi Shawn,

No, take the long lens on the zodiac. Forget trying to use the tripod on board the ship if you value sharpness in your images. Just make sure you have a waterproof bag or pack. Outdoor research make a good combo drybag/backpack. You will need your hands free to board the zodiacs, so the safest place for your gear is on your back/front. The only reason to take a tripod is if you're doing a sunrise landing - if you're not going to South Georgia (sunrise mecca), then I'd leave the tripod at home. Then again, on one trip one of the men was 80, couldn't walk far, and so would walk a little way up the landing, set up his tripod and concentrate on taking a couple of good images.

Antarctica is a different proposition to South Georgia - it is possible to get a wet backside and bag from wind and waves in South Georgia. Antarctica is a little more protected in the landings, but remember it is still possible to end up neck deep in water from getting off the zodiac the wrong way. I'd never seen this before my last trip when one of the men had a full immersion from falling on the zodiac dismount (listen to the crew and you'll be fine). He trashed his camera, but mostly his own fault :-). I'm pretty tough on my gear, and don't worry about snow, rain and fresh water crossings, but salt water is the enemy, so I always make sure I have my gear in at least a dry bag on the zodiac.

Nothing to worry about leaving your gear in the cabin. You can lock the door, but in 40+ days on board over two trips, I've never bothered and I've never heard of an issue.

The Explorer is a refitted Norwegian ferry (she used to be the Lyngen) until Lindblad bought her and gutted her. She is as tough as nails (I've been on board in South Georgia when Captain Skog ran her up to the beach in Stromness, something to see from the beach!), travels well in bad weather and is comfortable rather than luxurious. The bathrooms are my favourite. Having travelled on the Nordkapp (similar Norwegian ferry), the bathroom design is clean, fresh and Scandinavian - no shower curtains here!

The powerpoints are European - they seem to have been recently extended so there are two of the recessed European points and two standard Euro points. If you're like me and have more electronics than is healthy, a two plug power strip comes in handy.

It is relaxed and informal on board - I spent 20+ days crossing from Ushuaia to Cape Town in hiking pants and flip flops. There is a captain's dinner, and there is usually an 'invitation' dinner (groups of 6) with the NG staff or guest speakers, but no need for the evening gown or tux at either.

The downside for me is the age group of the passengers - if you're under 60 and not American, you'll be in the minority :-), although I've noticed on some of the peninsula only trips the demographic is a little younger.

The other thing is to get a pair of waterproof boats that you can hike in - there are a couple of opportunities on the peninsula to head up the hills and being able to walk 5km in your wellies is a must (if that's your thing). The Lindblad parka is terrific - it is made up of a lightweight but warm detachable inner jacket, and a waterproof Gore-Tex outer layer. A 5 degree celsius day means a t-shirt underneath is all you need. You can get by with one pair of thermals, and the laundry service on board is same day and reasonably priced, so no need to overpack.

The food on board is good, not great, but you're not going for the food. If you're a foodie, you'll be disappointed. Dinner is three courses, with two or three choices, breakfast and lunch are buffets.

Happy to answer any specific questions you might have....

Thank you one and all. I'm going to suck it up and lug the long lens along.

Can anyone address the carry-on situation from BA to Ushuaia that cougfan reports on from Santiago? I'm also scratching my head a little bit in re: checked baggage limits with thairlines (taking one airline to the US and another down to Argie). I can research the regular carriers quite easily but the charter is a mystery.

SarniaLo suggests a laptop. I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy one or to just buy portable digital storage. Any opinions? I'm really trying to travel as lightly as possible. So a laptop with external drive as digitl suggests might be more useful long term, but of course that adds weight. I'll have two DSLRs I think, donaldsc: I canoot get images I'm satisfied with from a P&S. Not saying good stuff can't come from P&S; just saying my own ratio of keepers on a P&S is about 1/20th my ratio on a DSLR.

Parischris: I'm late 30s and Canadian. My wife was born in the SU so I guess we'll be adding to the international feel. You write that laundry was reasonably priced. I saw an (old?) card where I thought the prices were sort of high ($4 for a shirt, $5 for a pair of trousers, $2 for a pair of socks etc). Has that changed?

Electricity: I was reading on the Lindblad site that the outlets were North American (110 V). They're European 220 V then?

Was looking at that Cape-to-Cape cruise: did you find there were too many sea days? That's why I opted for Antarctica/S. Georgia instead, seemed to be more landing days and fewer sea days. If there's enough to do on the Cape-to-Cape that may be something to consider for next time.

Cheers everybody, thanks for your continued assistance.

I think I may have replied to you on Fodor's as well, so I won't repeat that info.

I second leaving the tripod at home. It is impossible to take a good photo when the camera is on the tripod (unless you have a gimbal head) when you factor in that the ship will likely be moving up and down (even if just a little) when it's riding the waves. You focus and click the shutter, and take a picture of something completely different from what you intended to photograph:-)

I found the best place for birds in flight on our expedition ship was the stern of the ship. In our case, the zodiac cranes were there, and since they stood at a slight angle, I could brace myself against it when I was taking photos. If your ship has an area like that, check it out.

I did take a monopod with me and used it almost always while ashore.

I had an 18-200 which I used extensively on shore, but I also carried my 100-400 with me at all times, and used it aboard the ship for birds in flight ... sometimes you just want to get that much closer. I handed the monopod to the zodiac driver when boarding and kept it behind my legs on the floor while in motion, then attached whatever camera/lens I was using to the monopod once we were ashore and carried it on my shoulder. Worked well for me.

Alternative to consider if you're concerned about weight - a 2x extender. If your camera has a crop factor, you're that much farther ahead with your focal length. Add an extender and you might get all the reach you need for all but a few instances. I just tested my new 70-200 f2.8 with a 2x extender and found it to work beautifully and plan to take that combo to the Galapagos in July. Yes, the shutter speed doubles to 5.6 with the extender, but I saw no impact on the end result. (Would I have done this for Antarctica -- I really don't know, because I was such a newbie with dSLRs back then. If I were to go back, I probably would since I sold the 100-400 mm recently.) If you decide to look into this, there's a lot of info on the web about using specific lenses with specific extenders.

You might look into the Canon G12 instead of a P&S-- it's very versatile, with a lot of the options/modes you find on dSLRs. The only downside is the shutter lag, so not good for wildlife in motion and has the usual noise issues associated with cameras at high ISO. I use it almost exclusively for hikes and the like, and have taken it on every trip as a companion to my dSLR equipment. (Not that I wouldn't take two dSLR bodies on a trip like this anyway.)

I have a small travel laptop that always goes with me -- comes in handy for downloading photos as well as taking notes for my blog, and I can use downtime to weed through and eliminate obvious non-keepers during the voyage. I also take an external storage device to back up what I downloaded to the laptop. Yes, it is more weight ... but you said it yourself ... once in a lifetime trip.

H2SO4: I'm not on Fodor's. Maybe I should check that place out too.

I did read your very detailed review below on this board. Thanks so much for posting it--great info and great reading. Really put me in the mood.

I haven't had much luck with teleconverters but I understand a lot of people have. I'm told the technology has improved with subsequent iterations. As you point out, losing the two aperture stops is a pain--although aside from depth of field, that may be less crucial in what should be very good light in Antarctica.

Very happy to see this thread! We'll be on an Antarctica expedition in January aboard the Explorer as well. (Not to South Georgia, so not on the same trip as Shawn.) I'd asked a similar question about lenses in this forum a few months ago, and am glad to see more info here now! Many thanks to those who have responded!

I have a Nkon D7000 with a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens. It's a great travel lens (I really hate changing lenses when I am out and about), and long enough in most situations. I realize Antarctica is not "most" situations.... :) (I also have a Nikon 12-24mm lens.) The main question I've been wrestling with is what Shawn has been concerned about: length on the long end. Yes, I'm sure having 400mm would be great -- but there is the weight issue, which is real (not just the airlines, but how much I can carry). So I am struggling with this. I know you'll all say go longer... :)

I do intend to bring along a good P&S as a second camera/backup; any thoughts on that one would be much appreciated. (I have a Nikon P80; it takes great pics in daylight but is "slow," not that small, and a few years old, so I am looking for a new one...)

Shawn: I think the best way to find out the allowed carryon weight on the charter from BA to Ushuaia is to ask Lindblad, which is on my "to do" list.

Other gear: I do have my knee high, waterproof Muck boots already (thank you, LL Bean!), as well as what I think will be good gloves for taking pics: made by Aqua Tech, they have finger tips that you can slide your thumb and index fingers out of to control your camera.

I've started a blog about my preparations for this trip (with a recent, long diverson for a transatlantic crossing), here (you'll find some posts on the boots and gloves, with pics...):

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

Solid blog, Turtles! Thanks for the link.

I have had a hard time getting timely info out of Lindblad, with the exception of the photographers/videographers who have been incredibly helpful. (Of course when I asked them to "pack my camera bag!" they said it was a personal preference thing and....) We booked our own flights, for instance (my SU-bred wife needs a visa to pass through the US, so we decided to skip meeting the group in Miami) and Lindblad couldn't even tell us when "their" flight was getting in to Buenos Aires. I finally got an old laundry price card from them after a phone call and two e-mails which left me thinking it was expensive. I cannot get confirmed bedding (twins? D/Q?) and so on. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get all the info I need and more in our final package, and if not, I'll call them up and be pleasantly insistent. I don't want to show up unprepared and inconvenience everyone.

I don't want this thread to degenerate into a discussion on photo gear but I don't think my back-up camera would ever be a high-end P&S. A I wrote above I don't do that well with P&S and where Nikon releases a new entry-level DSLR about every 18-24 months, I cvan get the "old" model for about $400 new, not much different from a high end P&S. I guess the P&S is physically smaller, but the size of the Nikon DSLR bodies doesn't faze me.

Somewhat sadly on the Lindblad page the Nikon DSLR and lens combo they suggest is wholly inappropriate (FX body, DX lens, get outta here!), but now I'm really getting off topic :)

Solid blog, Turtles! Thanks for the link.

 

 

 

I don't want this thread to degenerate into a discussion on photo gear but I don't think my back-up camera would ever be a high-end P&S. A I wrote above I don't do that well with P&S and where Nikon releases a new entry-level DSLR about every 18-24 months, I cvan get the "old" model for about $400 new, not much different from a high end P&S. I guess the P&S is physically smaller, but the size of the Nikon DSLR bodies doesn't faze me.

 

I was the one who suggested the superzoom P&S. However, I also suggested a backup camera that used the same lenses as your primary dSLR.

The reason that I suggested the superzoom is that it is easier to carry it with you at every moment of the day. Do you want to carry your dSLR with the 400 mm lens all the time - I don't. Also the really long superzooms have really high powered telephotos. The optical quality is obviously not as good as your dSLR lenses but when you need a really long reach, it may be all that you have. A not so good photo of a once in a lifetime opportunity is better than nothing.

DON

Lots of great info here!

I reviewed my posts from my travel blog and thought I'd add one thing here ... on board ship it is the wind you have to worry about. It can. literally, knock you around.

I am no lightweight and yet, at one point which we were sailing into the wind, I literally could not walk around the front of the ship ... the wind blew me backwards.

So keep that in mind then planning your camera equipment and how you will be using it when the ship is moving.

Solid blog, Turtles! Thanks for the link.

 

I have had a hard time getting timely info out of Lindblad, with the exception of the photographers/videographers who have been incredibly helpful. (Of course when I asked them to "pack my camera bag!" they said it was a personal preference thing and....) We booked our own flights, for instance (my SU-bred wife needs a visa to pass through the US, so we decided to skip meeting the group in Miami) and Lindblad couldn't even tell us when "their" flight was getting in to Buenos Aires. I finally got an old laundry price card from them after a phone call and two e-mails which left me thinking it was expensive. I cannot get confirmed bedding (twins? D/Q?) and so on. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get all the info I need and more in our final package, and if not, I'll call them up and be pleasantly insistent. I don't want to show up unprepared and inconvenience everyone.

 

Thanks for the kind words.

Have you tried calling the Lindblad folks in NY and speaking to an "expedition specialist"? They have been very helpful when I've spoken to them, and when they haven't been able to answer my questions (I had a whole bunch about the Explorer before we booked, and specifically about cabin locations), they put me in touch with someone who could...

How have you been able to contact the photographers?

I also take an external storage device to back up what I downloaded to the laptop. Yes, it is more weight ... but you said it yourself ... once in a lifetime trip.

My 500GB laptop hard drive in an external USB enclosure goes in my jacket pocket so doesn't 'count' at the weigh-ins. And the jacket has many pockets...

Can anyone address the carry-on situation from BA to Ushuaia that cougfan reports on from Santiago?

We were on an Hurtigruten charter from Buenos Aires (AEP) to Ushuaia and were surprised (amazed?) at the way they let everything through into the cabin with no weight or size checks. The storage bins were, as a consequence, full almost to overflowing!

That said, AEP to Iguazu Falls and back, especially IGR to AEP, were subject to close checks.

SarniaLo suggests a laptop. I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy one or to just buy portable digital storage. Any opinions? I'm really trying to travel as lightly as possible. So a laptop with external drive as digitl suggests might be more useful long term, but of course that adds weight.

By the time you've paid for most digital storage, you could have paid for a reasonable laptop (or, as in my case, a tablet, which usually weighs less than a laptop) which would be far more useful and have a bigger screen. As I observed above, large pockets can be really useful and have a positive result in terms of the weigh-in...

Thank you one and all. I'm going to suck it up and lug the long lens along.

 

Can anyone address the carry-on situation from BA to Ushuaia that cougfan reports on from Santiago? I'm also scratching my head a little bit in re: checked baggage limits with thairlines (taking one airline to the US and another down to Argie). I can research the regular carriers quite easily but the charter is a mystery.

 

SarniaLo suggests a laptop. I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy one or to just buy portable digital storage. Any opinions? I'm really trying to travel as lightly as possible. So a laptop with external drive as digitl suggests might be more useful long term, but of course that adds weight. I'll have two DSLRs I think, donaldsc: I canoot get images I'm satisfied with from a P&S. Not saying good stuff can't come from P&S; just saying my own ratio of keepers on a P&S is about 1/20th my ratio on a DSLR.

 

Parischris: I'm late 30s and Canadian. My wife was born in the SU so I guess we'll be adding to the international feel. You write that laundry was reasonably priced. I saw an (old?) card where I thought the prices were sort of high ($4 for a shirt, $5 for a pair of trousers, $2 for a pair of socks etc). Has that changed?

 

Electricity: I was reading on the Lindblad site that the outlets were North American (110 V). They're European 220 V then?

 

Was looking at that Cape-to-Cape cruise: did you find there were too many sea days? That's why I opted for Antarctica/S. Georgia instead, seemed to be more landing days and fewer sea days. If there's enough to do on the Cape-to-Cape that may be something to consider for next time.

 

Cheers everybody, thanks for your continued assistance.

Hi Shawn,

Are you going to South Georgia on this trip? If so, consider taking the tripod for the sunrises. Lindblad (weather permitting) usually try to fit in at least two sunrises in South Georgia, and you'll need a tripod for the low light conditions. If you're not into sunrises, scratch that idea.

http://www.redbubble.com/people/parischris/works/8427344-sunrise-st-andrews-bay-south-georgia

The weight restrictions on the charter can be hit and miss. Flying out of BA, they don't tend to worry much about the carryon weight. Flying LAN out of Ushuaia, they do tend to worry - the last time I did this the 8kg restriction was enforced, PER BAG. They were quite happy for you to carry a plastic bag and off-load to get the weight of backpacks in particular under the limit.

In the final tour docs (which Lindblad in my view send out too close to the departure date), Lindblad will have the details of the group transfers if you're arriving on the same flight. If arriving within about 2-4 hours of the group flight, they usually run two group transfers. However, don't expect ANY info on the charter between BA and Ushuaia until you actually arrive in BA. It is usually an earlyish departure, and you'll be on an excursion in Ushuaia until about 4pm whilst they clean the ship for the arrivals.

Laptop: Never travel without one, but it depends how long you're going for. If you're on a 20 day itinerary, I would take one to manage images. If on one of the 10 day itineraries to the peninsula only and you're not going anywhere else, maybe not.

The laundry card sounds about right - it's "cheaper" than other laundry services I've used :-)

Electricity - there are 110v outlets in the bathrooms, but I'm 100% sure there are two European plugs on the desk, and two 'others' (which could be 110V but I don't think so).

The Cape to Cape isn't offered every year (not enough demand). I don't mind the sea days as a photographer as there are either birds to photograph or images to edit. I love going to South Georgia, so I am already looking at doing a variation on the Cape to Cape for 2015.

digitl: that is a really slick idea.

Turtles: I've called a few times. Very hit-and-miss. Maybe some telephonists are much more experienced than others. They did put me in touch with a woman from what I can only call the photography/videography department, run out of a separate locale (Vermont). This lady was really helpful. She sent through a DVD of a previous expedition (2009 as I recall). She would not tell me which lenses to bring, but she did explain some of the challenges and joys of polar photography.

I watched the DVD twice--once strictly as a slack-jawed, awestruck tourist, and once taking notes (what people were wearing, were they using walking poles, camera gear used, available light, how tight the Zodiacs were packed etc.). Now of course potential serious negatives (seasickness, getting knocked over by the wind) either didn't occur or were edited out, fair enough (who wants to see a bunch of seasick people?). But it was very instructive in terms of the little things (Yogi Berra said "you can see a lot just be watching"...) and it gave me the sense thatthings on NG Explorer are equally well organized in terms of safety and fun.

Parischris: that info is huge, thank you. Especially not to sweat the lack of charter info. Once I get rolling I'm pretty easy-going about stuff but in my preparations I'm so anal I run the risk of disappearing up my own behind.

Tripod now coming. If I got one shot of a sunrise that rivalled the one you linked to, that alone would make my trip an unqualified success. That's a beautiful image you made there.

Over the missus' cost concerns I was adamant we include S. Georgia. I have no idea when we'll ever get back to that part of the world. From what I've seen from photographs, "Antarctica" may be the name-in-lights, but S. Georgia might be the star of the show.

 

Over the missus' cost concerns I was adamant we include S. Georgia. I have no idea when we'll ever get back to that part of the world. From what I've seen from photographs, "Antarctica" may be the name-in-lights, but S. Georgia might be the star of the show.

Amen to that! You will not regret choosing an itinerary that goes to S Georgia.

+1

Fortuna Bay: ~16000 king penguins up close and inquisitive.