Gear for Alaska Cruise

[jlat]

I have a Nikon D40. Not the newest or greatest, but it is what I can afford and it serves me pretty well Next summer I’m cruising to Alaska, and plan to bring the Nikon and a Nikor 55-200 f4-5.6 VR lens. Also have a Canon S95 P&S that I really like for a pocket shooter. For the Nikon, should I look at different/faster lens, maybe an 80-200 f2.8? They are pricey for the D40 since the AF motor is on the lens, but I could start saving for it now and may be able to get it before next summer, if it is worth bringing.

 

 

Thanks for any advice.

[pierces]

I have a Nikon D40. Not the newest or greatest, but it is what I can afford and it serves me pretty well Next summer I’m cruising to Alaska, and plan to bring the Nikon and a Nikor 55-200 f4-5.6 VR lens. Also have a Canon S95 P&S that I really like for a pocket shooter. For the Nikon, should I look at different/faster lens, maybe an 80-200 f2.8? They are pricey for the D40 since the AF motor is on the lens, but I could start saving for it now and may be able to get it before next summer, if it is worth bringing.

 

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

You may want to consider the stabilized Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM OS FLD for half the price or the non-stabilized Tamron AF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD IF for a third. Both offer excellent optics and while they may only be 98% as sharp, the difference in price is significant.

 

I have an older Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 for my Sony A77 and while I would love to get the new Sony later this year, I am very pleased with the performance and may just keep it and spend my money elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

Dave

[chipmaster]

I had a D40, that is a classic and nice compact DSLR and outdoors in alaska should yield you good photos.

 

You can't have too long a lense. The 55-200VR is a decent / light zoom, but in Alaska you really could use a longer zoom. I'd look instead at buying a 70-300VR or the newer 55-300 VR from nikon.

 

While the 2.8 give you more speed they are big/bulky and when mounted on a smaller camera like D40 will feel unbalanced, not bad, just be aware!

DO NOT get the 80-200 unless you get the AFS version which are rare and usually more than a thousand. The D40 doesn't have a body motor so it can't drive any of the "D" lenses and most of the 80-200 are "D" lenses.

I found most of my shots when in Alaska were shot at smaller apertures 5.6 to f8 and at ISO 800-1600 well within the range for the D40.

 

 

 

I have a Nikon D40. Not the newest or greatest, but it is what I can afford and it serves me pretty well Next summer I’m cruising to Alaska, and plan to bring the Nikon and a Nikor 55-200 f4-5.6 VR lens. Also have a Canon S95 P&S that I really like for a pocket shooter. For the Nikon, should I look at different/faster lens, maybe an 80-200 f2.8? They are pricey for the D40 since the AF motor is on the lens, but I could start saving for it now and may be able to get it before next summer, if it is worth bringing.

 

 

Thanks for any advice.

[knittinggirl]

I suggest checking your manual. I have a Nikon d5100, and they also mention AF-I. I have a Nikon 18-200mm which serves me well. But when returning to Alaska, I'll probably take my Olympus with the either the 50-200mm or 70-300mm and maybe a teleconverter. For me, the 50-200mm is more of a tripod lens, since it's heavy and difficult for me to hold steady.

 

Still, as other posters have said, the longer the better in Alaska. Depends where you're going. If you're taking Glacier Bay or Denali, then it's really the longer the better. On the Denali trip, they seldom let us off the bus, so it was a matter of shooting over someone's shoulder through the window across from us. Not the best for tack sharp.

[jlat]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your thoughts and now have something to go research. Thanks again!

[tmitchell82]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your thoughts and now have something to go research. Thanks again!

 

I went to Alaska about a month ago. I ended up renting a longer lens (Canon 100-400L) to take with me. Was worth every penny I paid for it to be able to get some really nice shots. Good lens, but not something I would likely use in my "normal" picture taking around home. Renting a lens can be a good option if you do not want to spent the $$ for a new one.

[Splash_4]

I leave Friday for my cruise tour (Including Denali) and here is what I am taking...

 

Canon 7D

Canon 10-22 EFS (wide angle for the broad shots)

Canon 24-105L IS for the walk around, general use

Canon 100-400L IS for the Creature shots

tamron 1.4x tee-converter for use with the 100-400

Sigma 105mm Macro (hoping to get up close and personal with wild flowers).

 

Not to mention all of the batteries, cables, memory cards, off line storage, iPad, etc.... My back is already hurting.

[donaldsc]

I went to Alaska about a month ago. I ended up renting a longer lens (Canon 100-400L) to take with me. Was worth every penny I paid for it to be able to get some really nice shots. Good lens, but not something I would likely use in my "normal" picture taking around home. Renting a lens can be a good option if you do not want to spent the $$ for a new one.

 

I too would suggest renting. If you do not use an expensive lens very often, renting is the best way to go.

 

Just hope that this does not happen to you -

 

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/05/the-damage-waiver-bearly-covered-this-one

 

DON

[ScotchCritic]

I just returned from Alaska July 1st in the NCL Pearl. I took my Canon dSLR and 3 lenses. The stabilized 24-105mm L and the stabilized 100-400 L were the heavy hitters. I brought a wide angle lens also, but rarely used or needed it. Leave the flash and tripod at home, otherwise you will need a porter to carry all your other stuff off the ship. I shot 600 plus JPEGs totaling a lil over 2 gigs. My 16 gig card was plenty big for a week. Don't bring the laptop either, your back will thank you. I also brought a small waterproof HD camcorder. There is so much movement, it is hard to get good videos, but did record a couple of gigs on the SD card. I would not have missed this small camcorder if I left it home.

 

The view from our 10th floor balcony was fantastic! Bring a good set of binoculars, my Nikon Monarchs 8x42 were perfect for spotting blowing whales and foraging bears. The 100-400 pulled in the critters and made some great memories.

 

I used a plain old knapsack to carry my gear. I have padded cases for each lens that I just drop in. Add in a liter of water, the binocs and rain gear, etc. and it starts to get heavy on expeditions ashore.