Alaska photography questions

[Paul Bradley]

12 hours ago, djwool said:

Nice informative thread! We're heading to AK in mid August for one week DIY pre-cruise in and around Anchorage plus a seven day southbound from Seward to Vancouver. Thought I would post my planned equipment list and get anyone's comments or recommendations. My camera is the Nikon D5300. I plan on taking a 35mm fixed lens and 18-105 and 70-300 zooms. Plus I purchased a 2X converter for any long wildlife shots I might encounter. No plane rides for us, so I don't think I'll need anything super wide.

 

Comments....suggestions? 

 

I personally wouldn't bother with the 35mm fixed - that's covered by the short zoom. Versatility is the keyword - your other choices should give you excellent coverage. 

[djwool]

54 minutes ago, Paul Bradley said:

 

I personally wouldn't bother with the 35mm fixed - that's covered by the short zoom. Versatility is the keyword - your other choices should give you excellent coverage. 

Thanks. The only reason I considered taking the fixed lens is it's much faster than the others.

[masterdrago]

16 hours ago, SempreMare said:

WOW, 

 

@masterdrago that picture with the GorillaPod is one of the coolest Alaska pics ever! 

The scenery is breathtaking  and the geek factor is extreme! 

 

After debating waterproof cameras to supplement my superzoom and not being excited by any of them, I recently opted for the DJI Osmo Action.  I've never had a GoPro, but seeing  side by side YouTubes showing image stabilization comparisons and the front facing screen flipped me towards the new DJI flavor .  But yours looked silky smooth and stabilized! 

 

How many SD cards (which quantity  & which GB) did you bring with you and how much did you use? 

That external battery supply is a neat trick!  Which one do you recommend? 

Thanks. It was a spur of the moment pix - to take of the setup.

 

I had never had any "real" video cameras although I have taken tripod mounted video with all of my Nikon DSLR mostly of perched birds and Hummingbirds feeding. Since they do not auto focus well, I've avoided using them. I got the GP specifically for the Alaska trip as a Christmas gift and only tested it a few times. On our Orca Watch excursion on May 23rd, you can see how well the stabilization works when it got really rough.

 

https://vimeo.com/349742235

 

I took 8 SanDisk Extreme Pro 64G and ended up using 5. As a rule, I backed up the cards to a 2T portable HDD after most days of filming. On the battery Banks. I took two. Both sold by Anker. 1) a 46Wh PowerCore 13000, 2) a 72Wh PowerCore 20100 (the one on the rail). The small one fits nicely with Velcro buttons on a Slider made by GripGear. The bank has two USB outlets, so I can run power to both the GoPro and the slider motor at the same time. I hunted it specifically for the slider because of the 750 gram weight limit on the low cost slider. Works like a champ. I'm a complete novice in the arena of movie making so am learning some hard knocks along the way.

[bound4dbeach]

Although my lenses are image stabilized & I’m pretty good holding still, would you all recommend a monopod or a tripod?    I guess I could use a tripod as a monopod in a pinch...

 

i figure on deck i could always brace brace against a wall/sailing if need be

[Ptroxx]

Master.

You filled up 5 64g cards.  How many hours of video was that.  Did you use it all?   

 

I purchased a new carbon fiber tripod that also has a mono pod you can make outta one of the tripod legs.   

 

 

[djwool]

1 hour ago, Ptroxx said:

Master.

You filled up 5 64g cards.  How many hours of video was that.  Did you use it all?   

 

I purchased a new carbon fiber tripod that also has a mono pod you can make outta one of the tripod legs.   

 

 

 

That sounds like the tripod I bought for the trip.

[Ptroxx]

13 minutes ago, djwool said:

 

That sounds like the tripod I bought for the trip.

This is the one I got.  

[SempreMare]

7 hours ago, masterdrago said:

On our Orca Watch excursion on May 23rd, you can see how well the stabilization works when it got really rough.

 

https://vimeo.com/349742235

 

OMG !!!   That is stunningly stabilized !!!   And clearly you were out on NOT a calm day! 

 

As a youngster I was banned from using the video camera after making visiting family become nauseous from watching after one Thanksgiving dinner... [ A story that gets repeated over and over and....   Scarred, I am ;-). ] 

 

 

 

 

[SempreMare]

7 hours ago, masterdrago said:

I took 8 SanDisk Extreme Pro 64G and ended up using 5. 

 

Was there a reason why you took more 64GB cards instead of fewer 256gb? 

[wardamnweagle]

8 hours ago, SempreMare said:

 

Was there a reason why you took more 64GB cards instead of fewer 256gb? 

 

GoPro cameras seem to have a problem with handling large capacity cards, or at least the older ones. Also, smaller is cheaper, and if a card gets damaged you have backups. I have about a dozen 32gb cards for my GoPro, which sounds like a lot but when I do a time lapse, after it’s finished I just pop the card out for later download and put a new one in. 

 

Im enjoying this thread, every vacation my wife lets me get a new camera toy. I’ve already decided to pick up a new GoPro for the April cruise, 7 Black if it’s still the top of the line, or whatever is newest. Will still probably bring my GoPro Session as well. 

[masterdrago]

8 hours ago, SempreMare said:

 

Was there a reason why you took more 64GB cards instead of fewer 256gb? 

Like wardamnweagle said. Mostly for lack of a full loss if a card failed. One did but not really the card - was a firmware issue with the new GoPro. After any single day of doing a lot of filming, what I did was take the 64G card out and stick it into a Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro 2T portable HDD. It will immediately copy the card contents to a directory that it creates for that card. I transported the HDD and the cards separately back home and put the cards safely away.

 

It took a while to realize that the GP flubbed the 3hr vid at Hubbard Glacier. My GP7 Black was one of the 1st off the line (got couple days after intro). I also should have done their 3rd firmware update to 1.7 in late January but did not.

 

And most importantly for wardamnweagle, make sure your new one (rumor is 8 Black out this September https://www.cameraegg.org/gopro-hero8-rumors/), is fully tested in the ways you will use it in April. Like long time-lapse, 3 hour non-stop 4k vids, etc. I'm getting the impression that having the GPS turned on can cause a few issues with the 7. Also, I've seen no reports like my failure after firmware version 1.7 in January.

 

 

[masterdrago]

21 minutes ago, wardamnweagle said:

 

GoPro cameras seem to have a problem with handling large capacity cards, or at least the older ones.

Check the recommended list. I think with the new firmware, there are no large card issues being reported. For the 7Black, I would stick with a SanDisk Extreme Pro (UHS 3 / V30) A2 256GB if you want the big one.

 

https://gopro.com/help/articles/Block/microSD-Card-Considerations

[djwool]

9 hours ago, Ptroxx said:

This is the one I got.  

 

Ha! I got the 60" model in late May..

Edited July 24, 2019 by djwool

[wardamnweagle]

30 minutes ago, masterdrago said:

Like wardamnweagle said. Mostly for lack of a full loss if a card failed. One did but not really the card - was a firmware issue with the new GoPro. After any single day of doing a lot of filming, what I did was take the 64G card out and stick it into a Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro 2T portable HDD. It will immediately copy the card contents to a directory that it creates for that card. I transported the HDD and the cards separately back home and put the cards safely away.

 

It took a while to realize that the GP flubbed the 3hr vid at Hubbard Glacier. My GP7 Black was one of the 1st off the line (got couple days after intro). I also should have done their 3rd firmware update to 1.7 in late January but did not.

 

And most importantly for wardamnweagle, make sure your new one (rumor is 8 Black out this September https://www.cameraegg.org/gopro-hero8-rumors/), is fully tested in the ways you will use it in April. Like long time-lapse, 3 hour non-stop 4k vids, etc. I'm getting the impression that having the GPS turned on can cause a few issues with the 7. Also, I've seen no reports like my failure after firmware version 1.7 in January.

 

 

 

Yeah, it will be thoroughly tested beforehand, and I’m pretty familiar with GoPro cameras (had original, Hero 2, Hero 3, Still have Hero 4 Black and Session and haven’t seen the need to upgrade til I saw the Hyperlapse in the 7 series). 

 

I’ve dealt with enough electronics and computers over the years to know when something works the way you want, don’t bother with firmware upgrades, lol. Companies will “fix” one meaningless thing and break two important things. 

[masterdrago]

10 hours ago, Ptroxx said:

Master.

You filled up 5 64g cards.  How many hours of video was that.  Did you use it all?   

 

I purchased a new carbon fiber tripod that also has a mono pod you can make outta one of the tripod legs.   

 

 

The most I put on any card was just over 50G. Most days much less. Filmed on only 10 days of the 16 we were in Alaska and some of those days did stills with the GoPro, not vids.

 

I did take a small tripod but never felt the need. However, if I had done a walkabout along the Denali Park road, the mono-pod I left at home would have provided better (sharper) images of wildlife using the 150-600 Sigma. As it was, being on the transit bus, required either shooting through the window or propped up on a frame of another window. It seems to have worked for many. For some reason, mine was sticking and leaving them down caused folks to complain about the cold air sweeping through the bus :+{

 

 

[SempreMare]

7 hours ago, wardamnweagle said:

GoPro cameras seem to have a problem with handling large capacity cards,

 

gah!  now  i hear this...   I bought 2 !!      this is the hardest trip to plan for / pack for EVER ! 

[wardamnweagle]

8 minutes ago, SempreMare said:

 

gah!  now  i hear this...   I bought 2 !!      this is the hardest trip to plan for / pack for EVER ! 

 

Well it sounds like it depends on the camera. My Hero 4 will overheat with cards larger than 32gb. But that gives me 2hrs of recording which exceeds the battery life. So YMMV. 

[SempreMare]

7 hours ago, masterdrago said:

After any single day of doing a lot of filming, what I did was take the 64G card out and stick it into a Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro 2T portable HDD. It will immediately copy the card contents to a directory that it creates for that card. I transported the HDD and the cards separately back home and put the cards safely away.

 

I would LOVE a drive with those capabilities.

 

My saga with the Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro external hard drive ~ 1.5 yrs ago: 

Ordered Drive #1:  Drive failure within 3 days (all lights on the top flashing off and on)

RMA process.  Received Drive #2:   Drive failure within 1 week.

RMA process.  Received Drive #3:   Drive failure within 2 weeks.

I pleaded for my $180 back.  Nope. 

WD would only send me a different ext drive worth $100 less.

 

Last month I ordered a WD My Passport Ultra 4tb during their "summer season" sale.

Started a Time Machine backup.   Drive failure within 15 minutes. 

This time I am still within the REFUND period (not just replace) , which I @#$% absolutely want.

However, I don't want to return a drive with 15 minutes of of my personal data on it.   

gah! 

I started a topic in a geek forum about this.   From a reliability %, this is astronomically horrible quality.   Others chimed in that they have experienced same thing with WD external drive failures.     They used to be so reliable!    So now I'm buying Seagate drives.

 

I'm jealous @masterdrago you won the lottery and received a good one.

[bassitude]

I have an 18-55 and an 18-200.  Is taking both overkill?  I also have a wide angle lens that I’m bringing.    Curious your thoughts.

[chipmaster]

13 hours ago, bassitude said:

I have an 18-55 and an 18-200.  Is taking both overkill?  I also have a wide angle lens that I’m bringing.    Curious your thoughts.

 

If you have two bodies need two lenses, but if you only have one body 18-200 is the only one.  You'll never find a need for the slow 18-55 original mid-range.   If you have a 10-24 that would be worth bringing for the scenic/expansive shots

 

[bassitude]

Thank you!  Appreciate the response.

[djwool]

11 hours ago, chipmaster said:

 

If you have two bodies need two lenses, but if you only have one body 18-200 is the only one.  You'll never find a need for the slow 18-55 original mid-range.   If you have a 10-24 that would be worth bringing for the scenic/expansive shots

 

 

Thanks a lot guys...now you've got me shopping for a wide angle zoom! :-)

[chipmaster]

On 7/22/2019 at 7:33 PM, djwool said:

Nice informative thread! We're heading to AK in mid August for one week DIY pre-cruise in and around Anchorage plus a seven day southbound from Seward to Vancouver. Thought I would post my planned equipment list and get anyone's comments or recommendations. My camera is the Nikon D5300. I plan on taking a 35mm fixed lens and 18-105 and 70-300 zooms. Plus I purchased a 2X converter for any long wildlife shots I might encounter. No plane rides for us, so I don't think I'll need anything super wide.

 

Comments....suggestions? 

 

Have you tried your 2x converter, I'm suspicious it works with the 70-300 and remember it slows the effective aperture by two stops, the 70-300 is a very slow lens and at 300 will be beyond diffraction if it works at all, good luck.

[djwool]

2 hours ago, chipmaster said:

 

Have you tried your 2x converter, I'm suspicious it works with the 70-300 and remember it slows the effective aperture by two stops, the 70-300 is a very slow lens and at 300 will be beyond diffraction if it works at all, good luck.

 

The Kenko converter works great with the 70-300.....except for the autofocus. But I knew that going in. Here's a couple of shots at 300mm without and with the converter.

 

 

[djwool]

34 minutes ago, djwool said:

 

The Kenko converter works great with the 70-300.....except for the autofocus. But I knew that going in. Here's a couple of shots at 300mm without and with the converter.

 

Here's the shot at 70mm.

 

 

Edited July 26, 2019 by djwool
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