I have questions bout what gear to take on my trip and what gear to take on the day trips for our Alaska cruise on Princess. We stop in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway and will take the three day inland trip . In Ketchikan we are scheduled for the Neets Bay Bear Watch & flight, but could take the Neets Bay Bear Cruise or the Bear Country & Wildlife Expedition. In Juneau we are scheduled for the whale watching & Mendenhall Glacier photo safari. In Skagway we are scheduled for the Alaska Nature & Wildlife Expedition. Questions are as follows:
Should I bring my carbon fiber tripod and Wimberley Gimbal on the trip and if on day trips which ones? I also have a carbon fiber mono-pod I plan to bring.
What gear should I bring on my day trips?
If someone has taken this cruise and was focused on photography during, I would love to discuss equipment and what to expect. 562-233-1336 Patrick
I'll let others respond about the specific side trips, but I'll pipe up about that monopod. We must have half a dozen we've accumulated and used in a couple of decades of business, but stopped entirely about 5 years back. We switched to the Gitzo 1541 tripods with RRS BH-30 heads. They're no heavier than our monos, and with the legs closed function at least as well. But when opened, they're incredibly stable and their 17# load capacity is plenty for pro bodies with lenses up through at least 300 f/4. I've made trips as long as 2 months and never missed either a mono or my bigger tripods. I think you'll find it a lot more useful as a mono on your itinerary, and until you get into dedicated wildlife lenses, you probably won't be inclined to unpack a bigger model.
On a boat tour with lots of people the monopod is great.
Andrew
Posted by Lance Warley on September 10, 2012 at 8:09 AM
I have taken a boat cruise to Alaska, but not the ones you mentioned. My suggestions:
- Bring a tripod. It wont be significantly heavier or bulkier than a monopod and will be there when you need it.
- Boots that come up to your calves are critical, if you'll be walking through any of the wetlands, and there are plenty.
- Layers of wicking clothing are more important than ever. The temperature, humidity, and wind can change dramatically very quickly, even during the same hike or excursion.
- Rain gear for you and your equipment.
You will love it. Have a great trip.
Posted by Nancy Wolfe on September 10, 2012 at 11:05 AM
We just got back from a 2 week tour to Alaska. 7 days on land, and 7 days on the cruise ship. I took a couple of lenses, and my main one for wildlife was canon 300mm f2.8, and then I had another lens strictly for landscape. As far as tripods go, I brought one, and never once got to use it. The wildlife come and go so quickly, and when you are on a tour, you are at the discretion of the tour person. We also took a trip through Denali National Park, so lots of wildlife by bus:( and there is NO way anyone could have used a tripod. As a matter of fact, I did not see anyone on our tours that had a tripod, regular or mono. I believe if you are going to Alaska on your own, you may need some of the other items, aka boots, that others recommend, but believe me, no one had boots on our cruise/tour. We did take the whale watching tour in Juneau that you are going on, and got some pretty awesome photos of humpback whales. As a matter of fact I posted one of the whales on this site. Check it out:)I know you will have an incredible trip, no matter what you bring. I actually took over 3,000 pictures, and thoroughly enjoyed each and every day there. In Ketchikan we took a floatplane tour, and that was great also, but my all time favorite was the helicopter ride over Denali National Park. That was AWESOME!! I hope some of this helped, and have a great time.
Posted by Andy Richards on September 11, 2012 at 8:31 PM
Patrick: Sounds like you might be on the same cruise we took in 2010. We departed from Vancouver on Princess and stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, and spent a day in Glacier Bay NP. Like the answer to any other photography gear question it depends on what you want to shoot. Knowing I would often be on moving and possibly crowded boats, busses and trains, I carried a 70-300 VR lens and a 18-200, used on an APS sensor. I had a chance to shoot Eagles, whales and scenics. If you have a balcony on the ship, you will be able to use your tripod there. I agree with Hank on the monopod. On one tour, I used my folded tripod as a monopod. On the rest of them, I left it on the ship and relied on VR. You can see some of what I brought back on my website. You should be able to get lots of great photos. I would plan to take your gear on the ship and be ready to pare it down for the tours, based on what you will be doing/shooting.
I agree with Hank on the monopod. On one tour, I used my folded tripod as a monopod.
Now and then I encounter venues that allow mono's, but no tripods. I've always been able to "negotiate" terms for using my tripod as a "mono" simply by binding the tips of the three legs with gaffers tape and showing it to the powers that be. If you don't keep gaffers tape on hand, electrical tape or almost any other will work. If you're not compelled to do that, it still might be a good idea if the leg pivots on your tripod are loose and it wants to flop open all the time. With Gitzo at least, its' simply a matter of tightening the nuts on the pivots to add friction so the legs don't flop open unwilled.
Discussion
6 repliesShould I bring my carbon fiber tripod and Wimberley Gimbal on the trip and if on day trips which ones? I also have a carbon fiber mono-pod I plan to bring.
What gear should I bring on my day trips?
If someone has taken this cruise and was focused on photography during, I would love to discuss equipment and what to expect. 562-233-1336 Patrick
Andrew
- Bring a tripod. It wont be significantly heavier or bulkier than a monopod and will be there when you need it.
- Boots that come up to your calves are critical, if you'll be walking through any of the wetlands, and there are plenty.
- Layers of wicking clothing are more important than ever. The temperature, humidity, and wind can change dramatically very quickly, even during the same hike or excursion.
- Rain gear for you and your equipment.
You will love it. Have a great trip.
Now and then I encounter venues that allow mono's, but no tripods. I've always been able to "negotiate" terms for using my tripod as a "mono" simply by binding the tips of the three legs with gaffers tape and showing it to the powers that be. If you don't keep gaffers tape on hand, electrical tape or almost any other will work. If you're not compelled to do that, it still might be a good idea if the leg pivots on your tripod are loose and it wants to flop open all the time. With Gitzo at least, its' simply a matter of tightening the nuts on the pivots to add friction so the legs don't flop open unwilled.