AK photography/lens options

[7echo]

Going to AK in Nov or Dec and wonder if I should tote my 300mm f4 and TC for animal shots. The weight is not really a problem, I took it to Sea World last year and carry it most everywhere it might be useful. Just don't know if the critters will be too close in AK. I will have an 18-55 F2.8 for the wide to short tele stuff. BTW, I will be using a crop dslr.

Thanks

 

[CanadianGuy]

I'm movin this one over to the Photography board.. the experts there can best advise you.

Thanks,

Knox

 

[bradk]

it'll come in handy in some spots. ironically, the most place it'll likely benefit you is the kilimanjaro safari, except that the attraction is so bumpy, it's hard to get a clean shot, especially with a large telephoto

 

[MarkBarbieri]

That's one of those personal questions that only you can really answer. I think that 300mm is rather long (even without the TC) for the Safari ride. It bounces and moves so much that it would be hard to get a good shot with a lens that long.

As for the trails, I suppose that it would be nice in spots, but that's an awfully limited use for such a heavy lens to carry all day.

It could be handy for closeups at the shows. It's a bit slow for the FotLK, but could work with a high ISO at Nemo. It would be great at the bird show. I haven't been able to sit through the Pocahontas show, so I couldn't really comment on it's use there.

I lug a 70-200 f/2.8 lens around the AK whenever I go and I find it worth carrying, so I'm no wimp on hauling camera gear. Still, I don't think I'd take a 300mm f/4 with me. I just don't think I'd get enough use to justify the weight/bulk all day.

Different strokes for different folks though. You might be able to snag some of the best gorilla shots any of us have ever seen and you'd think it was all worthwhile.

 

[bradk]

but if you top this one, i'll cry (and yes, it was shot with a 300 (or 480 with 35mm eq):

this one is 235/376

300/480:

 

[deletedpenguin]

It doesn't hurt to take the lens. If you don't use it, so be it, but if you miss that shot because of the length of the lens you're using, you'll regret it.

 

[matthew_hull]

You don't offer what any alternative might be.... If the only alternative is to go with just the 18-55mm, then yes, throw it into the backpack and take it out upon need. Don't take it on any rides, obviously, including the safari ride. Also, how many mega-pixels is your DSLR? You may consider just cropping the photos in post, if these are just "family photos."

-- Matthew

 

[7echo]

Thanks for the comments.
Brad-Did you take those on the safari ride? Those are nice images!
Matthew-I will probably take an 8 mp 20D, but might take a 5D with 12 mp. The 20D usually is more than enough camera for what I do, and the crop factor comes in handy.

 

[pjacobi]

You might head over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I understand that there are public viewing areas.


-Paul

 

[matthew_hull]

You might head over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I understand that there are public viewing areas.
-Paul

I second this idea; the 300mm lens would be terrific for photographing the animals on the AKL safaris. There are numerous public places where you can set up and photograph the critters, and there is plenty for family members to do as well if they need to be nearby and yet have no interest in watching you photograph zoo animals. If you come in the late afternoon to catch the low-angle light, you could nab some real beauties with that lens. You'll want the 1.4x tele-converter as well.

-- Matthew

 

[bradk]

none of the pics i posted are from the safari.. they're from pangani and maharajah respectively.. like i said, the zoom would be nice for the safari, but with the vehicle moving a lot, it's really hard to get good shots.. not impossible, but that's the one spot where you're better off using a shorter lens and cropping. my images are above are as they were shot with no editing (which i'm sure they could stand a bit of).

i was going to post a decent shot from the safari, but the native focal length was around much less.. this is the one.. it's 180/288

 

[Gdad]

Not sure what kind of camera you use but in Nikon land the 70-200/f2.8 is pretty close in size/weight to a 300/f4- and yes it is a brute to lug around. I hauled my 70-200 once and that was plenty. Last time I went I used my 70-300vr/f4.5-5.6 and it was much more comfy to use. I actually found myself at 300mm quite often- where all of these were taken.

 

[MICKEY88]

Not sure what kind of camera you use but in Nikon land the 70-200/f2.8 is pretty close in size/weight to a 300/f4- and yes it is a brute to lug around. I hauled my 70-200 once and that was plenty. Last time I went I used my 70-300vr/f4.5-5.6 and it was much more comfy to use. I actually found myself at 300mm quite often- where all of these were taken.

if your 70-200 has a tripod mount , I highly recommend a lens cradle, it makes carrying such a lens all day , much more bearable..

 

[mill4023]

I was just looking through my AK pictures and I was surprised to see that most of my safari pics were taken at less than 200mm. The 300 did come in handy for a few shots though, especially for the gorillas (not on the safari).

All these pics were taken with a Nikkor 70-300mm VR.

This is on the safari but was only at 125mm

Here's one taken at 165 on the safari

Here's one of the few safari shots I took at 300

Here is where I was really glad to have the 300

 

[Groucho]

The other thing to remember on the Safaris ride is that you're packed in fairly tight, swinging around a large lens like a 300mm F4 might bother others around you. Gotta make sure to not bop anyone with it......