Alaska Trip (suggestions?)

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Flyboy

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Hi there!, I would like some recommendations on what lenses to take for an Alaska trip in June...; don't mind lugging everything and the "sink" but would want to keep it a comfortable minimum... my current set up is; two bodies (D300 and D700), three glasses; Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8 (in the bag), Nikkor 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 (on the D700) and the Nikkor 200-400 F/4 (on the D300, mostly because of the 1.5 factor....)... any suggetions?, am I missing something?, need something else or to change anything?
Thanks in advance
 
No, you're not missing anything. You have all the lenses that you would need, and an extra body in case one dies or something. It's all the other stuff you need to think about, like photo storage devices or a mass of cards, cleaning requirements, charging batteries or having enough spare. Also plenty of mosquito repellant.
 
Ja, ja, ja... thanks guys... hadn't thought of the bear/mosquitoe "repellant" factor... So I guess rain sleeves are in order?...
As for storage; I'm taking a small computer with an usb powered 250gb external hard drive and only 2 8gb CF cards...
I am really hesitant to lug around the tripod... will I really "kill myself" if I do not bring it? also; what about an external flash? being it June I do not think that there will be any real need for it or will it be just a waste of space?
 
Well... that is my question too... this is the first time that I'll be using the 700 and want to know how the pictures come out....
I also wanted to avoid having to add any TC to the 200-400 (although I am taking one "just in case"..),
I'll post a photo of the 700 with the DX glass and let everybody judge it :lol: (not too harshly I hope!)
 
Flyboy said:
Well... that is my question too... this is the first time that I'll be using the 700 and want to know how the pictures come out....
I also wanted to avoid having to add any TC to the 200-400 (although I am taking one "just in case"..),
I'll post a photo of the 700 with the DX glass and let everybody judge it :lol: (not too harshly I hope!)
Click to expand...

This is what I have found so far:
18-55 DX on a D700

3882780080_ab6099688b.jpg
 
I doubt that you'd use the flash. As for a tripod - trickier. I'm not sure if the Northern Lights will be visible from your part of Alaska but it would be worth finding out. If so, the tripod or something is a must.

Storage - 1 usb drive, but does the laptop have adequate space too? You don't want to trust all your pictures to one point of storage. I've taken two usb drives away with me and had one fail. If the second one hadn't been a duplicate I would have lost more than a week's photos. Or you can learn the hard way.
 
Spare batteries.. in cold conditions they dont last long..

Watch out for condensation when going from cold to warm areas...

:thumbs:
 
Have you got a rig that enables you to use ND Grads on the 14-24? Just a thought as the scenery there is so stunning that it would be a shame to go all that way and come back with blown skies or under exposed foreground.

If you haven't i'd be tempted to buy/rent a 17-35, which will enable you to use filters.

I think the tripod is an absolute must.
 
You'll have a grand time, having just got back myself (12th-26th May....temps ranged from mid 50s to high 60s, and we saw rain just once); June isn't good for the bugs though. What's your itinerary?

In the end I deliberated on kit and took just my D300S (so CF card auto-backing up to SD card all the time...oh the joys of finally having a body with two slots!), Nikon 18-200mmVR and my Siggy 120-300mm f/2.8; had 1.4xTC just in case but never used it.

Bald Eagles are more numerous than pigeons (except in Anchorage), and you can get down to 20 feet using the car as a hide. At one point I was 15 feet from a Grizzly Bear...you could even see my North Face jacket reflected in his eyes! See here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30905717&l=76056de5c0&id=1585876310 This was during a personal (me and Mrs X777) guided trip into the Katmai National Park (Hallo Bay specifically). If you're out and about, you really need to remember you're not top of the food chain, and Moose are particularly dangerous as they're less predictable than bears.

The Northern Lights are extremely unlikely as you'll need a dark sky - that doesn't happen in Alaska again until August! SO the tripod seems inappropriate...
 
Keep your batteries in your underwear if your there in the winter. The cold will chew up even the most capable batteries in no time. Not very comfortable though.
 
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