Iceland Equipment List

My 50D died yesterday (shutter jammed, can see part of the leaf poking into the frame). Make sure you have a backup. Enjoy your trip, ours has nearly finished.. :(
 
@dan_yell yes we made it. It's supposed to be a 3km walk, my iPhone tells me we walked 10km as a round trip.

So far it's been a fantastic trip, two nights of aurora and many many places seen. Still two days to fill with more travel and photos.

A quick selfie from two nights ago at Myvatn ImageUploadedByTalk Photography Forums1458984487.209734.jpg
 
"A quick selfie from two nights ago at Myvatn"

Very envious.....Myvatn is one of my favourite areas of Iceland. Enjoy the rest of your trip.
 
Thanks for the update @Kev.s - fingers crossed still allowed access in September (are the markers for the road still clear or is it so torn up that they aren't?)

Great taster photo :)

Enjoy the rest of your trip
 
Should be quite a strong aurora tomorrow night 27th-28th in Iceland with clear or broken cloud forecast for the western side of the country. It may even be strong enough for it to be visible from northern Scotland although more chance of cloud there.
 
It really is getting too close now. I leave in a few weeks and still only have flights booked!
Looking at some of the pre-arranged self drive trips. Are these worth doing?
They book your car and your hotels and give you an itinerary. I wouldn't have to stick with it but at least id have something.
Or am i better booking everything separately?
Going for ten days and looking to drive around the whole island seeing as much as i can.
 
I'd prob book all myself, altho dunno what accommodation availabjkkty would be closer to the time.

Blue car rental and Geysir car rental were the cheapest I found, including all insurance.

Worth pricing up yourself vs what they offer as assume there must be a commission in there somewhere.
 
Although on the two occasions I've been there I booked all my accommodation in advance because I was organising for large groups, if I was going on my own or just me and the Mrs then I would book a vehicle but not the accommodation. It is easy to book accommodation through www.booking.com the day before, just enter the area you are heading to, it takes a few minutes and it's done. You can always follow the weather then to get clear skies for the aurora. The forecast is quite good and it's worth a hundred mile drive east or west if that's the direction advised to take advantage of it.

Take a look for tomorrow and see what's available to get an idea of how the system works if you have any doubts about getting digs. I've just checked out Vik in southern Iceland for tomorrow night and found seven different rooms I could book in a twenty mile radius. That's on a bank holiday Monday as well.
 
@Big Andy I had to book for my trip in September in vík last month, earlier than planned, as all the affordable accommodation was selling out/sold out. I was really surprised - maybe if more flexible with dates or budget (or maybe I'm just fussy :) ) then it's worth a punt in the method you say.
 
@dan_yell Not being fussy does help, as I spend waking hours away from the accommodation so long as it's warm and clean that's all I ask. It's my winter clothing and a good 4x4 that I'm more concerned about as that's what will get me where I want to be and able to stay outside to get the images.
 
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@Big Andy I had to book for my trip in September in vík last month, earlier than planned, as all the affordable accommodation was selling out/sold out. I was really surprised - maybe if more flexible with dates or budget (or maybe I'm just fussy :) ) then it's worth a punt in the method you say.
From what our tour guide said last week, Iceland's tourist business has just exploded. They are way busier than they've ever been. I guess the infrastructure will lag demand, so for sure decent affordable accommodation will be quite sought after.
 
@Big Andy my only big thing was not having shared bathroom/toilets as that is something i really have an issue with (this is not a snobbish or lady muck complex, just something i struggle with for a myriad of reasons - which prob need some therapy!) if i was sharing the cost with someone, i think i'd have had more choice but as it was just me, the jump from the 'affordable' to what was next, was really prohibitive for me. other than that, i'm not looking for hotel service, turn down service and butler, so i dont think it terribly fussy, as you say its not normally somewhere i plan to hang out. i am in air bnb this time around.

@GeeJay57 yeah that's what ive been reading on the blogs/news site from iceland that i follow - things are getting as busy in winter as in the summer, so the demand in high in some places (outside of the city obviously)
 
Thanks for the update @Kev.s - fingers crossed still allowed access in September (are the markers for the road still clear or is it so torn up that they aren't?)

Great taster photo :)

Enjoy the rest of your trip

You need to know roughly where you need to stop but the cars will be a dead give away.

Roughly, we drove 1500 miles, walked 51klms took 2000 images (lots of pano's) and spy shots of the Fast 8 film set :)

Just blown away even for this our second trip. Great place, will be going again.

Oh as a bit of kit to add to the list, NAVMII a free satnav for iphone's, worked a treat and totally accurate.
 
You need to know roughly where you need to stop but the cars will be a dead give away.

Roughly, we drove 1500 miles, walked 51klms took 2000 images (lots of pano's) and spy shots of the Fast 8 film set :)

Just blown away even for this our second trip. Great place, will be going again.

Oh as a bit of kit to add to the list, NAVMII a free satnav for iphone's, worked a treat and totally accurate.

Sounds like a fantastic trip! Im leaving in 32 days... not counting or anything.
Where is the Fast 8 film set, me and the person i am travelling with are avid fans! I didnt even know it was set in Iceland this time round?
 
@Kev.s yeah I think I'll check out on street view where the turning is, as you say, there will be more cars there bow, assuming there will still be access when I go in Sept. Hopefully the road route will be clear so I don't go off route and end up in a ditch. Thought I was going to be unique with my walking there, but I think it's def going to be more satisfying (weather permitting). Had thought about trying for NL from there buy don't fancy walk back alone in the dark. Ha.

Glad you had a good time :)
 
If I remember right its almost exactly 8 km from the turning into Skogafoss waterfall as you are heading towards Vik it is the only gate on the right side of the road.

Check Google earth for the route of the track as it dog legs left after a few hundred yards you don't want to miss the turn.

upload_2016-3-31_19-40-35.png
 
@zeb i will have to do some serious research on how to not get lost, as i dont want to end up one of those 'stupid tourist has to be rescued' stories! my sense of direction is terrible!!!
 
My final camera packing list for Iceland is as follows, any final recommendations let me know as I leave on Saturday and fly Sunday.

- Canon 6D
- Yongnou EX565II Flash
- 17-40mm/F4 + Hood
- 24-70mm/F2.8 + Hood
- Lee Filter Holder
- Lee Big Stopper
- Lee 0.9 Soft Grad
- Polariser (CPL)
- Camera Wipes
- Cleaning Cloth
- 128GB's of Memory Cards + Case
- Remote
- iPad Pro and Pencil plus Charger
- RedSnapper Tripod
- 3 x Canon Batteries
- Charger
 
Head torch, though the nights will be quite short I guess..
A hotshoe bubble cube is quite handy too.
Enjoy your trip.
 
My final camera packing list for Iceland is as follows, any final recommendations let me know as I leave on Saturday and fly Sunday.

- Canon 6D
- Yongnou EX565II Flash
- 17-40mm/F4 + Hood
- 24-70mm/F2.8 + Hood
- Lee Filter Holder
- Lee Big Stopper
- Lee 0.9 Soft Grad
- Polariser (CPL)
- Camera Wipes
- Cleaning Cloth
- 128GB's of Memory Cards + Case
- Remote
- iPad Pro and Pencil plus Charger
- RedSnapper Tripod
- 3 x Canon Batteries
- Charger

I'm not sure what use the flash would be, to be honest. I don't see anything about rain covers/shower caps - a must.
 
Ditch the flash and yes deffo some kind of rain cover and shower cap, AIso found I used my 70/200 quite a bit for panos.

Have a great time
 
I forgot the Rain Cover and Shower Caps. They're both on the list. We're camping so will be using the flash to try and light up the tent for a shot we have in mind
 
Ash,

I would definitely take a 70-200 F/4 or similar mate.

A mate of mine who is a full time landscape photographer has just got back and said that his 70-200 was invaluable.

Have a great time, I'm looking forward to reading how you get on! [emoji854]

Andy
 
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Ash,

I would definitely take a 70-200 F/4 or similar mate.

A mate of mine who is a full time landscape photographer has just got back and said that his 70-200 was invaluable.

Have a great time, I'm looking forward to reading how you get on! [emoji854]

Andy


Good to know, I was planning on renting this lens, borrowed one for a few shots on last trip and loved it
 
I would want a couple more batteries as the cold will sap them and also a longer lens if you have one.
 
If you're planning to visit the crashed DC3 over the next few days, beware that a film crew is currently using it. We walked for the best part of an hour to find it crawling with set builders who had built sand banks at the front and scattered fake aircraft parts around to make it look like it had just crashed. The place was also packed with their SUVs which spoiled most available angles to take a photo.
 
I think we've pretty much crossed this location (DC3) off our list for October now. It's a shame but there are plenty of other places to visit in the area.
 
really wished i'd known about the wreck the first time i went 10 years ago!

hope they kept to the track and not ripped up the area even more
 
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