Jump to content

Galapagos gear


stemked

Recommended Posts

Hi All.

 

I will be traveling to the Galapagos Islands with my class. I shoot nature and landscapes mainly, but since I will also have students with me I'll need to get some people shots in as well. I am in a quandry as to what to take largely because of general travel issues on the boat and hikes. I am a fanatic tripod user so that will come regardless.

 

I am most likely to bring my Pentax K1 (full frame) but I also have a K3 and Kiis (later two are cropped bodies)

 

My longest lens will stay home (600mm f5.6 A) , but I'm struggling between 1) Pentax 150-450 2) Pentax 55-300 version I or 3) 300mm f4.5 A +TC. I have kicked around the idea of the new 55-300 and sell the old one if the lens is that much better.

 

I always bring a macro (100mm f2.8 DAW)

 

and then on the wise side maybe a 20mm f28 A for Astro photographty (we should have a couple over nights on islands) and A) a 20-35 FA (if I bring the K1) B) 24-90 FA, or C) 18-55 WR is I bring the K3.

 

I'm really struggling over the 150-450; I love the lens, but am concerned about weight.

 

In addition I intend to bring polarizers. and regular cleaning gear, maybe 4 batteries, etc.

 

I want the best images I can come back with, especially wildlife, but I'd love to hear from someone who has experienced the tour themselves.

 

Thanks!

 

Doug

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doug, I have been to these islands. You will have a great trip. Take your tripod. I used mine a lot. Take two bodies, so you do not have to keep changing lenses. You can get by with a 300mm and a 1.4x tc. as your longest lens. A 70-200mm will be very useful too. The longest lens I saw in the islands was a 500mm. The most important piece of gear, which I forgot to bring, were knee pads, with hard covers as the volcanic rock is everywhere. You will be on the ground for many of your shots. And a smallish waterproof backpack for some of your trips.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doug, I read the link that Shun posted. It has great info in it. In the pangas, we were not allowed to wear our backpacks, hence the need for a small waterproof bag for your equipment. Also for some of the hikes you will need very sturdy low cut shoes or even hiking shoes. About half of my group wore hiking boots on some of the islands; on others, just sandals.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been to the Galapagos three times, in 1995, 2011, and 2015. After the 2011 trip, I posted about my equipment usage statistics on this previous thread: Galapagos and Ecuadorian Rain Forest -- with new twists and special considerations

At the time my main long lens was a 200-400mm/f4 AF-S VR Nikkor.

 

During the more recent October 2015 trip, I mainly used Nikon's 80-400mm/f4.5-5.6 AF-S VR and 200-500mm/f5.6 AF-S VR lenses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And this is my LightRoom statistics from the October/November 2015 trip. Since I had the 80-400, I really didn't need the 70-200mm/f4 lens. It should be pretty obvious that kind of tele zoom is most useful in the Galapagos. Both of my 2011 and 2015 trips were led by well known Galapagos photographer Tui De Roy. In 2015, she was mostly using that same type of 80-400 for the entire trip.

 

A dedicated macro lens can be useful, especially at places such as Sullivan Bay to photograph the lava formations.

 

Galapagos2015stats.jpg.974d122363ec4394a3af759ef292358d.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...