Patagonia Advice

I'm headed for Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares in January, and I

was hoping to get some advice.

I had hoped to do the full circuit for Torres del Paine, but time

constraints and physical conditioning (or lack thereof) may relegate

me to doing the "W" route instead. I have heard that the "W" hits the

most scenic parts. Am I missing much by not doing the full circuit?

Any tips for Los Glaciares? I was basically going to follow the route

recommended in Lonely Planet.

Lastly, lens choices. I'm taking my 10D and my 17-40mm/f4. I'm

thinking of taking my 28-135mm IS, but I could instead purchase a 70-

200/f4, which would give me quite a bit more reach. The 28-135 would

give me 200mm at the long end on my 10D, so I'm thinking that should

be enough for my main purposes. I expect to do mainly landscapes, but

I imagine there will be opportunities with Guanacos and birds.

However, I am given to understand that the Guanacos are very

approachable, and a long lens probably isn't necessary. I've owned

the 70-200/f4 previously, and know its capabilities. I'm more

concerned about adding more weight to my pack. (I'm hitting 45 lbs.

as it is - 25 lbs. of camping gear, 10 lbs. of food/water, and 10

lbs. of camera gear.)

So, can anybody with experience comment on the utility of the 70-200

(effectively a 100-300mm lens on my 10D) versus my 28-135

(effectively a 44-216mm lens)at Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares

(Fitzroy)?

Any other tips or comments on the locations I'm visiting would also

be welcome.

I have spent a little (not enough) time in Torres del Paine. The guanacos are quite

approachable (at least in a vehicle). The foxes can be pretty accommodating, also.

But if you're seriously interested in birds, a 70-200 may not be enough, even with the

1.6X 'gain' of the 10D's small sensor. Have you thought of a 300 f4 IS? A bit heavier

and quite a bit more expensive than the 70-200 f4l, and has stabilization. Another

alternative if you have the money (and the strength) is the 100-400 IS.

If you really don't care that much about frame-filling bird pics and want to

concentrate mostly on landscapes, I'd HIGHLY recommend the 70-200 f4. Small,

light, and optically excellent, and from my experience you will probably want

something a bit bigger than 135mm. The 17-40 is very nice, also, but when I use it

with my 10D I often miss the much bigger view that is possible on a full-frame

camera with this lens.

Whatever you take, Torres is a fabulous place. If you're interested in wildlife and have

a day in Punta Arenas, try to get to the Magellanic penguin colony a few miles out of

town.

Mark,

I already own the 100-400 IS, but as you note, it's quite heavy and I wasn't even

considering bringing it along. I'm not much of a birder, so I don't expect to do too

much of that type of photography. I am leaning heavily towards getting the 70-200/

f4 since it's only 6 ozs. heavier (nearly half a pound). Hmm, maybe if I just eat less...

I am taking my Elan 7e (or perhaps my Rebel 2K) and some film as a back up. I was

gonna leave it behind at a hostel while I went hiking and only get it if I needed it.

However, it would allow me to go full frame with my 17-40mm. So, I dunno. I'm

trying to get my pack weight down as much as possible.

How long does it take to get out to the penguin colonies? Are their buses that go out

there? My flight out of Punta Arenas doesn't leave until the evening, so I might have

time to run out there.

Louie: I haven't been there for a few years, but the penguin colony is a side trip from

the road between Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales (nice little town), and Torres del Paine.

When I visited, a few of us asked around and found a taxi driver who knew the way.

Maybe things are more organized now. It's not that far out of PA (maybe a half-hour

or 45 min, if I recall).

Be prepared for foggy or rainy weather...

URLs for a few pictures from that area (sorry, no scenics...):

http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/MACphotos/%20plants/

patagonian%20flower.html

http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/MACphotos/%20birds/ashygeese.html

http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/MACphotos/%20more%20birds/

dolphinGull.html

Louie:

I´ve been to Torres del Paine 5 times and once to Los Glaciares in

Argentina. I live in Santiago, Chile.

Torres del Paine: Lenses: 17-35, 28-70, 70-200 for landscape , and

35mm film use. 28-70 the most widely used. Guanacos will be in the

200-400 range ( the longer end for the babies " chulengos" and

scenes of fighting and mating guanacos which will be further away

than grazing guanacos). Foxes, if you find helpful ones will be in

the 200-300 range for frame filling shots.

Scenic Tips: Icebergs massing at the shoreline of Lago Grey, sunrise

and sunset shots of the Cuernos del Paine from the small cliff right

behind Hosteria Pehoe which sits on an island in the middle of the lake Pehoe, and sunrise at the base (glaciar morraine) of the Torres

del Paine. This latter involves a 4 hr. hike which is covered by both the W and full circuit treks. I would camp overnight at the

base camp and do the last hour trek up before sunrise.

General comment: Be prepared for very windy weather, and long days with sunrise around 6AM and sunset around 9-10PM because of latitude

and time of the year.

Los Glaciares: For Mt. FitzRoy and Cerro Torre you want to make sure

you are at the right spot for sunrise and sunset which are impressive

alpenglow displays. My recomendation: 2 nights camping at the base of Mt. Fitzroy (laguna Capri basecamp) which is a 3 hour hike from

the town of El Chalten, then move at mid-day to Cerro Torre basecamp

which is a 3 hour hike from laguna Capri, and spend 2 more nights cam-

ping there. Then back to El Chalten ( 3 hour hike). At Fitz Roy look

for a pretty waterfall, at Cerro Torre take a walk into the ice formations. On the way back to El Chalten from Cerro Torre look for reflection ponds along the way with beautiful reflections of Cerro Torre. Hope you get the weather to collaborate. Same landscape lenses

recommended.

Perito Moreno Glacier. This is a must, and it is reached via a 1 hour

drive from the town of Calafate. This town is halfway between Puerto

Natales and El Chalten. With good weather 1 day should be enough for

the glacier. A must. Same landscape lenses recommended.

General Comment: All sunrise and sunset shots will require at least

a 2 stop Neutral Density filter. Additionaly, a circular polarizer,

preferably warming type, is strongly recommended.

Have a great trip

Alex Furman

Since it appears that we have in this forum some very experienced Patagonia hands let me share my Patagonia quandaries with the hope that one of them may have some sage advice for me;

I expect (am still just planning) to go to Patagonia for 10 days in early February and visit Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares (Fitzroy) for day hiking and of course, photographic purposes. I expect to take my Nikon D100 (1.5 focal length magnification factor) and expect to be taking landscapes as well as other typical tourist photos. I am not expecting to be shooting birds (or the like) or to be doing macro work.

My questions are about lenses and what to carry? I own a 24-85 and have considered buying the 12-24. While I also own a 70-300, it is heavier and keeping my pack light (it will already have 3 liters of water, a tripod and other hiking gear in it) is my preference. I also am considering bringing the Galen Rowell type graduated ND filters. My sages, what are your thoughts about focal length and related needs for landscapes?

Here are some other non-photographic questions (so as not to �pollute� this forum with non-photographic issues please feel free to respond to me directly at Michael_Brochstein@MABsystems.com);

1. I was thinking of renting a cellphone for use in both Chile and Argentina but I gather that coverage is very spotty. Is this true? What can I expect in coverage and is it worth renting a cellphone at all or should I be looking at satellite phone rentals?

2. Any suggestions for rental car agencies that rent cars that can be taken across the border (Chile/Argentina) legally?

3. Any suggestions for where to stay (nicer places)?

4. Personal safety / scams; Is theft a big worry here? (I am a native New Yorker).

Thank you ahead of time for any advice offered.

Michael: From my somewhat limited experience (Torres del Paine only), I think the

focal length and filter advice from Alejandro is spot-on, but with the D100 I would

highly recommend the 12-24 lens. You are likely to find some sweeping landscapes

that (I think) beg for a 20 mm lens (full-frame equivalent).

I haven't visited recently enough to give good advice on your other questions.

If weight becomes prohibitive, Louie, you may want to consider the just announced new

Olympus SP-550 UZ Ultra Zoom. With 18x (yes! 18 times!) optical zoom lens (28-504mm

equivalent in 35mm), macro (as close as 1cm), and RAW, and Dual Image Stabilization. All

in one package. No dust issues. Half the weight of a dSLR system. Seems perfect for hiking

in places like Torres del Paine.

Never forget at what altitude you are!

Have fun!