Long Lens for Bear Photography at Katmai National Park

[matthew_green]

I will be going to Katmai NP in June of 2002 where I will be staying

for 2 weeks near Hallobay. I am wondering if anyone has been there

and if so what type of big glass should I bring? I don't want to take

a 600 and a 400, so I am wondering which would be better for this

area and the bears there? I hope that you all can help me.

 

Matt

MGreen1179@aol.com

<P>

<B>Obviously everybody is welcome to contribute to this thread, but it is better for those who have actually been there to provide some first-hand information. Moreover, there are frequently pros and cons. It would be helpful to provide some reasonings behind your suggestions. -- SC</B>

[lee_shively]

Your longest.

[jim_zipp]

When I went there a number of years ago I brought a 400 f3.5 lens. I served me well but for shooting at the falls I was really wishing I had a 300mm. If you want that classic shot of bears on the top of the falls with salmon in the air 400 is a bit tight. A 600 would not be much good for "most" shots at the falls in my opinion. If the choice is 400 or 600 I would go with the 400 and converters but it really depends on just what you are looking for.

Jim

[rick_b]

Get yourself a good quality fixed focal length. A 20mm would be great. Also, take along a tamron 28-200 for protection. Get in there close and get that shot guy and if the bear starts makeing trouble, throw that 28-200 at em.

[qtluong]

If you're after the classic salmon and bear shot, take a 400/2.8.

The bears are standing at different distances from you. For

those who are closest at the higher platform, a 300 to 400 will frame the whole bear and a bit of the falls and the salmon leaping. A 600

would definitively be too tight for those bears (but is

useful to photograph the more distant bears). What is really

needed is a fast lens because (a) the light is best in the evening

or overcast days (b) the salmon jump really fast and require at least 1/125. You can always put TCs on your 400 for other shots.

Tuan. <a href = "http://www.terragalleria.com/parks">Images of the

National Parks</a>

[bob_k]

I generally take a Nikon 400 f3.5 and 80-200 f2.8, along with a 1.4x TC that fits both. The 400 f3.5 is a beautifully sharp lens even with the teleconverter, and is also relatively lightweight. It's fast enough to get salmon jumping and bears fighting even with a teleconverter on overcast days, although on some occasions you might need to push to 200 on your film.

 

There are shots where the 400 is too big, but for most of the shots you'll want the 400 x 1.4x. Even that won't be long enough for some shots but a 600mm lens is a big hassle to haul all that way.

[matthew_green]

Thanks for your help. I am not going to Brooks Falls. I will be in the interior of the park, near Hallobay.It will be in the grass lands and coastal areas. I use canon equipment, and don't know if my 600mm is to long of a lens for this?

 

Matt Green

[bob_k]

If weight and size for travelling is not a problem, I don't think the 600mm is too long. I almost always have a 1.4x on my 400, and I often wish I had brought the 600mm.

 

In theory, it's usually easier to move farther away from the bears to get about the same shot. Unless you are forced to work closer than say 60 feet because of, for example, a platform right next to a feeding area, the 600mm is probably a safer bet.

 

The only reason I usually take the 400 is because my 600mm is a monster and it really inhibits my mobility, both in the field and in getting to the field. My usual kit is long zoom (80-200), medium zoom (35-70 or 28-70) and wide zoom (17-35 or 20-35) and possibly a macro lens or extension. For wildlife, I add a 400mm. A 1.4x for the 400mm and the 80-200mm is so lightweight and useful, it is a must. Along with a Gitzo 1348, Arca-swiss B1, flash equipment, filters (warming, polarizer, neutral density), and a small variety of film, I'm set for just about anything with a relatively small pack of equipment. Sometimes I will take a 400mm even for non-wildlife nature sessions. It's surprising how useful it (along with 1.4x) is for background perspective, background blur, and getting tighter shots of just about anything.

 

A couple trips to a local zoo or wildlife park during the early morning might be useful to choose your equipment and to practice with things like focusing, filters, flash, setup, etc.

[jay_horton]

Question: Why would anyone even OWN a 600mm lens, if they felt it was too inconvenient an optic to bring with them to Alaska? I'm serious. What do you use it for? Shooting from your car, or office window?

 

I would take your 600 and leave the 400. I would figure out some other stuff I could live without, ( Like overweight zooms, etc.) I would bring the 600, 300 f4, 50 macro, a wide angle prime and 100 macro. On bear shooting days, I would carry the 50, 300 & 600. and two TC's. You will miss a lot of great bear shots on the tundra if your longest lens is 400. Trust me, those bears in the open are not like the ones who are feeding on salmon, they will not sit there as you approach.

 

If you DO decide to leave the 600 at home, kindly post your address, and it would be helpful if you could leave the backdoor open. ( Only kidding, of course.)

[qtluong]

If you're not going to be at Brooks, take the 600. The two reasons

for which I recommended the 400 don't stand anywhere else.

[tom_walker1]

Matthew:

 

Obviously most people did not read your question. I am assuming you are travelling on one of the boats, MV Waters, or the MV Coastal Explorer (my favorite.) Over several trips to Halo Bay - especially in spring, I used two lenses, my 600mm and 35-70. Also the 1.4X is a must since the park service is now stationing rangers out there and they are enforcing distance regulations. Also, females with small cubs tend to be a little shy. YOU WANT ALL THE MAGNIFICATION YOU CAN GET. The glory of Halo Bay is the magnificent backgrounds - glaciers, volcanos and snow-capped mountains, hence the small zoom for environmental/bear images. Take a graduated neutral density filter to keep the range of white to green at acceptable levels. As for personal gear, raincoat and hipboots should be standard gear. You'll have a grand time but if on one of the boats I know you'll be paying big bucks for the trip so take lots of film.

 

By the way this summer wolves and foxes were seen out there. GOOD LUCK!

 

Tom Walker

[ligia_dovale_kiamco]

Matthew,

 

If you do not want to bring the 600mm lens with you, the 300mm f/2.8 is another option providing that you also bring with you the 1.4X and the 2X teleconverters. That is what I did when I left behind the heavier 500mm f/4. That combination worked at Katmai N.P. Here, the bears are fairly close to the platforms, sometimes too close, in which case you would also need to bring a short telephoto lens in the range of the 80-200mm plus a wide angle lens. However, you might be missing lots of good shots around Hallobay unless that you bring the heavy stuff with you. Good luck!

 

Ligia Dovale-Kiamco