What gear for cruise

[Poider]

My wife and I are going on a Cruise from Australia to New Zealand, we are both avid photographers.
I have a Nikon D7000 with Nikon 18-300mm, Nikon 18-105mm, Nikon 50mm, Sigma 10-20mm, Sigma 150-500 and Tamron 90mm.
What would you take?
Peter

[Donald]

Looks like you've got stuff there that covers you from 10mm up to 500mm. Is there a weight or space problem? If not, cover your range of length. I don't know anything about your lenses other than reviews I've read about the Sigma 10-20.

[Glenn NK]

When we cruised to Hawaii and back two years ago, I took every piece of equipment I had - that's why I have it - to use it.

If you don't take something (where there is no weight/space limits) then there must be something you don't use and need, and you might as well sell it.

[Black Pearl]

Assuming theres no weight restriction I'd take the lot - though the 18-105mm is covered within the 18-300mm so that might stay at home.....oh and I'd take my iPhone.

[IzzieK]

I just passed through customs a while ago -- Australia has restrictions on carry ons but they ignore your camera gears if it is separated as another carry on. I will bring all of the gears you have so you do not be sorry ... I always do bring extras in my carry-on just in case. I just chuck everything else in my check in luggage.

[JR1]

all of them why not

[Manfred M]

I generally limit myself to a maximum of three lenses when I go on a trip. I tend to have a good idea as to the type of shooting I will do and carrying equipment that I will not end up using is not something I like doing. I suspect that you will hit just about any shooting situation you are going to come up against if you stick with the 18-300mm and the 10-20mm lenses. Carrying the other glass is going to be a bit redundant.

As for the Sigma 150 -500mm, that's really something I tend to reserve for shooting wildlife; perhaps not that common of an activity on most cruises. That being said, one of our friends used that lens a lot, but he was on a cruise up in the Arctic, and a long lens was needed for the wildlife shots he got.

[jcuknz]

To travel happy is to travel light ... one camera and one lens.
Along with medication, change of underwear [ after accident following Air NZ serving beans for breakies returning from the States] toothbrush etc in a small 'schoolbag' style which makes plenty of room in the locker for the abusers of the carry-on rules.
Perhaps I have been a photographer too long

[wilgk]

Indeed, less is more particularly if going ashore on day trips, lugging too much around may be problematic... (Although with 2 of you carrying, it might be easier, hoping you have a camera body each? However having said that, often when you don't have the gear of choice with you, nature puts a great sight in front of you...Murphy was an Irishman..with an iPhone

[lenelg]

Much depends on whether you have any special photo interests you want to pursue. For general travel photography I would limit myself to the Sigma 10-20 mm (have, love it!) and the Nikon 18-300 mm. The Sigma 150-500's added range does not add that much to the Nikon´s 300mm, and it is a pain to lug around at 2 kg. I have it but I only bring it around for wildlife, and to benefit from the extra range I really need to carry a heavy tripod and a gimbal head as well. One thing you should consider is a second camera body for backup (I use an older Nikon D3100 for that).

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Peter,

a Cruise from Australia to New Zealand

I am wondering if there is a return flight involved in the trip?
So weight/bulk limitations may well be necessary.

If so, and I were doing the trip, I'd take the UWA Sigma (10-20mm), the Nikon 18-300mm and perhaps the 50mm prime for wide aperture use.

A second body is a wise idea, on which I might leave the UWA lens semi-permanently, although I guess you do have your wife's camera with you too - not that I'm suggesting you commandeer it should yours fail.

If the shore excursions promised significant wildlife opportunities and weight is not an issue, I might consider the 150-500mm and possibly the Tamron 90mm (if macro shooting is on the cards).

Two more thoughts; are a tripod and/or flash available?

Have a great trip, Dave

[rpcrowe]

Actually, I would have preferred not taking any gear at all for my cruise from Venice to Croatia and the Greek Islands. That is simply because I would have preferred not taking the cruise at all.

I would actually prefer to have another root canal done at the dentist than to take another cruise.

I did enjoy the four days I spent in Venice prior to boarding the ship as well as the four days I spent in Istanbul after the cruise was over. In fact I would have preferred not taking the cruise at all and spending the entire time (and money) in Istanbul. That turned out to be one of my favorite cities in the world.

Here are a few reasons that I dislike cruises...

Crowds of people everywhere except when I was in my stateroom. Dubrovnik Croatia is an example... This is a beautiful town of about 40,000 inhabitants. However, the town just cannot accommodate the 20,000 tourists disgorged each day from the cruise ships that docked there.

Athens was just about the only port stop that was not deluged with sun burned tourists from the cruise ships.

The shore trips were between about 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, just about the worst time to photograph.

Speaking about mases of humanity,,,



BTW: If Internet access had not been so terribly expensive, I'd have stayed in my stateroom, 24/7, except for meals, to avoid the crowds... However, Internet access was very expensive...

OTOH: The food was pretty good in the dining room and was fair to middling at the buffet. Typical buffet fare, nothing at all to brag about!

I don't drink but, from comments that I heard, the drinks were pretty well watered down.

[wtlwdwgn]

I subscribe to the less weight is more theory. You can test this out by loading all of that gear as you would on the cruise and then take a long walk around town. You won't be able to cover every eventuality in any case. If the 50 is an f/1.8 I'd bring it to use indoors. Otherwise just the 10-20 and 18-300. And extra SD cards. And batteries. Besides, if the weight becomes too much for you just have your (ex)wife carry it for you!

[William W]

My wife and I are going on a Cruise from Australia to New Zealand, we are both avid photographers.

I have a Nikon D7000 with Nikon 18-300mm, Nikon 18-105mm, Nikon 50mm, Sigma 10-20mm, Sigma 150-500 and Tamron 90mm.

What would you take?

Depends.

1. What gear does your wife have?

2. And where to you plan going and doing, when (if) you dock?

WW

[Poider]

we will be doing a couple of arranged escursions and a couple of town walks, both my wife and I are taking separate photos, as for what we are photographing, we just like to take whatever grabs our eyes, then when we get home the kids will judge on our photos to see who took the better photos.
My wife only uses a Nikon D3100 and a tamron 18-270mm
I have a flash SB910 and a decent tripod
Peter

[gregj1763]

Take the lot if you can but if your worried about lugging all your gear in an Easterly direction I would think about what the lenses are used for.
I assume the Tamron 90mm is a macro? if so unlikely to be taking macro shots on a cruise.
The Sigma 150 - 500mm, I just bought one , love it for wildlife but its a big heavy bugger and as far as i know in NZ there is nothing that will eat you if you get too close so it could stay at home?
The Nikon 18-105 is covered by the 18-300 in focal range so it could stay home.
So that leaves the 18-300mm, the 50mm and the 10-20mm.
They would be my choice, you have a good time and look forward to seeing the photo's when you return, when do you leave?
Cheers, Greg

[jcuknz]

Further on the 'light is right' I would suggest that on a cruise surrounded by people you will have most fun with a quality cellphone as Kay showed us in #9 or Richard in #12 [ though I guess he used a DSLR ? ] The trouble wuth the cellphone is its wide angle lens and reach can be very useful when hemmed in by a crowd of other button pushers so I would suggest leaving all the DSLR junk at home [ excellent as it is for general photography ] and get yourself a long super zoom bridge camera for the trip.

The final crunch point is 'what will you do with the results? Make 20x16 prints for the wall or camera club? or perhaps max 10x8s or a AV show where the current 'standard' here in NZ is around 1620 pixels across by 1080 high and a less than 1mp file size. A DSLR and a bag of lenses is the last thing I would take ... I'm not a masochist

[William W]

Thanks for answering.

As my base kit - I’d take the 18 to 300; the 10 to 20; and the Flash. That, with your wife’s gear gives you two levels of redundancy – one camera and one main working lens.

The extra 200mm reach gained (by taking the big bugger 150 to 500) I would hardly ever use on a cruise and a few of day trips and town walks in New Zealand – if necessary I would crop in post.

The 18 to 105 is superfluous if you have the 18 to 300.

Carrying a tripod on an holiday, if it is a worthy tripod, has whiskers on it – too much like hard work: I’d take off my jumper or shirt and make a “bean bag” support if the shot really required such a slow shutter speed as to require a tripod – even 2 or 4 second night-scapes can be done without a tripod if the support is solid – one needs practice, mirror up and a remote release – but one needs a remote release anyway, even using a tripod at those exposure times.

THEN -

The 50mm is light and small I would take it – but I would rather have something wider as a Fast Prime for use with and APS-C , but I tend to use Fast Primes more indoors than outside, your uses might be different.

I also assume the 90 is a dedicated macro lens: I would probably chuck it in the bag as macro things can be fun.

WW

Post script:

Just a clarification on a side topic – I don’t think that the Customs Department of Australia, per se, has restrictions on “carry on” for cameras (yes, maybe for monopods and tripods that could be used as a weapon).

But various AIRLINES have restriction pertaining to carry-on luggage SIZE and also WEIGHT.

With the cut-throat competition apropos air fares (thus often chock-a-block full aircraft) for many domestic links (which might be part of an international journey) many Airlines here are enforcing the size . . . and also the WEIGHT limit for carry-on luggage.

I do a lot of domestic travel and I have had the WEIGHT restriction for carry-on enforced often, in the past two years.

Maybe this information doesn’t concern this thread if there are no domestic flights are involved.

[TheBigE]

Taking a cruise in July 2014 and I have been following this thread with some interest. I think I will be going with the less is better option, as I think there will be many competing factors that will make it a less than optimal oppotunity to strech my "Camera Skills"

Factoring in the movement of the boat (on SHip Photos of Sunsets) and that most of the excursions will be in the middle of the day, when the light is the harshes, I am not sure what I will capture.

I will take my equipment, but nothing special and keep it simple with either my 35mm/1.8 or my 18-140mm Nikkor. Whatever works out, in the end the focus will be spending time with family and enjoying the cruise.

[FrankMi]

My wife and I are going on a Cruise from Australia to New Zealand, we are both avid photographers.
I have a Nikon D7000 with Nikon 18-300mm, Nikon 18-105mm, Nikon 50mm, Sigma 10-20mm, Sigma 150-500 and Tamron 90mm.
What would you take?
Peter

If the purpose of the trip is photography, then I would take whatever you can comfortably carry. For most of my trips, photography is secondary so I take a good all-around bridge camera that is light and relatively compact. If you look at the SmugMug account link in the Signature line you'll see the travel images that I get with the Canon SX-40.