Lens rental recommendation for an Alaska brown bear photo workshop

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KimH said:
Thanks for your comments. I appreciate it. We will be in the Haines area. I think I will end up with the 600mm 6.3 and perhaps I'll rent the z100-400mm too. If I don't rent the 100-400mm, I may just end up taking my 70-200mm. I do have the z2.0 TC.
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Not sure what you use for software to process images. Recent noise reduction software can do a lot to improve an image if you need to use high ISO, due to low light and to stop subject motion.

I tend to use DxO Photolab Elite (now version 7) or Pure Raw (version 3, but I see that a new version 4 just came out) to reduce the noise in higher ISO images. It tends to work quite well. Sometimes I use the AI noise reduction that is now part of Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom. It's pretty good too. Depending on the image (in ways I have not figured out), sometimes one approach can be better than the other. I also find it useful to vary the level of reduction and/or sharpening applied using sliders or settings. I have also used Topaz AI products for noise redction and sharpening.

This type of software has made me more comfortable with higher ISOs, when needed, than I used to be. Shooting a Z9 and Z8 these days.
 
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BillW said:
Not sure what you use for software to process images. Recent noise reduction software can do a lot to improve an image if you need to use high ISO, due to low light and to stop subject motion.

I tend to use DxO Photolab Elite (now version 7) or Pure Raw (version 3, but I see that a new version 4 just came out) to reduce the noise in higher ISO images. It tends to work quite well. Sometimes I use the AI noise reduction that is now part of Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom. It's pretty good too. Depending on the image (in ways I have not figured out), sometimes one approach can be better than the other. I also find it useful to vary the level of reduction and/or sharpening applied using sliders or settings. I have also used Topaz AI products for noise redction and sharpening.

This type of software has made me more comfortable with higher ISOs, when needed, than I used to be. Shooting a Z9 and Z8 these days.
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Thanks for your comment. I photograph college basketball and have to shoot at high ISOs. Topaz Denoise handles it pretty well or I've started using LR's denoise.
 
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KimH said:
Thanks for your comment. I photograph college basketball and have to shoot at high ISOs. Topaz Denoise handles it pretty well or I've started using LR's denoise.
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I believe you will be just fine with the 600. It is very sharp and with noise reduction you should come back with great images. The 100-400 will also produce great images.
 
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KimH said:
wow this is amazing. I am guessing this is very near the area where we will be. Thanks so much for sharing the photo and your input on lenses.
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Your welcome! If you look at the photos before and after this on my Flickr album, you can see the "scene" there. There is a weir across the river which makes the salmon go single file through so that someone above can count the number of the different salmon (this determines which fish can be caught and kept). The cubs went right over the bridge next to the worker while mama was down below in the river throwing salmon up to the cubs:
https://flic.kr/p/2akZfzj

The bald eagles would also catch the salmon as they lined up to go upstream. We saw one bald eagle catch a salmon that was so big he couldn't lift off. So he dragged it to the other side of the river. Just as he started to eat the salmon, mama bear smelled the salmon and went with the cubs following and stole the salmon away from the bald eagle. Wish I had my Z8 so I could have gotten some video!

https://flic.kr/p/27EuLY1

It is a fun place to visit! Have a great time.
 
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KimH said:
Thanks. I was emailing back and forth with him before signing up for the workshop and this is what he said: "Lens wise yes you do need at least 500mm f4 lens... august and September are considered wet months in Alaska so it will be cloudy and not enough light. I use 600mm F4 canon with tripod because it's heavy." He then went on to say this after some more back and forth about the weight of the lens: " Lighter lens options, you could go with 600mm F6.3. Its ok but not the perfect aperture because the bears are mostly active early morning and light won't be enough for that lens. For BEST results I recommend renting a 600mm F4 or 400mm 2.8 with a 1.5x converter. But they're heavy lenses. Sturdy tripod is a must if you decide to go with those 2 big lenses."
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Do you have a clear idea of exactly where you’re going, and what the shooting situation will be? If Katmai or Lake Clark on foot, then it’s hard for me to imagine wanting or needing a 600mm. If elsewhere, then maybe. Perhaps your guide is ultra cautious when leading his students and keeps greater distance (and therefore you‘ll need greater reach), but last summer I was almost never far enough away to warrant more than a 500mm, and often was in the 100mm range. If ultimately you decide that you want or need the longer focal lengths, then perhaps a 500mm or 600mm PF would work for you, since they’re both relatively lightweight.

Here‘s a shot I took at Katmai last summer from about 75’ away with a 70-200 f2.8, and this wasn’t even as close as I sometimes got!

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wow, that's amazing. We will be in Haines and from what I gather, we may be shooting them from quite a distance at times (across the river.) I'm going to plan to take 2 camera bodies. I think I've decided on the 600mm 6.3 and I'll take a shorter zoom (still deciding on this one.) That way I'll have 2 cameras ready to use based upon the distance of the bears.
 
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KimH said:
wow, that's amazing. We will be in Haines and from what I gather, we may be shooting them from quite a distance at times (across the river.) I'm going to plan to take 2 camera bodies. I think I've decided on the 600mm 6.3 and I'll take a shorter zoom (still deciding on this one.) That way I'll have 2 cameras ready to use based upon the distance of the bears.
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That sounds like a good plan. I was looking over some photos I took in Katmai in July, 2021. There was a large range of distances to the bears I photographed. Some were close and I used 200 mm to 300 mm. Some were farther away and I used my 500 m PF -- some of those were cropped, so the 600 mm PF would have been great. For example bears on the other side of a river. Or a mother bear nursing her cubs on the other side of the river and up the river bank. There were also times when I wanted more of the scene in my photo, rather than a portrait shot of a bear (I wanted those too), and I used a shorter focal length.
 
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BillW said:
That sounds like a good plan. I was looking over some photos I took in Katmai in July, 2021. There was a large range of distances to the bears I photographed. Some were close and I used 200 mm to 300 mm. Some were farther away and I used my 500 m PF -- some of those were cropped, so the 600 mm PF would have been great. For example bears on the other side of a river. Or a mother bear nursing her cubs on the other side of the river and up the river bank. There were also times when I wanted more of the scene in my photo, rather than a portrait shot of a bear (I wanted those too), and I used a shorter focal length.
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Since one would want a back-up camera anyway for such trips, having a longer lens on one and shorter on the other makes sense. And if something goes wrong with one camera, one has a spare. The 600mm PF is perfect because of its light weight, the shorter could be the 70-200mm f/2.8 or the 100-400mm.
 
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I went to Lake Clark a few years ago and the longest lens I took was a 300 f2.8. I could have used a 500, but I was ok with 300. This sow had two cubs, and they approached us so the sow walked three feet in front of me, and one of the cubs sat at my feet like a puppy! No shots of that- we stood completely still, and they were much too close for anything longer than a phone camera!!
 
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I've been to Alaska several times, three times to photograph bears. This was before mirrorless so I was shooting two D850s, one with the 400 f2.8 and most of the time the 1.4x teleconverter on a tripod with a sidekick mount and my other D850 had the 200-500 carried on a Spyder belt clip system. I agree that 600mm is a good focal length, but on my trips there were frequent occasions where 600 was too much, thus the 200-500. People on my trips shot the 600 f4, 500 f4, Tamron 150-600, Sigma 150-600 Sport, and another 400 f2.8. If going today I would likely have the 400 f2.8 with 1.4x on my Z8 and the 100-400 on my Z7.

Here is a link to my photos.

markburgess.zenfolio.com

Katmai Bears 2020

Mark Burgess Photography
markburgess.zenfolio.com
 
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MarkB said:
I've been to Alaska several times, three times to photograph bears. This was before mirrorless so I was shooting two D850s, one with the 400 f2.8 and most of the time the 1.4x teleconverter on a tripod with a sidekick mount and my other D850 had the 200-500 carried on a Spyder belt clip system. I agree that 600mm is a good focal length, but on my trips there were frequent occasions where 600 was too much, thus the 200-500. People on my trips shot the 600 f4, 500 f4, Tamron 150-600, Sigma 150-600 Sport, and another 400 f2.8. If going today I would likely have the 400 f2.8 with 1.4x on my Z8 and the 100-400 on my Z7.

Here is a link to my photos.

markburgess.zenfolio.com

Katmai Bears 2020

Mark Burgess Photography
markburgess.zenfolio.com
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wow, your bear photos! We will be in Haines, not Katmai so I think there is a chance we will be far away at times. I think I'm going to rent a 600mm 6.3 and take my 70-200mm with TC or perhaps rent the 100-400mm too.
 
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What body are you shooting with? Just buy the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary lens. I use it for wildlife all the time on both DSLRs (D5) and on my Z9. You will be come very frustrated with a fixed focal range and much better off with a zoom. If you have a new body it should handle low light fine no need for an F 4. You really should consider having a second body with say a 24-120mm. You will be surprised at how close you get to the Bears and will use the wider lens alot
 
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KimH said:
wow, your bear photos! We will be in Haines, not Katmai so I think there is a chance we will be far away at times. I think I'm going to rent a 600mm 6.3 and take my 70-200mm with TC or perhaps rent the 100-400mm too.
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70-200 and a 600 leaves a lot of missing focal lengths. Get the sigma 150-600 or new nikon 200-600. Skip the teleconverter route. Take 2 bodies
 
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It's been several years since I photographed bears in Alaska. I got the best pix on my first trip, though, with a couple of D2Xs and the 200-400 f/4! At 20x30, they still look superb, so any current camera is going to do a much better job. Pay attention to the tripod's weight, which will be the most cumbersome thing you carry! I'd worry less about the aperture and just shoot at a higher ISO. Software will do the rest. If it were me, I'd take the 100-400 and a teleconverter or two. More importantly, I'd have a second body with the 24-120. My most valued keepers were shot with shorter lenses. Alternatively, you take all the heavy equipment you can borrow, rent, or steal and a teenage boy to carry all of it! Incidentally, I found it easier to send a duffel bag with most of my clothing and non-fragile gear, like tripod and monopod, ahead by FedX.
 
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KimH said:
wow, your bear photos! We will be in Haines, not Katmai so I think there is a chance we will be far away at times. I think I'm going to rent a 600mm 6.3 and take my 70-200mm with TC or perhaps rent the 100-400mm too.
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Having been to Haines, Katmai, Lake Clark and Kodiak to shoot brown bears, I would say that Haines is very different. Most of the time you are shooting at a distance, across the river. In Haines (unlike the others) it is very rare that they come on the side where all the people are. In fact, when someone next to me yelled they are coming, I assumed he meant on the other side of the River where I had seen them the day before. We were both shocked to see them heading straight towards us, I was told this was quite rare there. In the other places, the bears often are very, very close. So listen to your guide, a 600mm (and for weight, the PF) will be perfect most of the time. And the 100-400mm for the bald eagles catching fish.
 
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rloeb said:
It's been several years since I photographed bears in Alaska. I got the best pix on my first trip, though, with a couple of D2Xs and the 200-400 f/4! At 20x30, they still look superb, so any current camera is going to do a much better job. Pay attention to the tripod's weight, which will be the most cumbersome thing you carry! I'd worry less about the aperture and just shoot at a higher ISO. Software will do the rest. If it were me, I'd take the 100-400 and a teleconverter or two. More importantly, I'd have a second body with the 24-120. My most valued keepers were shot with shorter lenses. Alternatively, you take all the heavy equipment you can borrow, rent, or steal and a teenage boy to carry all of it! Incidentally, I found it easier to send a duffel bag with most of my clothing and non-fragile gear, like tripod and monopod, ahead by FedX.
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I really want to hire a sherpa ha! That thought has crossed my mind. I am looking at sending my rented gear directly to Alaska but that does make me a bit nervous in case of delays / errors in shipping.
 
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KimH said:
I really want to hire a sherpa ha! That thought has crossed my mind. I am looking at sending my rented gear directly to Alaska but that does make me a bit nervous in case of delays / errors in shipping.
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yah, i would 1) see if i could find anywhere that rents within driving distance and pick it up, or 2) have it arrive several days in advance. also watch the tracking when it’s shipped and CALL (as in telephone) the rental company immediately if it seems like something is going wrong
 
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John Navitsky said:
yah, i would 1) see if i could find anywhere that rents within driving distance and pick it up, or 2) have it arrive several days in advance. also watch the tracking when it’s shipped and CALL (as in telephone) the rental company immediately if it seems like something is going wrong
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We are arriving Alaska 3 days before the workshop so I do have time if there is a problem.
 
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KimH said:
We are arriving Alaska 3 days before the workshop so I do have time if there is a problem.
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The main camera store in Alaska is in Anchorage and they have very little there, either for renting or buying. One trip I was having problems with my lens and bought a new one from Adorama and had it shipped to Anchorage via Fed Ex and got it the next day!
 
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ricardo00 said:
The main camera store in Alaska is in Anchorage and they have very little there, either for renting or buying. One trip I was having problems with my lens and bought a new one from Adorama and had it shipped to Anchorage via Fed Ex and got it the next day!
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I'll be in flying into/out of Juneau and there are no camera stores. Luckily I did find a Fed Ex location in Juneau (no UPS.)
 
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I have the Z 600pf which is fantastic but wouldn't the Z 180-600 on one body and say a Z 24-200 on another body be the best as a 2 lens solution? I mean the 600pf on one body and 100-400 on another then you will need a 3rd wide angle for like landscape images.
 
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ricardo00 said:
The main camera store in Alaska is in Anchorage and they have very little there, either for renting or buying. One trip I was having problems with my lens and bought a new one from Adorama and had it shipped to Anchorage via Fed Ex and got it the next day!
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For those of you following along who might transit through Anchorage some day, I’ve never had an issue with stock at Stewart’s in Anchorage. Sure, they don’t carry the $10k+ lenses, but they can order them for you. I was in a few weeks ago to trade in some gear, and they had all the non-exotic Z lenses and every Z camera in stock with the exception of the 180-600. And looking at their rental gear, it looks like you could get a 180-600 or the Tamron 150-500, which are both pretty useful up here. The staff is great, and if you go in during the high season you almost always will see a tourist stopping in to pick up rental gear or to ask for help with a camera they brought but don’t actually know how to use. For a niche specialty store in an out of the way state with a total population less than many US cities, I think they punch way above their weight.
 
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