Lenses for Wildlife Trip in Alaska

[MikeRegas]

Hi all - newbie here. Enjoy what I am seeing so far and look forward to many great discussions and learning some new stuff.

I have been applying for the McNeil river permit for several years now and I finally "won" a standby spot this summer. I am not going to lie I am a little disapointed it isn't a "guided" spot but they say you get to go. With all of that being said I am starting to plan for what I need to take with me and I am currently stuck on what to do about a lens. I want to purchase a new lens for the trip and I photograph youth sports mostly in Florida, with some shore birds, rocket launches and landscapes sprinkled in. I need a lightwieght zoom/telephoto, I have 300 f2.8, 150-600 tamron (which I just posted on ebay) and the trinity of lenses in those shorter focal range. With a trip like this weight is an obvious concern, which rules out the 300 almost immediately. I shoot Nikon mirrorless (z9/z6ii) and I am thinking of the 400 f4.5 or the 100-400 becasue they both weigh less than my 70-200. I am also an NPS member and will barrow a longer lens if available and was thinking about the 800 pf?

Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike

 

[Butlerkid]

Welcome to BCG! Glad you joined us!

I carry all my lenses, including the 600mm TC, and bodies in two carry on bags. My ThinkTank Airport Accelerator goes in the overhead and my computer bag (which generally includes a body or lens) goes under the seat in front of me. I try to keep the backpack to no more than 22 lbs.....since that is the max I can handle and lift into the overhead! I avoid wheeled bags since they are usually 3-5 lbs heavier....and flight attendants often single them out for gate checking. I also wear my photo vest and put as much in it as I can.

Sample gear:

2 - Z9s
600mm TC f4
100-400 mm
24-70 f2.8
1.4 tele
13" laptop and charger
3 external HDs
card reader
charger
batteries
card wallet
phone charger
Tripod, ball head and gimbal and amera rain gear in checked luggage.

On small plane, in-country flights they may place one of the carry ons in the hold of the plane. You don't need a lot of clothes and other stuff.

I have both the 400 f4.5 and the 100-400. (IMHO.....both are better options than the 500 PF f mount.....) The 400 f4.5 is great and takes both the 1.4 and 2X teles very well. However, I personally would miss having the 100-400 zoom with me. It takes the 1.4 tele very well, and even the 2X tele up to about 600mm. It is acceptable all the way to 800mm. So I would take the 100-400. If you want to hand hold, then the 800 PF is great.....IF you can handle it, have excellent technical skills, can easily spot the subject with such a narrow field of view, etc. I can't. So I would be taking tripod, gimbal and using my 600mm.

Hope that helps.

 

[DHL]

Hi all - newbie here. Enjoy what I am seeing so far and look forward to many great discussions and learning some new stuff.

I have been applying for the McNeil river permit for several years now and I finally "won" a standby spot this summer. I am not going to lie I am a little disapointed it isn't a "guided" spot but they say you get to go. With all of that being said I am starting to plan for what I need to take with me and I am currently stuck on what to do about a lens. I want to purchase a new lens for the trip and I photograph youth sports mostly in Florida, with some shore birds, rocket launches and landscapes sprinkled in. I need a lightwieght zoom/telephoto, I have 300 f2.8, 150-600 tamron (which I just posted on ebay) and the trinity of lenses in those shorter focal range. With a trip like this weight is an obvious concern, which rules out the 300 almost immediately. I shoot Nikon mirrorless (z9/z6ii) and I am thinking of the 400 f4.5 or the 100-400 becasue they both weigh less than my 70-200. I am also an NPS member and will barrow a longer lens if available and was thinking about the 800 pf?

Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike

Congratulations on winning the lottery!

I haven’t been to McNeil River but I have been to Katmai often and will be going again in June. I will take two Nikon Z9 bodies, the Z 400mm f2.8 VR TC S, Z 400mm f4.5, Z 70-200mm and Z 24-70mm f2.8 lenses, teleconverters (for birds, not for bears) a tripod and small gimbal (Jobu Jr). If you are primarily interested in the bears, a 70-200mm and 400mm should suffice, as will a 100-400mm.

I‘ve used a 300mm f2.8 in the past and wouldn’t necessarily rule it out. It’s a load but paired with a 100-400mm would give you two lenses covering the focal lengths you would want with very different looks.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[MikeRegas]

Welcome to BCG! Glad you joined us!

I carry all my lenses, including the 600mm TC, and bodies in two carry on bags. My ThinkTank Airport Accelerator goes in the overhead and my computer bag (which generally includes a body or lens) goes under the seat in front of me. I try to keep the backpack to no more than 22 lbs.....since that is the max I can handle and lift into the overhead! I avoid wheeled bags since they are usually 3-5 lbs heavier....and flight attendants often single them out for gate checking. I also wear my photo vest and put as much in it as I can.

Sample gear:

2 - Z9s
600mm TC f4
100-400 mm
24-70 f2.8
1.4 tele
13" laptop and charger
3 external HDs
card reader
charger
batteries
card wallet
phone charger
Tripod, ball head and gimbal and amera rain gear in checked luggage.

On small plane, in-country flights they may place one of the carry ons in the hold of the plane. You don't need a lot of clothes and other stuff.

I have both the 400 f4.5 and the 100-400. (IMHO.....both are better options than the 500 PF f mount.....) The 400 f4.5 is great and takes both the 1.4 and 2X teles very well. However, I personally would miss having the 100-400 zoom with me. It takes the 1.4 tele very well, and even the 2X tele up to about 600mm. It is acceptable all the way to 800mm. So I would take the 100-400. If you want to hand hold, then the 800 PF is great.....IF you can handle it, have excellent technical skills, can easily spot the subject with such a narrow field of view, etc. I can't. So I would be taking tripod, gimbal and using my 600mm.

Hope that helps.

Thank you for the tips. I am planning on carrying all my camera gear with me. I will check the camping clothes and food from Florida to Alaska, but once I get to Anchorage I am going to most like have to downsize my stuff into what I will take to McNeil due to the plane getting smaller or take a shuttle or rent a car to make it to Homer. From Homer I am flying via floatplane and in total, me and all my gear, food, etc. must weigh 270lbs. I am alone 210, which is making the weight a big concern I think. Right now food seems to be the "x" factor, I may be eating a bunch of jerky or hoping my fishing skills are up to par.
I love the idea of the 400 but I am also wanting a 400 f2.8 for sports photography in the near future, right now I don't care if it is an f mount, I can't get or afford the z mount either. So with that being said the veristility of the 100-400 sounds amazing and I already have the 1.4 tc. As long as I can barrow a 600 or 800 from Nikon, I will be set with lenses I think?

Initial gear is:
Z9 & Z6ii
14-24 or 24-70 f2.8 (maybe both)
70-200
100-400
600/800
1.4tc
2.0tc (maybe)
15inch Macbook pro
2/3 external HDs
card reader
charger
batteries (2z9/4z6ii)
card wallet (not sure total number of cards, probably 2 sets for each body)
GoalZero Sherpa AC w/Nomad 20 Solar Panel to recharge and power everything
RavPower PD 20000mAh 60W Power Bank
Tripod, ball head and gimbal

I am still working through everything else I will need but for now I am under weight and not taking f glass with me will significantly reduce the overall weight

If you or anyone else has any suggested packing list I would love to see them.
Thank you again.

 

[Butlerkid]

Thank you for the tips. I am planning on carrying all my camera gear with me. I will check the camping clothes and food from Florida to Alaska, but once I get to Anchorage I am going to most like have to downsize my stuff into what I will take to McNeil due to the plane getting smaller or take a shuttle or rent a car to make it to Homer. From Homer I am flying via floatplane and in total, me and all my gear, food, etc. must weigh 270lbs. I am alone 210, which is making the weight a big concern I think. Right now food seems to be the "x" factor, I may be eating a bunch of jerky or hoping my fishing skills are up to par.
I love the idea of the 400 but I am also wanting a 400 f2.8 for sports photography in the near future, right now I don't care if it is an f mount, I can't get or afford the z mount either. So with that being said the veristility of the 100-400 sounds amazing and I already have the 1.4 tc. As long as I can barrow a 600 or 800 from Nikon, I will be set with lenses I think?

Initial gear is:
Z9 & Z6ii
14-24 or 24-70 f2.8 (maybe both)
70-200
100-400
600/800
1.4tc
2.0tc (maybe)
15inch Macbook pro
2/3 external HDs
card reader
charger
batteries (2z9/4z6ii)
card wallet (not sure total number of cards, probably 2 sets for each body)
GoalZero Sherpa AC w/Nomad 20 Solar Panel to recharge and power everything
RavPower PD 20000mAh 60W Power Bank
Tripod, ball head and gimbal

I am still working through everything else I will need but for now I am under weight and not taking f glass with me will significantly reduce the overall weight

If you or anyone else has any suggested packing list I would love to see them.
Thank you again.

You don't need both the 24-70 and the 14-24. As much as I love my 14-24.....I'd take the 24-70. Need a wider view.....take 2 images with the 24-70 and make a small pano.

You don't need both the 70-200 and the 100-400. Noise reduction s/w is soooooo dang good these days, that high ISO's are very rarely a problem. Sure a lower ISO is best, but IMHO you still don't need the 70-200. I don't even own one for wildlife/architecture/travel photography and I do.

Consider THIS plate.....which allows one to use camera plates on a gimbal. Thus you don't need a ball head!

Plan on making TWO backups of your images.....then re-using the cards.

How many days will you be without power? THAT would be my biggest issue.

 

[MikeRegas]

You don't need both the 24-70 and the 14-24. As much as I love my 14-24.....I'd take the 24-70. Need a wider view.....take 2 images with the 24-70 and make a small pano.

You don't need both the 70-200 and the 100-400. Noise reduction s/w is soooooo dang good these days, that high ISO's are very rarely a problem. Sure a lower ISO is best, but IMHO you still don't need the 70-200. I don't even own one for wildlife/architecture/travel photography and I do.

Consider THIS plate.....which allows one to use camera plates on a gimbal. Thus you don't need a ball head!

Plan on making TWO backups of your images.....then re-using the cards.

How many days will you be without power? THAT would be my biggest issue.

I was considering those points on both sets the 14-24 and 70-200 and yes noise reduction is great and the new update to LR looks amazing, I haven't tried it yet but plan on doing it tonight from some images I took of a middle school track meet yesterday evening.

the wimberly thing is great. I am going to order one now

I was leaning towards that back up plan but I did want a back-up card or two just in case.

I will be going off the GoalZero for a minimum of 4 full days, so the solar recharge is critical.

 

[Anjin San]

Hi all - newbie here. Enjoy what I am seeing so far and look forward to many great discussions and learning some new stuff.

I have been applying for the McNeil river permit for several years now and I finally "won" a standby spot this summer. I am not going to lie I am a little disapointed it isn't a "guided" spot but they say you get to go. With all of that being said I am starting to plan for what I need to take with me and I am currently stuck on what to do about a lens. I want to purchase a new lens for the trip and I photograph youth sports mostly in Florida, with some shore birds, rocket launches and landscapes sprinkled in. I need a lightwieght zoom/telephoto, I have 300 f2.8, 150-600 tamron (which I just posted on ebay) and the trinity of lenses in those shorter focal range. With a trip like this weight is an obvious concern, which rules out the 300 almost immediately. I shoot Nikon mirrorless (z9/z6ii) and I am thinking of the 400 f4.5 or the 100-400 becasue they both weigh less than my 70-200. I am also an NPS member and will barrow a longer lens if available and was thinking about the 800 pf?

Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike

Like Butlerkid says…just got my 400/4.5 to replace the 500PF yesterday and it is great with both TCs. Take 2 bodies…for me it would be the Z9 and Z7II, the 400, 10p-400, TCs and then the 24-70/f4. Of space or weight allows I would toss in the 14-30 as well…and I would take my lighter travel tripod rather than my big Induro with the FlexShooter Pro for weight. Anything long length would most likely be handheld but the light tripod would be fine for landscapes or Aurora Borealis or whatever. Weight probably knocks the 800PF out and realistically the 400 with the TC is pretty darned good amd I’m not really interested in the weight of the 800 anyway.

I live down here in SW FL myself…and although the 800 would occasionally be nice, the birds here are pretty habituated and my 500PF was mostly enough reach with moderate cropping, and the 400 is 560 or 800 with the TC on…and while I haven’t shot it a lot yet obviously all reviews say the 1.4 offers no noticeable IQ loss and my brief test today agrees with that.

 

[lpphototx]

Congratulations on winning the lottery. I won in 2019 and it is a fantastic experience. I've tried the last 2 years and will continue into the future.

My experience was that you need your longest lens. I carried a Nikon 180-400 f4 with built-in TC as my long lens and a D5 and D500 body. Looking at my keeper shots; 80% were taken with the D500, and about 85% were taken with the TC engaged on the lens (field of view between 375-825mm). (The weather was very good, so I wasn't fighting high ISO with the D500.) I also carried a 70-200f4 and 24-120. Both got some use- more for landscape and camp scenes than bears. I agree that you don't need a 14-24.

I did not carry a laptop and didn't see any while I was at camp. I wasn't comfortable with just memory cards, but could not come up with a good back-up process without the laptop. ( Battery life is much better now, so I might bring one now). I shot dual cards and kept them separate until we got back to Homer and loaded them onto my laptop.

I relied on a lot of dehydrated backpackers food, but some people had coolers and fresh food with them.

I flew in with Northwind Aviation out of Homer. The weight limit is not a true limit- you pay extra if your total weight is over 270 pounds. I ended up going over by 10-15 pounds.

 

[Calson]

Add a 2x teleconverter to the 70-200mm f/2.8 that you own. For Alaska and bears the number you will see in any one area depends a lot on when the salmon run occurs and it varies by river and time of year.

Much easier to go to Brooks and rent one of the cabins and fly to King Salmon airport from Anchorage. Alternately one can hire a float plane that flies out of Anchorage and go to wherever the bears can be found at that time of the year.

At the McNeil river a tripod and shooting images to later combine in to a panorama is worth considering. I have a print that is 9 x 33 inches taken with a Fuji G617 film camera. Much better to stitch a series of shots taken with a medium tele while rotating the camera between shots than to have the perspective distortion from using a wide angle lens.

 

[Butlerkid]

I was considering those points on both sets the 14-24 and 70-200 and yes noise reduction is great and the new update to LR looks amazing, I haven't tried it yet but plan on doing it tonight from some images I took of a middle school track meet yesterday evening.

the wimberly thing is great. I am going to order one now

I was leaning towards that back up plan but I did want a back-up card or two just in case.

I will be going off the GoalZero for a minimum of 4 full days, so the solar recharge is critical.

While I'm sure you wouldn't want to do it, switching to DX or even jpg at the end of the trip might allow you to maximize the remaining space on a card......if needed! LOL! Thankfully, I've not had to do that.

 

[eaj101]

I haven't been to McNeil, despite having applied for years, but... other bear photography experiences say you need two lenses, a long prime and a semi-long zoom (100-400?). I agree with the people who are saying you'll only need one wide lens, and 24mm is probably wide enough. If you need wider you can stitch two frames together. And you're never going to get close enough to a brown bear to use an ultra wide Wait... this is McNeil... you *might*

 

[MikeRegas]

While I'm sure you wouldn't want to do it, switching to DX or even jpg at the end of the trip might allow you to maximize the remaining space on a card......if needed! LOL! Thankfully, I've not had to do that.

nope I am not going to do that for sure! I think I will be able to get my laptop and some SSDs there so it shouldn't be an issue.
I really am struggling with what lens to take in general now.
24-70, 100-400, 800 maybe with a teleconverter or two?
I can see that being the most versatile setup I can have with me. it would cover roughly from 24mm all the way to 1600mm. That would be 3 lenses on 2 bodies and would significantly lighten my load not taking the 14-24 or 70-200, although I may throw in my 20mm 1.8 just incase the aurora show up
sleeping and clothing should roughly weigh about 15-18lbs, food will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10lbs, I weigh 208 today so that should leave me roughly 34 lbs for camera gear and whatever else I haven't accounted for.
Regardless I am looking forward to it.

 

[jcgamble]

I went to Alaska with TT Mindshift 26 L with a Z9, Z6 II, Z 24-70 f4 S, Z 100-400 f4.5-5.6 S and a 500 f5.6 pf. Photographed Kodiak bears far and near and all kinds of mammals and birds. Those lens covered all of my needs in a fairly lightweight package. Love the versatility of the 100-400.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Hi all - newbie here. Enjoy what I am seeing so far and look forward to many great discussions and learning some new stuff.

I have been applying for the McNeil river permit for several years now and I finally "won" a standby spot this summer. I am not going to lie I am a little disapointed it isn't a "guided" spot but they say you get to go. With all of that being said I am starting to plan for what I need to take with me and I am currently stuck on what to do about a lens. I want to purchase a new lens for the trip and I photograph youth sports mostly in Florida, with some shore birds, rocket launches and landscapes sprinkled in. I need a lightwieght zoom/telephoto, I have 300 f2.8, 150-600 tamron (which I just posted on ebay) and the trinity of lenses in those shorter focal range. With a trip like this weight is an obvious concern, which rules out the 300 almost immediately. I shoot Nikon mirrorless (z9/z6ii) and I am thinking of the 400 f4.5 or the 100-400 becasue they both weigh less than my 70-200. I am also an NPS member and will barrow a longer lens if available and was thinking about the 800 pf?

Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike

For shooting at the viewing area 500/600mm is plenty of lens. Many people are happy with 400. Yes there will be a lot of stuff going on farther away but there will be plenty going on closer as well. BUT.... since you drew standby you will likely spend a day or two in camp, possibly the whole time. And for the time in camp the 800mm would be useful. You'll see bears there but usually farther away. We all shoot differently so beyond what I've already said I don't have much to add about which lenses to take.

...I may throw in my 20mm 1.8 just incase the aurora show up

You didn't mention when you'll be there. If June or July you can forget about the aurora. It doesn't get dark enough. Might be a good idea to spend a few minutes with an online sun position calculator to get an idea of sun levels/angles you'll be dealing with. If you've never been in high latitudes it'll be different.

Also I didn't read every post above but you better make room for raingear for both you and the camera gear. And not the $5 emergency plastic sleeves. Something that can stand up to rain/wind all day. And bug dope. Or head net and gloves. Plus bug dope. If necessary you can leave out a couple of packs of ramen noodles and use the weight for... bug dope.

 

[MikeRegas]

You didn't mention when you'll be there. If June or July you can forget about the aurora. It doesn't get dark enough. Might be a good idea to spend a few minutes with an online sun position calculator to get an idea of sun levels/angles you'll be dealing with. If you've never been in high latitudes it'll be different.

I drew the last Permit of the season, I will be there Aug 20- 23. The sunrise calculator says last light on Aug 20, is 10:41 first light is 6:04am

Also I didn't read every post above but you better make room for raingear for both you and the camera gear. And not the $5 emergency plastic sleeves. Something that can stand up to rain/wind all day. And bug dope. Or head net and gloves. Plus bug dope. If necessary you can leave out a couple of packs of ramen noodles and use the weight for... bug dope.

I have rain gear for both myself and gear, being from Florida, we get rain and wind, it is just a bit warmer than up there. I didn't think of the head net, but I will add one into the list. I live on the east coast of Florida, we get our share of bugs, mostly mosquitos, but I will definitely bring the good stuff.

 

[Butlerkid]

Regarding bug dope......it is worth mentioning that DEET will deform plastics, etc. Think watch faces, camera grips, lens barrels, etc. So be very careful not to get it on your hands and then use gear....or let over spray come in contact with important items. Picaridin (available at REI/Amazon/etc) is safe albeit not as strong as DEET. Head nets with a ring keep the net away from your nose every time you inhale................... They stay in our truck now after we drove to Alaska and back in 2010! Handy along the Eastern coast....especially Charleston on time.

 

[MikeRegas]

Regarding bug dope......it is worth mentioning that DEET will deform plastics, etc. Think watch faces, camera grips, lens barrels, etc. So be very careful not to get it on your hands and then use gear....or let over spray come in contact with important items. Picaridin (available at REI/Amazon/etc) is safe albeit not as strong as DEET. Head nets with a ring keep the net away from your nose every time you inhale................... They stay in our truck now after we drove to Alaska and back in 2010! Handy along the Eastern coast....especially Charleston on time.

I regularly visit Mosquito Lagoon here in East Central Florida, where we have a ton of mosquitos. We don't use bug nets here either, I have spent time in the Everglades as well, where they are used but I didn't use them. I always found it better to spray the brim of my hat to keep them manageable. Curious what @Butlerkid and @NorthernFocus recommend?

 

[Butlerkid]

The mosquitos are big and vicious. And the black flies are worse. My neck was riddled with large nasty sores from the black flies. My advice.....get a good head net and wear it over a cap.

I defer to the expert @NorthernFocus for all things Alaskan!

 

[NorthernFocus]

I regularly visit Mosquito Lagoon here in East Central Florida, where we have a ton of mosquitos. We don't use bug nets here either, I have spent time in the Everglades as well, where they are used but I didn't use them. I always found it better to spray the brim of my hat to keep them manageable. Curious what @Butlerkid and @NorthernFocus recommend?

August is past the worst of the mosquitoes. But still plenty of white socks(aka black flies) and gnats. As @Butlerkid said deet is hard on equipment. We use Off that's made out of a citrus product. Spritz bottle and is effective but washes off easily. Lighter color clothing also helps. Particularly if everyone else near you has dark stuff on. Even if they're not landing and biting you a hundred or so buzzing around your face and walking on your sun glasses gets old. I only wear the net in extreme conditions. It's really annoying and if the sun is out bothers my vision.

 

[NorthernFocus]

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Tomw]

Hi all - newbie here. Enjoy what I am seeing so far and look forward to many great discussions and learning some new stuff.

I have been applying for the McNeil river permit for several years now and I finally "won" a standby spot this summer. I am not going to lie I am a little disapointed it isn't a "guided" spot but they say you get to go. With all of that being said I am starting to plan for what I need to take with me and I am currently stuck on what to do about a lens. I want to purchase a new lens for the trip and I photograph youth sports mostly in Florida, with some shore birds, rocket launches and landscapes sprinkled in. I need a lightwieght zoom/telephoto, I have 300 f2.8, 150-600 tamron (which I just posted on ebay) and the trinity of lenses in those shorter focal range. With a trip like this weight is an obvious concern, which rules out the 300 almost immediately. I shoot Nikon mirrorless (z9/z6ii) and I am thinking of the 400 f4.5 or the 100-400 becasue they both weigh less than my 70-200. I am also an NPS member and will barrow a longer lens if available and was thinking about the 800 pf?

Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike

 

[wassa1957]

Welcome to BCG! Glad you joined us!

I carry all my lenses, including the 600mm TC, and bodies in two carry on bags. My ThinkTank Airport Accelerator goes in the overhead and my computer bag (which generally includes a body or lens) goes under the seat in front of me. I try to keep the backpack to no more than 22 lbs.....since that is the max I can handle and lift into the overhead! I avoid wheeled bags since they are usually 3-5 lbs heavier....and flight attendants often single them out for gate checking. I also wear my photo vest and put as much in it as I can.

Sample gear:

2 - Z9s
600mm TC f4
100-400 mm
24-70 f2.8
1.4 tele
13" laptop and charger
3 external HDs
card reader
charger
batteries
card wallet
phone charger
Tripod, ball head and gimbal and amera rain gear in checked luggage.

On small plane, in-country flights they may place one of the carry ons in the hold of the plane. You don't need a lot of clothes and other stuff.

I have both the 400 f4.5 and the 100-400. (IMHO.....both are better options than the 500 PF f mount.....) The 400 f4.5 is great and takes both the 1.4 and 2X teles very well. However, I personally would miss having the 100-400 zoom with me. It takes the 1.4 tele very well, and even the 2X tele up to about 600mm. It is acceptable all the way to 800mm. So I would take the 100-400. If you want to hand hold, then the 800 PF is great.....IF you can handle it, have excellent technical skills, can easily spot the subject with such a narrow field of view, etc. I can't. So I would be taking tripod, gimbal and using my 600mm.

Hope that helps.

I agree with the list, but only if you have it. My trip to Alaska and this week to NZ,including aurora's, have showed the need for a range.
Good advice as always.

 

[O]

Its hard isn't it LOL

For myself

Less is more
Option one 24-70, 70-200 FL, 200-500 TC 1.4III TC 1.4 III
Option two 24-70, 70-200 FL, 300 2.8VR II with tc 1.4 III

D850, Z9.

F2.8 glass wins every time especially in low light i have the MP

Only an opinion

 

[Thom S]

Hi all - newbie here. Enjoy what I am seeing so far and look forward to many great discussions and learning some new stuff.

I have been applying for the McNeil river permit for several years now and I finally "won" a standby spot this summer. I am not going to lie I am a little disapointed it isn't a "guided" spot but they say you get to go. With all of that being said I am starting to plan for what I need to take with me and I am currently stuck on what to do about a lens. I want to purchase a new lens for the trip and I photograph youth sports mostly in Florida, with some shore birds, rocket launches and landscapes sprinkled in. I need a lightwieght zoom/telephoto, I have 300 f2.8, 150-600 tamron (which I just posted on ebay) and the trinity of lenses in those shorter focal range. With a trip like this weight is an obvious concern, which rules out the 300 almost immediately. I shoot Nikon mirrorless (z9/z6ii) and I am thinking of the 400 f4.5 or the 100-400 becasue they both weigh less than my 70-200. I am also an NPS member and will barrow a longer lens if available and was thinking about the 800 pf?

Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike

Congratulations on drawing a McNeil permit, I have been there multiple times. Bush plane weight limitations are problematic. In addition to your camera gear, you need food, tent, sleeping bag, waders, and warm clothing. On several of my trips, I purchased two seats just to have additional wieght allowance for gear. Be sure to download the checklist provided by McNeil River camp. It is a great resource. At a maximum, take two cameras and two lens. The lens combinations that worked for me were 500mm f4and 100-400, You will have close encounters with bears, but the 100mm will serve you well there.

Plan to take extra food. Float planes can only land at the camp during high tide due to shallow water depth near the camp. If weather turns bad you could be staying extra days. One trip, I was in camp two extra days. Late August can have beautiful clear days. But it can also have low clouds or fog and the plane will not fly. Plan your food accordingly. I would recommend dehydrated food as it is lightweight and easy to prepare. McNeil is special - enjoy the trip!