Antarctic expedition.. any advice

[leicatiman]

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I agree with the binocular guy. Sounds like you have a small fortune in S2 gear, so you must have bought a decent pair of weatherproof Leica binoculars by now. I personally use the 12x50 BA, and love them.

 

If you're there for the wildlife, it's likely that your subjects will require a long lens and quick movement, with the exception of some scenic images from the boat. So think about a telephoto that's comfortable to use on a quick-connect monopod.

 

If you're going to shoot the people, forget anything beyond a "normal length" lens. No photo is worth the trip if you haven't gotten up-close-and-personal with your camera.

[albertknappmd]

Hello Leicatiman-

 

I do have the Leica 12x50 and intend on bringing them with us!

 

Albert :)

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[Constable]

Good luck. Have a great trip.

 

Keep the family jewels warm a well-insulated and (seriously) avoid the seabirds!

 

Show us the fotos when you get back

 

Ed

[albertknappmd]

I will watch the jewels, avoid the birds and show the JPGs upon my return...:)

[cornbarn]

I did a similar trip 5 years ago taking my R9/DMR which behaved impeccably throughout. As mentioned earlier, it really is a trip of a lifetime.

 

Just a couple thoughts which I'm sure you've already considered. I always kept a spare battery in a warm pocket, I don't recall any problems with condensation. It never got really cold but we did have to contend with a few snow falls and sometimes the wind chill out on deck (whilst whale watching) was quite severe. As you know all landings are by Zodiac and require wading ashore; our crew required us to have both hands free when entering and leaving the Zodiac so everything had to be carried in a backpack. One last thing, don't underestimate the Drake Passage - we "enjoyed" a force 11 storm on our crossing south. Not nice! Have a great time.

 

Tony

[albertknappmd]

I have done an informal survey regarding TRIPOD USAGE...

Seems that most people either did NOT bring one or did not use it if brought...

What is the Forum concensus???

 

We leave January 20 so there is still plenty of time to help me!

 

Albert :D:D

[cornbarn]

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Thinking back I don't remember much, if any, tripod use. My feeling is that it would be more of a hindrance than a help when ashore. However, a tripod could help when shooting from the ship as light levels can get pretty low even though you will get the benefit of long daylight hours. I recall going through the Lemaire Channel sometime after midnight; light was very atmospheric but not a lot of it!

 

Tony

[OlivePress]

Thinking back I don't remember much, if any, tripod use. My feeling is that it would be more of a hindrance than a help when ashore. However, a tripod could help when shooting from the ship as light levels can get pretty low even though you will get the benefit of long daylight hours. I recall going through the Lemaire Channel sometime after midnight; light was very atmospheric but not a lot of it!

 

Tony

 

Tony

 

vibration on the ship renders tripods useless.

[cornbarn]

Good point.

[albertknappmd]

I concur... tripod stays home.. will bring a bean bag as a compromise..

Albert :)

[Dougg]

What a great adventure, and exotic travel opportunity! I wish you a wonderful experience! (I'm also envious, knowing that I wouldn't do the same, having become a sufferer of motion sickness.)

[beewee]

I've shot with the M8.2, the Canon 30D and 5D2 over the past few years in a range of conditions and location so here's my experience...

 

On humidity and precipitation, the only time I've gotten my M8 really wet was when I was shooting in China. I shot with it for a few hours without much trouble in light rain and it some how survived being in my backpack (light hiking/trail running pack) while I went through a cave system with water literally pouring down on me. Everything I had was wet but the M8 still kept chugging afterwards.

 

On a seperate occasion, I had my Canon bodies mounted to a 70-200/2.8IS and 300/2.8IS w/ extenders in near freezing and very wet and windy weather on the bow of a ship in Alaska while shooting whales. The lenses were completely fine but one of the bodies (I think it was the 5D2), had some condensation on the top LCD after a few hours. The lenses and bodies were literally dripping wet but after letting them dry off, everything kept working. During my trip to Alaska on the ship, I would leave the lenses and bodies uncapped in my cabin at night so they can dry out thoroughly.

 

For cold conditions, I've taken the M8.2 down to -30C and it generally works fine but with a shorter battery life. On such cold days, I normally take 2-3 spare batteries with me if I'm out for extended periods (6-8hrs). The lenses (newer ASPH versions at least) work just fine in -30C and don't get stuck. You will notice that the shutter cocking on the M8/M8.2/M9 will be slower than normal and the LCD screen might be less responsive but everything will work fine. The shutter speed will still be accurate.

 

Regarding whales and focal lengths, as big as they are, if you're on a large ship, they will generally stay well away from the ship. When I was in Alaska, I found that even a 300/2.8 w/ a 2x extender was a little short when using the 5D2. However, I'm sure you'll be fine when shooting penguins and seals on land as you can get quite close to them. For seals and other large marine mammals on the ice floes, you can usually get quite close to them, especially with a zodiac so the 135mm should be sufficient. Of course, it also depends on your style of shooting. If you want close up portraits of animals, you can never have too long of a lens but if you're more in to environmental portraits where you want to give a sense of the environment for which an animal lives in, then a wider lens will do.

 

The key thing to any outdoor activity in remote and potentially unforgiving environment is to dress appropriately for the weather. I highly recommend anyone who spends time in the outdoors for extended periods of time to have a good layering system for their clothing. This will allow you to shed layers as you warm up from moving around and avoid sweating (which will make you cold after) but also put on extra layers if the temperature drops or you activity level goes down (i.e during lunch breaks). Over the past year, my layering system for cool weather is as follows:

 

10 to 20 degrees C:

- light underwear

- light synthetic t-shirt that will dry quickly

- thin synthetic fleece sweater (dries quickly and keeps you warm when wet)

- thin polyester blend hiking pants (also dries quickly when wet... catch the trend yet?)

- Gore-tex hardshell pants for when it rains

- Gore-tex hardshell jacket for when it rains, gets windy or chilly

 

0 to 10 degrees C:

- All the of the above but I will add either a light down sweater if the weather is good and I don't expect to get wet (check it out from Patagonia) or a softshell if things might get wet

- Add a light pair of ski gloves to keep my hands warm

 

-10 to 0 degrees C:

- All of the above and I will have both the softshell and down sweater for when I take breaks move around less

- I might also swap the light hiking pants with a pair of softshell pants which are warmer

- Add a pair of thin/medium weight mitts

 

-20 to -10 degrees C:

- All of the above but I will most definitely wear the softshell pants which are wind proof and provides some protection against blowing snow and light rain.

- Add long underwear to keep my legs warm.

- Swap the ski/glove and mitts for a heavy duty pair of warm mitts

- In such temperatures, I find it easy to keep my upper body warm with the fleece, down jacket and softshell combo.

 

As you can see, the layer system is fairly flexible and you can pick and choose different components to suit the weather conditions pretty easily. Granted, having a softshell and a down sweater would be more expensive than one thick down jacket but this option gives you more flexibility.

 

For me, I find that the Goretex hardshell jacket and pants are almost indispensible. They're expensive but I've had my jacket for over 5 years and it's still waterproof and breathable. The hardshell jackets and pants are compact enough and light enough that I usually take them everywhere I go.

Edited January 17, 2011 by beewee

[JMacD]

Why not rent the Pentax 67 400mm f4 with S2 mount adaptor from Dale? They just got one according to their facebook page.

[dfarkas]

Why not rent the Pentax 67 400mm f4 with S2 mount adaptor from Dale? They just got one according to their facebook page.

 

I'd be wary of this option for Antarctica as there is no weather sealing on the lens meaning that the weather sealing of body is compromised.

 

Otherwise, the 400mm Pentax is a good option for going long on the S2.

 

David

[albertknappmd]

All excellent sugggestions.. We are off this Thursday and I am so grateful to everyone for a congeries of wise suggestions!

 

Albert :)

[Realphotos]

I did a cruise with Quark last December.

I read the Luminous report as if the gear had failed. I noted the comments of how long they were in rainy conditions. It can happen and your choice can be as simple as a plastic bag pulled over the gear and it will all survive to shoot again. I have very sophisticated self sealing bags that keeps your gear completely dry But as it rains the temperature drops and condensation is created especially quickly if the bag is closed. The simple plastic bag upside down left open has an advantage! Also if your hotel bathroom room has a plastic elasticated shower cap then that pulled over the back of your camera as it hangs from your neck/shoulder in spray/damp/light rain on deck can be helpful.

In three weeks condensation only caught me out once.

I was so determined to get the shots and bring them home I even had an underwater body for my G10. This only proved useful for standing on deck in any wave crashing situation. Feeling queasy just get on the deck with a blast of arctic air and a few hardy souls taking photos.

I took backup bodies/lens for Canon 5Dmk2 & M9 and they were never needed!

It's simple to keep things dry.

On this trip (note we went from Ushuaia Falklands,South Georgia Elephant Is Orkneys and finally the peninsula) I should make one generalization.

You really only need long lenses (250/500) for bird watching off the deck or wale watching.

In Africa/safari situations there are fundamental differences. The days are bright days, animals, at a great distance, often under the shade of tree, hot humid hazy air can frustrate the clarity of long lens shots.

On this trip to Antarctica none of these conditions occur. No trees no shade for the most part animals birds etc are all 5 to 20 mrs away!!!!! Think of the zoo and no cages and you've got it.

This trip is the most extraordinary experience any photographer can have. Wildlife, landscape scenery, people action adventure.