leica1215 Posted June 17, 2014 Share #1 Posted June 17, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi all I am planning to take cruise tour to Spitsbergen, polar bear watching trip. I would like to get advise on gear selection, will the M capable of doing this type of photography or should I get DSLR with TELE zoom lens? thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 Hi leica1215, Take a look here Arctic trip to Spitsbergen M/Lens advise pls.... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
mmradman Posted June 17, 2014 Share #2 Posted June 17, 2014 Never been close to a polar bear in nature but I would imagine healthy distance is well advised. So if you desire good close up a full frame or APS-c DSLR sounds like a very sensible idea, lens anything longer than 200mm. For anything else M with wides or normals is top camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zalozinski Posted June 17, 2014 Share #3 Posted June 17, 2014 Hi all I am planning to take cruise tour to Spitsbergen, polar bear watching trip. I would like to get advise on gear selection, will the M capable of doing this type of photography or should I get DSLR with TELE zoom lens? thanks Lucky you! It's been a while since I was on Spitsbergen, but when I went I took an R4s, 50mm Summicron and lots of rolls of film. One of the things you need to find out, is whether you will be watching from the cruise ship, or going ashore? If you are staying on the ship, 180mm or longer is probably required. A zoom lens will give you a lot of flexibility. And changing lenses with cold fingers is not a lot of fun. You can do this on an M but you will *need* an EVF. Remember that it can be very bright in the high arctic, with a lot of light reflected off the snow and ice. The live view screen will be useless in these conditions. You will need something with an eyepiece. I suppose it is quite similar to bird photography so Doug Heer may have some advice. There are many large colonies of nesting birds on the cliffs around Spitsbergen. If you are going ashore, you might want to consider the weight of whatever gear you are carrying. (I'm assuming if you are with an organised cruise, someone else is carrying the weapons. If you travel alone on Spitsbergen you must carry, and know how to use, a full-bore rifle.) I find that trying to carry and use a 300mm lens on an M for an extended time is quite a strain on my wrists. The landscape on Spitsbergen is amazing, and has some very unusual features like "patterned ground" (hexagons in the ground caused by the freeze-thaw cycle) so you may want to take a wide angle lens too. There is a long tradition of Leicas on Spitsbergen. Wilhelm Dege's expedition, which overwintered in 1944/5 took three Leicas "which never failed even in the worst weather". I can't tell from the pictures I have exactly which model. iii at a guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedbest Posted June 18, 2014 Share #4 Posted June 18, 2014 I have been to both the Arctic and Antarctic and I would advise you to use a weather sealed DSLR and telephoto lenses. If the weather is at all rough and you are on zodiacs, there is a lot of splash. In addition, the rule in the Arctic is that the Polar Bears have priority so if there is one on the land, it is likely you will be photographing it from the zodiac and not land. It is not like Churchill where you are in four wheel drive vehicles that can get close to the bears. As an example, we spent close to an hour in the zodiacs slowly getting close to the shore so we could photograph a mother and baby Polar Bear from the zodiacs but at somewhat close range. If I had used my "M", I would have to crop in post or use a tele with and adapter for the Leica. In addition, I was much more comfortable using weather sealed Nikons with telephotos and autofocus than a manual focusing camera with moving animals and bouncing zodiacs. Hope this helps and I am sure others would have differing opinions. For the record, I love my Leica's but not for this environment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 18, 2014 Share #5 Posted June 18, 2014 Ummm...The M is weathersealed.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedbest Posted June 18, 2014 Share #6 Posted June 18, 2014 Yes but I would be more comfortable with a Nikon DSLR. I think it is more compatible with the possible very rough water and landings that happen in the Arctic. In addition, as an example, I was using a 80-400 and 300 f 2.8 with a 2X teleconverter on two D4's and was able to get fairly close images of the Polar Bears and execute it quickly with the Nikon's autofocus. It takes me time to manual focus and with bears moving, the tracking of the Nikon's really came in handy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leica1215 Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted June 18, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Lucky you! It's been a while since I was on Spitsbergen, but when I went I took an R4s, 50mm Summicron and lots of rolls of film. thanks, seems quite long time since your last visit, do you find your 50mm meet your needs on Spitsbergen? can 35mm fits better than 50mm? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berth Posted June 18, 2014 Share #8 Posted June 18, 2014 If you want pictures of polar bears, bring a Nikon 4Ds. If you want to enter their food chain, bring an M. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leica1215 Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share #9 Posted June 18, 2014 I am looking at leica APO-Televid 65 or 82 spotting scope, it seems we can hook camera up and take picture with it, I have no experience with this at all, what is the difference by using tele lens of Nikon/Canon and this tele spotting scope hook up with camera ? can it be connect to M? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedbest Posted June 18, 2014 Share #10 Posted June 18, 2014 You should also consider that the M is manual focus. It may be tough with the bears moving and the zodiacs bouncing around. ON both my trips, the only Leica's visible were Leica S's. Everyone had either Nikons or Canons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted June 18, 2014 Share #11 Posted June 18, 2014 Another reason for a DSLR for such a trip is image stabilization. Another is the ability to shoot very high ISOs to keep your shutter speeds short. Standing or sitting in a zodiac and manually focusing on moving animals is not conducive to good results unless you are very practiced in it. Leicas are great but for a project like this a manual focus rangefinder is just not the right tool. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 18, 2014 Share #12 Posted June 18, 2014 I am looking at leica APO-Televid 65 or 82 spotting scope, it seems we can hook camera up and take picture with it, I have no experience with this at all, what is the difference by using tele lens of Nikon/Canon and this tele spotting scope hook up with camera ? can it be connect to M? I' m a big fan of shooting manual long lenses handheld but this combo can only be shot from a heavy tripod with fairly static subjects. Totally unsuitable for this use I would say. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted June 18, 2014 Share #13 Posted June 18, 2014 Hi! I did a similair trip in 2009 to Greenland (Illulissat) watching icebergs and at that time I still had my M8. I also brought my Canon 1D with a 70-200zoom f4 (giving it effectively 90-260) and that worked very well. I would not recommend long manual focus tele lenses for this type of trip. Use the M for the wides and up to 50 and then bring a good IS zoom tele-lens. The 70-200f4 is very good and lightweight but you might come in a bit short with a full frame Canon. For my trip I only brought the cron 35 for the Leica. Depends on how much you want to carry but for a "lightweight system" I would go for a Canon DSLR (or Nikon for that matter) a 70-200zoom if you have a APS Canon, or the 100-400 which is also quite ok for full frame, and a Summicron or Lux 35 for the Leica. If you have more space and want to carry more a elmarit 28 produces nice panoramas and a 50 is always nice for close ups. Joakim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedbest Posted June 18, 2014 Share #14 Posted June 18, 2014 Might help to carry two of the same camera. That way only have to pack one type of batteries and one charger. You can rent camera and lenses from several companies in the US. Not sure about other countries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted June 18, 2014 Share #15 Posted June 18, 2014 You asked, so IMHO get a Canikon with a 70-200 AF zoom and then get a 1.4x teleconverter. I love my M, but for this trip it seems the AF zoom option might be best. I use the zoom setup for sports and wildlife. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 18, 2014 Share #16 Posted June 18, 2014 well, I do use the M for wildlife, but Zodiacs etc? A midrange DSLR with a Tamron zoom should do the trick. Better to lose overboard than the Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carduelis Posted June 18, 2014 Share #17 Posted June 18, 2014 If you want pictures of polar bears, bring a Nikon 4Ds. If you want to enter their food chain, bring an M. Very good. I have heard they are very partial to Noctiluxes as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leica1215 Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share #18 Posted June 18, 2014 I' m a big fan of shooting manual long lenses handheld but this combo can only be shot from a heavy tripod with fairly static subjects. Totally unsuitable for this use I would say. thanks for advise, stop me looking into this option. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zalozinski Posted June 18, 2014 Share #19 Posted June 18, 2014 thanks, seems quite long time since your last visit, do you find your 50mm meet your needs on Spitsbergen? can 35mm fits better than 50mm? I took a 50mm because that was what I had at the time! It was fine, but if I was going now I'd take something wider. My current default is a 28mm, but I would consider taking a 21mm as well if possible. The combination of 35mm and 24mm would work just too. As far as a long focus lens is concerned, the most important thing is what you are most comfortable and practiced using: autofocus or manual focus, prime or zoom, rangefinder or SLR? From a cruise ship, you can use a tripod with no problem, so weight is not an issue. If you are hiking on land or shooting from a boat then you want something you can easily carry. If you take a 1.4x or 2x extender for the tele lens, that will give you a lot of extra flexibility. Make sure your gear is insured. The environment is harsh, and stuff can get dropped or wet. That in itself is a good reason for taking two cameras. Batteries have reduced capacity in the cold, so take two or three and charge them when you have the opportunity. A friend of mine went to Spitsbergen last year on a Fred Olson cruise, and got a lovely picture of a couple of fellow passengers on deck with those nice white Canon lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdsheepdog Posted June 19, 2014 Share #20 Posted June 19, 2014 I have been in the Arctic, and in the opposite in terms of hot and humid. My advice would be to, despite all the comments about how well electronics works at extreme temperatures, and about how Canikons never break down etc etc, to carry some film and an M3 or M4 as a back up. My M3 worked regularly in -30 and below. The 135 f2.8 with goggles works fine for hand held medium distance work. Considering the cost of getting there, it is the best and simplest insurance. You will have a wonderful time, and see some amazing atmospherics as well as wildlife. There is apparently some peak sunspot activity at he moment, so the Aurora Borealis may be spectacular. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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