Trip to the Galápagos Islands

My wife and I are planning to visit the Galápagos Islands with Celebrity Expedition Galapagos in the near future. We’ll both be using a Canon 7D Mark II with a Canon 100-400 II as our primary cameras. Both have 1.4X extenders available if needed. Our other lenses will be a Canon 17-40mm, Canon 16-35mm and a Canon 24-70mm. I expect much of the wildlife will be close but am trying to be prepared for any distant shots as well.
For those who have made this trip previously, and others who may have looked into it, are there any recommendations you might have regarding the trip? I’m thinking about suggestions regarding what features, creatures or locations stood out. Basically, what did you find particularly impressive that may deserve extra attention.
Many thanks for any comments.

I am in the same boat... literally. We are going in February 2019.

I am also trying to figure out what to take. I have a 5DMII and a 40D + a Sony A6000 with kit lens.

I am thinking about upgrading the 40D to a 7DMII or an 80D and pairing it with my 100-400L.

Then I will use the 5D and pair it with an ultra wide. The problem is that I have a Tokina 11-16, which is not really set for FF. I think if I go full 16mm with it, it is ok. I am thinking of picking up a Sigma Art UW for it. Looks like the Sigma adapter will work pretty well with the Sony, so I could flip between the two.

Sounds like a good trip Ron. I'd like to do that one day myself but doubt i'll ever get there. 2 many other trips on the bucket list in front of it lol.

Look forward to the photos

We had a great time during our 7 day cruise on the Celebrity Cruse ship, Xpedition. We took a lot of photos and really enjoyed seeing the wildlife we’d only previously seen in videos. There were about 100+ folks onboard and we took Zodiacs at least two, sometimes three times a day to explore the different islands. I haven’t finished going through all the photos I took yet but thought I’d post a few. You can check my initial post to see the itinerary.

First let me post more Frigatebird photos than most people want to see. I was fascinated by these birds.

These Great Frigatebirds were photographed off Daphne Island, Day 3 of the Galápagos trip

I'm a lover of raptors of all kinds and very much enjoy seeing and photographing them, especially in flight. While a Great Frigatebird is not a raptor, it's*also* amazingly graceful in the air and seems to never need flap its wings at all. This and other frigate birds followed our ship as we headed away from Baltra, giving me a great opportunity to shoot photos of them as they glided over our heads while we were on the top deck of the ship.

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …/album-72157697888678161/

Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor)

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …/album-72157697888678161/

Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) - "The Incredible Lightness of Being...a frigate bird"

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …/album-72157697888678161/

Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) - "The Incredible Lightness of Being...a frigate bird"

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …/album-72157697888678161/

Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) - "The Incredible Lightness of Being...a frigate bird"

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …/album-72157697888678161/

Yellow "Mangrove" Warbler (Dendroica petechia aureola)

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …/album-72157697888678161/

Galapagos Hawk (Buteo galapagoensis), showing no fear of our approach

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …/album-72157697888678161/

Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) dozing in the warmth of the day

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …/album-72157697888678161/

Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), opens its eyes for a brief moment in time

Thanks for posting back!

Looks like the 7d mII did a fine job with you at the controls. Any advice? Any regrets on equipment?

Also forgot to ask, any tips on packing the equipment, luggage, etc.?

Thanks, again!

Nice set Ron. Sounds like you had a good time.

Really like the last image, nice and sharp

Thanks for all the details and awesome shots.

Hi Jeff (jfinke)!
So sorry for the very late response to your questions. No excuse.

**I've been trying to put together a few items for you but as the time of your cruise draws near, I decided to just post what I have.

>>I am in the same boat... literally. We are going in February 2019.
**Will you be on the same ship, Celebrity Xpedition? You’re going to have a great time seeing animals, birds and landscapes you’ve never seen before.

>>I am also trying to figure out what to take. I have a 5DMII and a 40D + a Sony A6000 with kit lens.
**We took a 5D as backup in case either of our 7D’s had a problem. The only thing I would emphasize is to be sure to have a backup body in case you need it. It sounds as though you'll have that covered.


>I am thinking about upgrading the 40D to a 7DMII or an 80D and pairing it with my 100-400L.
**My wife and I both had that combo: 7D Mark II with the 100-400 L II. That handled almost all the scenarios we encountered. You’ll get closer to the wildlife than you probably would in other situations but having a long zoom like the 100-400 is ideal, IMO.

>Then I will use the 5D and pair it with an ultra wide. The problem is that I have a Tokina 11-16, which is not really set for FF. I think if I go full 16mm with it, it is ok. I am thinking of picking up a Sigma Art UW for it. Looks like the Sigma adapter will work pretty well with the Sony, so I could flip between the two.

**For closeup shots, we sometimes used our iPhones and for the land tour part we each used an RX-100III.

>Looks like the 7d mII did a fine job with you at the controls. Any advice? Any regrets on equipment?
No regrets at all.

>Also forgot to ask, any tips on packing the equipment, luggage, etc.?

**I should mention that there are two types of landings when you take the Zodiacs in from the ship. The dry landings allow you to stay dry as you disembark but the wet landings require you to get a little wet, like up to your knees at the highest. One can remove their shoes and socks when making a wet landing or use a wet shoes or sandals. Sandals pick up less sand but don’t necessarily protect the feet as much when walking across large expanses of lava fields which you *will* be doing. We decided to buy Crossamphibian made by Salomon (https://www.zappos.com …tm_content=7655​3534810147) and they worked well.

**I should mention, if weather permits, my wife and I would highly recommend eating dinner at the tables located at the stern of the ship. Many folks preferred to eat inside because the menu had more variety but, IMO, you can't beat the beauty of al fresco dining in that environment.

Again, apologies for the late response and I hope you guys have a wonderful trip!

Ron

Thank you so much for the information!! We have about a month to go until we leave.

I ended up getting an 80D (got a heck of a deal) to compliment the 5DII and a Sigma 24-35 F2 for the 5D. I have some dry bags to store everything in. I had read mixed things about needing them.

If I were going again I'd make sure to take something like an Olympus Tough, for in the water. It was bonkers but highly memorable. You have sealions and penguins and puffins and - loads of things, very close. Rays, reef shark... Thunk thunk thunk as birds dive into the water around you. Take your own snorkel and fins. We were glad we did because we couldn't hire them. It's chilly, and can be rough water, but well worth it.
If you sit on a rock at water's edge, stuff comes to look at you, so a wideangle will be useful. I spilt some drinking water next to me on a rock, and a bird came and had a drink. Discouraged of course, but remarkable.

Time is limited on the smaller islands and the group has to move around together, on the whole. Wouldn't take a tripod other than a tiddler to rest on a rock.

Just got back on Monday. Amazing trip.

So glad I brought the long glass. Will post pictures after I go through the 4000 of them.

Thanks for all of the advice!