Tips for Vegas and Grand Canyon?

Will be heading to Vegas soon and just looking for basic photography tips.

For instance, are monopods allowed in most areas?

Will be taking the helicopter tour of Grand Canyon as well. Has anyone done this and have pics?

My gear is : (but not necessarily going to take everything I have)

40D
XTi
Tamron 17-50
Canon 75-300
Sigma 10-20
Tamron 18-270 OS
Tonkina 10-17 fisheye
other accessories - filters, remote, etc..

I am leaning towards 40D + Tamron 18-270 OS and the XTi swapping out the Sigma10-20 and Tokina fisheye (when needed).

Would a ND filter be needed for Grand Canyon photos and such?

Monopods will be allowed obviously when youre in public spaces but Im not sure you'll need it. Sounds like youve got it covered on the lens end, you should probably pick up a flash though. Have a good trip, John

You won't need an ND.

I sure wish I had GNDs on my trip, though. On basically every picture I took in or around the canyon I had to choose between blowing the sky or everything else being way underexposed.

In Vegas, you're fine with monopods and tripods outside the casinos - there's never a problem there, everyone has a camera. Inside the casinos though, you're not allowed to take pictures. Security will tell you to put the camera away (at least on the gambling floor).

If you're headed to the Grand Canyone from Vegas, be sure to stop by the Hoover Dam on the way. Spectacular sights there.

Depending on the time of day, you may benefit from a GND, but definitely take a CPL. The Nevada/Arizona sun is very harsh.

Great advice everyone.

My biggest worry/concern right now is that I am going to overdo it and end up lugging around ALL my equipment all day even when I won't need it.

I am thinking of using the 40D/Tamrom 18-270 as a permanent combo and then using the XTi to swap out lens Sigma 10-20 and Tokina fisheye when needed.

Then there is the monopod, table top tripod, flash, etc.. to lug around. Sigh.....

On a side note, I suppose I could bracket my exposures at the Grand Canyon and combine them HDR style to get a balanced sky and foreground without one or the other being blown out.

Only problem is that I am not sure how I am going to get the monopod to be perfectly still for multiple images to ensure that each will line up.

Please don't HDR the Grand Canyon. A CPL will cover most of your needs, along with picking your times for best sky results. There is often haze over the canyon, so the CPL is important. A few GND's are much to add. I find most of my shots are at 10-12 mm, so I'm not sure two cameras are necessary, just change the lenses. You will want all your length for condors and such. A TC wouldn't be a bad idea.

For the helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, I have two options, an AM departure or a PM departure.

I was leaning towards PM that way the helicopter flies over Las Vegas on the way back so we can view the lights.

I hope your helicopter goes over/into the main part of the canyon. Some out of Vegas just go to the western end of the canyon. Nice, but not the real thing. They do, however, sometimes land and let you hike around. Can't do that in the NP.

The brochure for the helicopter tours says that leaves Vegas, flies over Hooverdam and Lake Mead, goes to the North Rim of the GC, descends to the bottom of the GC where you have a picnic lunch and walk before flying back and making a pass over the Vegas Strip.

Now, it doesn't exactly if it descends to the bottom and you get out there and have the picnic and walk, or if it just descends and then flies back up to land topside somewhere for the picnic and walk.

i SO wanted to do the heli-tour when we were in Vegas years back. its my main regret. the airplane pilot tipped the wing a bit so we could see the vastness, and it looked incredible from 30k feet. i cant imagine flying across the freaking rim!

look forward to your shots, click. take some time away from the viewfinder to take it all in, too. you wont regret it. and, i would, personally, travel light when it comes to gear. something that covers the wides and maybe a mid-range tele ought to do it.

If you are looking for candid stuff, go to Fremont; on Fridays and Saturdays there are a lot of people of all races,creeds and mental states.

If you do decide to make the trip to the Hoover Dam, make sure you budget time. Traffic is bad, It can take you an hour to drive from Boulder City to the Arizona side of the damn. But once there, it is pretty damn cool, no pun intended, Art Deco themed and with the bridge being built there are oppurtunities of some cool stuff.

Next time I go, I am going actually have to stop and take some pics!

I am going to be taking a trip to Vegas/Grand Canyon as well....on the Heli trips...are you shooting through a window or is there an "open" area you can shoot through?

i've been to vegas a few weeks back and the security didn't ever say anything at all. ive made full 360-panoramas of the gaming floor without a problem. sitting at the gambling table with security around me, and my gear strapped to my shoulder. i was even able to shot a security guard while he was fixing a slot machine... so no worries.

shot with the 50D and mostly the 24-105L:

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Heli trips, you shoot through the window....This is a tourist thing, not a photography thin - but you can easily get some good results out of it...worth it though, flying into the rim.