Lens & camera choice: Southern Caribbean cruise

I plan to cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico to the following locations:

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
St. John's, Antigua
Castries, St.Lucia
Bridgetown, Barbados

I am planning to take either the 5d-II + 24-105L or 7D + 17-55 IS. I'm leaning more towards the 7D kit. Or, should I take a multi lens setup?

Your thoughts? (Gear list in my signature, below).

Thanks,

Sabesh.

Personally, I'd take the 24-105 (it is THE vacation lens) and either the 35 or 50 L for low light needs.

I'd forget about the 7D, do you really plan on needing higher FPS or better AF on a boat in the middle of the ocean?

Todd Lambert wrote in post #9169029
Personally, I'd take the 24-105 (it is THE vacation lens) and either the 35 or 50 L for low light needs.

I'd forget about the 7D, do you really plan on needing higher FPS or better AF on a boat in the middle of the ocean?

Thx for your input, Todd. I was considering the 17-55 as it has less distortion @ the wide end & I'm assuming that they'd be lots of photo opportunities for sweeping vistas during shore excursions.

I do like your suggestion about the 24-105L + 35/50L though. I'm just concerned about the size of the in-cabin safe for those times I need to store my gear, lol.

That's what insurance is for.

I brought a Domke F2 with several lenses, tripod, you name it.. just left it in my room. You usually only have one room attendant, so if something goes missing, it'd be pretty easy to track down the culprit.

Maybe take the 16-35 and 24-105 if you think you might need wider? I used my 16-35 a lot on the cruise we did in August.

Here's two of em:

http://lambertphotogra​phy.com/gallery4/marin​er-of-the-seas/

http://lambertphotogra​phy.com/gallery3/deck-13/

The 7D would help if you want to shoot diving pelicans, dolphins, etc. If you just plan landscapes, the 5D is logical.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #9169056
<snip>
Maybe take the 16-35 and 24-105 if you think you might need wider? I used my 16-35 a lot on the cruise we did in August.

Here's two of em:

http://lambertphotogra​phy.com/gallery4/marin​er-of-the-seas/

http://lambertphotogra​phy.com/gallery3/deck-13/

<snip>

Good photographs, Todd. Thx for sharing: Gives me some ideas for photo ops.

buddy4344 wrote in post #9169057
The 7D would help if you want to shoot diving pelicans, dolphins, etc. If you just plan landscapes, the 5D is logical.

Thx buddy!

Does anyone have any galleries from a Southern Caribbean cruise? Thx.

I had two or three days at a conference in Puerto Rico on the coast. Not my best work but, I was at a confence, so limited free time. Here are my shots.

All of my shots are with a 30D and most are with my 100-400.

I have a couple of ->THESE<- for when I travel and need a little safer feeling leaving things(cameras, computers, etc...) in the hotel room.

sabesh wrote in post #9169043
Thx for your input, Todd. I was considering the 17-55 as it has less distortion @ the wide end & I'm assuming that they'd be lots of photo opportunities for sweeping vistas during shore excursions.

I do like your suggestion about the 24-105L + 35/50L though. I'm just concerned about the size of the in-cabin safe for those times I need to store my gear, lol.

Once in a Lifetime Trip? Might want to consider taking both bodies so you have a backup in case one goes TU on you...

Having gone on three differing cruises with gear, all I can say is bring what you like to shoot with on a usual day. I've cruised with both my 10D and 1D/1Ds kits... I usually travel with wider angle zooms. For those that have never cruised, though I did do some shooting on board ship, it's when you get off at ports of call where you will do a majority of your shooting. If you're cruising with family, you'll probably do more shooting on board ship that you think.

You can check out my recent Alaska Cruise photos here.

You can also see my Mexican Riviera cruise photos here.

I shot each of these cruises with different cameras. And I was surprised how much I shot while on board... more than I thought. Most were of only interest to me...

Don't forget to take along a CPL filter.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #9169056
That's what insurance is for.

I brought a Domke F2 with several lenses, tripod, you name it.. just left it in my room. You usually only have one room attendant, so if something goes missing, it'd be pretty easy to track down the culprit.

Maybe take the 16-35 and 24-105 if you think you might need wider? I used my 16-35 a lot on the cruise we did in August.

Here's two of em:

http://lambertphotogra​phy.com/gallery4/marin​er-of-the-seas/

http://lambertphotogra​phy.com/gallery3/deck-13/

Outrageous wide shots, Todd. They were some of the photos that convinced me to get the 16-35.

Sabesh, I would take the 24-105, which I've done on vacations with the 5D2. I think the 5D2 is the ultimate landscape camera (unless you're a pro and have someone else to shlepp a 1 series FF,) and the wider the lens the better to capture the life of the scene.

Don't forget, you're trying to tell a story with your shots, and the more detail, the more detailed the memories.

sabesh wrote in post #9169017
I plan to cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico to the following locations:

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
St. John's, Antigua
Castries, St.Lucia
Bridgetown, Barbados

I am planning to take either the 5d-II + 24-105L or 7D + 17-55 IS. I'm leaning more towards the 7D kit. Or, should I take a multi lens setup?

Your thoughts? (Gear list in my signature, below).

Thanks,

Sabesh.

i was going to recommend the 7D + 17-55, but i realized that f2.8 on a crop body is like f4, you might as well just use the 5DII + 24-105. you get the FL and ISO ranges thats so very crucial on vacation. Bring along a prime L to fill the gap. The 35L definitely works!

buddy4344 wrote in post #9184094
I had two or three days at a conference in Puerto Rico on the coast. Not my best work but, I was at a confence, so limited free time. Here are my shots.

All of my shots are with a 30D and most are with my 100-400.

Thx Buddy: Those are incredible pics!

rklepper wrote in post #9184417
I have a couple of ->THESE<- for when I travel and need a little safer feeling leaving things(cameras, computers, etc...) in the hotel room.

Nice. I'll be ordering the smaller backpack version. Thx for the link!

GeneMan88 wrote in post #9184505
Having gone on three differing cruises with gear, all I can say is bring what you like to shoot with on a usual day. I've cruised with both my 10D and 1D/1Ds kits... I usually travel with wider angle zooms. For those that have never cruised, though I did do some shooting on board ship, it's when you get off at ports of call where you will do a majority of your shooting. If you're cruising with family, you'll probably do more shooting on board ship that you think.

You can check out my recent Alaska Cruise photos here.

You can also see my Mexican Riviera cruise photos here.

I shot each of these cruises with different cameras. And I was surprised how much I shot while on board... more than I thought. Most were of only interest to me...

Nice album sets! Yes, I plan to do most of my shooting off-ship. Which is why I'm thinking of taking one lens or two at the most as I would like to enjoy the sightseeing as well. Thx.

Canonswhitelensesrule wrote in post #9184520
Don't forget to take along a CPL filter.

Always! Thx.

tvphotog wrote in post #9184564
Outrageous wide shots, Todd. They were some of the photos that convinced me to get the 16-35.

Sabesh, I would take the 24-105, which I've done on vacations with the 5D2. I think the 5D2 is the ultimate landscape camera (unless you're a pro and have someone else to shlepp a 1 series FF,) and the wider the lens the better to capture the life of the scene.

Don't forget, you're trying to tell a story with your shots, and the more detail, the more detailed the memories.

Thx! I'm leaning towards taking the 5D + 24-105L now. I might add the 16-35L-II as well. Cheers.

Marloon wrote in post #9184664
i was going to recommend the 7D + 17-55, but i realized that f2.8 on a crop body is like f4, you might as well just use the 5DII + 24-105. you get the FL and ISO ranges thats so very crucial on vacation. Bring along a prime L to fill the gap. The 35L definitely works!

Makes sense! Instead of the 35L, I might take an UWA zoom. However, I do love primes. Decisions, decisions, lol.