Alaska Lense

Let me first start off saying i'm a newbie here on the forum and also to the dslr world. I'm heading to Alaska for two weeks for my honeymoon and was wondering if I should rent a telephoto lense for the trip. I have a T2I with the 18-55 IS and also the 55-250 IS. Would I benefit from a longer lense even though I only shoot in one of the auto modes, and also what would you recommend I rent. Thanks for the help!!!

I think the usual lens for this kinda stuff is the 100-400L. It's pretty versatile. Play around with your camera a bit, auto modes are no fun! Kinda like driving auto.. driving standard is so much more fun!

why does everyone seem to think that there is a particular lens that is better for alaska? alaska has VAST expanses of land and scenery, personally wider angle lenses take this in better than a long lens.

edit: why are you coming to our frozen wasteland for a honeymoon anyway?

It depends on what you want to take pictures of landscape or wildlife. If you want excellent wildlife pictures, then the 100-400 best fits the bill, if you want to get the best landscape pictures, look at renting a 17-40, 24-105, or 17-55 IS. I bought the 17-40 for the trip and used it most of the time, made some excellent panoramas. It just depends on what you want to take pictures of most..scenery(mountain​s) or wildlife.(of course depends on what part of alaska your in partly)

travis4710...

The lenses you have will work fine, but I will suggest you add the 100-400L to the mix. It will give you the reach to get shots of eagles, bears, and other wildlife up there. Don't discount your 18-55 as there are also a lot of great views to shoot.

My wife and I took a cruise up to Alaska last year, you can see my photos here... http://geneman88.zenfo​lio.com/p546793272

We're planning to head back up there in the near future... there is so much to see there.

dwarfcow wrote in post #10142261
edit: why are you coming to our frozen wasteland for a honeymoon anyway?

Caz Florida is the new Alaska...

travis4710 wrote in post #10142116
Let me first start off saying i'm a newbie here on the forum and also to the dslr world. I'm heading to Alaska for two weeks for my honeymoon and was wondering if I should rent a telephoto lense for the trip. I have a T2I with the 18-55 IS and also the 55-250 IS. Would I benefit from a longer lense even though I only shoot in one of the auto modes, and also what would you recommend I rent. Thanks for the help!!!

Alaska is several magnitudes well beyond incredibly vast. I happen to live there and my work is 1500 miles from my doorstep,yet still in Alaska. Few can grasp that.

Climate and topography vary in like accords and then some,so it really does run the gamut. Now do I think that there is a "Special Alaskan Kit",regarding glass selection? Nope,but covering bases is never a poor move and often,less is more...that irregardless of locale.

Where are you going,what time of year and what are your interests? How are you traveling once here and how much scurrying about? Tough to have "too much" focal length for critters,but if they are not on your menu,you're in fair shape currently..........

dwarfcow wrote in post #10142261
why does everyone seem to think that there is a particular lens that is better for alaska? alaska has VAST expanses of land and scenery, personally wider angle lenses take this in better than a long lens.

edit: why are you coming to our frozen wasteland for a honeymoon anyway?

I have always been amazed with Alaska, plus the future wife spent most of her childhood there. Just thought it would be a nice little vacation.

Big Stick wrote in post #10142461
Alaska is several magnitudes well beyond incredibly vast. I happen to live there and my work is 1500 miles from my doorstep,yet still in Alaska. Few can grasp that.

Climate and topography vary in like accords and then some,so it really does run the gamut. Now do I think that there is a "Special Alaskan Kit",regarding glass selection? Nope,but covering bases is never a poor move and often,less is more...that irregardless of locale.

Where are you going,what time of year and what are your interests? How are you traveling once here and how much scurrying about? Tough to have "too much" focal length for critters,but if they are not on your menu,you're in fair shape currently..........

We will be there May 18-29. Taking train from Anc to Seward, driving to Homer, Wasilla, Denali...

Wildlife will probably be the main focus, but I don't want to rent a $500 lense either.

GeneMan88 wrote in post #10142369
travis4710...

The lenses you have will work fine, but I will suggest you add the 100-400L to the mix. It will give you the reach to get shots of eagles, bears, and other wildlife up there. Don't discount your 18-55 as there are also a lot of great views to shoot.

My wife and I took a cruise up to Alaska last year, you can see my photos here... http://geneman88.zenfo​lio.com/p546793272

We're planning to head back up there in the near future... there is so much to see there.

Excellent pictures...

I went two summers ago with the 17-85IS and 70-300IS. Sometimes (like the Tanana River Valley), 17mm didn't feel wide enough (but I got an OK stitched pano). 300mm definitely wasn't enough for wildlife - especially in Denali. It's amazing how huge that valley is, and how small (relatively) the Dall sheep can be...

Go, shoot what you can, and have a great time. I can't wait to get back there.

travis4710 wrote in post #10142522
We will be there May 18-29. Taking train from Anc to Seward, driving to Homer, Wasilla, Denali...

Wildlife will probably be the main focus, but I don't want to rent a $500 lense either.

I'd liken the rent to be very cheap in retrospect,on what well could be the trip of a Lifetime.

Say that three times,in the hopes that it'll sink in..........

Why would you want to take more than one lens and a camera on your honeymoon?

I would take a wide angle lens for landscapes, and a tele lens for wildlife, anyway I was thinking the same thing pgruiz123 said, honeymoon doesn't seem like the best time to take photos, unless your 'wife' likes it when you spend more time with your camera than with her

chadmcm wrote in post #10142563
It's amazing how huge that valley is, and how small (relatively) the Dall sheep can be...

This is the main problem. If you want to take pictures of the wildlife on the road system, you need some pretty big guns, but at the same time i use the term "road system" VERY loosely, as it consists of 1 road, that forks for a few hundred miles into 2 roads, which then re-merge into 1 as you approach Canada.

What this means to you is, you won't be getting very close to ANYthing without a whole lotta walking, hiking, or waiting. And the closer you are to the road, the fewer animals there are (oddly enough moose, bears, and everything else have learned that cars hurt when they hit you, almost as much as people on hunting expeditions, which incidentally also emerge from cars from time to time). If you're up here for a few weeks on a honey moon, i dont think you want to be setting up a tripod and waiting for 5 hours, though i could be wrong.

For wildlife up here you almost need at least 500mm of reach if not more, faster is better, as i wouldn't recommend baiting a bear to pose for you (first, its illegal, second, it will likely charge you & or kill you this time of year as they will have new cubs with them) The same goes for Moose, they have calves, and they don't like ANY other animals around them, esp. humans when they have calves.

Our wildlife kit is:

400mm 2.8L IS
70-200 2.8L IS
100-400L IS
1.4X TC (for long lenses)
85 1.2L II (for the less dangerous variety we can get close too)
mp-e 65 (for the smaller variety)
twin lights and a 580 EX II to "bring the light" if you will
gitzo tripod with a gimble head for the 400
and a small bag/can of dog food (for foxes, wolves, etc)
and by far the most important,
Mossberg 500 with no fewer than 25 black magic 3" mag slugs and 25 OOO Buckshot alternating in the bandoleer/tube.

most common lenses used is the 400 2.8, and the 70-200 withe the TC and lens hood (whatever you do, you will need a lens hood)