OldShooter

The wife and I are headed for the Galapagos later this month and I need guidance on which lenses to take, and am open to any other advice you may wany to offer.

I’ll be toting two Canon bodies, T7i and 77D. The lenses I have available are as follows:
10-18 f4.5 Canon
24-105 f4L, Macro Canon
70-200 f4L Canon
300 f4L Canon
1.4 Canon extender
18-300 f3.5 Sigma walkalong (for Quito?)
150-600 Sigma
From your experience, which should I take. Will I need any others? Should I tote a tripod or anything else?

I’d also appreciate any other tips or suggestions you may have

Thanks in advance for your input.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

I would put the 24-105 on 1 body. The 70-200 on the other. And take the 10-18 and the extender. That set up would cover almost every situation. Have a great trip. A tri or bi pod is a good idea. If you take a tripod a cable release as well

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I haven't been to the Galapagos, but have analyzed images and lenses-used in the past for similar questions. The 70-200 is a very typical lens. Of course, you can go longer or shorter, but this focal length seems to be the sweet spot for the nearness of most of the animals. The 1.4x extender is a minor size to pack along, but also a minor 40% extension. I like 'wide' and would prefer the 10-18 over a full-frame lens that starts at 24mm delivering an effective 38mm on the wide end. I would take more than three total lenses, where maybe the 24-105 fits in the third position, or just the 10-18, 70-200 and the 1.4x.

george19

Absolutely agree with this recommendation, except I can’t vouch for the utility of the 10-18…but it might make for interesting use in Quito.

I hardly used my 70-300, but it was sometimes handy from the boat and marginal for BIF when ashore. It just wasn’t worth the weight to lug around.

Probably not worth lugging a tripod, either.

I use a Swiss Army computer backpack with a rubberized bottom…waterproof enough, will carry all that gear, and is a good carryon.

Knee pads. Just make sure they’re comfortable, easy to put on, not bulky. You’re welcome.

If you can work an inexpensive underwater rig into this, the snorkeling is amazing.

bikerguy

We went to Galapagos in 2014. I took my Cano T4i, 10-22, 17-85 and 70-300. The 10-22 was unnecessary. There is no need for a tripod. I think that the 24-105 is not quite wide enough and the 200 isn't long enough. Depending upon the trip you might be hiking up some steep hills so think about whether you want to carry 2 cameras and heavy lens while hiking about. Most importantly, enjoy the experience.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I called our tour company and asked them. Our tour company said a 70-200 would be ideal. It was. BUT, there are many guides and companies, they want you to be happy. The reputable ones want you to ask questions. I would suggest you do so. Call them.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

If they made a 10-600 1.8, I’d take that. Just kidding. Maybe you could decide what kinds of subjects you want to capture for sure and focus on that instead of going for spray and pray.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

Two observations: (1) You are planning for two different trips. For Galapagos you will need longer lenses, and for Quito you need wider lenses. (2) Some of the advice above does not seem to consider the fact that you shoot with two APS-C bodies.

For Quito, a range of 24-70mm full frame would be most useful, that is about 16-50mm on an APS-C body. Quito is a beautiful city so I definitely would try to have the right lens. I have not been to Galapagos, so I let those weigh in who have been.

One more thought. I noticed that you have some good full-frame lenses. Would you consider getting a (used) full-frame body to get better use of these lenses? For Quito, for instance, your 24-105mm on a full-frame body would be perfect.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

I found the full-frame equivalent of a 24/105 and 100/400 plus a 1.4x extender to sufficiently cover the range needed. You and your wife will love it.

MountainDave

In Quito, you will want the 10-18 for buildings. O/w, the 24-105 will serve well. I used a 24-70 on a full frame and sometimes 24 wasn't quite wide enough. You won't need the 10-18 on the islands. If you plan to shoot birds, I'd bring the 150-600 though you won't often need the long end. The surprise for me was how useful my 135 2L was. You will often be very close to wildlife and the portrait lens took magical images. You might want to buy a 85 1.8 which is equivalent to 135 on your crop frames before you go. It's inexpensive and fairly small.

magpix Loc: St. Michaels, MD

I was there on a magazine assignment a few years ago with my Nikon 16-35, 24-70 and 70-200 along with a 1.4X tele. No need for anything more. I did use a tripod once in a while but it wasn’t really necessary. Enjoy the trip!

Hip Coyote

Ive not been there. Made a mistake of going to Machu Picchu and then to the Amazon rather than the Galapagos...Galapagos would have been a better choice. What I can say is that carrying that amount of gear is going to be a challenge. Having a two lenses that cover from 24 to 400 might be a better idea. Further, Quito is over 9000 feet in elevation..so depending on your cardio fitness, you may want to downsize there as well. I would also imagine that in Quito there are churches and other venues that may prohibit flash so a fast prime is something to consider.

Someone wisely said you are actually taking two trips. I almost see three...there is water there with magnificent snorkeling. Get an Oly Tough or a cheap fuji waterproof camera and take it in the water. I have the Fuji and it works quite well. Costco! And the Quito shots may well be street photography. In my case, the street / people photography in Peru was excellent. I would imagine Ecuador being the same. (Great , friendly people btw...)

I have followed a lot of threads on Africa...and many people are of the mind to just take a bridge camera and avoid the hassles of all the gear. I am starting to see the wisdom in that. If you are on a tour group they generally do not want to wait for someone to pull out their 100-400, put it on a tripod and wait for the perfect moment to take picture. You may want to see if the tour will be "on the move" in a run and gun shooting environment. Lastly, in another thread, someone mentioned their smart phone as an excellent video backup. That is an excellent idea...There may be times that you simply do not want to carry gear (maybe in town to dinner) and good photo opportunities come up. A phone can capture those memories.

Call your tour operator and inquire about the photo opportunities and suggestions. What about night/astro photography? If you are staying somewhere that is in total darkness, you may want to consider that (but have to take a tripod...yuck.)

Random thoughts of the morning.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Nice arsenal of lenses.
I’m envious of your trip. On my bucket list.
Having said that, having 2 bodies myself, I would take my 24-120 and 80-400. If room for more, my 14-24 and a monopod.

photoman43

I went to the Galapagos on a photo tour, not a regular tour, around 2015. I took two Nikon camera bodies, 70-200mm lens and a 300mm f4, a 1.4x tc, and a tripod. I probably had a 24-85mm zoom too. I brought hiking boots for island trail walking but I forgot to bring my heavy duty knee pads--a BIG mistake. About half of my pics were taken with the 300mm f4 prime; the other half with the 70-200mm. The tripod was very useful on the island where we photographed the lava lizards. One or two other photographers had 500mm f4 lenses. (They were young and in shape.)

If you are young and strong and can hand hold your gear properly you probably do not need a tripod. You will be walking and kneeling on volcanic rock a lot--that means sharp rock that will cut into thin shoes and knees.

Bring a dry bag or a waterproof backpack for those trips in pangas.

Make sure you you know the minimum focus distance for each lens you take as you will be getting close to a lot of your subjects. If you think you will take xx pictures, double or tripple that number and have the media cards for them. If you like macro, bring a macro lens.

JBRIII

If you are going around by boat island to island, you may do a lot of snorkeling. We spent 10 days and snorkeled about 14-15 times, often in morning and afternoon. The snorkeling, as stated, is fantastic. Once had two sea lions swiming around, over, under me, while in a group of sea turtles. They rent wet suits and you will definitely need them in the north. Definitely want an underwater camera and extra battery.