Update! I'm all set, I think, with a good tripod, a Canon 5D Mark IV, a Sigma 35mm 1.4, a Canon 24-105mm and the lovely Canon 100-400 II, with the 1.4 extender. I'm leaving for Spitsbergen in a week or so, and will be doing excursions by dogsled, snow scooter, and boat. Hope to make some good pictures, but I think it'll be quite the experience, even without a camera.

I just bought the 1.4 extender for my Canon 80D; I'm planning on using it with the 100-400, which will be my next purchase. For now, I'll keep in on the shelf, because I tried using it with my 70-200 2.8 II, but the results at 200/280mm were quite disappointing. Loss of sharpness, slower autofocus. My advice would be to get the 100-400 first, and if you need the extra zoom, get the 1.4 extender later - although I don't have any experience with that combination yet, I understand it's a good combo.

The research goes without saying! I've been reading up on the situation there; rifles outside of the city obligatory (as is rifle training for tourists renting one), not allowed to go outside of a certain region around the city by yourself. I'm not flying from the US but from The Netherlands, and I saw some reasonably priced Airbnb-rooms and apartments in Longyearbyen.

As for photography gear; I'm planning on getting the before mentioned 100-400mm, which will hopefully be enough with my crop sensor to capture some wildlife.

Good to hear! I haven't booked anything yet, looking into flights and accommodation the next couple of weeks. It won't be a tour like yours; I'll be flying from The Netherlands via Oslo, probably, and staying in a cheap hotel or possibly an Airbnb apartment or room. I'm planning on staying for about a week, and filling my time with maybe a daily excursion. Lots to do; planning my own itinerary is a lot of fun. Dogsledding, boat trips - most tours start in May, after the Winter, so there's a lot going on then, I think. I'll keep this thread updated, we might end up on the same boat sometime!

That show sounds good, I looked up the episode - will watch it this weekend! Thanks for your reply. I saw some footage already of the abandoned Russian mining town, Pyramiden I think it's called, with the statue of Lenin and some impressive indoor shots. I read somewhere that expeditions to the town won't include visiting the interiors, but even from the outside - the seagulls nesting in the window panes - are beautiful. A lot to see there, I'm making a list of must-sees!

Thanks! Reading this and the next post, I'm doubting if the Sigma is for me. I read some other reviews and comparisons of the Sigma and Tamron 150-600's, both of them not as impressive as the solid Canon 100-400 (or so I'm led to believe. A good argument was: a lot of people traded in their Tamron or Sigma for the Canon; the other way around, not so much). I think I'll stick with the 80D, go for the Canon lens, and I might not even need the teleconverter; 400mm on a crop lens will get me a far way.

As for the wide angle; I'd hate to find myself on a ship in front of an iceberg, wanting to capture the whole impressive thing, and my 24mm on crop lens will not do the trick. Perhaps the very affordable 10-18mm will make for a good backup.

If all goes well, chances are I'll be returning to those regions in the future - but with more than 6 months to go, I've got plenty of time to prepare myself the best I can. It's already very enjoyable. Thanks again for sharing your experiences!

I use the 20L backpack and it suits my needs perfectly (Canon 80D, 24-70 and 70-200 - so just two objectives, and no tripod), but together with food & drinks, perhaps some extra clothing or other supplies, I'm guessing it would be too small for your equipment - the 30L might be better. I like the design, look and feel of it very much, even though it was quite expensive; I use it almost daily, so I like to think it was worth it!

By all means, join me! I need to practice my portrait photography too anyway, so I could use some company. Be sure to bring a rifle though; those polar bears outnumber the human population over there!

Hi there!

I've been reading this forum for a while now, never posted though; today, I have what I think is a good as any introduction to start posting. I'm planning a trip to the Norwegian islands of Svalbard/Spitsbergen. With Longyearbyen being (one of the?) most northern cities, it will be quite an experience to be this close to the Northpole, a personal interest of mine. It will also be a good opportunity to make some photo's, of course.

Let me first state that I am an absolute amateur. I started out with a Nikon 1 V2 a couple of years ago, and after some photography courses, decided to go 'bigger'; I've been shooting with a Canon 80D since maybe a year now. I've tried a lot of (second hand) objectives, and now I have a great set of two: the 24-70 2.8 II and the 70-200 2.8 II. The latter is my absolute favorite; I'm somewhat spoiled by its image stabilization, which makes it quite difficult to use the 24-70; I'm photographing dogs in action lately and getting far better results with the 70-200, but there will be plenty of opportunities to learn and enjoy this other lens as well.

But now, on topic, after this introduction. I'm planning the trip in May 2018, when the ice begins to thaw a bit and the seas are accessible for some roundtrips and expeditions. (First question: anyone here with experience in this region? It will be a first for me, so my info is based on a lot of Google.) I'm planning on splurging on a wide angle objective, for the impressive ice, sea and landscapes. And: I'd really like some more 'zoom', perhaps a Sigma 150-600. I know I can't buy my way into making better photo's, but these investments will keep me happy for a long time to come. (Birds, foxes, deer, nature being some favorite things to photograph close to home.)

I'm also thinking of maybe going full frame - so I've been looking into differences between the 80D and the 6D II, for example. There is plenty of info to find on my own, but I was thinking: with full frame, perhaps the 24-70 will fulfill my landscape needs.

So, long story short: is there anyone who'd like to share their Arctic region experiences, be it north or south? I'm particularly interested in photography gear that you brought and had the most use for, or any other tips or stories. But also: what surprises you ran into, either in camera settings, time of year/day to shoot in, stuff like that.

Thanks for your time!