nsilberma Loc: San Jose, Calif.

Intend to take my Canon D70 with Canon 15-85mm and Tamron 150-600mm
And Sony Alpha A6000 with the kit lenses (16-50mm and 55-210mm both with OSS).
I would appreciate any practical advice and comments.

Happy 2015 to everyone on the Hedgehog!

azphotobug Loc: Scottsdale, Arizona

I went to the Galapagos about 5 years ago. The terrain is very primitive and uneven. It is fairly pristine, the islands are made of lava. Somewhat difficult to walk around. You might want to rethink about the amount of equipment that you are going to carry w/you. Take enough batteries and SD cards. Also, remember that you may need an electrical converter to charge your batteries. You might want to bring a extension cord b/c on the small boat that we were on, electrical outlets were few. The outlets are older versions so that they are two prong versus the 3 prong of more modern outlets. You might find it differently than I did, but I would check it out. Don't forget you need to charge your phone and laptop if you're bringing one. Bring good sneakers or light hiking boots b/c you do a lot of walking. Bring sunscreen, a hat if you burn. After all, the Galapagos are right on the equator. Have a great time. It was a life altering experience for me. :-D

PauHana Loc: Tucson, AZ

I was in the Galapagos two years ago. The marine iguanas, tortoises and sealions let you get very close. You actually have to be careful not to step on iguanas. They are everywhere including the paths. I used a Canon 7D mostly with a 70-300 zoom and often needed less distance. The landscapes (lava patterns, off shore rocks, bays and waves) are a great opprtunity for wide angle shots. Birds were harder to get. Tropic birds and some boobies were out of my range, but hawks, blue footed boobies, finches, penguins and cormorants were easy to reach. You might want to take a waterproof option as well. The snorkelling was amazing. Clear water filled with Turtles and beautiful fish while penguins swooped about in the water were common occurences. A GoPro would be a nice easy option. A monopod would have been useful as an assist for walking and stabilizing the camera. Terrain was rugged but had many paths and wooden steps built around. Often reached shore in inflatable boats, sometimes with wet exits from boat to shore so camera carry had to be planned. Needed my Tilley hat every day. Are you adding any land excursions? The equatorial museum in Quito was a great photographic opportunity; unusual hummingbirds, beautiful flowers, the equator and colorful cultural images abounded. Our trip included Macho Picchu and the Rio Napa. Oh, over the 26 days of travelling, I shot over 5000 RAW images, so carry lots of cards! The Galapagos are a place I would return to. Since travel is controlled, you need two weeks there to get all islands included.

rxrose Loc: North Florida

That is so cool! It is definitely a trip I would love to do!

RJNaylor Loc: Delmar, New York

You will probably have plenty of light so you don't need a fast lens. I would recommend you bring two bodies and leave a basic lens on one and a long one on the other. You will have blowing sand at times and won't want to be changing lenses on land.

azphotobug Loc: Scottsdale, Arizona

I took my FZ150. It's a bridge camera and the only camera I had at the time. It zooms to 600mm and that was helpful plus I had a teleconverter so I had enough zoom but the IQ wasn't what your cameras have. Just didn't have to carry around lots of equipment. The monopod isa good idea for camera stability and yours as well.