Mundj Loc: Richmond TX

We took their Russian river cruise several years ago and had a great time. I only had my kit lenses then, 18-55 and 55-200. I rarely used the telephoto. Whatever you take on your land tours, you will have to carry. Today I would only take a 18-135, and a 50, f1.8
for low light situations. I have a fanny pack big enough to carry the spare lens, lens cleaning stuff, spare battery and memory cards. A lot of places you visit will not allow you to use your flash nor allow a tripod.

Have fun.

crhoetzl

Just leave everything home except for two dependable point & shoot cameras and some camera support devices. You will miss photo opportunities deciding on which lens to use. I just came back from 10 days in Hawai'i. I used my ancient SP350. It shoots an 8meg raw file, has a dedicated hot shoe, has an eye level finder, and uses AA batteries. I used a flash that also uses AA batteries. AAs are available all over the world. I did bring a POD, a "C" clamp with tripod attachment, and a table top tripod with long Velcro strap.

How unique will your photos be?

AGO

I have taken many riverboat cruises. I have a Nikon D7100 and I take along the following lenses: 18-200, 10-20, and 30 f1.4 prime. I also bring a graduated neutral density and a polarizing filter. If you have room, a small flash can be helpful in dark interiors (castles and cathedrals). Generally, I shoot with the 18-200 lens 95% of the time. The 10-20 is good on tight European streets and the 30 f1.4 is also good in low light situations. On the boat itself, the 18-200 is fine. You might want to think about a small point and shoot for informal shots at dinner, etc.

goldbergsfg

You are way over packed . We did the cruise last year and I had my Sony a6000 with a Tamron 18 to 200 which covered everything I needed. Be sure to capture the nighttime illuminations in Budapest but be careful with your camera settings. It is low light but you need to use Shutter priority or full manual because your ship is moving and normal low light photography rules with slow shutter speed's do not apply.

I did purchase a wide angle converter for the front of my lens that cut the focal length in half and despite a small barreling affect the pictures came out great The barreling was easily corrected in Photoshop elements.

Please understand that no one wants flashes going off in cathedrals etc.

That particular cruise offers wonderful photographic opportunities.

MtnMan Loc: ID

You are overpacking. Take one camera and leave the tripod home.

I did that on my last Viking cruise. Took only my D5300 Nikon and 17-50 f2.8 lens. It was perfect. I mistakenly took a tripod. I never took it out of my suitcase.

You'll be getting in and off buses and with a group on most of the stops. You won't have time for a tripod or changing lenses. Most things in Europe are close and large: you won't need a telephoto.

The Rev

I've done several Viking River cruises. I have used my Nikon 5100 with two lenses, 35mm & Tamron 18-270. No mono or tripod. Nothing but excellent reviews of my pics.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

I tend to disagree with some of the suggestions. I've never taken one of the 'river cruises' but have made five or six ocean cruises--Caribbean-eastern and western, Alaska, Panama Canal, and have cruised our boat from Down East Maine to Albemarle Sound, NC, and chartered in the B.V.I.'s, and the Abaco's taking pictures (non professional) all the way.

I think you will find the 70-200 mm will probably live on the camera most of the time, distances from the boat to shore could be a couple hundred yards; you will want the 24-70 for pictures in town and on the boat. You may wish you had a bit more reach than the 200mm but you have to be able to hand hold so the 200mm without the extender will be a good choice. Tripods are useless on a boat; they just transmit and magnify the vibrations in the boat to the camera; on shore they just aggravate other people, and you may not even have the space to set it up. On the boat and hand holding, I'd recommend shutter speeds from 1/500-750 as a minimum; it will depend upon light & river conditions. Use shutter priority--you don't want to lose a once in a lifetime shot because the camera lowered your speed. To compensate increase the ISO or use Auto ISO but give it a high, maybe 600-800, upper limit.

Don't over pack; you won't want to carry it all around, and if you see a shot you want, take it with what you have on the camera; most probably it won't last long enough for you to go get another lens from your cabin.

Enjoy the trip, we have talked about it several times but never gotten a "round-to-it".

Itpurs Loc: Carson City, NV

OMG...you are wayyyyy overpacking. The tours that you will be taking are very fast paced and allows little time for changing lenses and setting up like you would like to do as a photographer. A 24-70 mm for walking around towns and a 70-200/300mm is all you need for shots of castles from the river boat. I made this same mistake on my first cruise, but never again. No flash (rarely allowed), no tripod (no time). I've been on dozens of these cruises and love photography....but you need to take an actual photo tour if you want time to use everything you mentioned. Enjoy, it's a wonderful cruise line.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

The wife and I took the same Viking Grand European river cruise 2 years ago. I also tossed the same question out to UHH. A previous responder suggested your planned inventory is overkill. I couldn't agree with him/her more! I had a Canon 6d with 24-105 f4 and a SX50 HS bridge camera for shooting castles on the rivers. Also in the bag, I had a 50 f1.8, which I didn't need. You'll do a lot of walking and believe me, a bag loaded with a body and multiple lenses gets heavy. Oh, also, a flash is not needed. Even in cathedrals, I just increased the ISO a little, shot in raw, and tweaked them in LR when home. Enjoy the trip and the complementary wine and beer with dinner. Great trip!

Lege

On the Viking river cruise I took - all
I brought was my camera and 24-70 lens - didn't miss all the gear - and still got good shots!

plessner Loc: North Dakota

I would say don't get a new camera right before a trip, unless the controls are the same as your old one
while on tours you have to be shooting fast--so you want to know what you are doing

thegrover Loc: Yorba Linda, CA

I just searched Viking River Cruises trying to find that combination. (Viking River cruise visiting Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Munich, Cologne and Amsterdam) Please help. That is what I want.

stuparr935 Loc: Dallas, Texas area

I've been to more than 63 countries since I retired and only taken one body with one lens, a 28-300, and a Sony RX 100 as backup. Never felt a need for another lens. I've taken about 4 river cruises and you are way over packing photo gear. For most foreign travel just one camera body and one lens is all you'll need.

ljhix Loc: NW Washington State

Did that cruise. 16-35L was valuable on tours (in-town architecture) and 70-200 was all I needed shooting from the top deck. Forget the tripod and flash.

WetCoaster

You are seriously over loaded and I don't think you've considered the cabin luggage restrictions.
I had a 6D & 7D2 with 24-105 lenses on my Rhine- Danube cruise. I wish I had owned my new Sony RX10 iii back then. It has a superb 24-600 Zeiss lens. I felt I could have used a wider angle lens inside the towns & cities. As for a tripod, I needed one for night shots of flood lighted buildings in Budapest as we sailed in at night and did a loop back to our dock.

It's a great trip. I'm using my smartphone and can't easily grab a link to my cruise album.

Don