Iceland/Norway
Aug 13, 2019 11:01:31 #
I have spent a considerable amount of time in both countries. Most landscapes are wide angle shots. Most of it depends on what type of images you are looking to shoot. I would suggest a 14-24mm equivalent and a 24-70mm.
Aug 13, 2019 11:05:59 #
I just got back from Iceland - it's truly amazing (though incredibly expensive).
Brought all my lenses and used them all... much to the annoyance of my wife...
Why?
10-20mm Wide Angle: waterfalls, landscapes, seascapes, buildings, etc. You'll definitely want a wide angle lens to capture the scenery. And if you want to get the most out of the waterfall and seascape shots, bring a ND filter and a tripod.
Fisheye: there are so many places where the fisheye allowed me to capture truly unique photos: especially at the bubbling mud pits, Arctic Henge, and would have been epic for Diamond Beach except that it was raining the day were were there.
Primes (35mm/1.8 and 58mm/1.4): horses, puffins, foliage, and portraits of my wife. Yes, the horses are an incredible photo subject and there are places where you can get very close to the puffins where the primes were fast and produced amazing dof shots.
150-600mm supertele: birds and seals. If you want to get decent shots of most of the wildlife, you're going to want as much reach as you can get.
NOTE: my wife went with just an 18-400 Tamron and was pretty happy with what she shot, but was constantly checking my pics and proclaiming it was unfair that I had better lenses...
Since Iceland is not cheap, and since we spent almost 2 weeks there, my feeling is that it's unlikely we will ever make it back there. So I wanted to shoot everything, and I'm really happy that I hauled all that gear with me to catch all those shots.
Furthermore, you really should rent a vehicle in order to see everything in Iceland. Since your stuff will mostly just be in the car the whole time, I don't see any reason not to bring as much gear as you can take with you.
Brought all my lenses and used them all... much to the annoyance of my wife...
Why?
10-20mm Wide Angle: waterfalls, landscapes, seascapes, buildings, etc. You'll definitely want a wide angle lens to capture the scenery. And if you want to get the most out of the waterfall and seascape shots, bring a ND filter and a tripod.
Fisheye: there are so many places where the fisheye allowed me to capture truly unique photos: especially at the bubbling mud pits, Arctic Henge, and would have been epic for Diamond Beach except that it was raining the day were were there.
Primes (35mm/1.8 and 58mm/1.4): horses, puffins, foliage, and portraits of my wife. Yes, the horses are an incredible photo subject and there are places where you can get very close to the puffins where the primes were fast and produced amazing dof shots.
150-600mm supertele: birds and seals. If you want to get decent shots of most of the wildlife, you're going to want as much reach as you can get.
NOTE: my wife went with just an 18-400 Tamron and was pretty happy with what she shot, but was constantly checking my pics and proclaiming it was unfair that I had better lenses...
Since Iceland is not cheap, and since we spent almost 2 weeks there, my feeling is that it's unlikely we will ever make it back there. So I wanted to shoot everything, and I'm really happy that I hauled all that gear with me to catch all those shots.
Furthermore, you really should rent a vehicle in order to see everything in Iceland. Since your stuff will mostly just be in the car the whole time, I don't see any reason not to bring as much gear as you can take with you.
Aug 13, 2019 11:13:39 #
KAK wrote:
I just returned from about two weeks in Norway -- on the ferry going up the coast but that doesn't really matter. Anyway, my Canon 24-105mm zoom was all I needed even though I had other lenses with me. I lost maybe two shots due to having only that zoom close by.What are your lens recommendations for Iceland and Norway?
Aug 13, 2019 12:03:38 #
Just returned from Iceland and I took my Tamron 18-400. I like to travel with just one lens. It worked well, but that’s just my opinion.
Aug 13, 2019 13:30:49 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Except I would recommend lenses that are impervious to volcanic eruptions. 
I guess that means I have to change systems! I use L lenses, but I've not seen a volcanic series in their catalog, bummer!
Aug 13, 2019 13:44:21 #
KAK wrote:
What are your lens recommendations for Iceland and Norway?
A Sony RX10 IV with its excellent 24-600mm lens works wonders!
bwa
Aug 13, 2019 15:43:23 #
Aug 13, 2019 19:17:59 #
Thx for those incredible and beautiful pictures. I enjoyed everyone of them!
Im feeling lucky for seeing so wonderful landscaping!
Im feeling lucky for seeing so wonderful landscaping!
Aug 13, 2019 21:25:29 #
Dat Quach
Loc: California
Kak,
If you plan to rent a car and drive around leisurely, I recommend bringing a wide to medium range zoom lens(es). I brought 14-24, 24-70, and 70-200 with me to both countries since their landscape is breathtaking and very unique, I did not want to miss the photo ops.
Attached were my itineraries and equipment bag. The bag was heavy but it was worth every pound. Besides, it stayed in the car pretty much the whole time. I stopped a lot along the roadways to take pictures.
If you plan to rent a car and drive around leisurely, I recommend bringing a wide to medium range zoom lens(es). I brought 14-24, 24-70, and 70-200 with me to both countries since their landscape is breathtaking and very unique, I did not want to miss the photo ops.
Attached were my itineraries and equipment bag. The bag was heavy but it was worth every pound. Besides, it stayed in the car pretty much the whole time. I stopped a lot along the roadways to take pictures.
Iceland, 2016
(Download)
Two bodies, 14-24, 24-70, 70-200 mm
(Download)
Norway, 2018
(Download)
One body, 14-24, 24-70, 70-200, 135 mm
(Download)
Aug 14, 2019 07:21:46 #
Dat Quach wrote:
Kak,
If you plan to rent a car and drive around leisurely, I recommend bringing a wide to medium range zoom lens(es). I brought 14-24, 24-70, and 70-200 with me to both countries since their landscape is breathtaking and very unique, I did not want to miss the photo ops.
Attached were my itineraries and equipment bag. The bag was heavy but it was worth every pound. Besides, it stayed in the car pretty much the whole time. I stopped a lot along the roadways to take pictures.
If you plan to rent a car and drive around leisurely, I recommend bringing a wide to medium range zoom lens(es). I brought 14-24, 24-70, and 70-200 with me to both countries since their landscape is breathtaking and very unique, I did not want to miss the photo ops.
Attached were my itineraries and equipment bag. The bag was heavy but it was worth every pound. Besides, it stayed in the car pretty much the whole time. I stopped a lot along the roadways to take pictures.
I would highly recommend visiting the Westfjords - we did the same loop you outlined and initially figured we'd skip the Westfjords - but after completing the standard ring road loop clockwise, we got around to the "Golden Circle" and were put off by the relatively large crowds that had been absent for much of the trip up to that point. In the Golden Circle we saw the main waterfalls, Diamond Beach, and the crashed airplane, and decided to forego the Gyser and highlands and instead drive back up to the Westfjords.
We had three amazing days up there (with better weather, far fewer people, and sights that many people miss out on). Most rewarding, were the close-ups with Puffins and seals, Dynjandi Falls, and epic sunsets... all with far less people than on the Southern side of the island.
Aug 14, 2019 15:17:10 #
Dat Quach
Loc: California
hammond wrote:
I would highly recommend visiting the Westfjords - we did the same loop you outlined and initially figured we'd skip the Westfjords - ...
I agree with you completely. We had only 8 days to drive around the country and had contemplated visiting the Westfjords but the drive would require two more days that we did not have. As a result, I did not have any photos of puffins.
To our consolation, we visited Norway last year and their deep Fjords are just spectacular.
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