ronsmith Loc: Morrinsville. New Zealand

My wife and I are doing a 7 night cruise from Vancouver up into Alaska in July and my gear will consist of the following
Sony a77. Tamron 17-50. 18-270. 70-300. Tripod, Laptop or iPad and spare batteries and cards. And also video camera. Will I need filters?
Should my gear be ok for the trip.
Also spending a week in the Rockies

Thanks and regards

Willy Loc: Alaska

You won't regret getting a couple of Graduated Neutral Density filters. Due to the snow capped peaks and being at sea level, you will have quite a bit of contrast.
Here's a good description of how they work.
http://www.my-photo-blog.com/graduated-neutral-density-filters

Enjoy your trip!!

EstherP

I can see taking a fair bit of equipment on the cruise, you can leave it in your cabin and pick up just what you want/need to take photos from the ship. Ditto for shore-excursions - I believe they will tell you beforehand what you're going to see, so you can judge what lens etc to take.
When it comes to the Rockies, it's a different story.
Assuming you mean the Canadian Rockies, and you'll be staying in a hotel in Jasper or Banff, you can leave laptop in the hotel.
But looking at your gear: Camera, three lenses, tripod, laptop, batteries, video cam... Have you put it together in your backpack and walked around with it for an hour?
I think for most excursions I would only take the 18-270 lens with the camera, spare camera battery, and give the video cam to your wife to use.
The Alaska cruise is still on our wish-list, but as to the Rockies, in both Banff and Jasper, visit the Tourist information centre, they can give you lots of information about local hikes, bus trips, etc.
"Must-sees" are Athabasca Falls, Victoria Glacier, Whistler Mountain (by airtram).
I'll be thinking about you next July, probably with a bit of jealousy as we will be passing through Jasper from Edmonton to Prince George, but won't have time to stop and "play"....
EstherP

ronsmith Loc: Morrinsville. New Zealand

I'd like to thankyou, Esther and Willy for your replies to my post.
Just the info' I needed
Willy I'm going to buy a couple of ND filters, thanks for that.
Esther you are wealth of info of the area, I've taken you ideas on board.
We are both looking very forward to visiting your country

Thanks once again
Ron

Willy Loc: Alaska

Ron,
I should have mentioned earlier that you'll also want a Circular Polarizer. Get one that fits your largest lens diameter and get step down rings so you can use it on other, smaller lenses.
If you're not familiar with them see this tutorial.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/polarizing-filters.htm

Also, be sure to get square "Graduated" Neutral density filters. With the square ones you can control where the transition is. If you use the screw on round ones the transition will be right in the middle which may not be desirable.
Non Graduated Neutral density filters do not have a transition. They are used to take longer exposures.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/neutral-density-filters.htm

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/graduated-neutral-density-filters.htm

Best of luck and have a fabulous trip!

ronsmith Loc: Morrinsville. New Zealand

Willy, you have given some useful info' which I will follow up

Regards
Ron

elandel Loc: Milan, Italy

I'd say a good all rounder like the 18-270 you have and ND plus Polarizing filters. Thats fine for lugging it around all day and if you need something more I'd put a 50mm in my pocket.

ringo Loc: australia

we done a similar trip last year and all I took was a nikon 18-200 and a wide angle which I did not use until Vegas. the inside passage is a fantastic trip and the Canadian rockies are unbelievable. have a great trip. regards ringo

elandel Loc: Milan, Italy

Yes I forgot an ultra wide angle like the Tokina 12-24. When I travel I have an all-purpose: 18-270 for Dx or 28-300 for Fx; a 50 for IQ and low-light and UW lens. It's all I need. Maybe others will have other needs.

Mulachabu Loc: Sydney Australia

Hi, I have had the pleasure of doing the Alaska trip a few years ago, fantastic. Photography wise, as sugested a circular polariser is worth having, exposure compensation is a frequent necessity so ensure that you have this worked out on your camera in advance, also you will notice that as you leave the relative warmth of the ship to go outside the temperature drop can cause your lenses to be affected by condensation, I would recommend that you carry 'silica gel' in your camera bag to ensure that any moisture trapped inside your camera is removed, and enjoy.

richardh76 Loc: VT, Central, Champlain Valley

Many thanks for bringing this topic up Ron. This trip is on our bucket list, and the information here is invaluable!
Have a great trip!
Richard

bhowdy Loc: Maryville, Tennessee

What great replies you have already received! The "Alaska" topic grabbed my attention immediately. We are heading back for 9 days in July!.

Let me echo and expand on some of the advice that you have already received:

1)
ND graduated filters .... yes yes yes ... make sure that you read Ron Neibrugge's blog, he mentions them in several places. But just as important, get yours early and use them so that you understand how they work. - I personally use Lee filters, they are great to contact and ask questions. Check out their site here:
http://www.leefilters.com/index.php/camera/ndgrads

2)
The advice about wearing your pack was "outstanding" ..... Not much worse than feeling like you are "lugging around" your camera gear. I would suggest wearing your backpack for more than an hour at a time. A minimum of 2-3 hours a few times. Sometimes a pack is just not a good fit for a person's size or comfort requirements ... often times a bag will feel better by just rearranging gear and better distributing the load inside the bag.

Rain is always a possibility so I would suggest a bag that has a rain cover feature. If you are the "So what if it's raining, I'm getting the shot" type .... a rain cover for your camera might be a good investment.
http://optechusa.com/rainsleeve.html

3)
Circular polarizer ..... Yes yes yes
You will be on the water so in my opinion a polarizing filer is a must, and not a cheap one. On your cruise you will possibly have opportunity to photograph whales, dolphins, seals, otters, etc. An inexpensive filter can be worse than no filter. Remember filters are a piece of photographic glass.
I would think there is a circular polarizer discussion or several here in UHH .. try searching for them.
Like the ND grad filters ... practice with the CP filter before your trip so that you have a comfort level using it.

4)
Image storage? ... I see that you mention laptop or ipad, and you mention extra memory cards. The following is just me (some might say that I am anal about this but this method has saved my bacon a couple of times) - Each evening (or midday) I download my cards to my laptop, in folders, to allow sorting and help me "remember" later. Then I copy the downloaded images to an external storage device. Sure I have double copies but things happen, cards fail, computers crash, get stolen, etc. I store the external drive in a different place (piece of luggage from the laptop). Think "trip of a lifetime".

I am a big fan of Western Digital My Passports. They are storage devices and not an external hard drive, so they are easier to use in my opinion. They have several sizes up to 1TB and won't break the bank.
http://www.amazon.com/Passport-Essential-Portable-External-Midnight/dp/B0041OSAZS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1357047142&sr=1-1&keywords=WD+My+Passport+Essential+SE+500+GB

5)
Where does your cruise dock in Alaska? Seward, Whittier or another port? Will you have time for a small boat cruise to the glaciers? There are several quality cruise tours to Kenai Fjords and the glaciers. They are various lengths of time .. 3, 4, 6 hours, etc. It is possible to get much closer to the glaciers and really experience them ... also a much lower perspective to the water when compared to the large cruise ships ... oh yeah and wildlife up much closer. Just a thought. Here's a suggestion
http://www.kenaifjords.com/?gclid=CIH4uOulx7QCFQ0GnQodwm8AHQ

EstherP

Never mind just the rain.
Two years ago, in Banff, in the middle of July, we got snow!
Just enough to stick and make the town look like a winter wonderland from our hotel room (the King Edward), not enough to prevent us leaving for home - and by mid-morning the sun shone again!
So, besides your summer togs, pack a couple of long-sleeved T's, a cardigan or pull-over, and you should be OK. Dressed in layers of summer clothing will keep you just as warm as one layer of winter clothing.
EstherP

Tman Loc: Texas

My wife and I completed our third Alaska cruise this past May and yes you may find the ND filters very handy; contrast around there can drive you nuts.
Noticed you are taking a tripod; shouldnt be an issue with onship photos but check out your shore excurisions very carefully. Some are rather restrictive on what you can take alone.
Have fun and be sure to post some of your photos when you get back.

Ralloh Loc: Ohio

I did that cruise several years ago. Absolutely fabulous. Truly one you don't want to end.