AutoGal wrote:
Hello All,
I am sure that many of you have already been there, and I have a few questions I would like your kind answers to, please. Will be Cruising.
1. Do you need a waterproof camera bag/backpac going on and off the small boats.
2. Should I take 2 cameras in the event of one failing...ya never know??
3. What lenses...I understand that a zoom is not really that necessary...like a 300??? I have a Nikon
d7200 (which I just bought used, a deal too good to pass up)
and a Sony a6500.(Still a Nikon lover at heart...)
4. Any and all info that you would like to share with me, I will be most grateful to read.
PS...I am 77 and have new knees but, they do not stop me...will be taking my walking stick as I know
the terrain is not smooth.
Thank YOU!! I drink my coffee with ya'll every morning...this is an AWESOME site and I have learned to much from all of you.
Hello All, br br I am sure that many of you have ... (
show quote)
My husband & I went for 2 weeks late April to early May, 2015. Our trip was NOT one that focused (sorry for that pun) on photography. The 14 passengers on our boat ran the gamut from really serious (myself) all the way down to “yup, my cell phone will do just fine”. We were on a very small boat. Neither my husband nor myself are prone to any motion sickness. That being said, I would suggest that you bring motion sickness remedies with you (Dramamine which is over the counter and scopolamine patches - need an rx) just in case. On our trip, a couple of people became extremely ill on more than one occasion. Take them BEFORE the seas get rough. Once you start feeling ill, it’s just too darn late!
Now, on to the equipment. I brought my D5200 with the 18-105 and 55-300 kit lenses. At the time, the D5200 was my only DSLR. I now have a D7200 and yours should be perfect for your trip.The 300mm was usually the longest I needed. Also brought my Canon bridge camera (SX50-HS - which went out to 1200mm), and a Sony point & shoot that I believe went out to 600mm or so. No tripod or monopod. LOTS of memory cards and extra batteries. Took my Lowepro 22L backpack and that worked out well for me on the Pangas going to & from the boat as well as being very manageable while hiking. If you are concerned about being a bit unsteady on some terrain, you can always bring a collapsible walking stick. I’d suggest getting a large dry bag to put your backpack in while going to and from shore. Even a couple of large plastic trash bags from home would do the job in a pinch. As someone else mentioned, there is always the possibility of a disastrous misstep that could land you and your gear in the salt water. We also had small cameras that we used underwater when we were snorkeling. I borrowed my son’s GoPro and my husband had a Panasonic that has been discontinued for several years. We still have ours and hubby presses it put it into service when he needs to shoot in rain when traveling. I just do not remember the model of the Panasonic or that of my Sony P&S.
On our trip, our naturalist sat down with the group late every afternoon and went over in detail what we would be seeing and doing the next day. He also let us know if our landing would be wet or dry so we knew what footwear to plan on wearing. I planned my gear for the next day based on that information. I ALWAYS took my D5200 with me and also took either my bridge camera OR my point and shoot for any land excursion. That way I’d have a back-up camera on my body in case of a catastrophe. There is no way you can go back to the boat to pick up a replacement camera. I’d usually have the 55-300 mounted on my D5200. I don’t think I ever used my 18-105, though. At the time I also owned a Tamron 150-300 and was advised by fellow Hogs to leave it at home. They were absolutely correct. I didn’t need it at all and was certainly happy that I didn’t have to worry about one more piece of equipment.
There were 2 items of clothing that I bought for the trip that I could not have lived without - water shoes for wet landings, and a travel vest with lots of pockets. I chose one by TravelSmith and that sucker has been with me on every trip we’ve taken since the Galapagos. That vest made it so much easier to conveniently carry extra memory cards and batteries out on our excursions.
You should bring some way to back up your images each day. We usually travel with a WD 1TB Passport. We didn’t have it on the Galapagos trip, but got one before our next trip. If your cabin is air conditioned, I would leave your camera in an area without air conditioning. It can take “forever” for the condensation to clear, otherwise. Our boat was small enough that everyone just left their camera bag topside.
If I were to do a return trip to the Galapagos, the only different gear I would bring would be either my D7200 or my D500. I didn’t own either of them at the time of our trip.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten something. If you have any specific questions, please just PM me & I’ll do my best to respond. You will have a fabulous time!