Alaska trip: I have a trip planned to Alaska in July 22. I’m taking a Nikon D5600 with a Tamron 18-400 f3.5. -6.3 lens. I have a flight around Denali at 7:00 pm scheduled, will I have...

AZRetired

I have a trip planned to Alaska in July 22. I’m taking a Nikon D5600 with a Tamron 18-400 f3.5. -6.3 lens. I have a flight around Denali at 7:00 pm scheduled, will I have enough light for the lens? Should I get maybe a prime lens in the range of 18 to 24mm and about f2.4? Any othe advise appreciated!

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

AZRetired wrote:

I have a trip planned to Alaska in July 22. I’m taking a Nikon D5600 with a Tamron 18-400 f3.5. -6.3 lens. I have a flight around Denali at 7:00 pm scheduled, will I have enough light for the lens? Should I get maybe a prime lens in the range of 18 to 24mm and about f2.4? Any othe advise appreciated!

I have been to Alaska twice. The first trip in August 2014 and the second in Late September 2015. During both trips the light was very good until 9PM or a bit later. For an aerial trip around Denali at 7PM should provide adequate light, providing the sky is not exceedingly overcast or if the weather is rainy or foggy. The weather can be a bit unpredictable there.

AZRetired

Thanks for the quick reply PhotogHobbyist

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

As mentioned, weather will be more important than light at that time of year. Assuming nice weather, otherwise if needed you could always bump ISO to get that extra f-stop vs another lens.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

AZRetired wrote:

I have a trip planned to Alaska in July 22. I’m taking a Nikon D5600 with a Tamron 18-400 f3.5. -6.3 lens. I have a flight around Denali at 7:00 pm scheduled, will I have enough light for the lens? Should I get maybe a prime lens in the range of 18 to 24mm and about f2.4? Any othe advise appreciated!

The Tamron lens should work. The sun sets at Denali at 9:48 on 8/22 and 9:18 on 8/31. At 7:00, the sun will be 15 degrees above the horizon which will increase the shadows and make for a more dramatic photos. You might want to check your shutter speed. Don't know if the VR in the Tamron lens will handle any plane vibrations, so a higher shutter speed may be necessary.

You are going at a good time in the day, Denali is more spectacular in the morning or evening with the lower sun angles (it is always spectacular any time weather permitting). I'm going up later this month to photograph Denali from the air. Only problem in the winter is keeping the windows from fogging up.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

Always bring a spare lens incase an accident happens. Bring rain and cleaning gear. Also I brought along a monopod which I used all the time. The longer the lens the better. Enjoy your trip.

ELNikkor

I was there on July 12, 1988. The mountain was light for 24 hours, can't remember when the sun set. I was fortunate to have clear weather the whole time, but, as mentioned, clouds and rain can come in at any time in Alaska.

saparoo Loc: Atlanta, GA

AZRetired wrote:

I have a trip planned to Alaska in July 22. I’m taking a Nikon D5600 with a Tamron 18-400 f3.5. -6.3 lens. I have a flight around Denali at 7:00 pm scheduled, will I have enough light for the lens? Should I get maybe a prime lens in the range of 18 to 24mm and about f2.4? Any othe advise appreciated!

This was taken when my Husband took a flight around Denali in 2015. This was about 12:30am. We were lucky, while we were there, there was almost no cloud cover, which is not the normal. In this shot, the area between the two rock formations, just before the curve, is approximately a mile in distance. That is what the pilot told him. He took the photo with a Canon 60D and probably 18-135mm lens. We stayed at the Lodge for a week and had a wonderful trip. Hope the weather is as beautiful for you as it was for us!!! Look forward to seeing your pictures.

(Download)

AZRetired

Thanks, I plan to take my kit lens as back up. Will a CPF help with the window reflections? I plan on a shutter speed of 1/1000, will that be fast enough?

jimvanells Loc: Augusta, GA

You will be fine. Remember that in July, the sun does not go completely down at Denali. You will have plenty of light. Do not use a CPL unless you can open the window. You will get reflections from the window in your shots; been there, done that, pitched abut 30 wonderful shots of glaciers on the West Arm at Glacier Bay.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

AZRetired wrote:

Thanks, I plan to take my kit lens as back up. Will a CPF help with the window reflections? I plan on a shutter speed of 1/1000, will that be fast enough?

I don’t know that a polarizing filter will do you any good through the plexiglass window of an airplane. And the long(ish) lens will be somewhat inconvenient inside that small space. Your best bet is a good 50mm f/1.8 lens. The longer lens is more susceptible to vibration, and there’s plenty of that in a small plane.

In mid-July, at 7pm, you’ll have plenty of light, unless you’re weathered out of the flight. Just remember, Denali is such a big land mass that it tends to generate its own weather. Consequently you will only have about a 30-40% chance of seeing the mountain. She’s a fickle lady.

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

saparoo wrote:

This was taken when my Husband took a flight aroun... (show quote)

Wonderful image! Tell your husband that he did a great job!

AZRetired

Thanks Wingpilot. I’ll consider a shorter lens with a wider f stop

AZRetired

Thanks jinvanells, will I be able to
See the reflection if I get one in the EVF? I thought a CPF would cut down on the reflections

ecurb Loc: Metro Chicago Area

AZRetired wrote:

I have a trip planned to Alaska in July 22. I’m taking a Nikon D5600 with a Tamron 18-400 f3.5. -6.3 lens. I have a flight around Denali at 7:00 pm scheduled, will I have enough light for the lens? Should I get maybe a prime lens in the range of 18 to 24mm and about f2.4? Any othe advise appreciated!

Use a 35mm f1.8.
Have the door taken off the aircraft to give you the most view without shooting through windows.