Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

facetious but think about it: "Take half the clothes and twice the money!"

OldTxun

Thanks mvetrano2. On a different line, the week of June 8. But have the same plans. I'll leave the long lens on the D300 and use the 16-35 for the scenics. Have a great cruise yourself. We can compare notes and pics afterwards.

mvetrano2 Loc: Commack, NY

Sounds like a plan!

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Mosquito repellent. :)

JohnH3 Loc: Auburn, AL

Should have mentioned that I took both a crop frame and a full frame camera. The additional camera was hardly noticeable in terms of weight. It was nice to have a backup and I did use both. Just take a smaller bag to pack what you need for a given day so you are not carrying everything you take all the time. It is better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.

theolog01

You are well equipped for the trip. I would take the 300S more as a backup than for the extra length it will give you with the 200-500. My personal preference, if available, would be to swap the 24-120 for a 24-70. I would consider keeping a 50 1.4 in a jacket pocket for indoor shots. I used a monopod when shooting on ship with my long lens and rested it on my foot to reduce vibration.

EliotN

Cropping the D810 down to the sensor size of the D300 will actually give you more and better mega pixels. Worthwhile to have a backup camera but better to use the D810 as much as possible including with telephoto. Also, shooting fast moving wildlife and cropping later is much better for good wildlife pics. Finally I might consider renting D500 for telephoto and wildlife given it's very fast focus and excellent crop sensor

barryb Loc: Kansas

To get to the ship I would take the 300 as a backup, and on ship the lenses will be great. We have been to Alaska twice, and the highlight was the whale watching tour!. Got humpback flukes that almost fill the frame! With good light you should be able to easily hand hold the 200-500 (my dream lens that I don't have). I have an 800, so I know that you will be able to get whatever you need, as the tours work hard to get very close to a pod. Don't forget you can crop on the 810, and still a beautiful 16x24 print. On the whale tour a tripod won't work, but if you feel a problem hand holding the 200-500, a monopod could help. One of my favorite pics was at 3am, going to Skagway (I think) with snow capped peaks coming out of the ocean. That would be worth setting the alarm. If you have any opportunity take the land tour, because Denali was the highlight of the entire trip. The eight hour bus tour into Denali was one of the most memorable national park tours I've ever been on.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Question for those that take big cameras and multiple lenses on cruise ships..... Where do you keep them? The room safes are not that big.

GregWCIL Loc: Illinois

Depending on how old and stiff a Texan you are, I might suggest you take knee pads or a cushion to kneel on. I had best luck on ships laying my arm on the railing then resting my long lens in the crook of my elbow. Very steady and eliminated ship vibrations. Allen Marine runs large catamaran whale tours out of Juneau and they will get you in perfect range for your 200-500. Definitely take your second camera.

SoCal Dave

Interestingly, you would actually LOSE resolution by using the D300s over the D810! Because the density of pixels on the D810 is greater than on the D300s, in fact you get more "crop factor" by simply cropping into the D810 image than by using the d300s which is only a 12MP sensor. In fact the D810 is a 15.3MP camera in DX mode!

For direct comparison of the two sensors, click here: https://www.digicamdb.com/compare/nikon_d300s-vs-nikon_d810/

As for the main question what to take to Alaska, have you heard the phrase "brown dot, white dot"? Aka bears, Dall's sheep and bald eagles when photographed...especially the sheep! First of all, you have already have a kit that we could only dream of a few years ago. The D810/200-500 is a killer combo and will serve you very well!!! That said, my own experience up there is that your lens can never be too long!

Two ways to add more reach to your kit: Teleconverter, or your original idea of a high resolution DX body.

Per Photography Life, a TC does work well on the 200-500:

"Nikon TC-14E III (280-700mm): When testing the 80-400mm lens, I personally did not like how the lens performed with the 1.4x teleconverter – AF speed and accuracy suffered a lot. Before I slapped the TC-14E III on the 200-500mm, I wondered if I would get similar results. To my surprise, the Nikon 200-500mm actually did quite well! While both AF speed and accuracy took a little hit, the lens did not seem to suffer as bad as the 80-400mm + 1.4x TC combo. In daylight environment, the lens performed really well, making it a nice 280-700mm f/8 combo. It is important to point out that I was shooting with the Nikon D750 and D810 DSLRs, which have excellent AF systems that can focus with f/8 lenses using the center focus point (if one were to use an entry-level or an older generation Nikon DSLR, the results would not have been as good)."

Birds in flight? Probably not, but the aforementioned sheep dont move fast! And where I really would want it is shooting from the ship as you glide past the otters with pups on their bellies!!! Again, speed of focus not so critical.

The other route is rent a D500/D7500/D7200 and put more pxels on the target like you were thinking with the D300's. 20-24MP-DX does give more reach than the D810.

Finally, take a really good pair of binoculars! Best not to see the whole trip through a viewfinder! And have fun! Its a wonderful adventure!
Dave

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

I am a photo guide doing tours off the cruiseships out of Juneau. I think your lens choices are good. You are going to want the long one for whale watching but many of the tours also include a walk at the glacier before heading out on the water, and for time in the woods, short to medium is better. Don't bother with a monopod or tripod. You can't use them on boats for a number of different reasons, and you don't need something extra to lug around while hiking and whale watching. Pray for rain and wind so you can experience Southeast Alaska the way is usually is. (a little tourist joke there..)
...Cam

OldTxun

Thank you Dave. Very good info. I was actually wondering about the sensor resolution differences. You have convinced me to put the big lens on the D810. I'll still take the D300 for a back up.

Paul Buckhiester Loc: Columbus, GA USA

Rain gear and mosquito repellent. Also recommend rain cover for your camera.
Prepare for blowing saltwater and rain. Best rainwear would be breathable waterproof mountain parka with hood.

Recommend quality point and shoot in addition to DSLR or mirrorless.

harlequin2

I spent a couple of weeks cruising in Antarctica and all I took was a Nikon D3300 with a Tamron 16-300 zoom. The whole thing only weighed about .7 Kg, was easy to waterproof with a plastic bag and very manageable. Took about 4500 shots and some of them were just amazing. So don't burden yourself down with a lot of unnecessary gear!