My Nikon D5300 kit includes the 18-55 kit, 35mm f/1.8 prime and a 70-300 VR zoom. Also, have tripod.
Upcoming trip to AUS and New Zealand (and a Spring Alaska trip causing me a couple of concerns:
I can easily travel with this bag, but did not want to carry the tripod (luggage constraints). I have also found that I am very bad at holding the zoom steady when out to the 300 FL especially (74 years old). A recent Loon shoot was not as sharp as it could have been, even when leaning on a tree for added support. However, without the tripod, I am afraid I will miss a lot of fine shooting opportunities.
So, do I leave the tripod home and purchase a lesser zoom for the trip? Or, might I buy a Gorilla Pod and use the 70-300 with it. Not very familiar with the Gorilla products, so not sure if that even makes any sense.
A monopod is easier to travel with and may provide the support for the shots using the 300 mm. Sport mode is a good setting if you’re not the shutter mode with a with a shutter setting of 1/1000 or higher.
Have you thought of using/taking a monopod instead of the tripod? It is stable and highly portable. A big bonus, for us that need it, is that the monopod can substitute as a walking stick!
frjeff wrote:
My Nikon D5300 kit includes the 18-55 kit, 35mm f/1.8 prime and a 70-300 VR zoom. Also, have tripod.
Upcoming trip to AUS and New Zealand (and a Spring Alaska trip causing me a couple of concerns:
I can easily travel with this bag, but did not want to carry the tripod (luggage constraints). I have also found that I am very bad at holding the zoom steady when out to the 300 FL especially (74 years old). A recent Loon shoot was not as sharp as it could have been, even when leaning on a tree for added support. However, without the tripod, I am afraid I will miss a lot of fine shooting opportunities.
So, do I leave the tripod home and purchase a lesser zoom for the trip? Or, might I buy a Gorilla Pod and use the 70-300 with it. Not very familiar with the Gorilla products, so not sure if that even makes any sense.
My Nikon D5300 kit includes the 18-55 kit, 35mm f/... (
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I bought the largest Gorillapod about two years ago. While my camera is not a "heavy-weight" (Oly OM-D E-M1), with the long lens on it (40-150mm) I find it quite adequate to hold the camera steady.
Often the problem now is to find a spot to put it, as it will have to be raised off the floor/ground.
Picnic table, carhood, low tree branches, rock formations, have all served as "tripod holder". Unfortunately, I can still get down on my knees on the floor/ground, but getting up again is near impossible then...
For travel, this Gorillapod fits in my suitcase perfectly.
For many years I traveled with an 18-200 on my D300 and had no big issues with the weight. Now I find it burdensome and have started carrying a P900 that, of course, doesn’t have RAW, has a small sensor but is incredibly versatile and generally doesn’t need support for medium-long shots.
Hi there, I also have the Nikon 5300 and took it on my 2nd trip to Alaska (just got back June 27th). The first time there a couple of years ago I took it with just my kit lens (18-55mm) and a 55-300mm lens. Pictures were very good with both but just couldn't zoom in on all the animals like I had hoped. So this spring got the Tamron 18-400mm lens - what a difference. Turned out that was about the only lens I used. Got it from Amazon & it came from Beach Camera in New Jersey. It came with a monopod, small tripod, & some other goodies. I believe it was around $600 on sale at the time. It was a bit heavier than my 55-300mm lens I'd used before but not so much I couldn't hold it up to my face after having my shoulder replaced at the very end of Feb.
Since I find myself in similar circumstances, 73 yo & not as steady as I once was, I would like to recommend the monopod (as so many others have). It is an excellent accessory and I also handy as a walking staff.
Based on my travel photography (I use a D7100) I would also suggest that you consider an 18-200. I am finding that it is the only lens I need for 90+% of my photography while traveling.
I had to go to occupational therapy. I play an upright bass and was having trouble holding the bow. And i was not as steady and i was used to. When holding a camera. They have me exercises to strengthen my arm make my wrist More flexible. It has helped me a lot and it made doing stuff mire enjoyable. One of my favorite lens is the tamron sp 300 f2,8. It was a joy to use niw that it's easier to handle
bpulv
Loc: Buena Park, CA
frjeff wrote:
My Nikon D5300 kit includes the 18-55 kit, 35mm f/1.8 prime and a 70-300 VR zoom. Also, have tripod.
Upcoming trip to AUS and New Zealand (and a Spring Alaska trip causing me a couple of concerns:
I can easily travel with this bag, but did not want to carry the tripod (luggage constraints). I have also found that I am very bad at holding the zoom steady when out to the 300 FL especially (74 years old). A recent Loon shoot was not as sharp as it could have been, even when leaning on a tree for added support. However, without the tripod, I am afraid I will miss a lot of fine shooting opportunities.
So, do I leave the tripod home and purchase a lesser zoom for the trip? Or, might I buy a Gorilla Pod and use the 70-300 with it. Not very familiar with the Gorilla products, so not sure if that even makes any sense.
My Nikon D5300 kit includes the 18-55 kit, 35mm f/... (
show quote)
I am 73 years old and have the same problem. I carry a Sirui P-326 carbon fiber monopod when I travel for my D800. It weighs less than one pound without the Acra Swiss QR plate. Do not add the weight of a ball or other head because they are unnecessary. It is over five feet high and folds to 15 1/2 inches long. It is very sturdy and allows me to easily use my 70-300mm lens.
As an alternative, you could consider buying a 70-300mm VR (Vibration Reduction) lens. It will possibly allow you to you to hand hold your camera. I have no problem hand holding my 70-200mm VR lens at 200mm. My 70-300 is not a VR lens. Since I am not into bird photography, I seldom use my telephotos when traveling. You will find your wide angle or super-wide angle lens to be more useful. When I went to Sydney a few years ago, most of my 3,000 exposures were in the super-wide angle to normal range.
Travel as lite as possible. Over the years I have cut allot of weight from my camera equipment. Over seas airlines have been placing more and more weight restrictions on carryons. I flew to London in May on Air New Zealand. They had a 7 Kg (16 lbs) limit on carryons. The ticket agent at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) weighed everything including my wife's purse. My camera roll-aboard was 26 pounds. After I opened the case and the supervisor saw its contents, she had me redistribute about three pounds of accessories to checked luggage and then placed a special tag on the roll-aboard that allowed me to take it in the cabin. I was lucky she was in a good mood. Things are likely to get worse, not better. A month later, I flew to Spain for two weeks. I took only my D800, a few accessories, my 24-70mm and dispensed with my monopod. There were only a couple of shots I missed because of the lack of lenses.
bpulv wrote:
I am 73 years old and have the same problem. I carry a Sirui P-326 carbon fiber monopod when I travel for my D800. It weighs less than one pound without the Acra Swiss QR plate. Do not add the weight of a ball or other head because they are unnecessary. It is over five feet high and folds to 15 1/2 inches long. It is very sturdy and allows me to easily use my 70-300mm lens.
As an alternative, you could consider buying a 70-300mm VR (Vibration Reduction) lens. It will possibly allow you to you to hand hold your camera. I have no problem hand holding my 70-200mm VR lens at 200mm. My 70-300 is not a VR lens. Since I am not into bird photography, I seldom use my telephotos when traveling. You will find your wide angle or super-wide angle lens to be more useful. When I went to Sydney a few years ago, most of my 3,000 exposures were in the super-wide angle to normal range.
Travel as lite as possible. Over the years I have cut allot of weight from my camera equipment. Over seas airlines have been placing more and more weight restrictions on carryons. I flew to London in May on Air New Zealand. They had a 7 Kg (16 lbs) limit on carryons. The ticket agent at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) weighed everything including my wife's purse. My camera roll-aboard was 26 pounds. After I opened the case and the supervisor saw its contents, she had me redistribute about three pounds of accessories to checked luggage and then placed a special tag on the roll-aboard that allowed me to take it in the cabin. I was lucky she was in a good mood. Things are likely to get worse, not better. A month later, I flew to Spain for two weeks. I took only my D800, a few accessories, my 24-70mm and dispensed with my monopod. There were only a couple of shots I missed because of the lack of lenses.
I am 73 years old and have the same problem. I car... (
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The OP has the 70-300 VR lens. But did not specify if it is the older AF-S model or the new AF-P one.
The VR on the AF-P may be considerably better. Mine is very good when handholding at 300. It might be lighter, too.
bpulv
Loc: Buena Park, CA
Even though it is heavier, he should consider a full frame camera if it is financially feasible. I have a D800 and because of the combination of a large sensor and the high megapixels, I can crop a small portion of a frame in post production and still maintain high image quality. As a result, I can use a shorter focal length lens, but make it the equivalent of a much longer lens. I can easily crop to the equivalent of a 400mm lens with a 200mm lens on the camera. The combination of the full frame and a relatively short VR lens might be more manageable for Jeff as it is for me.
After almost 50 years I bought my first monopod. I got a relatively cheap one just to see what it felt like using one. I put a heavy tele on it and it even made a big difference with that. I now plan on and recommend you get a good quality monopod.
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IDguy wrote:
The OP has the 70-300 VR lens. But did not specify if it is the older AF-S model or the new AF-P one.
The VR on the AF-P may be considerably better. Mine is very good when handholding at 300. It might be lighter, too.
Mine (OP) is the AF-P 70-300
Perhaps I just need to do a better job in my shooting technique. But, I am going to buy a monopod. Want to find one that is sturdy but will compress/retract to easily fit in carry-on..
Foolish me!!
Just remembered that my MeFoto RoadTrip tripod converts to a monopod.
Geese, I totally forgot this and was on the verge of ordering a monopod.
So, I just did the east 20-30 second conversion, attached my D5300 with 70-300 VR and tried a few shots in the yard. Much steadier and shots are very sharp. Left the ball head on and had some tilt ability, etc. Should do the trick in traveling.
When I pack this, it will be in two pieces in the monopod config, but I can easily place these in the MeFoto case and leave the rest at home. Will be about 15” long.
bpulv
Loc: Buena Park, CA
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