The first one is of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, out of the hotels in Oahu this is our favorite. It is like stepping back in time of what Hawaii was like before the high rises and is an oasis of green surrounded by all the other 'resorts'. One thing learned that ties with the Pearl Harbor photos is the officers stayed here and they preferred the garden view rooms over the ocean front rooms.

The next ones are from Kauai my favorite island and love visiting here.

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Thanks! For all the comments!

Yes a very somber place. Each time we go we see or learn something new.

Here are some shots from our recent Hawaii trip, Started on Oahu, Kauai, the Big Island. The first ones are from Pearl Harbor.

Here are a few of the shots I took this year, these are only 350 out of over 17,000 shots I took. More are to come and some of the better ones are yet to be posted. Hope this gives you some ideas and what lenses I used. I am just getting to some of the Kauai photos.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/rebphotography/z581wa08yU

Aloha and have fun

Just got back from a month long trip, went to both islands and spent most of the time on Kauai and the Big island. I took 4 lenses and 2 camera bodies. Found that I could have just taken my 24-70, f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 the other 2 lenses, a 16-34 and 100-400 were hardly used. I did use the 100-400 on Kauai at the light house on the north shore, Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, for the birds there. But that was about the only time I really used it. The rest of the time I used mainly the 24-70.

One word of warning, things have changed in Hawaii, no longer can you just when you get there decide oh let’s go to Pearl Harbor today, or when we get through there let’s hike up Diamond Head. I will say pretty much everywhere you want to go you will need reservations made months in advance. To see the Arizona Memorial actually take the boat over to the Arizona the national parks has a reservation system that times and days for visiting is like open 30 days out from when you want to go, and being on the east coast that means at 1 min past midnight 30 days out from when you want to go start logging in. The soonest I was able to get was 10:45am. This also applies to Diamond Head, Kilauea Point, Ke’e beach on Kauai’s north shore( I could never get the parking at the beach had to settle for the shuttle) and in Oahu and Kauai petty much any restaurant you want to go to you will need to make reservations months out from when you go unless you like dinning at 8:30 or later at night. All the restaurants use the Open table app. On the Big Island it was easier to make last minute ie while we were there decisions were possible, seemed to be less people and that was the week before the big iron man competition. The needing reservations thing and planning everything we did each day from what we were doing to were we ate that night months out really was a pain, I have been going to the islands since 1994 pretty much every other year and really hated it we were so used to oh let’s hike Diamond Head this morning, or let’s go eat at Duke’s tonight. This year we took my nephew and his wife and 19 month old son. One day the little one was very tired , teething and just not in the mood to do anything with riding in a car, killed the whole days plans, we had ‘free’ days in the schedule and could not move what we had planned to any of those days. There was one night we were late getting back due to traffic and missed our dinner reservations and had to get food from the ABC store, we also on another melt down night did take out and ate on the beach which turned out to be one of the best nights and meals we had.

I agree on the side button on the side. Happens to me at least once or twice a trip have no idea as to how it gets pressed.

Heard there was a fire in Ruidoso and damage part of the town. I am curious as to if the Thunderbird Lodge is still there. Stayed there a lot in the 70’s used to know the Owners that ran the Italian restaurant there. I miss going there since we moved back east.

Ok I see all the points made here many are valid. But from my own perspective for some place I have been to before I know what to take.If I travel but my own car I can take the proverbial kitchen sink, ie big huge roller bag and trough in a back pack for hikes. But with today’s airline restrictions getting worse, and the regional airport where I live no longer gets big jets but smaller and smaller commuter jets I can only take a few things. So in asking the group about a destination I have never been to before it is not to see how to use my equipment but like others have posted to ask what others have taken for the photo opportunities that here maybe. As an example say Alaska, or Africa those are very different that what and where I normally travel to. So would ask what others have taken and how you got it there. I know the first time I went to Alaska I was some what over packed but now that I have gone I can reduce my gear considerably. And reading what others have taken to Africa and how they got it there feel more comfortable in knowing what to take and now I feel I am prepared to go, which based on current world affairs i am thinking of sticking close to home for now. My second point is I thought this was a group where all could come to learn from others about photography, I did not know this was a group strictly devoted to full time professionals that a question of what kind of lens should I take to a rose garden would be looked upon in utter shock at the persons stupidity on not knowing to take a macro lens, oh the shock and horrid of that persons utter lack of knowledge on how to use their equipment. Sorry for the rant here at the end but that is my opinion of how some of the comments are coming across. Kind of pious.

I am planning a trip to Hawaii in September and of course going to Pearl Harbor. I know I need to 8 weeks before make reservations to visit the Arizona Memorial. Then was going to see the mighty Mo. in reading the information for visiting the Missouri it says “no large cameras” I was planning on taking a Nikon Z7ii with a 24-200 lens. I have visited other ships; Alabama, Texas and Yorktown and carried much larger cameras with out any issue, but things change I know more idiots doing stupid things. Has any body gone recently and carried a similar size camera? Or would the Nikon Z7 be considered a “large camera” ? I have emailed them but no response in 2 days. Would hate to be reduced to an IPhone, egads!

I have taken many cruises and normally would carry a camera with a 24-70 f2.8 on the body and found it covered anything I needed for the cruise you are going on. Through the years it has been the either the D7200 or D850 with that lens combo I would carry but as I got older was a struggle to carry. I started using the Nikon Z cameras and Z lenses because of the lighter weight and super sharpness of the lenses. I have the Z6II and the Z24-70 f/2.8 which would stay on my camera from the time I clean it and the sensor at my house before the trip, this is the combo I would carry and use for this trip. I have all the same lenses you have and find the other lenses a little soft and not as sharp as the native Z glass but I am picky about that. The F2.8 lenses with the Z6II is great for those interior shots of churches, around the ship, etc. were you can crank up the ISO and for this camera is were it stands out as the best. Me being paranoid always take a second camera and lens just in case, 99% of the time they never leave the case and cabin but for the time disaster struck I was glad I had a spare back in the room to use for the rest of the trip. And yes the camera and lens was insured against all perils, another must thing to have on a trip to the Med. plus back up every night, I use 2 SSD drives and copy photos to both at the same and if you can use a different memory card each day in the camera. The ships have safes, the used cards and 2 SSD drives go in there each night, then when traveling back home my wife will carry one SSD drive I will carry the other in my pocket and the cards will go in the inside zipper pocket of my carry on. Have a great trip.

Thanks for all the comments!

Made a trip to Conowingo Dam in November, first time there and really enjoyed the day. The first 2 are with Nikon Z6II w/ 1.4 teleconverter, Nikon 500mmPF. The last 2 are with Sony A1 w/2x teleconverter on Sony 200-600mm

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I have a SUNWAYFOTO PSLO-a7RIV Dedicated L Plate for Sony A7R Mark IV Camera Arca/RRS Compatible ordered from Amazon was in stock and half the price of the RRS. It is an aluminum L bracket and does what it is supposed to do.

Has any one tried one of these on the glass?