I'm booked for a cruise to Alaska in May. I would like to take three camera cases and a dolly to carry them around but that isn't going to happen! I want to make sure I have what I need in max reach so I am hoping some others who have been to Alaska will tell what the longest lens is they used. I would also like to keep the weight down if possible so I am experimenting with a couple of options. If I put a 1.4 on a 300PF and a D500 it will give me a reach of 630mm. This is a lightweight arrangement. I could also take the 200-500 which would give me 750mm but at a much greater weight. Add the 1.4 for 1050mm. I know the 200-500 is most likely sharper than using an extender but I'm not going to sell shots to National Geographic or enter them in international galleries.

Tomorrow I leave on a long drive of about 2500 miles and plan to shoot some of the same shots using the 200-500, and the 300+1.4.

Here are some shots taken with the 300+1.4. They look reasonably sharp but with the help of Topaz, this combination may be the way to go -- getting sharp shots and still keeping the weight down. The first of each shot was not sharpened while the second was run through Topaz.

A last option would be to shoot the 200-500 on a Z8. A lot of cropping could be done to achieve a similar shot and achieve the same pixel density as a longer lens on the 20-megapixel D500. This wouldn't help me with the weight though.

Thoughts?