I have been several times, suggest the 200-500 on your cropped D500 should be sufficient. You did not say what you are doing for excursions but based on experience, you will need a fast shutter speed on smaller whale watching boats and keep in mind it could be cloudy and that is why I didn’t mention the 1.4 tele which will reduce the speed you might need. I will tell you up front that May isn’t the best month for whales because they are just making their way up there. Yes there are Seals, Eagles, some Bears and things like that. Now if you are going into the Interior of Alaska that opens up more possibilities. You will definitely need a nice walk around lens besides that zoom so be thinking of that.
FYI, forget a tripod (unless going to Denali or something) and really even a mono on small excursion boats isn’t needed. You just need a fast shutter and be able to carry camera and lens with a nice shoulder strap. I use a Rapid Sport.

I would suggest taking a nice pair of binoculars, probably the best thing to have on hand to spot things with, then pictures if appropriate. I have seen things clearly with great binoculars.

Have fun.

Perhaps even for 2 at Five Guys! lol

Oh that is too bad, hopefully they will fix it. When I went I took the long trip back to the lake.

The boat tour in Seward would be to from Major Marine or the other company and the good ones last about 6 hours. They aren’t cheap however If the weather is good you see a lot of wildlife. Caution, if prone to sea sickness be careful because on a rough day they can be nasty. Remember September is really the end of season especially after the first week and rain likely. Just in case you don’t know there is a beautiful Hanging Glacier just outside of Seward to see and walk to if you are a hiker. Now, I have taken the train from Seward all the way to Denali as well and it is fantastic especially between Seward and Anchorage. Honestly my concern for you is limited time. Basically it takes a good part of the day to get to Anchorage. Then you may or may not have to overnight in Anchorage. Then another full day to Denali leaving you no time to tour the Park via the bus. Then you need to fly back from either Fairbanks or Anchorage. Ck that train schedule carefully to see if it works for you. Remember more time via bus or train needed to get back to Fairbanks (much closer) or Anchorage.
Maybe you can stay in Seward 1 night, do stuff there and take train to Anchorage the next morning. FYI, you could do the boat the day you get off the ship, it’s right there and they will hold your luggage. You get to experience a little of both this way. Denali is great but just concerned about your limited time. Best of luck in your planning.

I like it, perhaps just a tad more DOF so back wing in focus and perhaps a small dimming of the brightness. Just my taste but it looks very nice.

As stated earlier, I believe I have this lens “ Nikon AF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D Macro” that I may be willing to part with if interested. I haven’t used it in a while so I would need to ck it out.

Nice

I have good number of them here. Yes, they prefer wide open areas and golf courses fit the bill. The one in the picture is a female, males more vibrant blue.

I have a 28-105 I maybe willing to part with if you are interested. I have the pouch and I believe the manual but not the box. Of course I would want to ck it out before selling it. If interested Pm me. I use to have a 8008 and sold it for N90s which I still have.

Lots of beautiful Glaciers in the area so have a lens to capture them.

PM sent

I purchased this a while back and have never used, brand new! This is great for custom fitting camera equipment, drones or whatever. I am asking $30 for this plus shipping. I don’t know what shipping will be put likely $20+. I will ship Continental US only. I will except Venmo preferably or check. I will notify buyer of price with shipping. If paid by ck I will ship upon ck clearing.

(Download)


(Download)

Look carefully on this one, I believe it might be the older model but it’s possible I am wrong. I had this lens and subsequent newer models perform better. If you go Tamron make sure to get the G2 and you might want the dock that is available.

It might be beneficial to post the total picture count taken.

Enjoy and of course I know it isn’t the same but take your iPhone or whatever you have. Honestly a friend quickly got some pretty good NL pictures and videos in Iceland on a cruise ship with her new iPhone. Of course it sounds like you will have plenty of time and equipment to do it right.