X100t going to Antartica...final words of advice?

Headed to the White Continent with a few different bodies, but I'm really looking forward to leaving most on board and just taking my x100tt for a whole day. l I think I will be able to enjoy the experience more with just one focal length to worry about. I'll be able to see the way the light and the lines work better because I'll be forced to create beautiful photos with just one focal length. I will have a compact super zoom (700mm) just in case there is a penguin opportunity that can't be missed but will fight the urge to use it.

I have plenty of batteries, ziplock bags, CPL, ND400/1000 filters, graduated ND filters, slash guards, and all the extras.

I've researched the exposure issues with pure white vs 18% gradients and over exposing.

Last minute input, settings, shooting modes, stuff like that?
I'll be sure to post when I get back!

Drakeskakes said:

Headed to the White Continent with a few different bodies, but I'm really looking forward to leaving most on board and just taking my x100tt for a whole day. l I think I will be able to enjoy the experience more with just one focal length to worry about. I'll be able to see the way the light and the lines work better because I'll be forced to create beautiful photos with just one focal length. I will have a compact super zoom (700mm) just in case there is a penguin opportunity that can't be missed but will fight the urge to use it.

I have plenty of batteries, ziplock bags, CPL, ND400/1000 filters, graduated ND filters, slash guards, and all the extras.

I've researched the exposure issues with pure white vs 18% gradients and over exposing.

Last minute input, settings, shooting modes, stuff like that?
I'll be sure to post when I get back!

Click to expand...

Wear warm clothes!

Not been there so I can't offer advice but I can wish you a great trip.

Don't drop it in the water.

Have a great time. Take motion sickness pills. Keep your batteries warm. SHOW US THE PHOTOS

Shooting with gloves on? Grip?

Have you tried out metering (with either camera) in snow locally? I'm not sure how much I trust AE myself, metering again with every recomposition, esp. in odd/extreme conditions. Until recently I used a manual SLR with spot metering (grey rocks!), and in a tricky environment now with my Fuji I'd probably play it safe and revert to that. It worked very well for me about 12 years ago. Black/white contrasts are tricky in bright sunlight of course (though blue ice is nice), so clouds can be your friend. And beware, if you're ever tempted to use a polarizer: the angle of the sun down there can do some weird things, as I only discovered later. (Film!)

Focal lengths are a matter of personal choice. One odd thing I found is that while I normally use a 35mm (equiv) lens much more than a 50, in Antarctica it was quite the other way around. Something about the scale of coastal landscapes? Or the wildlife element? And I had an 80-200 zoom which was used 99% of the time at 200mm, so that was the other crucial focal length for me. 50 and 200. (I wouldn't have found an X100 very useful.) Also had a 350 that was nice for occasional use, especially having lugged it around all day. (Many others had even longer lenses; it all depends on what you want to do.)

Have a wonderful trip.

I spent a year on a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker on Operation Deep Freeze in 1966-1967. The only camera I had was a 1951 Kodak Retina 1A so I'can't give you advices about lenses etc but I can tell you that on some days the daylight is so bright that you need to wear sun glasses or goggles to protect your eyes. The LCDs on your cameras will be worthless and you might have a hard time with the EVFs as well. This is where the X-Pro1 and the X100 series have an advantage because of the dual OVF/EVF. Unless it had radically changed you will the the chance of see some of the largest whales on the planet, multiple species of penguins, birds, and seal. Except for the whales, you will get to see them on the ice as well as in the water. So you might want to take some good lenses for wildlife.

They didn't allow cruise ships inside the Antarctic Circle when I was there so I don't what you will advised and I'm not says this to scare you or rain on your parade but, as wondrous as the Antarctic is to see, it is an environment that can quickly kill you if you don't pay attention to your surroundings, dress appropriately, and follow any safety instructions you get.

bs1946 said:

on some days the daylight is so bright that you need to wear sun glasses or goggles to protect your eyes. The LCDs on your cameras will be worthless and you might have a hard time with the EVFs as well.

Click to expand...

This is a good point. Shooting with the OVF and histogram seems like the best way to go in very bright conditions.

Bring a spare camera, just in case it dies.
Keep the batteries charged, and bring many, at all times, and keep them and the camera close to your body. Have fun!

Take a D3X

Most of the best pictures I have seen of Antarctica involve long lenses. You just don't walk up to a flock of penguins with a 23mm lens. Take a camera with a zoom.

There is nothing else to do except take pictures. It sounds like you are preparing for a fast escorted tour through a city. This is a once in a lifetime trip for the few who manage to go. Rent something if you don't have the right stuff.