Alaska cruise surprise - what people are shooting with...

ZodiacPhoto · Sep 6, 2016

I just came back from Alaska cruise.

No pictures yet - it will take a few days to sort through several hundreds of photos.

Will definitely post when ready.

So, no surprise that most are shooting with their phones, and some - with iPads and other tablets.

There were very few with P&S cameras. Several - with bridge / superzoom cameras.

Plenty with Canon and Nikon DSLRs, but mostly APS-C with kit lenses. One guy with Canon FF and 100-300 L zoom.

One gentleman was shooting with Fujifilm mirrorless and their 100-400 lens, mounted on a monopode. The lens looks MUCH larger comparing to Leica 100-400.

There were several Micro 4/3 shooters, with both Panasonic and Olympus bodies, and kit lenses.

But the biggest surprise, for me, was the fact that on-board "professionals" were using Lumix GH4. When I inquired about the camera choice, the guy replied that some guests ask for video, and Micro 4/3 are the best for that:

larsbc · Sep 6, 2016

ZodiacPhoto said:
But the biggest surprise, for me, was the fact that on-board "professionals" were using Lumix GH4. When I inquired about the camera choice, the guy replied that some guests ask for video, and Micro 4/3 are the best for that:

That surprises me as well. I've only ever seen them using Nikon DSLRs.

Skeeterbytes · Sep 6, 2016

Whoa, good thing I was sitting down when reading this! Nice to know, actually. Folks earning a living with a particular camera/format lends "legitimacy" in the eyes of certain folks who can't take advanced amateur images at face value, for whatever reason. I'm just happy simply seeing other m4/3 gear out in the world, regardless of who's toting it. I just want the makers to thrive and continue supporting our choice of kit.

Cheers,

Rick

brentbrent · Sep 6, 2016

I went to a wedding last year where there were three pro photographers. One shooting stills with FF Nikons, one shooting stills with a Leica, and one shooting video with a GH4 and 12-35 lens (perhaps other lenses, too, but he had high praise for the 12-35 when I chatted with him).

Mike Ronesia · Sep 6, 2016

I don't make a living with my GH4, but I make a tidy sum shooting in my free time with it. I think these are more than capable cameras. These things are much better than the gear the pros were using 12 years ago and those did the job.

kaphinga · Sep 6, 2016

Thanks for sharing. Which cruise line were you on? I am leaving for an Alaska cruise next week.

By the way, one of my favorite videos, shot mostly with a GH3 (and a little with a GoPro) is here:

This video may be old hat by now, but I still enjoy watching it periodically. The editing is extraordinary.

ZodiacPhoto · Sep 6, 2016

kaphinga said:
Thanks for sharing. Which cruise line were you on? I am leaving for an Alaska cruise next week.

I was with Holland America (Zaandam). The cruise was OK (comparing to 2 of my previous Alaska cruises). The captain went much closer to the glaciers in the Glacier Bay park than the much larger Princess ship on my previous cruise. The wild life was not nearly as abundant as last time (season?). For example, sea otters used to swim right next to the ship on my previous cruises, but they were at least 300m away this time. Dolphins and orca whales kept a distance also - a huge disappointment.

The weather was fine most of days, but somewhat windy - waves complicated photography a lot, especially from smaller boats (whale watching). The food was the worst I ever tried on a cruise... but this is not a photography issue.

kaphinga · Sep 6, 2016

ZodiacPhoto said:
kaphinga said:

Thanks for sharing. Which cruise line were you on? I am leaving for an Alaska cruise next week.

Click to expand...

I was with Holland America (Zaandam). The cruise was OK (comparing to 2 of my previous Alaska cruises). The captain went much closer to the glaciers in the Glacier Bay park than the much larger Princess ship on my previous cruise. The wild life was not nearly as abundant as last time (season?). For example, sea otters used to swim right next to the ship on my previous cruises, but they were at least 300m away this time. Dolphins and orca whales kept a distance also - a huge disappointment.

The weather was fine most of days, but somewhat windy - waves complicated photography a lot, especially from smaller boats (whale watching). The food was the worst I ever tried on a cruise... but this is not a photography issue.

Thanks for the info. I will be on Princess, and this will be my first "big boat" cruise. The cruise I took in Turkey last year had eleven passengers, and I am still trying to wrap my head around what it will be like to be on a boat with 2,600 passengers.

By the way, I am planning to take two OMD bodies with the following lenses:

14-140mm (for walking around on casual excursions)
12-40mm
100-300mm (paired with the 12-40mm) for wildlife and bus days
9-18mm (for the ship mostly)
17mm (for the ship at night mostly)

Does this sound reasonable?

Moti · Sep 6, 2016

brentbrent said:
I went to a wedding last year where there were three pro photographers. One shooting stills with FF Nikons, one shooting stills with a Leica, and one shooting video with a GH4 and 12-35 lens (perhaps other lenses, too, but he had high praise for the 12-35 when I chatted with him).

ZodiacPhoto · Sep 7, 2016

kaphinga said:
By the way, I am planning to take two OMD bodies with the following lenses:

14-140mm (for walking around on casual excursions)

12-40mm

100-300mm (paired with the 12-40mm) for wildlife and bus days

9-18mm (for the ship mostly)

17mm (for the ship at night mostly)

Does this sound reasonable?

Should be more than enough.

I took 4 lenses (7-14mm, 12-35mm, 35-100mm, and 100-400mm). I found that, in good light, I used my Sony RX100M3 for wide-to-normal angle shots instead of changing lenses on my GX8.

ABCMO · Sep 7, 2016

Back in late February this year, I participated in a photographic tour of Monument Valley (straddles the Utah-Arizona border in the USA). The tour was sponsored by a chain of camera stores in the MIdwest and we spent three days in the Valley. (It's not really a valley, but that is its name.) There were 23 people on the tour, including the chain's owner and two instructors from the stores. Of the 23, three of us used Oly cameras exclusively: an OM-D E-M5 Mk1, a Mk2 (me), and an E-M1. Moreover, and interestingly, the chain owner used two cameras: a full-frame Nikon and an OM-D (not sure which one); similarly, one of the instructors had borrowed his daughter's Oly (think it was the Mk2) to go with either his Canon or Nikon. So out of 23 photographers, all of whom were either enthusiasts or pros (3-4 were pros), five used Oly's either exclusively or a significant amount of the time. Being slightly over one-fifth of the group, that is a rather strong showing for Oly. Everyone used tripods, of course, too.

Al

Tariag · Sep 7, 2016

Last cruise I did was during the film-era...
I'm not suprised by the MFT choice. GH4 "looks" professional (very important, the look).
A Nikon DSLR is clearly overkill for what they do with the pictures.
Actually even MFT is overkill...

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Alaska cruise surprise - what people are shooting with...

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