What Lenses Should I Take for Whale Watching via Sailboat?
JeffryZ
•
Senior Member
•
Posts: 2,579
Re: What Lenses Should I Take for Whale Watching via Sailboat?
2
How close you get to whales will vary though boats will try to get close if they can. I have done whale watching off San Diego (not on a sailboat). The general experience is first try to find the whales (all the charter groups let each other know if they spot some). Calmer waters makes that easier- windy weather makes it harder to spot their water disturbances and bounces the boat around more. Once spotted, the whales have a pattern. They will bob up and down maybe spouting but just showing their backs and then briefly disappear for a bit as they cruise along. Then they will eventually decide to dive- if you see their tail (fluke) that is when they are going under and it will be a while before they resurface again. Breeching is rarely seen here- jumping out of the water to look around. That is more commonly observed in their breeding grounds in the Sea of Cortex in Mexico. Powered boats do shut off their motors (or at least idle them) when the whales are near and drift along so they don't disturb them. Might have some dolphins tag along with your boat on the way in or out from port. I also observed humpback whales off Alaska though it was raining which made pictures more difficult. I had a 70- 200mm on a crop sensor Nikon D7100 in Alaska. Uncropped at 200mm:

Nikon D500
Fujifilm X-T4
Nikon AF DX Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Tokina AT-X Pro 11-16mm f/2.8 DX
+5 more
|
Post
(hide subjects)
|
Posted by
|
When
|
|
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
|
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
2 |
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
|
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
1 |
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
1 |
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
2 |
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
2 |
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
|
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
|
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
2 |
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
|
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
1 |
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
|
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
1 |
|
|
|
3 weeks ago
|
|
|
|
|
4 weeks ago
|
|
|
|
|
3 weeks ago
|
1 |
|
|
|
3 weeks ago
|
|
|
|
|
3 weeks ago
|
2 |
|
|
|
3 weeks ago
|
1 |
Keyboard shortcuts:
FForum
PPrevious
NNext
WNext unread
UUpvote
SSubscribe
RReply
QQuote
BBookmark
MMy threads
Color scheme?
Blue /
Yellow
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2023
|
Feb 26, 2023
|
Feb 25, 2023
|
Jan 23, 2023
|
We're Noct messing around with this review.
Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom impress in a lot of ways, but their noise reduction lags the competition and their lens corrections lack a real-world basis. DxO PureRAW 3 aims to come to their rescue without totally reinventing your workflow!
The Sony ZV-E1 is the company's latest vlogging-focused camera: a full-frame mirrorless camera based the FX3/a7S III sensor, aimed at YouTubers and 'creators' looking to go pro.
The Sony ZV-E1 is a full frame camera targeting YouTubers. Chris and Jordan are Youtubers, what do they think?
Holy Stone produces dozens of low-cost drone models aimed at consumers. We look at the HS710 and HS175D to see if they stack up to other sub-250g offerings. Are these secretly great or more like toys?
Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a 'best' option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder.
There are a lot of photo/video cameras that have found a role as B-cameras on professional film productions or even A-cameras for amateur and independent productions. We've combed through the options and selected our two favorite cameras in this class.
What’s the best camera for around $2000? These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both the speed and focus to capture fast action and offer professional-level image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best.
Family moments are precious and sometimes you want to capture that time spent with loved ones or friends in better quality than your phone can manage. We've selected a group of cameras that are easy to keep with you, and that can adapt to take photos wherever and whenever something memorable happens.
What's the best camera for shooting sports and action? Fast continuous shooting, reliable autofocus and great battery life are just three of the most important factors. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting sports and action, and recommended the best.