What Lenses Should I Take for Whale Watching via Sailboat?

I'll be in SanDiego soon, and found a company that offers Whale watching from a sailboat!

Some years ago I did a similar excursion in Vancouver but I had a Sony with 70-200mm lens. It worked okay. I had to go out two days in a row as day one there were no whales on day one. 

Note on the Vancouver boat it was quite crowded and people with cellphones pretty much hogged the boat railing. So anyone using a camera with a telephoto lens got jostled quite. a bit. 

But today for equipment I have:

Fujifilm XH-1

Xpro3

16-55mm

50-140mm

100-400mm

I'm wondering if the 50-140mm will do the job, as I would like to capture pics of the whale and some background (not Whale portraiture.  But, I have a suspicion I'm going to get out there and end up wishing I had taken the 100-400mm.

I'm trying to keep my load of equipment down, as I'll be flying, and doing carryon for my camera gear and iPad Pro 12.9".

I did search the forums, but of course I'd like opinions based on what gear I have. Also, I'll be using a PD Everyday Backpack Zip 15L or a ThinkTank Retrospective 15.

I don't want to use a larger backpack as I have nightmares about theft from the overhead in the plane, and/or the flight attendant demanding to check my camera backpack due space issues. I'd like to keep my gear under the seat in front of me.

I guess I should just lay out the bags and the gear and see what fits best. But, any opinions on which telephotos I should take would be much appreciated.

If I were you, I'd take the xpro3 and 100-400.

I'm jealous of your opportunity. Hope you have fun.

Please post images after your trip.

Jazz1 wrote:

I'll be in SanDiego soon, and found a company that offers Whale watching from a sailboat!

Some years ago I did a similar excursion in Vancouver but I had a Sony with 70-200mm lens. It worked okay. I had to go out two days in a row as day one there were no whales on day one.

Note on the Vancouver boat it was quite crowded and people with cellphones pretty much hogged the boat railing. So anyone using a camera with a telephoto lens got jostled quite. a bit.

But today for equipment I have:

Fujifilm XH-1

Xpro3

16-55mm

50-140mm

100-400mm

I'm wondering if the 50-140mm will do the job, as I would like to capture pics of the whale and some background (not Whale portraiture. But, I have a suspicion I'm going to get out there and end up wishing I had taken the 100-400mm.

I'm trying to keep my load of equipment down, as I'll be flying, and doing carryon for my camera gear and iPad Pro 12.9".

I did search the forums, but of course I'd like opinions based on what gear I have. Also, I'll be using a PD Everyday Backpack Zip 15L or a ThinkTank Retrospective 15.

I don't want to use a larger backpack as I have nightmares about theft from the overhead in the plane, and/or the flight attendant demanding to check my camera backpack due space issues. I'd like to keep my gear under the seat in front of me.

I guess I should just lay out the bags and the gear and see what fits best. But, any opinions on which telephotos I should take would be much appreciated.

In my experience, you are much more likely to need reach and the 100-400 would be the best choice.  I also like to have my camera gear near be either in the overhead or under the seat in front of me.

Have a great time!

Morris

A recent trip to Cape Cod found us chasing whales just off Cape Cod bay. I can tell you my 18-55 was not any where near long enough.

Samuraidog wrote:

If I were you, I'd take the xpro3 and 100-400.

I'm jealous of your opportunity. Hope you have fun.

Please post images after your trip.

I know some might say the XH-1 would better handle the 100-400mm lens grip wise. However, I do also plan to do some street photography and the XPro3 excels at that!

Of course the XH-1 has IBIS and the XPro3 does not. The 100-400mm does of course.

In the case of the XPro3 and the the 100-400mm usage, I just tend to hold the lens and the camera hangs off it. Instead of the other way around for smaller lenses. 

I just came back from a 5-day Lindblad Baja California Sur, México whale watching expedition using my X-T5 for stills with the XF70-300, my X-H2s for video with the XF 18-120, and a GoPro 10.

I brought two cameras with their own lenses because there was no way I wanted to change lenses on a small boat in the ocean. I brought a waterproof bag for the quick rides out and took out the cameras once we were slowed down. Even then, splashes or whale breath could saturate the camera with salty water. I rinsed my water resistant gear with water after each trip. I had a water bottle with me just in case it needed rinsing before then.

As far stills captures, I used a high shutter speed (1/1000 or faster) to freeze the motion. The extreme downside to this is a much smaller aperture and depth of field. I was relying on autofocus to capture the whales. What usually happened instead is that the high-contrast ocean waves nearby caught the autofocus attention instead of the non-contrasty whale skin. A LOT of shots had great definition on the waves with the whale being out of focus. The low end of 70mm was still too much magnification for how close we got to whales (touching them).

I think I’d try to force the ISO higher and increase the depth of field next time for more leeway in stills.

Also predicting where the whales will surface can be difficult. On a sunny day you can see their “glow” just below the surface if the sun is behind you. But many boat operators don’t consider sun position for photographers. We were able to get our Panga drivers to put the sun behind us after day 1. I also used the Pre-shot capabilty that fills a 1 sec buffer of pictures before you fully press the shutter and start taking shots. It captures me swinging the camera to where the whales are surfacing but also captures more of the fleeting times while the whale is above the surface.

Video captures with the X-H2s worked better because the lower shutter speed meant a much larger depth of field. However the IS was not up to the task of a rocking 15-ft Panga boat even in a bay. At least the 6K video on the X-H2s let me shoot wider and crop in and IS in post. However, I think I’d shoot at an even higher shutter speed than the 1/120s I used for my 6K60P videos. Even at 1/120s I ran out of f/stops in the sunlight. Bring a polarizer and ND filter(s). But a faster shutter speed would help freeze the motions even more, making IS in post more successful. I hardly ever used the XF18-120 at the 120mm end. Mostly at the 18-30mm end, but we’re were really close to these whales.

By far the most versatile piece of gear I had was the GoPro 10. Its depth of field is 1ft to infinity so there were no focusing issues. I had it on an extendable selfie-stick that I could raise up above everyone’s heads for no line-of-sight issues. The wide field of view meant that I could incidentally capture whales surfacing much more often. Its 5.6K60P means I can still crop it for tighter views. Its image stabilization straight out of camera was better than anything else I had. Salt water was not an issue. And to top it all off, I could dunk it in the water to capture the whales right under our Panga.

Bottom lines: shoot a deep depth of field, shoot wider than you think you’ll need and crop in, and bring a polarizer.

These are really difficult situations to be able to predict what gear would be optimum.

I've never done whale photography, but I've tried dolphins. They came very close to the boat and appeared then disappeared very quicky. So much so, a wide angle / mid range zoom seemed to be the most beneficial. Even with subjects in the distance, by the time they were framed and focussed with a longer telephoto like the 100-400 they had disappeared again!
Whales may be a bit slower and larger and I'd also be tempted to say a bit further way than dolphins but it's a tough call.

In your situation I think I would start with the X-H1 on the 100-400mm as that offers versatiltity in focal length for distance. I've done a lot of photography from moving boats albeit birds, and it isn't easy when moving and bobbing about seeing the world through a 400mm lens!

Maybe have a chat with the boat skippers and use their experience too. This may help you decide on using the 50-140 or 16-55 on your x-pro. Polariser is also a good shout. Ultimately I think it's a take everything sort of trip and adapt to the situation and conditions.

Not sure what sort of boat / size you will be on but also take a camera / lens cover and microfibre cloth in case of any salt water spray / splashing.

100-400

ddessert wrote:

I just came back from a 5-day Lindblad Baja California Sur, México whale watching expedition using my X-T5 for stills with the XF70-300, my X-H2s for video with the XF 18-120, and a GoPro 10.

I brought two cameras with their own lenses because there was no way I wanted to change lenses on a small boat in the ocean. I brought a waterproof bag for the quick rides out and took out the cameras once we were slowed down. Even then, splashes or whale breath could saturate the camera with salty water. I rinsed my water resistant gear with water after each trip. I had a water bottle with me just in case it needed rinsing before then.

As far stills captures, I used a high shutter speed (1/1000 or faster) to freeze the motion. The extreme downside to this is a much smaller aperture and depth of field. I was relying on autofocus to capture the whales. What usually happened instead is that the high-contrast ocean waves nearby caught the autofocus attention instead of the non-contrasty whale skin. A LOT of shots had great definition on the waves with the whale being out of focus. The low end of 70mm was still too much magnification for how close we got to whales (touching them).

I think I’d try to force the ISO higher and increase the depth of field next time for more leeway in stills.

Also predicting where the whales will surface can be difficult. On a sunny day you can see their “glow” just below the surface if the sun is behind you. But many boat operators don’t consider sun position for photographers. We were able to get our Panga drivers to put the sun behind us after day 1. I also used the Pre-shot capabilty that fills a 1 sec buffer of pictures before you fully press the shutter and start taking shots. It captures me swinging the camera to where the whales are surfacing but also captures more of the fleeting times while the whale is above the surface.

Video captures with the X-H2s worked better because the lower shutter speed meant a much larger depth of field. However the IS was not up to the task of a rocking 15-ft Panga boat even in a bay. At least the 6K video on the X-H2s let me shoot wider and crop in and IS in post. However, I think I’d shoot at an even higher shutter speed than the 1/120s I used for my 6K60P videos. Even at 1/120s I ran out of f/stops in the sunlight. Bring a polarizer and ND filter(s). But a faster shutter speed would help freeze the motions even more, making IS in post more successful. I hardly ever used the XF18-120 at the 120mm end. Mostly at the 18-30mm end, but we’re were really close to these whales.

By far the most versatile piece of gear I had was the GoPro 10. Its depth of field is 1ft to infinity so there were no focusing issues. I had it on an extendable selfie-stick that I could raise up above everyone’s heads for no line-of-sight issues. The wide field of view meant that I could incidentally capture whales surfacing much more often. Its 5.6K60P means I can still crop it for tighter views. Its image stabilization straight out of camera was better than anything else I had. Salt water was not an issue. And to top it all off, I could dunk it in the water to capture the whales right under our Panga.

Bottom lines: shoot a deep depth of field, shoot wider than you think you’ll need and crop in, and bring a polarizer.

Wow! OP here. Thank you for giving me/us all the pointers. Frankly, it has been so long since I shot from a boat I pretty much forgot the "do and don'ts"!

I guess I should lens up both my XH-1 and XPro3 with my telephotos, and make a post sailing appointment with a masseuse. 

If I might ask. Did you ever use the electronic shutter vs. the mechanical one?

Alan Hewitt Photo wrote:

These are really difficult situations to be able to predict what gear would be optimum.

I've never done whale photography, but I've tried dolphins. They came very close to the boat and appeared then disappeared very quicky. So much so, a wide angle / mid range zoom seemed to be the most beneficial. Even with subjects in the distance, by the time they were framed and focussed with a longer telephoto like the 100-400 they had disappeared again!
Whales may be a bit slower and larger and I'd also be tempted to say a bit further way than dolphins but it's a tough call.

In your situation I think I would start with the X-H1 on the 100-400mm as that offers versatiltity in focal length for distance. I've done a lot of photography from moving boats albeit birds, and it isn't easy when moving and bobbing about seeing the world through a 400mm lens!

Maybe have a chat with the boat skippers and use their experience too. This may help you decide on using the 50-140 or 16-55 on your x-pro. Polariser is also a good shout. Ultimately I think it's a take everything sort of trip and adapt to the situation and conditions.

Not sure what sort of boat / size you will be on but also take a camera / lens cover and microfibre cloth in case of any salt water spray / splashing.

Great idea to speak with the skipper! From your observations I am wondering if there is a downside to Whale watch from a sailboat. Their website says a sailboat is beneficial as there is no motor sound to scare them. On the other hand, I do remember Whale watching on a motorized boat in Vancouver (this was many years ago). The benefit there was the Captain could stop the boat and the whales got relatively close.

Of course the video was all ES, but it’s of my still attempts were MS. If you want to use the pre-shots feature that used in a prior whale watching trip in Iceland (from a much bigger boat), you’d have to use ES, which I did.  
With the 1 second of pre-shots and Constant High shooting I think I was able to capture the action a few milliseconds earlier. But a ton of throwaways!

In the ocean with no great vertical lines in the frame, I’m not sure that rolling shutter is that much of an issue. No one will notice that the waves might be at a slight angle. And if there were shoreline antenna or something like that in the frame, you could always “shear” your picture in post-processing the opposite way to take away the vertical shutter effect.

Jazz1 wrote:

Great idea to speak with the skipper! From your observations I am wondering if there is a downside to Whale watch from a sailboat. Their website says a sailboat is beneficial as there is no motor sound to scare them. On the other hand, I do remember Whale watching on a motorized boat in Vancouver (this was many years ago). The benefit there was the Captain could stop the boat and the whales got relatively close.

With the sailboat you’ve got a huge built-in obstacle. You may need to reposition yourself a considerable distance on deck for your shots. Consider mobility with perhaps multiple camera bodies hanging on you. Others will be moving around on deck too, so consider that any gear on deck could get stepped on.

Also, positioning to have the sun behind you will be much more difficult, if not impossible in a sailboat. We sometimes stared into bright water reflections which was acceptable but harsh for the binocular viewers but as a photographer this was when I didn’t take any shots and looked the other away from the sun for as-yet unseen whales.

ddessert wrote:

Jazz1 wrote:

Great idea to speak with the skipper! From your observations I am wondering if there is a downside to Whale watch from a sailboat. Their website says a sailboat is beneficial as there is no motor sound to scare them. On the other hand, I do remember Whale watching on a motorized boat in Vancouver (this was many years ago). The benefit there was the Captain could stop the boat and the whales got relatively close.

With the sailboat you’ve got a huge built-in obstacle. You may need to reposition yourself a considerable distance on deck for your shots. Consider mobility with perhaps multiple camera bodies hanging on you. Others will be moving around on deck too, so consider that any gear on deck could get stepped on.

Also, positioning to have the sun behind you will be much more difficult, if not impossible in a sailboat. We sometimes stared into bright water reflections which was acceptable but harsh for the binocular viewers but as a photographer this was when I didn’t take any shots and looked the other away from the sun for as-yet unseen whales.

Hmmmm. Maybe I should stick with a non-sailboat tour?

Jazz1 wrote:

ddessert wrote:

Jazz1 wrote:

Great idea to speak with the skipper! From your observations I am wondering if there is a downside to Whale watch from a sailboat. Their website says a sailboat is beneficial as there is no motor sound to scare them. On the other hand, I do remember Whale watching on a motorized boat in Vancouver (this was many years ago). The benefit there was the Captain could stop the boat and the whales got relatively close.

With the sailboat you’ve got a huge built-in obstacle. You may need to reposition yourself a considerable distance on deck for your shots. Consider mobility with perhaps multiple camera bodies hanging on you. Others will be moving around on deck too, so consider that any gear on deck could get stepped on.

Also, positioning to have the sun behind you will be much more difficult, if not impossible in a sailboat. We sometimes stared into bright water reflections which was acceptable but harsh for the binocular viewers but as a photographer this was when I didn’t take any shots and looked the other away from the sun for as-yet unseen whales.

Hmmmm. Maybe I should stick with a non-sailboat tour?

Some sailboats are bigger and the sails are not always an obstacle - sometimes other gear might be (like ropes)

Sailboat is more stable and the engine is not causing vibrations ...

IMO "chasing" whales with a motorboat is not always OK - perhaps some companies are more friendly..

And if you do not see many whales a sailing boat can be more comfortable 

This is not a very modern boat..

KariP wrote:

Jazz1 wrote:

ddessert wrote:

Jazz1 wrote:

Great idea to speak with the skipper! From your observations I am wondering if there is a downside to Whale watch from a sailboat. Their website says a sailboat is beneficial as there is no motor sound to scare them. On the other hand, I do remember Whale watching on a motorized boat in Vancouver (this was many years ago). The benefit there was the Captain could stop the boat and the whales got relatively close.

With the sailboat you’ve got a huge built-in obstacle. You may need to reposition yourself a considerable distance on deck for your shots. Consider mobility with perhaps multiple camera bodies hanging on you. Others will be moving around on deck too, so consider that any gear on deck could get stepped on.

Also, positioning to have the sun behind you will be much more difficult, if not impossible in a sailboat. We sometimes stared into bright water reflections which was acceptable but harsh for the binocular viewers but as a photographer this was when I didn’t take any shots and looked the other away from the sun for as-yet unseen whales.

Hmmmm. Maybe I should stick with a non-sailboat tour?

Some sailboats are bigger and the sails are not always an obstacle - sometimes other gear might be (like ropes)

Sailboat is more stable and the engine is not causing vibrations ...

IMO "chasing" whales with a motorboat is not always OK - perhaps some companies are more friendly..

And if you do not see many whales a sailing boat can be more comfortable

This is not a very modern boat..

Many thanks! Very valuable information. My only experience with sailboats are 12-22" daysailers on lakes. That is part of what attracted me to a Whale watch tour on a much larger sailboat!

Life Insurance...

Take a drone, so you can take a shot of the sailboat itself with a whale alongside, if the opportunity arises.

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:

JeffryZ wrote:

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:

I'm wondering if physically I'm going to be too slow to get the whales in frame before I hit the shutter, especially with the 100-400mm vs. the 50-140mm (lens size and weight might be the factor). I have to admit I'm not particularly fast when taking photos of deer. But, I guess that is on me. Thanks for the tips!