Playing with the new camera today

[Papa]

I bought a new camera for a trip we're planning to Alaska next summer and wanted to try out the lens that I picked up specifically for the trip. The camera is a Canon EOS Rebel T8i and the lens I bought is a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8. The lens is incredible! I took this photo this morning of Pikes Peak (about 55 miles away straight-line distance). The image is cropped to just the mountain.



I'm also waiting on delivery of a Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM long reach lens.

[Jim1855]

Papa,
Great photo.
I shoot Canons and have the 100-400 although a version from about 10 years ago. Great glass. I would expect that you'll really like it.
Jim

[JimLev]

Looks good. What parts of Alaska are you going to visit.

[Papa]

Looks good. What parts of Alaska are you going to visit.

We're starting in Fairbanks and heading to Denali National Park for a couple of days. From there we are taking a train to Whittier and getting on a cruise ship for a seven-day cruise. First stop is Hubbard Glacier, followed by a day in Glacier Bay. We then have three ports of call (one day each); Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. The last day is an at-sea day though the inside passage to Vancouver, BC.

[Namrups]

I took that same trip a number of years ago. Alaska is awesome! Panned for gold. Watched glaciers calving. One excursion was a sea plane ride to a hunting camp in the mountains. After flying over glaciers and landing in the river next to the camp we enjoyed a fresh salmon dinner cooked outside on a grill. After eating I remember sitting on the front porch looking out across the river at two converging mountains with a glacier between them, salmon jumping in the river, humming birds flying around next to us on the porch, bald eagles flying overhead and the resident bear off to the side eating the leftover salmon. A moment I will always remember.

[Papa]

Papa,
Great photo.
I shoot Canons and have the 100-400 although a version from about 10 years ago. Great glass. I would expect that you'll really like it.
Jim

Jim,

I actually bought the earlier version of the 100-400mm lens. The new version (II) is a little pricy for my budget and I figured the older version would be just fine for my amateur skills. It still has image stabilization and full auto focus. It's a push-pull zoom vs. twist, and the new version has some improved optics. I bought a used lens from a reputable Canon dealer and save about $1,700 over the cost of a new one.



Dave

[Papa]

Here are a couple of pics I took today with the "Big" lens! These are not cropped and zoomed in with any post-processing like the one I posted from the 24-70mm lens earlier.

[Jim1855]

Dave,
Sure looks good. You'll really like the 100-400 on your trip. Will bring things in close.
I like your backyard view.
Jim

[Papa]

This is what this lens looks like on the camera at full 400mm zoom.

[JimLev]

Great pic and a nice lens.
Our son does contract work in various parts of AK for 2-3 weeks a year.
We went to Alaska a few years ago to visit him and did the Denali tour thing.
We stayed in the Denali cabins. The next morning, we open the door to see some of the local inhabitants wandering around.

IMG_0818.jpg

IMG_0821.jpg

You probably won't be going to Homer, nice fishing village to visit.
Lots of good food and drink. I'd recommend this place.
Salty_Dawg1.JPG

[Papa]

Great pic and a nice lens.
Our son does contract work in various parts of AK for 2-3 weeks a year.
We went to Alaska a few years ago to visit him and did the Denali tour thing.
We stayed in the Denali cabins. The next morning, we open the door to see some of the local inhabitants wandering around.

IMG_0818.jpg

IMG_0821.jpg

You probably won't be going to Homer, nice fishing village to visit.
Lots of good food and drink. I'd recommend this place.
Salty_Dawg1.JPG

I'm really excited about the trip. We are hoping to see bears, moose, and Orca whales. Everything else will be a bonus.

[dukegrad98]

Very nice choices, and congrats on the trip! I'm another Canon guy. The body only matters a little bit these days -- you made the right move focusing on nice glass. The L-series lenses make all the difference. My 70-200/f2.8L is one of my most-used pieces of equipment. (I mostly use a full-frame 5D, but occasionally pull out an older 1D if I'm shooting sports or something where I really need the faster burst rate. My wife prefers her smaller sensor body, I think it's a 70D or something?)

Now go buy LOTS of memory cards -- they're stupid cheap these days, so I don't know why you would ever re-use one. Just stick it in the bag and click in another empty one. Shoot everything in RAW+JPEG so that you have the best editing options when you go through the pics after your vacation.

Cheers, John

[Papa]

Very nice choices, and congrats on the trip! I'm another Canon guy. The body only matters a little bit these days -- you made the right move focusing on nice glass. The L-series lenses make all the difference. My 70-200/f2.8L is one of my most-used pieces of equipment. (I mostly use a full-frame 5D, but occasionally pull out an older 1D if I'm shooting sports or something where I really need the faster burst rate. My wife prefers her smaller sensor body, I think it's a 70D or something?)

Now go buy LOTS of memory cards -- they're stupid cheap these days, so I don't know why you would ever re-use one. Just stick it in the bag and click in another empty one. Shoot everything in RAW+JPEG so that you have the best editing options when you go through the pics after your vacation.

Cheers, John

Thanks, John. I was hoping I wasn't making amateur mistakes buying the wrong equipment. I'm an amateur, but want to get the best "automatic" pictures I can get
I really splurged with the 24-70mm purchase as I figured that would be the lens I use more than any other. I still wanted a good long lens, but opted to go with older, used equipment here. I couldn't justify the cost for the latest technology here, and I hope that's the right decision. I'm also buying used 1.4x and 2x converters since they are pretty cheap. The additional item on my must-have list is a good quality circular polarizing filter for the 24-70mm lens. I have four 512GB SD cards already and will likely get a few more. With the T8i, I'm able to transfer to my cloud NAS as long as I have Wi-Fi, so I can free up space if I need to.

Dave

[FF33rod]

Dave, you're going to love the trip! I did a 7 day the other way about 15 years ago, Vancouver to Alaska and fly back.... Are you sticking around in Vancouver at all? If you come all this way, you should spend a few days in the area at least. Lots of great things to see and do! Would also be fun to meet up....

Steve

[Papa]

Dave, you're going to love the trip! I did a 7 day the other way about 15 years ago, Vancouver to Alaska and fly back.... Are you sticking around in Vancouver at all? If you come all this way, you should spend a few days in the area at least. Lots of great things to see and do! Would also be fun to meet up....

Steve

Steve,

Our plans once we get to Vancouver will really depend on the availability of flights back to Denver. We usually tack a day or two on our cruise vacations just to not feel rushed. It'll be a while before we can even look at flight options, but I would love to do a little exploration in Vancouver.

Dave

[J R Jones]

Back in the sixties I had a USAF TDY to the Fairbanks area to post interceptors on alert against the Ruskies. Engagement once or twice per week.
I took along my 12ga shoot gun and a 30-30 lever/rifle. The permanent guys told me to leave them in my locker, lest I annoy an animal.

Long after with photography I evolved to a Nikon FE 35mm SLR and rented an FM body for vacations and film variety. I accumulated a brace of lenses, a tube and a 2X extender.
Digitals became enticing and I found that Nikon DSLRs are compatible with my NIKKOR lenses. I scored a D90 body but with the non-digital lenses I sacrifice automatic features. I have to be more hands-on.
I have found that shooting in extreme conditions, like poor light, I can beat "automatic", of course instant review helps refine that technique.
jim

[JohnK]

Jim - I was also a devoted Nikon film SLR guy "back in the day". However, when I made the switch to DSLR, Nikon's stubborn refusal to offer full-frame sensors meant that the focal lengths of all their lenses were less than optimal with crop sensors in their DSLR's so I sold off all my Nikon gear and went with a Canon 5D. I'm now on a Canon 5D MkIV with an assortment of Canon EF lenses and absolutely love it. Nikon finally came to their senses many years later and started offering full frame sensors but they lost a lot of customers before they finally did so.

[J R Jones]

Jim - I was also a devoted Nikon film SLR guy "back in the day". However, when I made the switch to DSLR, Nikon's stubborn refusal to offer full-frame sensors meant that the focal lengths of all their lenses were less than optimal with crop sensors in their DSLR's so I sold off all my Nikon gear and went with a Canon 5D. I'm now on a Canon 5D MkIV with an assortment of Canon EF lenses and absolutely love it. Nikon finally came to their senses many years later and started offering full frame sensors but they lost a lot of customers before they finally did so.

I am not using the Nikon professionally or often, although it was recommended by a semi-pro auto race photographer. Yes the lenses are not in the optimal relation to the screen. I have entered contests with RAW or SOOC and did OK. I admit my iPhone handles a majority of photos recently, and at crowded events, it reduces my, and other's intrusion. Considering the cost of equipment replacement, I will accept compromise. Soy un perdedor.
jim

[Todd Baumann]

Papa,
This is the exact trip we are taking in 3 months from now but ours is the reverse order.
Starts in Vancouver and ends in Fairbanks after Denali.
Can't wait, we have had this planned for over a year and a half.
One of the other guys from the Forum took the same cruise just recently also and loved it.
That camera is awesome your going to get some beautiful pics with that.
Enjoy

[F500guy]

Great place to visit for sure, I would love to do another trip there. 2010 took the ferry from Anacortes Washington with pickup with canopy and sleeping set up in the bed, 21 day trip. Ferry ride we had a cabin for me, girlfriend and her son for 5-6 days. Then departed the ferry and drove around for 10-12 days then drove home. Amazing trip, best I have ever taken. lots of mosquitoes north of Denali....