Antartic Cruise: 6D vs 7D II and equipment recommendations

[Jane]

I have been to Antarctica twice. The second time we also visited South Georgia. I took similar equipment both times. While I agree with others about spare batteries, gloves and not changing lenses outside, I disagree with other points. I wouldn't take a tripod, useless on a ship, difficult to handle/not useable in a zodiac, extra carriage and unnecessary ashore. When you go on an Antarctic expedition you will transfer between ship and shore by Zodiac, you may also cruise around icebergs in a Zodiac. So, you will be walking on shore and you will take photos from the zodiac (icebergs, whales, seals, penguins). You will also take pictures from the ship of both scenery and wildlife. My solution (and I was super happy with it both times) is two cameras, two lenses. I take a full frame camera with a 24-70 or 24-105 and a crop body with 100-400 lens. (Yes, get the 7DII). I carry them in Lowe Pro top loader bags (which can accommodate spare batteries and cards), one for each combo. The two camera/lens combos in the small bags allowed flexibility, were easily manageable in the zodiacs and not bulky. Your warm weather clothes are already bulky so I don't find a back pack convenient. (You wouldn't wear a backpack in the zodiac anyway, so it has to go on your lap or floor). I carry Rugged or Op/Tech rain sleeves (pack of 2 for about $6) in each bag and, if I know I need weather protection, I use Aquatech rain covers or Storm Jackets. I never had any equipment failures, not even shooting in poor conditions or getting splashed in the Zodiac. You go out twice a day, weather permitting, for just 2-3 hours so charge batteries and download cards twice a day. You need the gear to cover the different shooting opportunities (penguins can come close to you or be far away on an iceberg) that is ready to use and easy to carry. Have your gear ready and warm weather clothes ready all the time on ship because you could suddenly get a call from the bridge that something special has been sighted (e.g. a pod of whales). Someone mentioned wellington boots and rain pants. I don't find these warm enough. Look for Arctic Muck Boots (available on Amazon) and snow pants. Don't forget long underwear. The expedition folks will give you a packing list. Hope this helps.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Leandro.
This is very sound advice given to me by my father, his experience was heading for Sword beach on a liberty ship, leaning over the side heaving when I quote "a large black fellow told me to go down below, head for the middle, near the kitchen, if there is fresh bread eat some". He followed this advice and felt much better for the rest of the trip.
"The more you pay, the more you sway!" Very funny and so true. ;D ;D

Cheers, Graham.

If you have a choice, get a berth low and central in the ship, near where the ship pivots in heavy weather. The more expensive berths tend to higher up and much more exposed to motion. "The more you pay, the more you sway!". Some of the rich dudes were sick the whole trip.

Have fun!

 

[Jane]

If you are on an Antarctic Expedition it will be quite a small vessel not one of these huge cruise ships. Most trips to Antarctica are expedition style and are nothing like traditional cruising. However, some of the big cruise lines do advertise Antarctica trips but they are not what I described earlier and you won't go ashore.

 

[Alefoto]

Some more suggestions...

As others have pointed out, take care of the cold and moisture problems when going back and forth between cold/warm environments. No camera sealing can protect you from that, only good discipline can. The same can be said for changing lenses/gear while out on the field. People were taking pictures in the (Ant)Arctic 40 years ago when cameras were not weather proof as today. The weather is still the same as 40 years ago. I know it can be tempting to check soon your pictures once back on warmth of the ship but that's exactly what you don't have to do in the first hour. Let your gear warm up gradually first.

Do you recommend putting the camera on a plastic bag before entering the ship and keeping it there for one hour or more? Should I use any other technique?

The basic rule is to avoid sudden and large changes in temperatures and humidity on both lenses and cameras. The thing you need to consider is that the longer it takes for your gear to warm up gradually from the outside temperature to the inside warmer temperture of the ship, the lesser the condensation problem. This depends on the difference between outside-inside temperatures (wider difference =longer time). A simply plastic bag like the ones you get from a supermarket will help but only marginally. A zip bag will help more. You can also simply leave your gear inside your closed photo backpack and put your jacket on it as a further insulation and then let the gear warm up gradually (longer=safer), possibly away from heating sources. If you have to take out memory cards, battery or change lens, do it before coming back inside.

To answer your question about leaving your gear 1 hour inside a plastic bag, considering outside temperature in the -10 - 0 range and the inside one around 20C or more, I would wait more and add more insulation (photo backpack and jacket on)



Also, before you go, I suggest you take a look at this book "Poles apart" from Galen Rowell. It's an old book but I find it a simple but at the same time inspiring book. At the end you have also short notes on the technical stuff (lens, aperture, etc.) for each picture. It can be found online.

The book appears to be amazing. I found some pages online and I will try to get a copy.

even if it's 30 years old and done with film equipment, I find it very explicative and inspiring. The last pages with shot notes for each picture may help you deciding what to take along, even if topics like iso or film type are outdated