Yellowstone vacation advice

[francis]

Here is what I will suggest.

7d+600+TC. If you get luck to see the wolf. Normally they will be quarter mile to half mile away.
1dx+70-200. This is for all other wildlife.
5d mk iii+35 (better to have 24). This is for geyser, landscape and astrophotography.

Your hotel location is the real concern for me. But anyway, relax and enjoy the trip. I have been to the Yellowstone area several times. And I planned to go back next year and try to stay in hotels inside the park.

 

[stilscream]

I will also be there the first week of September! Perhaps we might meet for coffee and share some of our prize shots. ;D
I clumsily booked a flight into Cody, and hotel --was then able to change hotel to Big Sky, MT which is about 2 hours away from Hayden Valley according to Google Maps. My wife has a cousin who lives in Missoula (Western MT) whom we plan to visit during our stay. I onlyeish to get up at 3AM if the results will be dramatically better than evening time. I saved $500-600 by not booking in the park.Not to mention the places were booked despite the horrible, horrible reviews.

 

[stilscream]

I love my 1DX, and I like my 1d4, but the battery chargers are huge -- they take up the space of a lens. They are meant to charge two batteries at once. I think my 7D will cover my fps/wildlife needs while my 5d3 will cover my astrophotography and low light situations. I can use one tiny charger to charge both cameras batteries. If I took my 1Dx, I probably not be able to carry a 2nd body (this sounds like a bad idea) or I would have to ditch a lens to make room for the charger. -- I think I would miss not having the 14mm, 35mm, and 24-70mm I was planning to take. Can anyone suggesting the bigger bodies give me reasons why they would choose to sacrifice the space? If birds was the main thing I would be taking photos of I'd agree, but it seems birds of prey are much rarer than various other mammals which might not require an extra 4fps or extra spot of low light performance. Am I wrong? Are Ospreys and Bald Eagles and (I hope, hope, hope) Peregrine falcons common?

I wish I had a 24mm f1.4L II, which would be perfect for astrophotography and I am tempted to splurge more, but I really need to sell gear being that I have my first child coming. And, I have a 35 f1.4, which is close and 14 f2.8 Tamron which will probably also be useful. I hope to sell my 600mm f4L IS USM and 400mm 2.8L IS USM which I use seldomly. This is one of the main reasons I am going, so I can use it before I get rid of it. Incidentally, probably selling 2 bodies as well.

 

[PsionicBOOM]

If I were you, I would take the 1DX and the Canon 600 f4, the 70-200, and the 35 f1.4. Use the 35 to take landscapes and pictures of your wife, use the other two for pictures of other animals. Take a pocketable point-and-shoot with which you might ask someone to take a picture of you and your wife together.

I would take the 1DX for the combination of full-frame and high fps. I don't really see why more than one DSLR would be necessary... unless this was purely a photography expedition and you were leaving your wife at home.

I'm not a professional photographer, but thanks to living in northern Utah, and my parents' timeshare in Jackson, I have been fortunate to go to Yellowstone almost every year for the last 20.

Forget the gear and figure out what the purpose and priorities of the trip are. This is one of the the last chances you and your wife will have to be together alone for at least 10-20 years. Do you really want to spend it with your eyes glued to a viewfinder while your pregnant wife sits there being devoured by mosquitoes?

Take plenty of pictures... but use this trip as an enjoyable experience for both you and your wife, use it to familiarize yourself with YNP, then return another time as the photographer - who sits in one place for hours, waiting to be eaten by wolves.

With my family, we usually spend a day in Yellowstone. Each year, we choose which half of a loop to see, of the two loops, and that's about all there is time for, in one day, if you're not staying in the park.

The maximum speed limit is 45mph, but you might average out to 20mph, if the bison herds are near the roads.

Sometimes we see a lot, and sometimes we don't see much. I once backpacked through the backcountry with my scout troop for five days, and didn't see anything. This time of year, you will probably see a lot of animals, but also lots of overcast, so don't count on astrophotography.

Personally, I would either invest in a few more CF cards or take the laptop.

Pack a lunch, snacks, drinks, hand sanitizer for the outhouse, and good tunes. Stay on the designated trails or die!

 

[tpatana]

I saved $500-600 by not booking in the park.

?

I booked a cabin from the lodge (~300ft from the Old Faithful), and it was around $100 a night. Anything outside the park were around $150-200 a night, so I saved plenty by being inside the park. Plus saved plenty of time which is even more valuable and rare commodity, plus some extra saving because of less gas for driving.

So I'd seriously recommend to consider calling Xterra (or what was the official agency, don't use other agencies as they'll just go though Xterra and take their extra cut), and check if they have vacancies. It's your vacation and you make your choices, but I just can't imagine being 2 hours away from the park.

 

[takesome1]

If you go in the West Yellowstone entrance at 3:00 am you will most likely drive within a 1/4 of a mile of me. ;D Don't honk.

You might try grabbing a room in the park or at one of the entrances one night to give you more time in the park. First time in the park many people do the top loop one day and the bottom the second. It is a full days drive to do either.

I would take the 1D's over the 7D any day. I had a 1D IV and a 7D last time I went in the park and tried them side by side on some big horn sheep to see which gave the best pic. Shots several hundred yards off the 1D IV won easily. Pixel density isn't everything. I was using a 500mm on tripod, doing live view focus to tune in on them.

Eagles as you come in the entrance to the West, watch the Madison. Usually a pair that nests at the edge of the mountains.

If you go up to Mammoth, and then go east on the Grand Loop Road, between Mammoth and the NE Entrance Road there is a dirt road that is one way (the only one I know of in the park). I have taken it many times and have gotten closer to wildlife on that road than any other. Buy a park map and you should be able to locate it easily. It is west of the petrified tree.

Another road I always hit when I go by and that is paved, if you go toward Old Faithful is Fire Lake Road. Interesting geysers and wildlife.

Good Luck

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Folks.
I read this reply to my missus, we both had a good laugh from it, thanks for that, thought it was quite close to the reality of these situations too, some real good advice for most of us in a relationship I would think!

Have a great trip.

Cheers Graham.

...Am I making any mistakes?

Yes. Unless you want some other guy raising that baby for you.

Forget the gear and figure out what the purpose and priorities of the trip are. This is one of the the last chances you and your wife will have to be together alone for at least 10-20 years. Do you really want to spend it with your eyes glued to a viewfinder while your pregnant wife sits there being devoured by mosquitoes?

 

[FTb-n]

My wife, two kids, and I just returned from Yellowstone. We visited the park by RV and didn't do any trail hiking, so my photo needs will likely differ.

I used ThinkTank hosters, one for a 7D w/70-200 f2.8L II, and another with 5D3 w/24-105 f4L. The latter was my most used lens -- love the IS. I also kept a Hoya HD polarizing filter on it.

To be fair, my want to get the shot under the most optimum lighting was tampered by not wanting to drag the family out before dawn or onto the trail. Still, I found my gear selection quite handy for all but flying creatures.

Toward dusk, I swapped lenses and put the 70-200 on the 5D3 then upped the ISO in anticipation of buffalo street dance by headlight shots.

Lastly, don't forget the bear spray. There have been several grizzly sitings and one attack near Canyon Village in the past few weeks.

 

[wsmith96]

If you really want to get wolf shots you have to be incredibly patient and understand that they will be some distance away most of the time. You'd want to have the 7d + 600 + 1.4 to get any decent shots. They get closer in the winter incidentally and even then I was wishing I had more range with my 7d + 500 + 1.4.

I agree with the advice above regarding patience and distances. I took my family to YNP in July and were fortunate to come across a grizzly bear with cubs and a wolf pack chasing an elk herd. I really pushed the limits of my gear (rebel and 70-300 non L IS) to get some pictures to prove that I actually did see them. Don't laugh at the quality, but these are crops of the originals. Both were taken at a great distance - I would estimate at least 1/4 mile.

I found that I shot the majority of my pictures with the 17-55 lens as there are lot's of things to see that you can just walk up to - in some cases, even the animals. Your 24-70 will suit you well for your walk around lens, and may be the lens you use most of the time.

I also added Fred at the bottom. He was our resident bison that slept pretty much outside of our cabin at Lake Yellowstone. He was quite friendly, but I didn't get any closer that what you see in the pic.

 

[celliottuk]

A sideways thought...
I've been to Yellowstone and loved it. I recommend getting a (Human)guide. Driving around (Each loop takes a day) is great if you want to see the Geysers/mud pools/thermal springs-they don't move! Raptors are everywhere, and each car park is as good as any other, and you are likely to see Bison without a big lens(Probably blocking a road that you are trying to get down!), but, if you want something special-wolves etc, you really need a guide who knows where to take you. Without one you may well drive straight past them without ever knowing.
Remember, it's high, so, take some cold weather kit with you anytime from October to April

 

[FTb-n]

I also added Fred at the bottom. He was our resident bison that slept pretty much outside of our cabin at Lake Yellowstone. He was quite friendly, but I didn't get any closer that what you see in the pic.

Fred looks familiar. Does he offer guided tours from Canyon Village to Fishing Bridge?

 

[francis]

By the way, remember to visit the boiling river near mammoth area. Your wife will love it. Also don't miss any side roads. They are all fantastic. Especially the firehole lake drive.

 

[wsmith96]

Fred looks familiar. Does he offer guided tours from Canyon Village to Fishing Bridge?

Geez, I could have saved a lot of $$ if I knew he was giving tours - probably get a better one too.

 

[stilscream]

Weight played a factor, so I narrowed it down to my 1DX, 600mm f4 + tripod, 35mm f1.4, 14mm 2.8, 70-200mm 1.4/2x extenders and bringing a charger and extra battery. I hope it all fits. I tried to wrap my 600 in bubblewrap this morning and it no longer fit in my bag. One way or another I am getting it there! Wish me luck, I leave tomorrow morning!