Alaska Cruise Lens selections

Hi All,

Going on a Alaska cruise for the first time in a few months. I am planning on bringing my a7r iv + la-ea5(edit, not enough coffee) + SAL2470Z + Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 + maybe SAL70200G

As far as a zoom goes, I have a minolta reflex 500 that works great with the adapter, but wanted a variable too... I am looking at the

Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM Or Tamron - SP 150-600 F5-6.3 Di USD

Any other suggestions or would the 500 reflex be good enough or 70-400 higher quality? Or maybe get a sony tc?

I have used the Tamron 150-600 with an a99 years ago on safari - sold it right afterwards as i didnt need that zoom...

Edited by arrow34 - 27 January 2023 at 20:59

I have never been in that part of the world, but based on my experience elsewhere if you want to do any photography on outdoor decks on a vessel, you definately want a telephoto lens as your subjects can be some distance away.

Now the question what telephoto you should use/get is slightly harder. I guess 500 Reflex could work ok, albeit being a prime it is somewhat inflexible. Sony AF 70-400G and Tamron SP 150-600 are fairly good zooms, but I have to say that mating those A mount lenses into E mount cameras with LA-EA4 may not be the best combination since AF module in LA-EA4 is quite limited (especially in amount of AF points and area coverage). Personally I would suggest getting a native E mount lens that would offer the best possible AF performance. Possible afordable candidates would be Tamron 50-400, Tamron 150-500 and Sigma 150-600 and perhaps also the slightly more expensive Sony FE 200-600 G and Sony FE 100-400 GM.

I never liked the mirror lenses, nice size but the donuts drove me crazy. My Tamron 150-600mm stays in the case most of the time. Maybe I have a bad copy but I find it requires a tripod to get anything useful out of it. I have the SAL70200G and use it with the SAL14TC and SAL20TC for extra reach without weighing down the bag.

The choice seems to come down the price: the A mount 70-400 is a good lens, is cheaper than anything in E mount that will out-perform it - and it will work on your A99ii. I haven't experienced the Sony 200-600 but I've seen lots of great shots taken with it - three times the cost of the 70-400. I'd guess you're spending plenty on the cruise, is the extra worth it to better preserve some memories?

malice
/ˈmalɪs/
noun
the desire to harm someone; ill will.

"Pure malice" is a bit hyperbolic I think. I feel Sony couldn't be bothered, so, laziness, not malice.

Edward,

I am assuming this will be an Alaska Inside Passage cruise. Though you will spend a lot of time onboard, the ship will dock at various ports like Skagway, Juno, Ketchikan etc. You will have plenty of opinions for shore excursions. What do you like to photograph? That will determine the focal length you will need. If you want to take a wildlife excursion which might be available at places like Haines, there will likely be a lot of eagles. (I think this tours with Tom G was the one I took) Haines Photo Tours
In that case the longer focal length, the better. Your 70-400 should work, a lens like the Sony 200-600 might be even better. You will see a lot of "Float Planes" in the various harbors   Float Plane Tours I think they make great photographic subjects. But you might want to take one of those float plane excursions. I'm sure they will provide a lot of great photo ops!
For most photos your 24-70 will be just fine. On board the ship you might be in tight quarters where your wide angle zoom will work well. I personally would supplement that with a fast prime if you will be will family and friends for portrait shots but your 24-70 will also work.
As a railroad fan myself, a subject I liked was the Alaska Railway at Skagway. That one will take you to beautiful landscape panoramas. It was raining when I was there, so be prepared for precipitation! (might be snow). Make sure you have some kind of water protection for your gear. I was very happy that my bag and a rain cover built in.
I think my favorite subjects were the float planes taking off and landing in those picturesque Alaska harbors.

Regards,
Kelly

If your ship docks at Haines, you might want to look into the Tom G excursion. (see the link I posted previously) I was able to book it onboard the ship. He was able to point out exactly where the eagles were perched. he also took us to some very nice spots for landscapes I don't have any zoom lenses like the FE 200-600 G but I've read that it is very good. Tamron and Sigma make 150-200mm zoom lenses that might be less expensive. I don't know about A mount lenses. Keep in mind that native E mount lenses might focus a bit better, but I don't personally have much experience with that type of photography or with A mount long lenses, other than the 70-200 f2.8 G SSM. Also I believe those float plane tours will take you to nice spots for landscape and wildlife photos. Places you wouldn't normally be able to get to except by small aircraft. Probably expensive though. Ketchikan might be one of the prettiest most picturesque towns on the Inside Passage. But it's all beautiful. Hopefully your ship takes you to Glacier Bay. I got some nice photos of of the Glaciers with ice slumping off into the bay.   Glacier Bay Probably difficult to imagine how beautiful Alaska is until you've been there. I've also driven there up through BC into Alaska and on to the Kenai Peninsula in our old VW type II Westfalia camper! Lots of fun. Expected to see lots of wildlife like bears and Moose, but only saw otters, eagles and salmon. But you have to be in the right place at the right time. Alaska is so beautiful! Ranks with the Dolomites in Northern Italy as two of my most favorite places. Of course along with my best kept secret, Ely Nevada! And of course my old home town, Heidelberg Germany and my newer home town, Salt Lake City and the Wasatch range of the Rocky Mountains!