Most Antarctica photography I’ve found - in fact all I’ve found - are tours from Cruise Ships, and so generally recommend just Canon ect and are less concerned about the environmental conditions.
If it’s a cruise they’re on the shore for a few hours and then out of there.
If you’re going to be there a long time…
The big danger is having your gear out in extreme cold and then entering a warm facility. You have to be careful about condensation. wrap your gear in something relatively airtight or keep it in your camera bag to keep the moisture out until it warms up.
I did a year in Greenland well above the Arctic circle. I used Olympus prosumer point clicks and never had any issues with them. While hiking I would keep them under my jacket until needed. The only real issue was the batteries. They would die quickly in 0° F weather, so I would carry a spare in a warm place.
Generally during the big Arctic storms, we would not be outside anyway, so it was never really an issue.
I have been looking at real cameras again lately. I miss them. No idea what to get though. A lot has changed in 15 years.
I don’t remember ever having condensation issues in Greenland. Happened all the time in FL. I kept lenses and camera in plastic bags when I lived there.
After far too much reading I decided on a FujiFilm X-T4 with an 18-55mm lens. After my research I narrowed it down to this or a Nikon Z5. I went with Fuji for two reason: One, it has cheaper glass (but lower quality as well), and two, I love the retro look of the Fuji (got the silver one).
I think the Nikon is the better camera, but looking at lenses it seemed it would get really expensive quickly. Nikon’s Z line isn’t cheap and hey don’t even have a fun, cheap 50mm 1.8 for this line like they do with the DX. At some point in 2022 I will have to get a 200mm lens, but that can wait for now.
For now I am looking forward to playing with a real camera again.
The Nikon Z lens sure aren’t cheap, but I couldn’t get myself to jump to another brand as I would have had to sell everything I own. The Fuji cameras are pretty great so I’m sure you will be happy with that. I had looked at Sony, but with my huge hands most of the cameras felt like total dog crap. They are starting to get better, but they are solidly last in ergonomics which is a big deal for me. Otherwise their 3rd party support of lens is sooo good. Maybe one day I’ll switch. It’s hard when you get stuck deep into a brand.
On a slight bit of a tangent but related to the thread:
I thought I had my mind made up. I was sure of it when I wrote that post, but then I remembered Thom Hogan (a pro photographer who uses Nikon) and looked around his site. Back when I got in DSLRs I bought his guide on my camera (Nikon D200), and it helped me understand the camera tremendously. I spent a of time reading articles on his site and canceled the order for the Fuji and ordered a Z6ii with the 24-70mm f/4 lens. Spent way more than I should have, but I think it will last me years. The Nikon has shipped, so I can’t change my mind now.
I sold all my photography stuff 5 years ago thinking I would never get into it again. I am kicking myself now. Starting from scratch.
@rei in my research, it really sounds like full frame mirrorless is taking over. Some pros still use DSLRs, but it sounds like it’s dwindling.
LOL I think that was a good choice. Nikon got their groove back with the Z9 release this month. They also just recently pushed out a new firmware to the 1st gen Z bodies which was a huge focus upgrade. Probably the last update I will get, but I’m fine with that.
I have the original Z6 so if you have any questions when you get it just let me know. They are pretty much the same camera with upgrades to the processor and the inclusion of dual card slots. The lenses on the Nikon S line are just plan ridiculous in quality so you will love the 24-70 f4.
Right now the only Z lens I have is the 50 1.8 S and it’s ridiculous. The image quality is just jaw dropping. The rest are f lens which work perfectly fine with the adapter. I have a Tamron 70-200 2.8 that is just utterly fantastic on that camera and 1,200 cheaper than the Nikon Z lens. Sometime next year I’ll get the Tamron 24-70 2.8 as there’s no way I can or will drop 2K on the 2.8 Z version. I’m not a pro so that’s just way too much to spend. But I love me the 2.8 lenses as I shoot a lot of low light.
Not the best picture I’ve ever taken or anything, but this is the kind of detail you can get out of a Z6. 70-200 2.8 iso 2,000.
2021 Lenape Valley Regional Concert - Jeffrey Garnett (nettphoto.com)
I just sold all my Nikon gear to get to Canon. The R5 is the best camera I’ve ever used and I like it a bit better than the D850 I just sold which was amazing. Since I got the R5, I couldn’t spend too much on lenses so as much as I wanted the RF 100-500, I ended up with the 800mm F11. A lot more inexpensive but took some good BIF shots at the Everett Marina yesterday.
I’ve always admired Nikon but always liked Canon more. With the pancake lenses and now the cheap 600mm F11 and 800mm F11, they seem to always have more interesting lenses. Now the snow needs to go away so I can get out there more. I did have to get a grip for the R5 as the mirrorless cameras are smaller and I love large bodies …the R5 with the grip is perfect.
I almost got a Z6ii to go with the D850 but ended up with Canon again…back and forth, never ends.
The one thing that drives me nuts about Canon and Sony is the naming/numbering they use. Like why would the R5 be better than the R6? Arrrrr… That’s a hell of a camera. I’m always a couple of years behind as I can’t justify 2,000 plus for a new body when I never make money off it.
RIGHT!!! Canon is weird.
I’ve had cameras all my life and always used the Rebels and more beginner to mid level stuff as I also don’t make money off it and never really had the money to get something more professional or really needed it.
We refinanced our house and had a bit extra for once and my wife knows how much I love the hobby and told me to go for it and get the best I could get, as we might not have extra money in the future. So, I went for it and it’s great. But, I do feel guilty about spending so much.
That’s funny that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m going to take 1,000 and get the 24-70 2.8. I just haven’t had time to call them back after I filled out everything online. I want to beat any rate hikes that will be coming soon. The one downside to any of these real cameras is how much money you are lugging around. I have “cheaper” stuff and it was still like 2,500 in gear. I never leave the stuff in the car even for a quick run into the store.
Ya…I get really nervous as I have a soft top Wrangler and occasionally leave my camera in the car…and anyone can just unzip the back window and grab anything…I’m sweating just thinking about it.
Thanks, I will. I have already watched a bunch of videos on it and downloaded the manual so I am hoping the learning curve will be small (it looks easy enough). Coming from a DSLR it already seems strange. Like taping on the screen for the focal point like I would on a phone. Cameras have come a long way in the 15 years since I last bought one. I can’t wait to see how much faster the focus is and how much dynamic range has improved over my old D200.
I was going to get he Z6 myself, but the XQD card thing scared me off. Plus I wanted to future proof it as much as possible.
I had a 50mm f/1.8 lens on my D200 that was dirt cheap and a lot of fun. I was really disappointed that the Z lens equivalent is not so cheap. Right now, looking at the line up, there isn’t a reasonably priced lens I can’t wait to get. I am going to have save for one. Plus, when I am ready to spend more money, I think I need a tripod next.
I honestly don’t use the touch screen that much, but a lot of people do. The EVF is soooo good that I use that most of the time. The single card slot is a bit of a bummer and the cards being 100 dollars, but eh I’m not a pro and I highly doubt it will ever fail on me.
There are only a couple of lenses that I really want none that are cheap. Cheap doesn’t exist in the Z lineup. ;) As I already have a 70-200 that’s one big one down…
24-120 F4 (Should be coming out nowish. I have the f mount 24-120 and it’s a bit clunky with the adaptor.)
24-70 F2.8 (I doubt I’ll ever get the Z version too expensive. I need to try it with the adaptor, but the 70-200 Tamron feels great with it.)
Maybe the 85MM 1.8 but I have a 70-200…
Maybe the 105MM Micro but I have an old f mount 105mm. Doesn’t AF in the Z6
Other than that I generally don’t shoot super wide so I don’t even look at anything under 24mm. I really should have not gotten the 50MM 1.8 and just got a Tamron 24-70. Hindsight and all that…I love the 50mm, but I really like having a short zoom much more. I have a D7200 so if I get the f mount Tamron I can use it on both. Same with the 70-200. Comes in handy when I need the extra reach. Used it’s 800ish. Which isn’t unreachable.
I have been watching a lot of Nigel Danson’s videos on YouTube (pro landscape photographer who uses a Z7) and he uses the EVF usually, but sometimes he just uses the external screen and taps on it. I don’t particularly like doing that on the phone, but I can see using it when using a tripod. I do love being able to see the histogram as you take a shot, is that in the EVF as well?
Part of what made the 50mm DSLR lens so great is that it was tiny (unlike the Z version). It made the camera a much better daily use camera. Plus, I find prime lens fun in that you have to make them work as is. I think the 24-70 will make a nice walking around lens though because it is small and light.
Did you see the 50 1.2? It’s ridiculous. The 50 1.8 is quite light and is a great walk around lens. Certainly nowhere near as small as some of the f mount ones though. And yes you can see the histogram on the EVF if you turn it on in the settings. I don’t believe it’s there by default. You can review pictures from it which is really sweet. If you have it on a tripod using the screen is ideal. And it’s super easy to use. Just tap on what you want in focus.
The one super duper awesome thing is that you can set the EVF to show exactly your exposure. So what you see is what you get when you take the picture. Makes using manual mode quite fun. Easy to tell you are blowing out highlights just by looking.
And the other really cool thing is focus peaking. When in manual focus mode it will highlight the screen with an outline where the focus is. Makes it super easy to manually focus the lens for things like macro photography.
I think I had the 1.8. It was $200 at the time, so it made it a no-brainer fun lens.
All these new ways of shooting (compared to a DSLR) sound like a huge game changers, no wonder DSLRs are dying. Can’t wait to play around with it. It’s supposed to be a week of snow and rain here though. Of course the camera and lens are weather sealed, so I might have to test it.