Gear for Canada Alaska Holiday

[Papou]

From personal experience or from people you know that have done this Holiday, would like to know what gear to take along?? would longer lens's be necessary or just the ole 24-105L coupled up withg the 5D2 be more than enough.
Rail Bus and Inside passage cruise , not knowing if there will be much Birding activety am scratching the noggin regarding the 100-400L..
Cheers

[Rattus79]

I'd think twice about it.

I haven't been to US/Canada so I'm not really qualified to answer it, but ask yourself if you really want to lug the weight around ...

[Warbler]

If you can fit it in, I'd take it. Lots of wildlife in Canada, but you don't want to get too close to it. More people are killed by elk than by bears in Canada, or so the tour guides say. 24 on a FF might nearly be wide enough for everything else. Doing the Rocky Mountaineer as well as the cruise are you? The 24-105 will be fine from the train. If you're after the goats, you'll need to 100-400, and the bald eagles too.

[Papou]

What i wanted to know:), the 100-400L tags along but will have to make a hidey hole for it in among the main luggage for fear of exceeding my caary on weight allowance..Yes doing the Rocky Mountaineer as well as the cruise all going well that is .

[Warbler]

Red Leaf or Gold Leaf? The Gold Leaf puts you in the Glass topped viewing carriage, but Red Leaf leaves you to shoot through the windows. They do various different routes (and directions) too. The only real disappointment I had with the train was the bloody poles and wires that run both sides of the track. Anything taken from the train with wides will be full of them. North America is definitely the land of the overhead wires. They have to be so they're clear of the snow and accessible in winter. Of course I haven't been on the trains in Canada or the US for a few years now. They may have cleaned those up, but I doubt it. It's cheaper to put wires on poles than to put them underground.

I didn't see a single bear when I went, but there were lots of elk and moose. A few eagles about too, and way up on the mountainsides there were lots of goats, but too far for me with a 105 lens.

Oh, almost forgot. Pack a CP filter too. You'll get the best from your skies with one of those fitted. Canada is "big sky" country.

[Papou]

Eagles roam closeby or at a far distance???..Travelling Goldleaf as its a trip ive promised the Goodwife many year ago and time to make good on my promise with a tad of vested interest offcourse (photographywise).
Mindyou as well as a promise its been a Dream of ours so health all holding good it will be done:)..
No probs with Filters , just keen to know whether there's all that much difference with Pro Filters to what you normally buy online??..Or do they all come out of the same factory??:)..

[Warbler]

Depends on the time of year. You'll be traveling along beside the Fraser River (from memory) on the RM. On the Inner Passage cruise you pass lots more wild rivers. Those rivers are salmon breeding areas. Many of them die after they breed. If you're there at the right time, the rivers will be full of dead and dying fish. Everything carnivorous will be feasting on them. The eagles will doing just that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_River
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_run
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson_River You'll follow this tributary of the Fraser too.

I like the reference to the 12 foot White Sturgeon caught, tagged, and released in the Fraser River in 2012. I can't quite visualise an 1,100 pound fish being lifted from the water and tagged, but it's on Wiki, so it must be true. ;)

I was there in October/November and it was after the salmon run, so you might be a bit late now too. Check with the locals before you go.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, here you go. September is the sockeye Salmon run.

http://www.tsylos.com/chilko-river-salmon-run

[mikec]

I took a 16-35 and 70-200 when I did north america and would take that combo again.

There is lots of wild life and great scenery so they'll cover both well.

[Papou]

Thanks mikec , kindly appreciated..Looks like the 24-105L, 16-35 and the 100-400L tags along:)..Now just need to get the Missus to let me pack part of her suitcase ,sneak the heavy Lens in there lol.

[fess67]

I did the inside passage and took the 24-105 and 100 - 400. I think the 100-400 is essential if you want the eagles / Orcas / bears (if you are lucky). Other than that I would leave the 24-105 or 16-35 on the camera. I do not do landscapes well at all but IMHO that is what you will come away with, more than wildlife. So, gear up for landscapes but be prepared for the opportunity to get the eagles.