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by TDeSanto on Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:55 pm
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Hello all,

I’m traveling to Antarctica mid January and am really trying to narrow down what camera gear to bring and how to carry it. I am not opposed to purchasing necessary equipment for this type of trip (I mean, when am I going to be able to get back to Antarctica?), but I also want to leverage what I already own.
I could really use some help thinking this through and optimizing my kit for versatility, portability, weight, and some redundancy in case something with my equipment were to fail.  

A few challenges I’m concerned about:
Weight–we have limitations due to our flight baggage restrictions from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. I’m investigating if I have any options here, but I’m being told that it’s a charter flight and total weight (carry-on and checked) is 55 lbs.  Not sure what the carry-on limit is yet.
Bulk–getting in/out of the zodiacs and stowing the gear in dry bags during the transit to shore or during zodiac cruises near shore and ice.
How to actually carry the gear when on shore:  Single backpack? Individual holster cases–maybe attach to my Lowepro belt system when on shore?
Changing lenses: I've read about potentially windy and dusty environment on some of the shore landings. Our itinerary includes the area from the South Shetland Islands moving southwest to below the Arctic Circle. (Sadly it won’t include the Falkland Islands or South Georgia Island).  For those who’ve visited the South Shetland Islands and Antarctica Peninsula at this time of year, am I wrong about being concerned about swapping lenses/ TCs in the field to get the desired shots?
Am I crazy to consider taking just 3 bodies to limit swapping lenses in the field?  I’m considering buying another Z7 or Z7II to help with this and add redundancy to the kit.

I have all Nikon gear. I feel I’m caught between my F-mount lenses/ bodies and my Z-mount system as well.  If possible I’d like to keep the kit down to just 3 lenses and 2 bodies (maybe a 3rd body as a backup), but am open to possibly carrying a 4th lens.  I feel trapped, because:
I love the Z lenses, but there’s a limitation in redundancy built into my kit if I were to carry both F-mount and Z-mount bodies.  I.e., I cannot mount a Z lens to an F body, but obviously the opposite is true.
I do want to be able to shoot video too.  Of course, I can do that with the F-mount bodies, but it’s not as good, and ultimately they don’t perform as well as the Z-mount bodies for video.

Bodies I already own:
D500 (my favorite for very active wildlife due to the AF system)
D800e (older, slower, but still decent AF and still good image quality)
Z7 (amazing image quality, outstanding video, AF performance is its biggest limitation)

Lenses I already own and have put on the short list for including (probably just 1, maybe 2 longer lenses from this list):
F-Mount:
NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR
Good enough image quality, but size and weight have me questioning. I have a very compact travel monopod, but unsure of the use on shore landings as I’m not sure what to expect for a stable surface for a small footprint. More to carry and deal with.
NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR 
(love the size, weight, image quality, but I don’t like the idea of being limited to 1 focal length and I don’t like the idea of changes lenses often in that environment)
TC-14E (to use with the 300 f/4; however, I’m really thinking against having to keep putting this on and taking it off in the field due to the potentially dusty environment I’ve read about.  Am I wrong about this?
TC-17eII (again, to use with the 300f/4)
AF-P NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR
Decent image quality (not quite as good at isolating subject as the 300 f/4 or 200-500
Very compact and light for it’s range
A bit more versatile than the 70-200 (reach and video)
Stepped motor for video AF and seems to work great with my Z7
NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR

Z-Mount:
Z 14-30mm f/4 S
Z 24-70mm f/4 S
Z 20mm f/1.8 S

Others I already own and might consider:
NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR (heavy, bulky, limited reach, f2.8 likely not as important on this trip, but has amazing bokeh)
AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR

Gear I’m considering adding or taking instead of items above (if it makes sense and fits in with the objectives listed above):
Z7II - mainly just for reducing lens changes and having redundancy. Hoping the slightly improved AF performance and start-up times will help.
NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S–size and weight about the same as my 70-200 f/2.8 and gives me more range, does this provide great subject isolation/ bokeh? 

I welcome any feedback and advice.  Thank you for your help with this fun challenge.

Tony
 

by ivan rothman on Fri Sep 30, 2022 7:55 pm
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I did Antarctica a few years ago and also had weight restrictions.
I used an Overboard 30L Backpack Dry Bag to keep my equipment safe when traveling on the zodiac.
The majority of my pictures were with a full frame Nikon D850 or D5.
My most used lens was the Nikon 80-400mm and when doing wide angle shots I used the Nikon 24-120mm. I went to 600mm for occasional shots and for that I had the Tamron 150-600. I left my big glass (600mm f4 at home).
You have a D500 cropped frame camera so using it on your 200-500mm would be all the reach you need and you can leave your 300mm PF and TCs at home since weight is an issue. Or you could use your 300mm +TCs and leave the 200-500mm at home. That would also work well, but the advantage of the 200-500mm is having the versatility of a zoom lens so I think I would favor that. And then for wide angle, you could use the Z 24-70mm on your Z7. I don't think you need anything shorter than 24mm. That would leave you with a gap between 70mm and 200mm, so maybe you should also bring your 70-300mm.

I've gone completely mirrorless with a pair of Z9s and all Z lenses, and that certainly simplifies things. The problem with carrying a Z camera and a DSLR is that your Z lenses will only work on the Z camera. So your suggestion of upgrading to a Z7ii make a lot of sense. You could then take just the Z7ii and the Z7. The Z100-400mm is my absolute favorite lens and works very well with Z TCs, especially the 1.4X. and then if you get the Z 24-120, another great lens, you would have all the coverage you need with just 2 mirrorless bodies, 2 lenses and a teleconverter. And if you want a faster telephoto lens to use, and if you have the room, you could also take the 300mm f4 PF with an FTZ adapter.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Sep 30, 2022 8:59 pm
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My most used lens when I went was a 70-200, followed by a 200-400, then a 16-35, and a 24-70 in that order.  I shot it with a D3 and a D300 (a few years ago now).  I never wished I had a focal length that I didn't take.  Other than shooting flying birds off of the ship, you don't need great AF and even those birds, primarily Albatross shouldn't be hard for your Z7.
 

by Wildflower-nut on Fri Sep 30, 2022 10:37 pm
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I think the weight limit is unrealistic for camera gear and other gear such as laptop, boots, winter gear, and other clothes. I had a regular commercial flight and they were liberal on carry on. I'm a little fuzzy but I think I took a 500 f4 a 28-300 and two bodies. I had a 1.4x and 16-35 in backpack and a backup lens in the cabin. The backpack went into a river bag for the trip to shore in the boat. I had a tripod. Today, I'd probably take a 100-500 and 24-105 zooms and two R5 bodies. I'd think hard about my 200-400 f4. Take a backup. for me, the 28-300 might make a good backup as it fills in part of the range of both the 24-105 and 100-500. We had a photographers loose his big lens and body when fording a stream. that left him with only a 24-70.
 

by Ed1946 on Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:06 am
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You have not stated what type of trip you're taking. If a photography tour, birding tour, or just a cruise. So options and choices could vary. I went in 2020 on a birding tour (14 people) but our group was part of an overall adventure cruise with about 100 other people.  So it involved zodiacs full of 8-12 people cruising about to shore walks or just cruising shorelines only.  I limited my equipment to a 100-600 Sigma on an Nikon 810 and a 24-70 mm on a D7100. I also had 1.4 telecov for both lens but rarely used.  I left my 600 prime home as there will be times getting in and out of zodiacs can be challenging. Dry bag (30L) is a must have. And why risk loss of my fav lens.  Also most of the birds and animals were close on shore and ship. Don't over do on gear and photography and take some time to just soak in the the scenery.  Keep it simple for an enjoyable trip.
 

by TDeSanto on Sat Oct 01, 2022 2:05 pm
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ivan rothman wrote:I did Antarctica a few years ago and also had weight restrictions.
I used an Overboard 30L Backpack Dry Bag to keep my equipment safe when traveling on the zodiac.
The majority of my pictures were with a full frame Nikon D850 or D5.
My most used lens was the Nikon 80-400mm and when doing wide angle shots I used the Nikon 24-120mm.   I went to 600mm for occasional shots and for that I had the Tamron 150-600.   I left my big glass (600mm f4 at home).  
You have a D500 cropped frame camera so using it on your 200-500mm would be all the reach you need and you can leave your 300mm PF and TCs at home since weight is an issue.  Or you could use your 300mm +TCs and leave the 200-500mm at home.  That would also work well, but the advantage of the 200-500mm is having the versatility of a zoom lens so I think I would favor that.   And then for wide angle, you could use the Z 24-70mm on your Z7.  I don't think you need anything shorter than 24mm.   That would leave you with a gap between 70mm and 200mm, so maybe you should also bring your 70-300mm.  

I've gone completely mirrorless with a pair of Z9s and all Z lenses, and that certainly simplifies things.   The problem with carrying a Z camera and a DSLR is that your Z lenses will only work on the Z camera.    So your suggestion of upgrading to a Z7ii make a lot of sense.   You could then take just the Z7ii and the Z7.  The Z100-400mm is my absolute favorite lens and works very well with Z TCs, especially the 1.4X.  and then if you get the Z 24-120, another great lens, you would have all the coverage you need with just 2 mirrorless bodies, 2 lenses and a teleconverter.  And if you want a faster telephoto lens to use, and if you have the room, you could also take the 300mm f4 PF with an FTZ adapter.
Ivan,

Thank you for the reply and the positive comments about the 100-400.  If I do end up just taking 2 Z7/ Z7II bodies, I think that might just be the perfect lens for the trip.  In trying to keep the kit more nimble, I just don't think the 200-500 is going to cut it. It's just not that comfortable hand-holding it for long periods of time...that's really the only major knock against the lens (maybe a bit large too). And yes, I'm ruling out other larger lenses too, like my 600mm f/4 and 300 f/2.8 for the same reasons. Just impractical.  

I'm just not sure about the 300 f/4 either due to limited range. If you were to go again, would you feel comfortable with multiple teleconverter changes in the field?  I.e, would you worry about get dust and debris on your sensors and inside your lenses?  I might still bring the 100-300 as a backup, even though it's not the fastest lens, the image quality is decent and it's quite compact for its range.

Also, thank you for the recommendation on the "Overboard 30L Backpack Dry Bag".  It essentially looks like a bucket-style dry bag with a backpack harness built into it.  How did you store your gear inside?  How did you carry your cameras/lenses on shore?

I like the idea of using one of my many backpacks (Mindshift Rotation 180, Gura Gear Kiboko 30L, or Peak Design backpack) for on shore, but stowing it in a dry bag for the zodiac ferries to shore...if one of these fits, this might work, but wondering how easily the Overboard backpack would roll up and stow for the time on shore when I don't need it and want it out of the way.  Or, did you somehow do your work out of the Overboard backpack?


Last edited by TDeSanto on Sat Oct 01, 2022 2:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 

by TDeSanto on Sat Oct 01, 2022 2:18 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:My most used lens when I went was a 70-200, followed by a 200-400, then a 16-35, and a 24-70 in that order.  I shot it with a D3 and a D300 (a few years ago now).  I never wished I had a focal length that I didn't take.  Other than shooting flying birds off of the ship, you don't need great AF and even those birds, primarily Albatross shouldn't be hard for your Z9.
E.J.,

Thank you for your reply; I was hoping you'd weigh in. You confirmed what I suspected, that for penguins the really fast AF isn't necessary. Unfortunately, I don't have a Z9, but rather the Z7 and am considering adding the Z7II for slightly better AF performance and having a backup body that's compatible with the Z lenses.  Given that, would you still consider these adequate for other wildlife?  We're going mid-Jan; so, I've read whales won't be as abundant at that time.  And, hoping we'll see some of the seal species prevalent along the coast.  The only thing I have it to compare to was humpback whale watching along the Alaskan coast and I was very glad to have the speed of the D500 then.

How did you carry your gear on the shore?   
 

by TDeSanto on Sat Oct 01, 2022 2:35 pm
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Ed1946 wrote:You have not stated what type of trip you're taking. If a photography tour, birding tour, or just a cruise. So options and choices could vary. I went in 2020 on a birding tour (14 people) but our group was part of an overall adventure cruise with about 100 other people.  So it involved zodiacs full of 8-12 people cruising about to shore walks or just cruising shorelines only.  I limited my equipment to a 100-600 Sigma on an Nikon 810 and a 24-70 mm on a D7100. I also had 1.4 telecov for both lens but rarely used.  I left my 600 prime home as there will be times getting in and out of zodiacs can be challenging. Dry bag (30L) is a must have. And why risk loss of my fav lens.  Also most of the birds and animals were close on shore and ship. Don't over do on gear and photography and take some time to just soak in the the scenery.  Keep it simple for an enjoyable trip.
Ed,

You make a great point. I didn't talk much about the type of trip. Unfortunately it's not a photography-specific cruise. I'd ruled out the ones I looked at due to cost and the fact that my wife isn't really into photography beyond the casual snapshots. 
It's a general cruise of about 150-175 people. It sounds similar to what you experienced.  
Our itinerary should allow 5+ days along the coast from the South Shetland Islands down to Adelaide Island. I understand there will be multiple shore landings per day and some zodiac cruises too along the shorelines (all weather and conditions permitting).

My questions have mainly been around photographing penguins on shore, but also whales and seals from either shore or the main ship.  I haven't really been able to plan out how I'll do photography from a zodiac (like on one of the shoreline cruises in the zodiac) as I don't know what to expect...i.e., if conditions permit and it's safe to remove a camera from the dry bag for some shots along the shore, I'd like to be able to do that too.  But, obviously, this activity puts the equipment at most risk and I'm not sure yet what to expect.

Also, thank you for the reminder to not live the experience in the viewfinder.  I'll certainly try to strike that balance.

I'm definitely going to do some sort of dry bag.  How did you manage your gear on shore?  On the zodiac cruises, did you find you could take some shots from the zodiac safely? Did you find your storage solution conducive to that as well. I.e., did you find you could access what you needed for those shots easily and stow your camera safely again when needed? 
 

by TDeSanto on Sat Oct 01, 2022 2:42 pm
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Wildflower-nut wrote:I think the weight limit is unrealistic for camera gear and other gear such as laptop, boots, winter gear, and other clothes.  I had a regular commercial flight and they were liberal on carry on.  I'm a little fuzzy but I think I took a 500 f4 a 28-300 and two bodies.  I had a 1.4x and 16-35 in backpack and a backup lens in the cabin.  The backpack went into a river bag for the trip to shore in the boat.  I had a tripod.  Today, I'd probably take a 100-500 and 24-105 zooms and two R5 bodies. I'd think hard about my 200-400 f4.   Take a backup. for me, the 28-300 might make a good backup as it fills in part of the range of both the 24-105 and 100-500.  We had a photographers loose his big lens and body when fording a stream. that left him with only a 24-70.
I think the weight limit is totally unrealistic too.  The bottleneck here is the charter flight (all handled by the cruise company) and the restrictions they're posting.  It could be a total roll of the dice as to how they actually handle it on that day, but I'm trying to be as prepared as I can while also trying to find out through my travel agent if we can secure a higher weight limit, especially for the carry-on.

Sounds like your preparations were very similar to others. 2 bodies, 2-3 lenses with the full range.  I'm really leaning towards that now.  My Z7 plus add the Z7II, then the 24-120 and 100-400.  Maybe bring the Z 14-30.  If I can fit it, the D500 and either the 300 f/4 with TCs or the 700-300 as a backup and setup I can use from the main ship or as it makes sense where I want the AF speed it offers.

Backpack in a dry bag is where I'm leaning too, unless there's a compelling reason not too.

Regarding the story of the fellow traveler having lost his lens/ body fording a stream.  Do you know how it happened? I'm assuming that was on foot and maybe he tripped and fell? 
 

by ivan rothman on Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:24 pm
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TDeSanto wrote:
ivan rothman wrote:I did Antarctica a few years ago and also had weight restrictions.
I used an Overboard 30L Backpack Dry Bag to keep my equipment safe when traveling on the zodiac.
The majority of my pictures were with a full frame Nikon D850 or D5.
My most used lens was the Nikon 80-400mm and when doing wide angle shots I used the Nikon 24-120mm.   I went to 600mm for occasional shots and for that I had the Tamron 150-600.   I left my big glass (600mm f4 at home).  
You have a D500 cropped frame camera so using it on your 200-500mm would be all the reach you need and you can leave your 300mm PF and TCs at home since weight is an issue.  Or you could use your 300mm +TCs and leave the 200-500mm at home.  That would also work well, but the advantage of the 200-500mm is having the versatility of a zoom lens so I think I would favor that.   And then for wide angle, you could use the Z 24-70mm on your Z7.  I don't think you need anything shorter than 24mm.   That would leave you with a gap between 70mm and 200mm, so maybe you should also bring your 70-300mm.  

I've gone completely mirrorless with a pair of Z9s and all Z lenses, and that certainly simplifies things.   The problem with carrying a Z camera and a DSLR is that your Z lenses will only work on the Z camera.    So your suggestion of upgrading to a Z7ii make a lot of sense.   You could then take just the Z7ii and the Z7.  The Z100-400mm is my absolute favorite lens and works very well with Z TCs, especially the 1.4X.  and then if you get the Z 24-120, another great lens, you would have all the coverage you need with just 2 mirrorless bodies, 2 lenses and a teleconverter.  And if you want a faster telephoto lens to use, and if you have the room, you could also take the 300mm f4 PF with an FTZ adapter.
Ivan,

Thank you for the reply and the positive comments about the 100-400.  If I do end up just taking 2 Z7/ Z7II bodies, I think that might just be the perfect lens for the trip.  In trying to keep the kit more nimble, I just don't think the 200-500 is going to cut it. It's just not that comfortable hand-holding it for long periods of time...that's really the only major knock against the lens (maybe a bit large too). And yes, I'm ruling out other larger lenses too, like my 600mm f/4 and 300 f/2.8 for the same reasons. Just impractical.  

I'm just not sure about the 300 f/4 either due to limited range. If you were to go again, would you feel comfortable with multiple teleconverter changes in the field?  I.e, would you worry about get dust and debris on your sensors and inside your lenses?  I might still bring the 100-300 as a backup, even though it's not the fastest lens, the image quality is decent and it's quite compact for its range.

Also, thank you for the recommendation on the "Overboard 30L Backpack Dry Bag".  It essentially looks like a bucket-style dry bag with a backpack harness built into it.  How did you store your gear inside?  How did you carry your cameras/lenses on shore?

I like the idea of using one of my many backpacks (Mindshift Rotation 180, Gura Gear Kiboko 30L, or Peak Design backpack) for on shore, but stowing it in a dry bag for the zodiac ferries to shore...if one of these fits, this might work, but wondering how easily the Overboard backpack would roll up and stow for the time on shore when I don't need it and want it out of the way.  Or, did you somehow do your work out of the Overboard backpack?
In the field (on land after landing by zodiac) there is no difficulty changing lenses or TCs.  Unless in the middle of a snow storm (which we never had), the air is clean and changing lenses was easy.  
Storing gear in the backpack dry bag was easy.  You just don't want cameras and lenses banging into each other.  So you can put them in a smaller camera bag placed inside the dry bag.  Or you could wrap them in towels or sweat shirt.  Or you could use camera and lens covers, such as the ones available from LensCoat (camera body pouches, lens pouches).   
In fact, my experience was that the zodiacs were stable, getting off them onto land was not difficult and I never felt I was in danger of falling.  So I probably would have done fine just using a regular camera backpack.   But probably still better to play it safe and use the dry bag.   
Overboard could be filled with clothes and placed in checked luggage when not using it.
And one final thought.  If you go with a Z7 and Z7ii, a Z 24-120, Z 100-400 and a 1.4X TC (also 2X if you like) - you would have everything covered.  I think that would be an ideal set-up.  Those lenses are all hand holdable so that you could avoid taking a tripod, unless you want a tripod for some serious landscape stuff.   
We photographed from 3 locations on our trip.   We shot from the boat - lots of iceberg formations.   We shot while taking 1- 2 hour zodiac cruises - again lots of icebergs, occasional penguins or seals.  We did the bulk of our shooting on land - multiple penguin species.  Full frame gentoo penguins, adele penguins, chin strap penguins, mating gentoo penguins.   Scenic shots with 100s of penguins at the base of snow covered mountains.   I just reviewed my photos in Lightroom - the vast majority were shot at 24mm - 400mm.   Occasionally 400mm - 600mm using the Tamron 150-600mm lens.   You can achieve the same thing with the Z 100-400 +TC.
 

by TDeSanto on Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:56 pm
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Ivan,

Thank you so much for the reply and great information. I really appreciate it! I'm looking forward to the trip once I get the gear and weight of it all sorted.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Sun Oct 02, 2022 7:42 pm
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TDeSanto wrote:
E.J. Peiker wrote:My most used lens when I went was a 70-200, followed by a 200-400, then a 16-35, and a 24-70 in that order.  I shot it with a D3 and a D300 (a few years ago now).  I never wished I had a focal length that I didn't take.  Other than shooting flying birds off of the ship, you don't need great AF and even those birds, primarily Albatross shouldn't be hard for your Z9.
E.J.,

Thank you for your reply; I was hoping you'd weigh in. You confirmed what I suspected, that for penguins the really fast AF isn't necessary. Unfortunately, I don't have a Z9, but rather the Z7 and am considering adding the Z7II for slightly better AF performance and having a backup body that's compatible with the Z lenses.  Given that, would you still consider these adequate for other wildlife?  We're going mid-Jan; so, I've read whales won't be as abundant at that time.  And, hoping we'll see some of the seal species prevalent along the coast.  The only thing I have it to compare to was humpback whale watching along the Alaskan coast and I was very glad to have the speed of the D500 then.

How did you carry your gear on the shore?   
Just a typo, I meant Z7 and corrected it in my response :)

I used an NRS Drysack to get to shore with a small photo backpack inside to get to shore and then used the backpack.

Most of the wildlife there doesn't move very fast.  Whales are probably the hardest but the chances at those are generally not that abundant.  Seals don't move much :)  Like I said, most of the brids are very predictable flyers that virtually any camera with continuous AF should be able to handle, and Penguins are easy for any camera.
 

by Ed1946 on Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:03 pm
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TDeSanto wrote:
Ed1946 wrote:You have not stated what type of trip you're taking. If a photography tour, birding tour, or just a cruise. So options and choices could vary. I went in 2020 on a birding tour (14 people) but our group was part of an overall adventure cruise with about 100 other people.  So it involved zodiacs full of 8-12 people cruising about to shore walks or just cruising shorelines only.  I limited my equipment to a 100-600 Sigma on an Nikon 810 and a 24-70 mm on a D7100. I also had 1.4 telecov for both lens but rarely used.  I left my 600 prime home as there will be times getting in and out of zodiacs can be challenging. Dry bag (30L) is a must have. And why risk loss of my fav lens.  Also most of the birds and animals were close on shore and ship. Don't over do on gear and photography and take some time to just soak in the the scenery.  Keep it simple for an enjoyable trip.
Ed,

You make a great point. I didn't talk much about the type of trip. Unfortunately it's not a photography-specific cruise. I'd ruled out the ones I looked at due to cost and the fact that my wife isn't really into photography beyond the casual snapshots. 
It's a general cruise of about 150-175 people. It sounds similar to what you experienced.  
Our itinerary should allow 5+ days along the coast from the South Shetland Islands down to Adelaide Island. I understand there will be multiple shore landings per day and some zodiac cruises too along the shorelines (all weather and conditions permitting).

My questions have mainly been around photographing penguins on shore, but also whales and seals from either shore or the main ship.  I haven't really been able to plan out how I'll do photography from a zodiac (like on one of the shoreline cruises in the zodiac) as I don't know what to expect...i.e., if conditions permit and it's safe to remove a camera from the dry bag for some shots along the shore, I'd like to be able to do that too.  But, obviously, this activity puts the equipment at most risk and I'm not sure yet what to expect.

Also, thank you for the reminder to not live the experience in the viewfinder.  I'll certainly try to strike that balance.

I'm definitely going to do some sort of dry bag.  How did you manage your gear on shore?  On the zodiac cruises, did you find you could take some shots from the zodiac safely? Did you find your storage solution conducive to that as well. I.e., did you find you could access what you needed for those shots easily and stow your camera safely again when needed? 
I bought a 40L Earthpack dry bag that had two backpack type straps to put my gear in while in a Zodiak and on shore. I carried my two DSLRs one setup with a 24-70mm for scenery and my 150-600mm Sigma in this back. Also I carried a spare battery and extra memory card. No tripod. I also used one of the ships hand towels to wrap/protect the gear while in the pack. I could easily grab the camera/ lens out of the bag and put it back if the weather changed.  We had excellent weather for most of the trip so hand holding while in the zodiac was doable. Just make sure shutter speed is always fast enough. Perfect-no but I'm happy with the results I managed. This was not a photography trip for me. While most of the time zodiacs were full of passengers, most guides will let you and others in the zodiac to get photos provided sea conditions permit. Just be mindful that everyone is there to see the marvels of this part of the world. And always ask the zodiac driver if it would be OK to stand up in the zodiac. Tip: try to get close to the rear of the zodiac-less rough and the zodiac driver can grab you before you fall out of zodiac if you stumble. My biggest worry was loading/unloading from the zodiacs.  You will hand your bag to a crew member before moving on or off the ship. Safety is priority with the crew.  Turns out even that was not an issue. Almost all the wildlife will be close so 300 to 400mm will be fine. On shore you will likely be too close and the expedition crews will likely pull you away if the animals get too close or present a danger.  The only time I missed having a longer lens was while passing by an Emporer Penguin on an ice float at a bit too far away even for a 600mm. Go online and look at some recent you-tube videos of Antarctic expeditions to get an idea of what you will experience. Some touring companies have them out there to promote their trips.
 

by Wildflower-nut on Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:30 pm
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TDeSanto wrote:
Wildflower-nut wrote:I think the weight limit is unrealistic for camera gear and other gear such as laptop, boots, winter gear, and other clothes.  I had a regular commercial flight and they were liberal on carry on.  I'm a little fuzzy but I think I took a 500 f4 a 28-300 and two bodies.  I had a 1.4x and 16-35 in backpack and a backup lens in the cabin.  The backpack went into a river bag for the trip to shore in the boat.  I had a tripod.  Today, I'd probably take a 100-500 and 24-105 zooms and two R5 bodies. I'd think hard about my 200-400 f4.   Take a backup. for me, the 28-300 might make a good backup as it fills in part of the range of both the 24-105 and 100-500.  We had a photographers loose his big lens and body when fording a stream. that left him with only a 24-70.
I think the weight limit is totally unrealistic too.  The bottleneck here is the charter flight (all handled by the cruise company) and the restrictions they're posting.  It could be a total roll of the dice as to how they actually handle it on that day, but I'm trying to be as prepared as I can while also trying to find out through my travel agent if we can secure a higher weight limit, especially for the carry-on.

Sounds like your preparations were very similar to others. 2 bodies, 2-3 lenses with the full range.  I'm really leaning towards that now.  My Z7 plus add the Z7II, then the 24-120 and 100-400.  Maybe bring the Z 14-30.  If I can fit it, the D500 and either the 300 f/4 with TCs or the 700-300 as a backup and setup I can use from the main ship or as it makes sense where I want the AF speed it offers.

Backpack in a dry bag is where I'm leaning too, unless there's a compelling reason not too.

Regarding the story of the fellow traveler having lost his lens/ body fording a stream.  Do you know how it happened? I'm assuming that was on foot and maybe he tripped and fell? 
I used a bill's bag from Northwest River Supplies for the dry bag for my camera bag.  Get something with straps that are easy to grab as it facilitates the hand off between the ship and the zodiac.  Yours is a much bigger boat so they may handle the boarding differently.  In our case, you went down stairs to a platform at water level and stepped into the zodiac carrying nothing. The bag and the tripod were then handed by the crew from one guy on the ship to one on the zodiac.  Remember everything is bouncing around in the waves as you are doing this. For zodiac cruse, I had the camera in a dry bag.  Recommend Sea to summit bags as they make a good lightweight one for this.  Purpose was to protect more against splashes than immersion although it will do that too as long as the bag is still buoyant after you fill it.  Had a strap so I could hang around my neck and facilitated hand offs if needed.  Also used it for wading in Zion narrows.

On the beaches we landed on, there were rivulets that drained the area as the tide went in and out.  I believe he fell in one of these.  All I remember for sure he was out of action early in the trip.  Things happen.  I've managed to have a tripod fall over on me twice in my life breaking the mount on a 200mm macro and a 24-104.  The body survived both times.  I lost the rewind knob on a film body once and that rendered it useless until a new part could be obtained.  I once saw a 500mm lens fall over and break in half where the body could be swiveled to go from horizontal to vertical.  Things happen.  This is too expensive a trip to go on without a backup.  You plan to take 2 bodies so if you loose one you still have one.  Lenses you will still have one but if you loose one you will give up either the telephoto or scenic shots.  A zoom like the 28-300 is not perfect but can pinch hit for what ever you loose.
 

by SantaFeJoe on Mon Oct 03, 2022 6:02 am
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This is a bag I have for really wet conditions. I have not used it yet, even though I have had it for many years, so read the reviews to learn more from actual users. The zippers are very tight and form a good seal. It should be perfect for Antarctica. It is supposed to even float.

https://www.lowepro.com/global/dryzone-200-lp20080-pww/

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by TDeSanto on Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:44 pm
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EJ, Ivan, Ed, Wildflower-nut, SantaFeJoe,

Thank you all so much for your help here, such great advice. You've given me a lot to think about and plan with. It's great to talk with folks who've actually been there and had success.
 

by Scott Fairbairn on Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:44 pm
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I've not been to Antarctica, so I won't comment on gear. However, I do have a suggestion for carrying equipment and weight restrictions, as I have done small aircraft tours with unrealistic(for a photographer) weight restrictions. Maybe things have changed, but the easiest way around the carry-on limits is to wear a bulky coat with many pockets. In trips I've done in the past, I've been able to put so much in my jacket that the carry-on weight was a non-issue. A bulky coat is good because of your destination, making it harder for them to see that you're trying to beat the system. Then wear the coat. I have pants with oversize pockets, too; I once carried a 70-200f2.8 in a pants pocket.
 

by lpphototx on Fri Oct 07, 2022 4:33 pm
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A very timely discussion for me.  I leave at the end of November for a Photography cruise (Muench Workshops).  I'll be carrying a Z9 and Z7II bodies with the 24-120 and 100-400 (and 1.4TC) as my main lenses when going ashore.  A couple of clarifying questions for those who've responded.

- Were you able to leave your dry bags in the Zodiac, or did you carry it around with you while ashore?

- Did you carry or use a tripod for any landscape shots?  The gear list provided doesn't list a tripod.

Larry
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Oct 07, 2022 8:32 pm
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lpphototx wrote:A very timely discussion for me.  I leave at the end of November for a Photography cruise (Muench Workshops).  I'll be carrying a Z9 and Z7II bodies with the 24-120 and 100-400 (and 1.4TC) as my main lenses when going ashore.  A couple of clarifying questions for those who've responded.

- Were you able to leave your dry bags in the Zodiac, or did you carry it around with you while ashore?

- Did you carry or use a tripod for any landscape shots?  The gear list provided doesn't list a tripod.

Larry
1. You just dump it on shore and pick it up when you come back - nobody around to steal it ;)
2. I did

I would definitely want something wider than 24mm for when you are going through Ice to get that dramatic icy foreground perspective:
https://ejphoto.com/images_GRN/GNL_Harefjord04.jpg  (this shot is from Greenland but it's very similar to situations you will encounter)
 

by TDeSanto on Fri Oct 07, 2022 8:53 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:
lpphototx wrote:A very timely discussion for me.  I leave at the end of November for a Photography cruise (Muench Workshops).  I'll be carrying a Z9 and Z7II bodies with the 24-120 and 100-400 (and 1.4TC) as my main lenses when going ashore.  A couple of clarifying questions for those who've responded.

- Were you able to leave your dry bags in the Zodiac, or did you carry it around with you while ashore?

- Did you carry or use a tripod for any landscape shots?  The gear list provided doesn't list a tripod.

Larry
1. You just dump it on shore and pick it up when you come back - nobody around to steal it ;)
2. I did

I would definitely want something wider than 24mm for when you are going through Ice to get that dramatic icy foreground perspective:
https://ejphoto.com/images_GRN/GNL_Harefjord04.jpg  (this shot is from Greenland but it's very similar to situations you will encounter)
What a great shot. Definitely planning on bringing my 14-30 for expansive images like that. 

On Zodiac cruises I was thinking of setting up 2 bodies, one with the 14-30mm and the other with the 24-120mm. 
 

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