Camera lens recommendations?

[Glaciers]

I experience fogging every time I take my lenses out of a heavily air conditioned venue (cabin, MDR, whatever) to the outside deck with humid and warm outside air. It usually takes about 10-20 minutes for the lenses to clear up.

 

Me too although in Alaska, 90% of the time it will be cooler outside than it is in the cabin.

[chipmaster]

Leaving gear, even in a bag outside over night is not the best idea in my mind. Exposure to salt air and other elements can make a mess and if they happen to run the window washer, yikes. A better solution is to keep gear in zip lock bags so the moisture forms on the bag and not the gear. Fogging is a bigger problem coming from the cold into the warm. Not so much the other way.

 

+1 nothing eats cheap consumer plastic and unsealed stuff than salt mist... just look at the side of them boats, LOL.

 

Also the extreme of temperature are terrible for electronics. In Alaska it can get cold at night, and warm during the day, that kind of temperature cycling is terrible. Better just a bit of tissue and wipe of the fog/mist or wait 20' for the equipment to adjust IMHO.

[chipmaster]

We're cruising to Alaska and would like another lens but not really sure what. I have a Nikon D 5000, I've taken some photography classes but still very amateur. Lenses I currently have are

 

18-55mm kit lens

50-200mm

50mm

 

What lens would be awesome when viewing/photographing the glaciers? Would probably like to spend $700 or less....

 

My advice, just practice with what you have, it'll do fine and you'll bring back memories far superior to 95% of them blokes on the ship taking pictures with a smartphone.

 

The cheapest upgrade would be a 10-24 type super wide. You'll find that useful indoors as well as outdoors.

 

I'd not invest in any prime lens for the touted bokeh. You'll like be stopping down most of the time for better DOF to get you and the beautiful background in focus, unless you are the crazy artsy type, but again their are aps that do that on the smarpthone

 

On the long side, be prepared to spend a ton of money if you are serious about capture your personal up close and sharp picture of that whale/bear. Better just take the scenery in with a pair of binoculars and enjoy and download one of a gaziilion pictures that exist on the web.

[Mr. Click]

Going from cold to hot, from dry to damp will create condensation problems. Gong from hot to cold and or damp to dry will will not. It is a big problem in the Caribbean and similar climates. I can't see it as a problem on an Alaska cruise, unless you are coming inside and your cabin is very warm...

[GUT2407]

My advice, just practice with what you have,

 

best advice you'll get.

 

Master what you have before you think about replacements.

[TruckerDave]

Depending on the quality of your glass, you maybe better off upgrading to better glass (even used). I'm a canon shooter so I'm not familiar with the Nikon lenses but in the Canon world some of the L lenses have a dramatic image improvement over some of the cheaper lenses. I'm sure Nikon also has a premium line. So I would be probably be looking at a better 70-200 or 24-70 2.8 or 4

 

 

A 70-200 or 24-70 f2.8 is WAAAAAAAAYYYYY out of the OP's $700 budget. As is the 70-200f4. The only one that might be close is a 24-120f4 (I have this one) and if you can get a referb or used then maybe close to $700. (I think i paid $800 for mine last year as a referb).

 

Anyway...the OP has a fine "kit" for now. I wouldn't make any new buys until they figure out what range they shoot most. And then buy better glass as they go along. No sense is spending big $$$$ on a zoom if most of the stufff they shoot is wide.

[GUT2407]

A 70-200 or 24-70 f2.8 is WAAAAAAAAYYYYY out of the OP's $700 budget. As is the 70-200f4. The only one that might be close is a 24-120f4 (I have this one) and if you can get a referb or used then maybe close to $700. (I think i paid $800 for mine last year as a referb).

 

Anyway...the OP has a fine "kit" for now. I wouldn't make any new buys until they figure out what range they shoot most. And then buy better glass as they go along. No sense is spending big $$$$ on a zoom if most of the stufff they shoot is wide.

 

I so agree Dave,

 

learn to use what you've got and what you shoot before you spend, unless your name is Bill Gates and money doesn't matter.

 

When I learnt my craft you started with a nifty 50 and learnt to guess exposure. It is actually not a bad skill set to learn even in this time of technology.

[Airportlimbo]

A 70-200 or 24-70 f2.8 is WAAAAAAAAYYYYY out of the OP's $700 budget. As is the 70-200f4. The only one that might be close is a 24-120f4 (I have this one) and if you can get a referb or used then maybe close to $700. (I think i paid $800 for mine last year as a referb).

 

Anyway...the OP has a fine "kit" for now. I wouldn't make any new buys until they figure out what range they shoot most. And then buy better glass as they go along. No sense is spending big $$$$ on a zoom if most of the stufff they shoot is wide.

 

Unless you are buying new, both of those lenses are within the OP's budget on the used market from the big camera stores. Especially if leveraging the exchange rate and buying from Canada.