Going to Vancouver and Rockies next month. Kit suggestions, please!

C

Chipper

Suspended / Banned
Messages
3,226
Name
Linda
Edit My Images
No
We've had a lot of illness and a best friend die in the last year and the last straw last week was hearing that the partner of one of our friends had had a massive stroke, so we decided to go to Canada to visit friends in vancouver and then go on to the Rockies...we are away for two weeks. I know it is heading towards winter but you never know what awaits around the corner and I have alwYs wanted to go. So..kit list suggestions please. I will be taking Brian 3LT in the hold case, which converts to a monopod... Landscape, maybe birds (but know I can't get the 500 beast in the carry on bag!)
✈️
 
Vancouver has everything, beach, waterfront architecture, stunning scenery. Excellent views.

I would take a wide angle lens, filters, a zoom for downtown (people).

You already have a monopod, may help catching the city reflections on the water a sunset.

Sorry to hear about the bad news you've had, have a good holiday.
 
The Rockies my all time favourite place:) Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise I just fell in love with the place. To see Timber Wolves in the wild was awesome. Have a great time and hope it recharges your batteries.
 
As Mani says, there's great variety in Vancouver. I spent a week in the city centre last year, and was out most nights with the camera - it really is an excellent city for night architectural shots. Not sure what your preferred style is, but some highlights for me were the sunset over English Bay from our balcony (high on Robson St), the Olympic cauldron, sunset over the Coal Harbour from the Convention Centre, rock art on the beaches in Stanley Park, the 9 O'Clock Gun (firing), the view of the Coal Harbour/city centre at night from Stanley Park and the steam clock in Gastown.

While travelling light is nice, I certainly didn't - took a tripod, my favourite landscape/architecture lenses (Zeiss 21mm, Canon 24mm TS-E were my most used lenses), filters, cable release etc. I think I would have regretted not having my usual kit, so if photography is going to be a main goal, I usually put up with the weight and take everything I would expect to use. As an aside, I did a lot of walking around the city late at night on my own, with a lot of expensive gear, and didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

Whether you concentrate on photography or not, its a great city, so I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time. We spent the second week in Whistler rather than the Rockies (would have liked to go to the Rockies but needed to keep distances to a minimum), but the combination of the city for a week before the mountains is a good choice IMO. The first time I went to BC, we headed straight up to Whistler (Skiing), and I regretted not spending some time in the city.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for that - I will make a list of those points... I don't own a TS lens..do they require a lot of getting used to? Hmm.. I am due a new lens; hadn't thought of that. I have a wide angle zoom... 16-35. Be interested in your thoughts about that. Thanks for taking the time.
 
Chipper said:
Thanks for that - I will make a list of those points... I don't own a TS lens..do they require a lot of getting used to? Hmm.. I am due a new lens; hadn't thought of that. I have a wide angle zoom... 16-35. Be interested in your thoughts about that. Thanks for taking the time.
Click to expand...

I didn't own one at the time either - rented the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5II from http://lensesforhire.co.uk, who were excellent. I ended up buying one a few months later, which I suppose says it all! It was my go to lens while in Vancouver and was excellent for architectural shots as you'd expect.

I didn't find it takes much getting used to at all, although I mainly used the shift function rather than tilt. Shift is simple to use, and easy to compose with live view.

Obviously buying is a fairly serious investment if you're not sure how much use it would get, but if you're interested in taking plenty of architectural shots while in Vancouver (and I'd definitely recommend you do!), then renting might be a good option.
 
Just to add....as far as the 16-35 goes, its a great lens and you'll find plenty of uses for it in Vancouver. It covers just the range that I used almost exclusively - I also had my 24-70 for when something a bit longer was needed, but didn't use that nearly as much as the Zeiss/TS-E. In fact, I did wish that I had something a bit wider on a couple of occasions, but the IQ of the Zeiss and TS-E are such that I can live with the slightly longer focal lengths.

The only downside of the 16-35 compared to a TS-E would be when trying to get more of the buildings in the frame, especially in close quarters in city centres. It all comes down to what your priorities are really - if you're happy with shots of the city from across the bay in Stanley park then a normal WA is absolutely fine. Having the shift was extremely useful for shots in the city itself though.

As an aside, I'd definitely recommend a whale watching trip - if you can take the 500 I'm sure it would be excellent! I took my 70-200 and it wasn't really long enough on FF, except when we got pretty close to one Orca for a brief time (although I knew this before going and hadn't intended to to try anything serious...considering my lenses and the autofocus speed on a 5DII it was more of a snapshot day and I did come back with some nice shots from the day)
 
Last edited:
Just remember to put the camera down and enjoy it with your eyes.
It's one of the most beautiful regions I've visited., and it's a great time of year to go.
Enjoy, relax and unwind.
 
Maggie52 said:
The Rockies my all time favourite place:) Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise I just fell in love with the place. To see Timber Wolves in the wild was awesome. Have a great time and hope it recharges your batteries.
Click to expand...
As above. Fantastic area to visit and especially around the autumn (fall) time as the midges are starting to die down.
So jealous (of you trip and not of your recent troubles)
 
Thanks guys... I just heard that Tony Abbott has been booted out of office in Australia so that made me smile today too but not as much as thought of heading to Canada.... Will pack midge stuff too, thanks for the tip.
 
If your thinking of doing one of the tourist seaplane trips around the harbour, consider getting a standard return flight to Vancouver Island instead - it's often cheaper, you see the same stuff and you'll get a good day out in Victoria. I spent a year photographing in Vancouver - if you need any info let me know.
 
dandeakin said:
If your thinking of doing one of the tourist seaplane trips around the harbour, consider getting a standard return flight to Vancouver Island instead - it's often cheaper, you see the same stuff and you'll get a good day out in Victoria. I spent a year photographing in Vancouver - if you need any info let me know.
Click to expand...
Hi Dan... So we will be visiting friends but I might get a day for photos... Given that scenario, what would you do in just a day??
 
Depends what you shoot.

If I could go back this Autumn / Winter for one days shooting i'd start of with a sunrise shot of the city from False Creek, or perhaps around Science World. Then i'd walk to Granville Island and have a look around the markets. I'd then get a ferry boat accross over to downtown and look for some street photography with long shadows / great early morning light / commuters. I'd walk all the way up to Canada Place, perhaps via City hall and the Central Library and have a late breakfast at Canada Place.

Then i'd hire a bike and ride around the entire seawall / Stanley Park. If you're feeling strong you could ride on to Science World then back down the south side, back past False Creek and go as far as the Kit's Beach.

I'd try and finish up with a evening sunset panoramic of the City from the beach on on the South Side of Stanley Park - just past the nine of clock cannon. Winter is probably the best time of year for shooting pano's of the city, certainly from that spot due to the position of the sun. There's loads of photos from Vancouver on my flickr stream. If you search 1x.com or 500px for any of the above locations you should get some ideas.

Enjoy...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top