Iceland Equipment List

Ashburner

Ashburner

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Hi All,

I need of a little help,

I'll be off to Iceland next year, and want to get me kit all sorted before I go.
If anybody could throw a few extras in a may need that I have overlooked that would be great or if I am packing too much. So far on the list:

Canon 6D
17-40mm
50mm
Tripod
Lee Filter Holder + 10 Stop
0.3/0.6/0.9 Grads
0.3/0.6/0.9 NDs
Polariser
Cleaning Cloths
Memory Cards
Spare Batteries / Charger
Bean bag


Thank you
 
Personally, that sounds like the perfect type gear I'd take myself :)

The only changes I'd make would be the 3 stop, 10 stop & just the 0.9 grad with regard to filters but for how much room/weight the extras are it ain't really worth mentioning ;)

EDIT - No I'm not jealous a single bit.......... :mad:
 
Joeturner11 said:
That sounds a great gear list to be taking, one suggestion maybe a 70-200mm L or 70-300mm L to add some reach maybe :)
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I just sold my 70-200mm on here - I'm not going until early next year, so may have to save and re-buy one as it was a fantastic lens! Thank you.

simonblue said:
Spare body :)
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Its on the list of a future buy - not sure if i'll have it Iceland though.

posiview said:
Remote.

and ya lucky b****r ;)
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Good shout - Forgot to add that on! Thank you kindly.

LeeRatters said:
Personally, that sounds like the perfect type gear I'd take myself :)

The only changes I'd make would be the 3 stop, 10 stop & just the 0.9 grad with regard to filters but for how much room/weight the extras are it ain't really worth mentioning ;)

EDIT - No I'm not jealous a single bit.......... :mad:
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posiview said:
Are your grads hard or soft?
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This is the beauty of early planning, I currently have no ND's/Grads. So feel free to mention what you think I'd be better with. I only have a Lee Big Stopped at the moment.

Thank you
 
Ashburner said:
This is the beauty of early planning, I currently have no ND's/Grads. So feel free to mention what you think I'd be better with. I only have a Lee Big Stopped at the moment.

Thank you
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Thought you mentioned you had 0.3/0.6/0.9 Grads 0.3/0.6/0.9 NDs ?
 
I take as much as I can get in my hand luggage it’s better to have it with you than wishing you hadn’t left it behind when you need it.

A rain cover for your camera and I always take a small fold away umbrella, very handy for keeping the spray of your lens especially if it’s wet and windy, and if you walk behind Seljalandsfoss, you can never have enough cleaning clothes especially if the weather turns. (And it will)

You might think about a spare filter holder and adaptor rings I dropped my 77mm adaptor ring and broke it on one of my trips and was glad I had a spare.

If you’re going between Sept/April a fast lens for the northern lights.

A long lens if you’re going to do a whale watching trip.

As for footwear a pair of wellies is a must in my opinion.

Happy to try and answer any questions if you have any but there are lots of threads on the forum about Iceland.
 
Something fast and wide - the wider the better! I bought a 14mm f/2.8 (Tamron) for the trip in March but even that wasn't wide enough for the Aurora when it showed up - I needed the 8mm (Sigma) fisheye. Whale watching wasn't on the agenda for us (March weather and Icelandic temperatures would have made the trip a touch uncomfortable, I think!) but the 70-300 did get use shooting Santa's big helpers (the reindeer).
 
zeb said:
I take as much as I can get in my hand luggage it’s better to have it with you than wishing you hadn’t left it behind when you need it.

A rain cover for your camera and I always take a small fold away umbrella, very handy for keeping the spray of your lens especially if it’s wet and windy, and if you walk behind Seljalandsfoss, you can never have enough cleaning clothes especially if the weather turns. (And it will)

You might think about a spare filter holder and adaptor rings I dropped my 77mm adaptor ring and broke it on one of my trips and was glad I had a spare.

If you’re going between Sept/April a fast lens for the northern lights.

A long lens if you’re going to do a whale watching trip.

As for footwear a pair of wellies is a must in my opinion.

Happy to try and answer any questions if you have any but there are lots of threads on the forum about Iceland.
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Nod said:
Something fast and wide - the wider the better! I bought a 14mm f/2.8 (Tamron) for the trip in March but even that wasn't wide enough for the Aurora when it showed up - I needed the 8mm (Sigma) fisheye. Whale watching wasn't on the agenda for us (March weather and Icelandic temperatures would have made the trip a touch uncomfortable, I think!) but the 70-300 did get use shooting Santa's big helpers (the reindeer).
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Thank you both for commenting, perfect advise. I funnily enough never considered an umbrella or rain cover! They're now on the shopping list. Wellies too, looks like I'm in for a wet one!
Interesting to know the 14mm wasn't enough, I am revisiting late next year/early 2017 for the Aurora, so that will be in the shopping list for then!
Again, thank you both :)
I hope I don't bother you too much but more questions may come both your ways in the near future!
 
Interesting comment on the 14mm Nod - I just booked a rental of a 14mm for my trip beginning of Sept - very interesting that you'd suggest wider! Don't think I can change the rental now, but we'll see what happenes with the 14mm! :-)
 
I'd suggest adding micro-fleece towel.
Doesn't take up much spaceand invaluable for drying the camera when it gets wet.
I place mine over my camera when it is raining, as long as it is not too windy.
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
I'd suggest adding micro-fleece towel.
Doesn't take up much spaceand invaluable for drying the camera when it gets wet.
I place mine over my camera when it is raining, as long as it is not too windy.
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good shout - I have one but hadn't thought about it for that.

in general, if its windy and rainy, how do you all best deal with spray etc on the lens, just keep clearing? ive not really done it, at all and feel like you'd just never get a decent photo without splatters everywhere - is there a piece of kit to help?

sorry for diluting OP AshBurner.
 
It can be done on a single focal length. I did it in March, then again in June of this year.

The only time I used a different focal length was when the Aurora made an appearance, and the only reason I did that was because I used digital after dark. I didn't have enough knowledge about reciprocity failure of film to use the longer exposures in pitch darkness (although when the first signs of Aurora showed for us, it was still daylight on the horizon!).
 
LeeRatters said:
It's a list to take not what's owned ;)

I'd say you'd get away with one soft edge & one hard edge grad. One stop isn't worth bothering with. I own 2 stop but I'd be tempted with 3 stop.
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Ah, I see.

BTW I spoke to my wife about going with some TP members and she said it was OK so this thread has become more relevant
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
I'd suggest adding micro-fleece towel.
Doesn't take up much spaceand invaluable for drying the camera when it gets wet.
I place mine over my camera when it is raining, as long as it is not too windy.
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Perfect - Got one of them :) Thats going to be on the list.

dan_yell said:
good shout - I have one but hadn't thought about it for that.

in general, if its windy and rainy, how do you all best deal with spray etc on the lens, just keep clearing? ive not really done it, at all and feel like you'd just never get a decent photo without splatters everywhere - is there a piece of kit to help?

sorry for diluting OP AshBurner.
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Not a problem at all its all relevant, and keep people informed who are going in the future.

DuncanDisorderly said:
Believe it or not - yes....
Transparent shower caps.
You can compose and focus with one slipped over the lens, take off when taking the shot :)
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Sure i have one of these I swiped from the Bellagio last year. That'll now make an appearance no doubt.

gazmorton2000 said:
It can be done on a single focal length. I did it in March, then again in June of this year.

The only time I used a different focal length was when the Aurora made an appearance, and the only reason I did that was because I used digital after dark. I didn't have enough knowledge about reciprocity failure of film to use the longer exposures in pitch darkness (although when the first signs of Aurora showed for us, it was still daylight on the horizon!).
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Again interesting to know especially if travelling light is a necessity which I believe some days will require.

posiview said:
Ah, I see.

BTW I spoke to my wife about going with some TP members and she said it was OK so this thread has become more relevant
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No problem, I hope this can help everyone out, as ultimately theres an Iceland trip every year and I'm sure plenty of new comers who may ask the question.
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
Believe it or not - yes....
Transparent shower caps.
You can compose and focus with one slipped over the lens, take off when taking the shot :)
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Good shout, must have some in my bag of hotel goodies swiped over the years. Was going to buy a rain cover, but with your towel and shower cap combi - no need!
 
good shout FlyingShrapnel - these are invaluable - I got mine from Sports Direct, cant remember how much they were in comparison to that. I wish they had gloves, no wait, whole body suits made of the same stuff, I have terrible circulation these days - I feel like I've aged 10 years in the past 5!
 
Watching this thread with interest as im booking myself on a tour for Feb soon
 
I'd also take a white balance card. I use an x-rite color checker but plenty of others available.

If you fancy adding some filters then a 3 and 6 stop ND would complement the 10 stop, for early mornings/evenings
 
J.D. said:
I'd also take a white balance card. I use an x-rite color checker but plenty of others available.

If you fancy adding some filters then a 3 and 6 stop ND would complement the 10 stop, for early mornings/evenings
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Thanks JD I also seen your other post in the Grad Filter thread. 0.9 is going to be my first grad purchase.
White balance card, that could be interesting, I'll do some googling now and search around the forum :)
Thank you
 
Ashburner said:
Thanks JD I also seen your other post in the Grad Filter thread. 0.9 is going to be my first grad purchase.
White balance card, that could be interesting, I'll do some googling now and search around the forum :)
Thank you
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No prob. They're not essential (you can adjust the WB by eye or use something neutral coloured in the photo) but useful for accurate colours and to save some time in PP.

Sorry, just realised you already had NDs listed. Assume you mean full NDs as grads were separate - tbh if you don't already have them, the 0.3/0.6 full NDs will probably be less useful than a 0.9/1.8 so I personally wouldn't bother with them.
 
I would suggest a 14mm 2.8 samyang, or canon 15mm 2.8 fisheye. Work great for the aurora or star shots. 6D will give you the iso and really help with faster shutter speeds- the lights move at quite a pace. But even when the eye cant see it the camera will show a greenish sky. Also a 24-105 gives some extra reach compared to the 17-40 + its weather sealed.

Spare batteries are a must, the cold can kill them quite quickly, keep them in an inside pocket.

Also on Iceland air I got a Lowpro Vertex 200 AW full of kit (Quite a large bag) and probably well over the weight limit for hand baggage- maybe 8-10kg and they did weigh it but no issues. One member of our party did have to remove a few bits from his, but you are also allowed another small bag hand luggage.(Laptop bag or handbag.)
 
I am renting a Canon 14mm from lensesforhire for my trip in a couple of weeks - not going specifically for NL, but will be the very start of the season so will be on the look out.

one of my batteries doesn't seem to want to charge properly, wish I'd noticed before I just made an order with 7 day shops!
 
Ashburner said:
I may well consider renting a lens, let me know how it goes Dan
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Will do :-)

had a good service from them a few times now. I had use 'lens fettish' in the past, who then went under and didn't inform customers and I had a struggle getting money back. avoid any future incarnation of this 'brand'
 
I can't stress enough the need for a spare body. Been twice this year and managed to trash a body each time, luckily always had a spare.

You will want wide/fast lens for Northern Lights, plus as strong and sturdy tripod as possible - forget weight, with winds can be so strong you'll want it as heavy as possible (I always hung my camera bag from my Gitzo for extra stability.

Something long - the landscapes can almost be more beautiful shot at 85mm than 14mm. Also useful for the Horses and if you get to go whale watching.

A GoPro is useful for some stuff, especially when the weather is so bad you don't want to take your camera out, which will happen - you'll soon realise that the weather can turn in a matter minutes and rain.wind can be biblical more often than not.

Again, on the theme of weather, a rain cover is a must. Whether it's one of the "throwaway" OpTech plastic bags, or something heavier weight light the ThinkTank Hydrophobia.

Lens cloths - they get saturated quickly. I found the Lee cloths to be best during my last trip and took 4 of them.

Silica Gel packs - useful to keep in the camera bag should things get a bit damp (again, it will).
 
dan_yell said:
Interesting comment on the 14mm Nod - I just booked a rental of a 14mm for my trip beginning of Sept - very interesting that you'd suggest wider! Don't think I can change the rental now, but we'll see what happenes with the 14mm! :)
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I'm going in October. I did some homework on 500px. It seemed to me, looking at the exif, that the Nikon 14.24 2.8 would be the ideal choise. I will be renting one. Good luck.
 
2x converter and a 70 - 200 I only had my 70 - 200 with me on my Alaska trip and was very disappointed with the Whale and Bear shots I was able to capture. I will be hiring a 400 next time
 
Paul Bennett said:
2x converter and a 70 - 200 I only had my 70 - 200 with me on my Alaska trip and was very disappointed with the Whale and Bear shots I was able to capture. I will be hiring a 400 next time
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I've been thinking about some longer reach, as I currently only have a 70-200. Is there a noticeable drop in quality or is it just the aperture loss that the factor?
 
If you can fly with Iceland air. They are much more friendly on the hand luggage front than the other budget airlines.

A balaclava is a must esp in you go to the black sands at Vik, when the winds gets up, and it will, then your face needs the protection
 
and don't forget a change of warm clothes and a towel for yourself to keep in the car - I got hit by a wave at Jokulsarlon and was soaked and frozen from head to foot despite waterproofs & wellies
 
greenoak said:
If you can fly with Iceland air. They are much more friendly on the hand luggage front than the other budget airlines.

A balaclava is a must esp in you go to the black sands at Vik, when the winds gets up, and it will, then your face needs the protection
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Thank you Carl - Noted - I'll add this to my list - Vik is a definite.
 
greenoak said:
If you can fly with Iceland air. They are much more friendly on the hand luggage front than the other budget airlines.

A balaclava is a must esp in you go to the black sands at Vik, when the winds gets up, and it will, then your face needs the protection
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I've been looking into flights from Gatwick and the options are Wow, Easyjet and Icelandair - it looked like Easyjet had a more generous hand luggage policy with a larger size allowance and unlimited weight compared to Icelandair (limited to 10kg). What was your experience with Icelandair like in practice, as I would probably prefer to avoid Easyjet?
 
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