Whale watching

[Gaerek]

So, I've lived in Southeast Alaska most of my life, and I've only ever been on one whale watching tour while I've lived here, and at that time, I wasn't really into photography. It's the whole, "I've lived here my whole life, but I've never gone there" syndrome. I'm planning on going on one this summer, and I have a few questions for people who might be more knowledgeable on this subject.

Here's my dilemma. I don't have any lenses sharp, or long enough to be of too much use on a whale watching tour. I can reach 300mm, but that particular lens has terrible quality at it's long end, so it's basically useless for what I want to use it for. So my thought is to rent a lens. Keeping in mind, I shoot a cropped frame Canon, does anyone have any recommendations? Here's a list of lenses I'm considering.

Canon 400mm f/5.6
Canon 400mm f/4
Canon 100-400mm
Canon 500mm f/4

Here are my thoughts on these. It seems that the 400mm and 500mm f/4's are probably too heavy to hand hold effectively. Considering I'll be on a pitching and rolling boat deck, a monopod is likely out. The 100-400 might be worth considering, but what I've read is it's somewhat lacking in image quality on the long side (and it's likely I'll have it racked out to 400mm most of the time). The 400mm f/5.6 seems light enough to hand hold, but at f/5.6 it might not be fast enough to get sharp hand held images.

So, with all of that in mind, what do you think? Basically, I need a long lens, that's light enough, but fast enough to hand hold. If you believe a monopod can be used on a boat effectively, I'll consider that as well. Basically, this is going to be a one shot thing, at least until next year, so I want to make sure I get it right the first time. Thanks for all the help.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

If its going to be bright enough out, the 400mm 5.6 will do fine and is your cheapest option Next to that I would go with the 100-400mm and a zoom would probably be nice to have. It should be noted though that the first two lenses listed are not weathersealed which may or may not be a worthwhile investment. I havent heard good things about any of the "DO" lenses like the 400 f/4 other than that they save size. The 500mm would probably be the best if you can stand hand holding it or find a way to support it. You could try some sort of shoulder-stock set up.

 

[Gaerek]

The more I think about it, the more I think the 100-400 is probably the best option. It can be hand held, is fast enough, and has some versatility with the zoom. I was thinking about it, and I realized that 400mm might actually be too long in some circumstances. Federal law requires whale watching boats to stop 300ft away. Whales may come closer than that. 400mm would probably work great at 300ft, but if they got closer, it'd probably be too much. Besides, the 100-400 is $94 to rent for a week, whereas the others, besides the 400mm f/5.6, are considerably more expensive ($200-300 range). Thanks for the reply. I'll post pics if I'm able to get out and do this.

 

[djacobox372]

I'd definately go with a prime, zooms are kind of pointless, as even with a long prime you'll likely be cropping all of your photos. The optical quality of a prime, wide open, is unmatched by any zoom.

I can't see how a monopod would be unwieldy on a boat, i'd recommend bringing one.