The Carey Adventures » Ecuador

Reader Question: Which Camera Should I Take To The Galapagos?

Peter West Carey — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:08:47 +0000

Gloria writes:

Going on a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu. I plan to take my Nikon d90 and one lens 18-200 and a new nikon coolpix for underwater. Any other suggestions?

Hello Gloria,

You’ll love Machu Picchu and how wonderful to hit the Galapagos at the same time! I’m envious.

I recently reviewed the Nikon 18-200mm while at Machu Picchu and my impression was it was a great, sharp lens in that range. I often suggest the 18-200mm range to anyone looking to travel and wishing for the simplicity of a single lens, so I think you’re spot on with that setup. The 200mm will allow you to zoom in to the wildlife in the Galapagos and 18mm is wide enough for the classic shot of Machu Picchu. Besides those two highlights, the range is great for wandering markets or walking the beach.

Do you need anything else? I don’t think so. I’m making some assumptions that you want to travel light and simple but want to make sure you have what you need for this once in a lifetime trip. I don’t think a 10-22mm wide angle zoom would serve you particularly well in the islands and there’s only a couple of times it works wonders on the way to Machu Picchu. If there was another lens I’d suggest, it would be a wide angle zoom, but really, if simplicity is your thing, then you are fine with that lens. If was anything less wide than 18mm, I’d tell you to reconsider.

Make sure you try out the Coolpix in a pool if you can before you go to get used to the focus distance. Light bends weird underwater and you often have to get closer than you think. It’s also good to be familiar with the controls before you’re in the islands.

Other than that, have fun! I think you have the basics covered. If there is something specific you want to shoot, let me know. Otherwise, you have just the right amount of equipment to bring back great photos without bogging yourself down in equipment.

pwc

Photo Of The Day–Church, Baños, Ecuador

Peter West Carey — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 14:18:00 +0000

Location: Baños, Ecuador, South America

Description: Main plaza church in Baños, Ecuador. This one attracted me for the gradient of colors going from warm to cool at it reaches the spires.

Photograph Copyright Itai Danan

Photo Of The Day – Cuenca, Ecuador

Peter West Carey — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:51:00 +0000

Location: Cuenca, Ecuador, South America

Description: View over Cuenca, Ecuador. The center is a UNESCO heritage site with beautifully restored colonial buildings. This is one of the earlier
stops in Itai’s Ecuador photo tour: http://www.neovoyage.com/tour.php?dest=ecuador-andes

Photograph Copyright Itai Danan

Next Journey: Ecuador and Patagonia

Peter West Carey — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:34:48 +0000

Kim is currently out of school and while we have the time, I’m planning another adventure rather quickly. My plan is to head to Patagonia and maybe Ecuador leaving this coming weekend. I still have to buy tickets so I’m not 100% sure yet. I’ll be back around the 5th of December if all goes as planned.

I’ve wanted to head to Patagonia for quite a while and while I’d love to have Kim and Sabrina with me, they are planning on heading to PA for Thanksgiving this year. So I’ll be solo, which works as well. My plan is to head to Santiago and then catch a local flight to Bariloche or maybe El Calafate. Another crazy idea is to rent a car and drive across the Andes and visit James’ brother in Argentina, before heading south. Of course, I need to mention this to James first. :)

I think I’ll bring the laptop and Canon camera. I’d like to try blogging about it as I go but don’t want to force myself to. As it is, I’ve only got 2 days of the Nepal trip written with 19 more to go and here I’d be interspersing with a South America trip. So maybe I’ll just take notes as I did before and write it up upon my return. Either way, I’m not going to pressure myself too much to do either. Most important is to just experience the area for what it is. I’ve had some friends head down there before and give me some insight and pictures (thanks Ray! And Liz, I’d love the hiking map!).

Patagonia is a large area and I don’t plan to see it all. Ecuador was kinda an odd thought initially when the trip was shorter. I’ve never been and I’d love to see where the good chocolate comes from. I’m trying to work with a chocolate manufacturer with operations in Ecuador to write up a story for Organicreviews.org as well as maybe a mainstream publication. Plus they have some bitchin’ rafting which is one thing I really, really want to do on this trip. Trekking in Nepal along those rivers reminded me of how much I missed being near and on them. I love water and especially the moving kind.

If you have any advice or words of wisdom, please pass them along in the comments section below.