Cruise Ships

I'm going on an Alaska cruise in 6 weeks, and I'm wondering about film.

I have favorite ISO 100 and 400 film, but my question is about whether to
bother with the 100 speed stuff.

I don't plan to take a tripod - I'll use a monopod (that doubles as my
cane), and I get satisfactory results that way. My hands are unsteady
enough these days that I use the monopod for all 100 speed shots.

So, my question is - how steady is the deck of a cruise ship? I know that
the ship will come to a complete stop at selected locations, so I'm not
wondering about those situations. I'm wondering about steadiness when the
ship is at normal cruising speed - can I count on a steady enough platform
to use ISO 100 with the monopod, or should I go to 400 and the faster
shutter speeds? I don't want to give up sharpness, but I don't want to give
up grain unless really necessary.

Any experience out there? What say you?

Bob in Las Vegas

Leave the 100 asa home and use the 400 asa. If the weather is cloudy the
extra speed will help plus there is a lot to photograph onboard ship.
Don't forget your polarizer.
"JRF" wrote in message
news:MSKbc.10349$zh.5022@fed1read07...
I'm going on an Alaska cruise in 6 weeks, and I'm wondering about film.

I have favorite ISO 100 and 400 film, but my question is about whether to
bother with the 100 speed stuff.

I don't plan to take a tripod - I'll use a monopod (that doubles as my
cane), and I get satisfactory results that way. My hands are unsteady
enough these days that I use the monopod for all 100 speed shots.

So, my question is - how steady is the deck of a cruise ship? I know that
the ship will come to a complete stop at selected locations, so I'm not
wondering about those situations. I'm wondering about steadiness when the
ship is at normal cruising speed - can I count on a steady enough platform
to use ISO 100 with the monopod, or should I go to 400 and the faster
shutter speeds? I don't want to give up sharpness, but I don't want to
give
up grain unless really necessary.

Any experience out there? What say you?

Bob in Las Vegas

photo35744 wrote:
Leave the 100 asa home and use the 400 asa. If the weather is cloudy the
extra speed will help plus there is a lot to photograph onboard ship.
Don't forget your polarizer.

I disagree! If the conditions are cloudy dull, the extra punch
100 (or even 50) that slide film can add would be well worth it.
I have done an Alaska cruise. I remember the deck being very steady
and used ONLY ISO 50 Velvia. But I do not recall using a tripod while
the ship was moving (did when stopped). If you have a camera whose
manufacturer has image stabilization lenses, consider buying one.
That will help correct unsteady hands. For example, if you have Canon,
check out the 28-135 IS lens. For the amount you spend on the
cruise, the lens will pay for itself in memories, and you will
have the lens afterward too.

Roger

"JRF" wrote in message
news:MSKbc.10349$zh.5022@fed1read07...

I'm going on an Alaska cruise in 6 weeks, and I'm wondering about film.

I have favorite ISO 100 and 400 film, but my question is about whether to
bother with the 100 speed stuff.

I don't plan to take a tripod - I'll use a monopod (that doubles as my
cane), and I get satisfactory results that way. My hands are unsteady
enough these days that I use the monopod for all 100 speed shots.

So, my question is - how steady is the deck of a cruise ship? I know that
the ship will come to a complete stop at selected locations, so I'm not
wondering about those situations. I'm wondering about steadiness when the
ship is at normal cruising speed - can I count on a steady enough platform
to use ISO 100 with the monopod, or should I go to 400 and the faster
shutter speeds? I don't want to give up sharpness, but I don't want to

give

up grain unless really necessary.

Any experience out there? What say you?

Bob in Las Vegas

On Saturday 03 April 2004 07:00 pm, JRF wrote:

I'm going on an Alaska cruise in 6 weeks, and I'm wondering about
film.

I have favorite ISO 100 and 400 film, but my question is about whether
to bother with the 100 speed stuff.

I don't plan to take a tripod - I'll use a monopod (that doubles as my
cane), and I get satisfactory results that way. My hands are unsteady
enough these days that I use the monopod for all 100 speed shots.

So, my question is - how steady is the deck of a cruise ship? I know
that the ship will come to a complete stop at selected locations, so
I'm not
wondering about those situations. I'm wondering about steadiness when
the ship is at normal cruising speed - can I count on a steady enough
platform to use ISO 100 with the monopod, or should I go to 400 and
the faster
shutter speeds? I don't want to give up sharpness, but I don't want
to give up grain unless really necessary.

Any experience out there? What say you?

Regardless of which speed film you use, keeping your shutter speed at or
higher than the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens (in
millimeters) is sufficiently fast enough to eliminate the effects of
camera (or ship) movement even in handheld shots. So, if your focal
length is 100mm, shoot at 1 over 100 -- 1/100 of a sec. -- or faster.
Using a monopod will allow you to use a shutter speed one or two steps
slower, and still have a stable platform.

Another bit of information: Most lenses are sharpest and best 2 to 3
stops down from wide open. Unless you need the increased depth of
field, your pictures will be best shooting within that "optimum" f-stop
range. So, if you maximum f-stop is f2.8, shoot at f5.6 to 8.

Just remember, that a too slow shutter speed will reduce image quality
much more -- because of camera movement during the exposure -- than the
slight losses from shooting at other than the "optimum" f-stop. So, if
you're loosing light, keep the shutter speed high and open up the lens
NOT vice-versa.

For all, but the most dull, overcast days, 100 speed film should be more
than sufficient. In my 30 year career as a commercial photographer,
100% of all the stuff I've shot under natural daylight has been with
film in the 25 to 100 speed range. But carry a few rolls of 400 just
in case it gets really, really overcast.


--
Stefan Patric

snipped

..... For all, but the most dull, overcast days, 100 speed film should be
more
than sufficient. In my 30 year career as a commercial photographer,
100% of all the stuff I've shot under natural daylight has been with
film in the 25 to 100 speed range. But carry a few rolls of 400 just
in case it gets really, really overcast.


--
Stefan Patric


I was on a similar cruise about 15 years ago. Most of the time I used 100
or 200 ISO, but had a couple of 400 ISO in the bag.
I agree wholeheartedly with Stefan.

Just one more point. Take PLENTY of film with you, especially when you go
on off-ship tours.
If I charged for the number of times I loaned a film to fellow trippers, I
would have mad a small fortune.

Dennis

"JRF" a écrit dans le message de
news:MSKbc.10349$zh.5022@fed1read07...
I'm going on an Alaska cruise in 6 weeks, and I'm wondering about film.

I have favorite ISO 100 and 400 film, but my question is about whether to
bother with the 100 speed stuff.

I don't plan to take a tripod - I'll use a monopod (that doubles as my
cane), and I get satisfactory results that way. My hands are unsteady
enough these days that I use the monopod for all 100 speed shots.

So, my question is - how steady is the deck of a cruise ship? I know that
the ship will come to a complete stop at selected locations, so I'm not
wondering about those situations. I'm wondering about steadiness when the
ship is at normal cruising speed - can I count on a steady enough platform
to use ISO 100 with the monopod, or should I go to 400 and the faster
shutter speeds? I don't want to give up sharpness, but I don't want to
give
up grain unless really necessary.

Any experience out there? What say you?

Bob in Las Vegas



My experience is that the ship will be steady enough, but the problem will
be available light.
As others said, don't try a too slow shutter speed as it will increase the
softness of your photos.
In case of low light, I would take a ISO 400 film and use a fast lens so you
can use the bigger f numbers to increase DOF.

--
Philippe Boite
http://philippe.boite.free.fr

Bob:

If you are using print film, the 400 speed will be fine. In some
cases, depending on film type, the contrast may be a little high with
the 400 under very bright conditions. I would try to use the 100 speed
under those conditions. Most modern 400 speed film can be enlarged to
8X10/12 with excellent results. Maybe compromise and go with some 200?
If you are using slide film, I'd stick with 100 speed as much as
possible and use the 400 only when that's what it takes to get the
shot.

Unless you have rough seas the ship should be plenty steady for hand
held or monopod shots. On my last cruise I left the big tripod at home
and carried a very small lightweight one. I used it to get some night
shots of the lights on the ship and a few shots of the port towns.
Everything else was hand held.

Have fun on the cruise and don't eat too much!

Rob



On Sat, 3 Apr 2004 19:00:08 -0800, "JRF" wrote:

I'm going on an Alaska cruise in 6 weeks, and I'm wondering about film.

I have favorite ISO 100 and 400 film, but my question is about whether to
bother with the 100 speed stuff.

I don't plan to take a tripod - I'll use a monopod (that doubles as my
cane), and I get satisfactory results that way. My hands are unsteady
enough these days that I use the monopod for all 100 speed shots.

So, my question is - how steady is the deck of a cruise ship? I know that
the ship will come to a complete stop at selected locations, so I'm not
wondering about those situations. I'm wondering about steadiness when the
ship is at normal cruising speed - can I count on a steady enough platform
to use ISO 100 with the monopod, or should I go to 400 and the faster
shutter speeds? I don't want to give up sharpness, but I don't want to give
up grain unless really necessary.

Any experience out there? What say you?

Bob in Las Vegas

Bob,

Been on (arctic) cruises twice and in both cases the ship had enough low
frequency vibration while underway that required hand holding. Since the
engines never shut down, the vibration can persist even at anchor. Both
ships I experienced were over 300 feet in length. I observed that any
tripod or monopod picked up the ship vibration easily. This is not good.
Not sure if the behemoth cruise liners are any better since they too are all
steel hulled and steel really transmits low frequency vibration essentially
undamped. I would anticipate that stabization of the ship would not address
vibration. It would only make it easier to get the horizon level in you
photos. The issue to me is obviously less one of available light as it is
of vibration. So, I would go for the 400 primarily with a some 100 rolls
for landside.

Remember that film is the cheapest part of the trip so never run the chance
of being short at a special opportunity. Best to bring home unexposed
film. I sure was glad to have 8 rolls of 400 in 2002 when we had the
unexpected appearance of a pair of polar bears that we could approach with a
Zodiac. I shot all 8 rolls in under 20 minutes. (Don't expect polar bears
where you are going, but maybe some sea mammals?) Slower film was useless in
my example, even in bright sunlight.

FWIW, I shoot a lot of Fuji Provia 400 and find its color and sharpness
pretty close to the Provia 100 unless you are about to make enlargements
over around 11x14 from the transparency. They project very nicely also.
Nearly all my onboard shots were with 400. Sometimes the sunsets are very
nice onboard, and then you absolutely need 400.

Kind regards,

PSsquare







"JRF" wrote in message
news:MSKbc.10349$zh.5022@fed1read07...
I'm going on an Alaska cruise in 6 weeks, and I'm wondering about film.

I have favorite ISO 100 and 400 film, but my question is about whether to
bother with the 100 speed stuff.

I don't plan to take a tripod - I'll use a monopod (that doubles as my
cane), and I get satisfactory results that way. My hands are unsteady
enough these days that I use the monopod for all 100 speed shots.

So, my question is - how steady is the deck of a cruise ship? I know that
the ship will come to a complete stop at selected locations, so I'm not
wondering about those situations. I'm wondering about steadiness when the
ship is at normal cruising speed - can I count on a steady enough platform
to use ISO 100 with the monopod, or should I go to 400 and the faster
shutter speeds? I don't want to give up sharpness, but I don't want to
give
up grain unless really necessary.

Any experience out there? What say you?

Bob in Las Vegas

One of the captains of the small tour boats I've been on in Alaska suggested
using a monopod and resting it on your shoe or boot to damp the vibrations
of the engine. It's a good tip. I don't know how much of a problem
vibrations are on large cruise ships, but you probably won't get close
enough to the wildlife in a large ship to take reall good wildlife shots so
your best chances may be in smaller craft. (Glaciers are another matter,
often big enough you want a wider angle. I would suggest high speed film in
any case since the weather is often overcast near glaciers and you may well
want to shoot with a longer lense, requiring higher speeds. There are also
many interesting birds, and high speed film with longer lenses are your only
realistic option there.

--
Warren Montgomery (
http://home.att.net/~wamontgomery )

Bob,

Been on (arctic) cruises twice and in both cases the ship had enough low
frequency vibration while underway that required hand holding. Since the
engines never shut down, the vibration can persist even at anchor. Both
ships I experienced were over 300 feet in length. I observed that any
tripod or monopod picked up the ship vibration easily. This is not good.
Not sure if the behemoth cruise liners are any better since they too are all
steel hulled and steel really transmits low frequency vibration essentially
undamped. I would anticipate that stabization of the ship would not address
vibration. It would only make it easier to get the horizon level in you
photos. The issue to me is obviously less one of available light as it is
of vibration. So, I would go for the 400 primarily with a some 100 rolls
for landside.

Remember that film is the cheapest part of the trip so never run the chance
of being short at a special opportunity. Best to bring home unexposed
film. I sure was glad to have 8 rolls of 400 in 2002 when we had the
unexpected appearance of a pair of polar bears that we could approach with a
Zodiac. I shot all 8 rolls in under 20 minutes. (Don't expect polar bears
where you are going, but maybe some sea mammals?) Slower film was useless in
my example, even in bright sunlight.

FWIW, I shoot a lot of Fuji Provia 400 and find its color and sharpness
pretty close to the Provia 100 unless you are about to make enlargements
over around 11x14 from the transparency. They project very nicely also.
Nearly all my onboard shots were with 400. Sometimes the sunsets are very
nice onboard, and then you absolutely need 400.

Kind regards,

PSsquare



"JRF" wrote in message
news:MSKbc.10349$zh.5022@fed1read07...
I'm going on an Alaska cruise in 6 weeks, and I'm wondering about film.

I have favorite ISO 100 and 400 film, but my question is about whether to
bother with the 100 speed stuff.

I don't plan to take a tripod - I'll use a monopod (that doubles as my
cane), and I get satisfactory results that way. My hands are unsteady
enough these days that I use the monopod for all 100 speed shots.

So, my question is - how steady is the deck of a cruise ship? I know that
the ship will come to a complete stop at selected locations, so I'm not
wondering about those situations. I'm wondering about steadiness when the
ship is at normal cruising speed - can I count on a steady enough platform
to use ISO 100 with the monopod, or should I go to 400 and the faster
shutter speeds? I don't want to give up sharpness, but I don't want to
give
up grain unless really necessary.

Any experience out there? What say you?

Bob in Las Vegas