I am heading to the Galapagos next week, and was wondering if I will need my zoom lens. From everything I've read, it seems like we are able to get close to all the animals, but thought I would check here first. I have a Canon Rebel with 28-80mm lens. Should I also bring my 70-300mm lens, or leave this bulky lens at home? Thanks!

YES! You will be able to get close to some animals, but how close do you really want to get to that agressive bull sea lion?

Besides, you aren't supposed to leave the marked trails, and most animals won't be coming right up to the trail.

You will not need the bulky zoom lens.

I was so close to the animals and birds that I could blow on the birds and see their feathers move !!

Percy

"You’re going to be standing right in the face of those fearless Galapagos animals, so you won’t need any special lenses, right?

"Wrong."

http://www.bythom.com/gallens.htm

<b>Should I also bring my 70-300mm lens, or leave this bulky lens at home?</b>

I have a friend who works for Lindblad, leading photo tours to places like Galapagos ... when talking about what gear to bring here he said you have to stay on the foot paths so sometimes the animals are very close but often what you want to shoot is off a ways and you can't approach it, so a 70-300 sounds like a good idea.

You need more than 80 mm. Many digital cameras now have 3x optical zoom. Some have 4x, like my Canon A510. Kodak C875 has 5x - 185mm. If you are not going to get a new camera, bring the lens.

Great. Thanks for all your help. I'm packing it right now!

Yup. Definitely take the 70-300mm. As others have noted, you're limited to the trails, so it's useful to have a bit of reach when the animals aren't conveniently situated. Also, you'll need more reach when shooting from a zodiac and getting birds in flight.

That being said, take every opportunity you can to practice wide-angle wildlife photography. The Galapagos are one of the few places you can.

Make sure to bring cleaning materials for all the sand you'll invariably get. Also, a shower cap is useful for covering your lens during zodiac rides to protect from sea spray.

Some pics:

http://www.pbase.com/escog/galapagos

I compromised with 200 as the max lens. I'd bring the bulky lens and save yourself from regretting the photos you could have taken if you were closer.

Have a wonderful time.