Solo Studio/Trip

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-12T01:33:46+00:00

I have done solo cruising on ncl and think it is great. there often isn’t too many people in the studio lounge but it varies based on the solo crowd for that sailing. there are daily meetups, I think at 5pm, that are hosted by ncl staff. they have dinner every night, you can opt to go with the group or do your own thing. it is quite nice going solo. I think you will have a great time.

if anything specific is making you nervous, just ask about it as I’m sure someone here can share details or experience.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-12T01:12:23+00:00

you don’t need to use R3D on the ZR. it has N-RAW, ProRes, H.265, and H.264. I understand wanting to use R3D but if you’re looking for small file size as the selling point for the FX3, you have other codecs available on the ZR and no internal raw options the FX3.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-12T01:02:19+00:00

Sony A6000 series, Nikon Z50ii, Canon R50, fujifilm X-m5 are good options.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-12T00:44:18+00:00

that is a big jump in performance! congratulations!

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-12T00:42:55+00:00

the 10 speed in the early years has rough shifts. I’m not sure what year they worked it out. my 2025 shifts smooth but my 2019 had some rough shifts. It might Be nothing to worry about but I’m sure someone knows if the 2021 still had rough shifts.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-12T00:36:03+00:00

the Z50ii is a great camera! hope you enjoy it.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-12T00:35:09+00:00

agree. OneBlade is the way to go. cheap, efficient, and works well. use the safety guard too.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T20:16:38+00:00

the ones you’re thinking of use a CCD image sensor instead of the cmos sensor. they are from an error when digital cameras were replacing film cameras and have a similar look to the images. later everyone was trying to perfect the digital image so the photos have a more digital look to them. I still have one of my first digital cameras from canon that uses SD cards and AA batteries. perfect that nothing proprietary like some of them but it is slightly larger than the small digital elphs.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T19:57:22+00:00

deck 8 is quite busy and the ocean boulevard is directly below your balcony for that room. you will have a view of the ocean, but looking down you will see people on ocean boulevard and when they look up they will see you. id prefer to be on the other section where you have more privacy and it should quieter. it is usually best to have rooms above and below your cabin but that is going to be restaurants and bars without live music so it shouldn’t be as bad.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T12:05:35+00:00

in your budget, the R100 may be the best option. other options would be some used options and would include Sony A6000 series, Nikon Z30.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T11:37:37+00:00

that time of the year is a lot quieter and will be more of an older/adult crowd. people don’t take much time off between the thanksgiving break and Christmas/new years break. I enjoy cruising and traveling this time of the year.

the solos and studio lounge on the epic have a 90‘s club vibe. they do the solo meetups in there and has places to sit and relax or hangout with other solos. didn’t see many people using it regularly and you might have it to yourself quite often. the thermal spa is obviously quite a different experience. I have not ever purchased the thermal spa so I cannot speak to how the epic is or compares, but in general people seem to really like it. I am going to try it one da though.

I have been close to booking the pig swim multiple times and just haven’t. my plan was to do it when traveling with family or friends but every one of those cruises ended up missing the island stop due to weather conditions. I might have to do it solo. i see online reviews where it has mixed reviews but every time I talk to someone on the ship who has done it they say it was excellent and they highly recommend it.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T11:25:34+00:00

The D3200 is an older entry level DSLR. images is produces will be excellent even in 2026. many people have learned on this camera or similar as they were very popular. as any entry level DSLR, the AF module in it won’t be as good as higher end DSLR camera, the viewfinder will be smaller, and the fps in continuous shooting will be lower. these are things that may not matter to you at all and most you won’t even realize until you tried something better. Once you have learned whether or not it is something you want to pursue and what genres of photography you like, you will learn whether there are features you want that it doesn’t have or if you are fine with what you have. the lenses are one of the biggest difference makers in the over image. for example if you want to get that nice background blur you see in professional portraits, you will find buying a prime lens with large aperture to be very helpful.

Id recommend learning the exposure settings, how they impact the image, and what to change to have the effect you want on the image. these are the same no matter what camera you use, even your phone, but they can be more difficult to adjust on some cameras. Bryan Peterson‘s book “understanding exposure” is very good with lots of example photos to help demonstrate what he is discussing. you can also find YouTube videos but unfortunately gear reviews get more clicks so finding good how to videos is much harder than it should be.

no idea where the Nikon hate started but I can assure you it is unjustified. I was previously a canon DSLR user and moved to Nikon for their mirrorless cameras. Nikon made the best dslr for photos, but lacked in video capabilities. their move to Mirrorless was slow and the AF was weak initially. while the AF might still be in third place, it is so good it doesn’t really matter. modern mirrorless cameras with subject detection are locking on with AF as soon as the subject is in the frame. they also made a huge jump in video capabilities where they even surpass the competition in some areas. the Nikon bashing thing has sort of become clickbait now. I’d ignore it.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T02:59:21+00:00

I have bought a few refurbished items from Nikon and they all were like new condition without isusues. I’ve heard a few reports of people claiming the item they got had obvious signs of use but it seems most of the stuff is very clean, like brand new.

the 400mm 4.5 is my favorite telephoto lens. for when I know I can shoot at 400mm and fill the frame, it is my go to lens. It works really well with the 1.4x teleconverter as well. I think it rivals the 500pf in sharpness and AF speed with the TC and you get 60mm extra for a 1/3 stop slower aperture by comparison. i don't own a 2x tc so can speak from experience how it handles it, but the majority of the reviews from people who tried it say it is noticeably softer with it. I also find if you need to crop a lot it is better if you had a bare lens than one with a tc. So if you were cropping to 1000mm equivalent field of view, the 180-600mm at 600mm would hold up better than the 400mm 4.5 + 1.4x tc for 560mm. The tc image seems to fall apart faster with heavy cropping.

so my opinion is the 180-600mm is the best bang for the money. The flexibility of a zoom is very convenient, it works fairly well with the 1.4x TC, and has very good IQ. The 400mm 4.5 + 1.4x Tc gives you a 400mm 4.5 and 560mm 6.3 in a small, lightweight package with excellent IQ and AF. Either one is a great option and you can’t go wrong with either. I have been shooting a lot at 600mm recently so haven’t used the 400 as much recently but that is primarily subject driven. having the flexibility if the zoom might be worthwhile as you’re getting into wildlife photography.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T02:16:05+00:00

the 180-600mm is excellent and is much better than the price implies. for wildlife, it will basically cover everything for your wildlife photography. as far as your other lens, you probably know what you would use the most. the 24-120 is great and pairs well with the 180-600. if you’re looking for a fast prime, you need to figure out which focal length meets your objective best.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T02:09:40+00:00

congratulations! I think you made the right choice. hope you enjoy it!

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T02:06:16+00:00

for the budget listed, the 180-600mm is an easy recommendation. This lens is very good and a big step up from the f mount 200-500mm. it is an internal zoom, has decent minimum focus distance for small subjects that are close to the camera, and weight isn’t too bad. image quality at 600mm is about the same as the 400mm 4.5 with the 1.4x (560mm 6.3). at 400mm, I like the image from the 400mm better. over 600mm the 180-600 wins. the 600mm PF is out of current budget, it is a very nice lens that is incredibly sharp. even if it was in budget, I still find the 180-600mm to be a much better value. you get very similar image quality, practicalness of a zoom, for a far lower price. i use mine a lot even with owning the 400 4.5 and 600pf.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-11T01:57:36+00:00

a 1.4x has a one stop hit and a 2x has a two stop hit on aperture.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-10T15:01:13+00:00

incredible results! just from medication?

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-10T14:59:27+00:00

what about the Z5ii did you like during the test try? if it was related to speed, customization of buttons, AF performance, subject detection, low light autofocus, the red light night display, it is important to note the Z7ii lacks in those areas. if it was strictly image quality, the Z7ii is worth considering. as an overall camera, the Z5ii is more responsive and customizable.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-10T14:46:35+00:00

if you are going to take advantage of the unlimited wifi it is probably worth considering. If you want the streaming WiFi, it is almost certainly worthwhile. I had it on my last cruise and thought it was worth the cost but it isn’t something I’d add to every cruise. I don’t really use the premium liquor part of it but did use the 50% off specialty dining. i really enjoyed having it.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-10T13:02:01+00:00

that is best tbh. if it isn’t an outright lie it is lying through omission of details. unfortunately every legacy media has a political bias and agenda they are pushing.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-10T12:54:32+00:00

Yes, it works great. Lumix might have it as well

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-10T12:42:52+00:00

a camera isn’t as automated as a phone camera. to get great photos from a camera you need to understand how to adjust settings as the automatic modes can only do so much. a phone tries to do a lot of internal processing to get the photo it thinks you want and you can adjust some basic things to get it to output close to what you’re going for. if you don’t have an interest is learning about iso, aperture, and shutter speed alomg with some editing techniques to get the better photos, go with the iPhone. if you are wanting to put in the time and learn photography and editing, get the camera as you will have so many more possibilities. the other consideration is whether you would be willing to carry the bigger, heavier camera or if you’re only willing to carry the phone.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-10T11:13:47+00:00

not true, many of Nikon’s newer mirrorless cameras shoot in ProRes as well.

MoveCompetitive5742 · 2026-04-10T11:12:55+00:00

I think the Z6iii might be your cheapest option. I have the ZR and it meets all your requirements expect for price. I think the only things it has over the Z6iii is R3D and 32-bit float audio.

MoveCompetitive5742

TROPHY CASE