New to the water

[Randy M]

I'm also a photographer who uses a kayak. Several years ago when researching for a kayak I eventually decided to get a Wilderness Tarpon T-140 (14' long SOT)
Several things to mention, the Hobie's pedal system enables you to cover larger distances with less strain and if you are into photographing birds they are much less likely to scare the birds from paddle "flash". That being said, the very high price and high weight of Hobie's are off-setting for me. I mainly decided on the Tarpon because I wanted the exercise and enjoy paddling and really like the way they handle.
One thing to keep in mind is the Hobie's have no reverse so you'll still have to paddle some to maneuver around. Also there are a whole slew of people with Hobie's who have had lot's of issues with the pedal system breaking and they're not cheap to fix!