naruto
GASitis.. finally cured?
I think, I may figured out the perfect travel kit for myself.
M8 + 28/2 Ultron + 85/2 Nikkor. With either 50/1.4 Nikkor or 50/1.5 CZJ for low light shots.
Hasselblad + 80/2.8 Planar + 2 A12 backs for film/MF fix. I am considering getting a 50/4 Distagon for wide angle shots.
All of it fits into the Lowepro Compuday Pack that I love to carry when traveling.
Now, to find the time to take some trips. :bang:
M8 + 28/2 Ultron + 85/2 Nikkor. With either 50/1.4 Nikkor or 50/1.5 CZJ for low light shots.
Hasselblad + 80/2.8 Planar + 2 A12 backs for film/MF fix. I am considering getting a 50/4 Distagon for wide angle shots.
All of it fits into the Lowepro Compuday Pack that I love to carry when traveling.
Now, to find the time to take some trips. :bang:
Summicronj
Member
I'm settling on a similar kit for travel! M3 with summaron 35 f2.8 and collapsible summicron 50mm for 35mm and hassy 501cm with 60mm f3.5 distagon vs planar 80mm f2.8
Right, Ash... Now to pack the gear, add as much film as will fit, and then the most important part: take some trips!
Everyone will have their own preferences for travel... I dunno, I keep changing what I take. It will be either medium format, 135 film, or digital; no mixing of formats.
How will you decide which size camera to shoot a subject? And where will you travel?
Everyone will have their own preferences for travel... I dunno, I keep changing what I take. It will be either medium format, 135 film, or digital; no mixing of formats.
How will you decide which size camera to shoot a subject? And where will you travel?
naruto
GASitis.. finally cured?
how is the 60/3.5 ?
Everyone will have their own preferences for travel... I dunno, I keep changing what I take. It will be either medium format, 135 film, or digital; no mixing of formats.
How will you decide which size camera to shoot a subject? And where will you travel?
I usually like to take one digital and one MF. My 69 Fuji is way too big to carry around. And, I prefer to take it alone, if I carry it.
If I like something in B&W, then it's the Hasselblad. I only shoot 120 B&W . Since I have moved back home, I plan to travel around India in the next few years.
Summicronj
Member
I love it! Ideal for landscape and groups, but can be intimate with portraits without distortion.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11127719@N04/4180806590/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11127719@N04/4180806590/
Ben Z
Veteran
I'm a seasoned photo-traveler, although much less in the last few years due to the dollar's devaluation in tandem with an onslaught of personal expenses.
One time I traveled to national parks with 35mm and medium-format plus an assortment of film and lenses for both, and a tripod sturdy enough to hold the Pentax 67. I had a rental car, otherwise I would've been hopelessly overburdened. Traveling to Europe where I was typically on a train, bus, metro, etc. I wouldn't consider two formats. I tried it once with a Hasselblad and 3 lenses and 2 backs, and while it wasn't too heavy, it was very bulky. Getting through crowds, on and off busses and metro was clumsy at best. Any hope of blending in was impossible, I stood out like a sore thumb, if not an outright spectacle.
After that I used only a small 35mm SLR (Pentax) outfit, until I couldn't focus it well enough anymore. I couldn't arrange to fit diopters on the old Pentax, so I went to a "modern" SLR. Unfortunately those had bloomed over the years into an outfit no less bulky than the Hasselblad. That's when I fell back on my trusty M4 that I'd bought around 1970 but really hadn't used much because of the limited range of lenses at the long end. But for the last ten years of film photography I used Leica M exclusively for travel, and got used to the quirks. Leica's aren't light weight, but they are compact, and being able to get 2 bodies and 6 lenses into a narrow little bag was a revelation. In fact many times I left the bag at the hotel and just carried my outfit in a sport jacket outfitted with zippered security pockets. It's so nice to be able to stop in a cafe for lunch and be able to de-lens my camera and stow everything in my jacket. With an SLR I always had the darn thing in my lap. I can't remember the last time I carried a full-sized tripod, either. The Leica table-top job can be braced against any vertical surface like a wall, lamp post, or tree. I even devised a way to use graduated filters (before Photoshop came along).
Transitioning to the digital age I got an M8...just in time to stop traveling! Now that the bulk of my photography is close to home I've mainly gone back to an SLR and the Leica is mostly back on the shelf.
One time I traveled to national parks with 35mm and medium-format plus an assortment of film and lenses for both, and a tripod sturdy enough to hold the Pentax 67. I had a rental car, otherwise I would've been hopelessly overburdened. Traveling to Europe where I was typically on a train, bus, metro, etc. I wouldn't consider two formats. I tried it once with a Hasselblad and 3 lenses and 2 backs, and while it wasn't too heavy, it was very bulky. Getting through crowds, on and off busses and metro was clumsy at best. Any hope of blending in was impossible, I stood out like a sore thumb, if not an outright spectacle.
After that I used only a small 35mm SLR (Pentax) outfit, until I couldn't focus it well enough anymore. I couldn't arrange to fit diopters on the old Pentax, so I went to a "modern" SLR. Unfortunately those had bloomed over the years into an outfit no less bulky than the Hasselblad. That's when I fell back on my trusty M4 that I'd bought around 1970 but really hadn't used much because of the limited range of lenses at the long end. But for the last ten years of film photography I used Leica M exclusively for travel, and got used to the quirks. Leica's aren't light weight, but they are compact, and being able to get 2 bodies and 6 lenses into a narrow little bag was a revelation. In fact many times I left the bag at the hotel and just carried my outfit in a sport jacket outfitted with zippered security pockets. It's so nice to be able to stop in a cafe for lunch and be able to de-lens my camera and stow everything in my jacket. With an SLR I always had the darn thing in my lap. I can't remember the last time I carried a full-sized tripod, either. The Leica table-top job can be braced against any vertical surface like a wall, lamp post, or tree. I even devised a way to use graduated filters (before Photoshop came along).
Transitioning to the digital age I got an M8...just in time to stop traveling! Now that the bulk of my photography is close to home I've mainly gone back to an SLR and the Leica is mostly back on the shelf.
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kshapero
South Florida Man
I travel a lot with a ZI with a ZI 35/2, CV 25/4 w/VF and CV 90/3.5. Now that I have a Think Tank Urban Disguise 50, I am thinking of adding a CV Bessa R4M for the 25. Peachy.
Please ignore DSLR. It is not mine.
Please ignore DSLR. It is not mine.
scorpius73
Well-known
I'm off to Philadelphia for the weekend. The kit I picked out for the weekend is a Rolleiflex MX-Synch and an M6 with 28mm, 50mm and 90mm Konica Hexanons. It all fits in my Domke F6 bag.
naruto
GASitis.. finally cured?
@Summicronj: That looks nice. But, the 60 is too close to the 80.
@BenZ: Until I am able, I'll carry both kits. I don't find it much of a hassle carrying both kits. Later, it might be some other M-avatar.
@Double Negative: The Hassy kit sounds heavy. I considered a Mamiya 6, but I wanted to give the Hasselblad a try. The Compuday pack has an advantage, I can swing it around, and the bottom flaps down. It's very easy to take out and put in cameras.
I decided to hold off on the 50 Distagon until I get used to the 80.
@kshapero: The bag looks good. It might be a good replacement for my Naneu Pro.
@scorpius73: That's the kit I have for my M's too. 28/50/85.
This thread is getting out some very nice travel options.
@BenZ: Until I am able, I'll carry both kits. I don't find it much of a hassle carrying both kits. Later, it might be some other M-avatar.
@Double Negative: The Hassy kit sounds heavy. I considered a Mamiya 6, but I wanted to give the Hasselblad a try. The Compuday pack has an advantage, I can swing it around, and the bottom flaps down. It's very easy to take out and put in cameras.
I decided to hold off on the 50 Distagon until I get used to the 80.
@kshapero: The bag looks good. It might be a good replacement for my Naneu Pro.
@scorpius73: That's the kit I have for my M's too. 28/50/85.
This thread is getting out some very nice travel options.
kxl
Social Documentary
Multiple Travel Kits
Multiple Travel Kits
I have multiple travel kits, since the kit I choose largely depends on my destination. Places like Denali National Park requires a lot of reach, so the DSLR and lenses up to 400mm are my primary tools. For crowded cities like Cairo or Mexico City, I prefer an RF with a 35mm lens, complemented by a 21mm lens
Multiple Travel Kits
I have multiple travel kits, since the kit I choose largely depends on my destination. Places like Denali National Park requires a lot of reach, so the DSLR and lenses up to 400mm are my primary tools. For crowded cities like Cairo or Mexico City, I prefer an RF with a 35mm lens, complemented by a 21mm lens
Chuck Albertson
Well-known
I take the 'blad on the road a lot more than I thought I would when I bought it. It isn't *that* heavy, and packs into my bag nicely. I just wish they made a rubber lens shade for the 80---the plastic one is a bit fragile.
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Guess it all depends how one is 'traveling'. If you're driving, that M8/Hasselblad kit sounds fine. If you're flying, that sounds like a lot to worry about and lug around, not to mention two different formats of film to cart around.
I flew out to New Mexico a couple of months ago, and I had my 500CM with an A24 back, and my Super Wide C with an A24 back, and that was more than enough equipment for me. Wasn't at all heavy.
Over Christmas I flew to Vienna, Austria, and took my Contaflex TLR with three lenses, plus my Super Wide C. That turned out to be too much stuff - number one, we didn't rent a car, so I was carrying all this stuff around with me, and it got rather tiresome after a while. Number two, the Super Wide C didn't really add anything to the equation in terms of imagery, and after about the 4th day I left it in the hotel room safe.
Right now I'm creating an Olympus E-P2 travel kit - 20/1.7 Lumix lens, 7-14/4 Lumix, plus potentially that 50/0.95 Noktor when it is more readily available. We'll see how that all works out!
I flew out to New Mexico a couple of months ago, and I had my 500CM with an A24 back, and my Super Wide C with an A24 back, and that was more than enough equipment for me. Wasn't at all heavy.
Over Christmas I flew to Vienna, Austria, and took my Contaflex TLR with three lenses, plus my Super Wide C. That turned out to be too much stuff - number one, we didn't rent a car, so I was carrying all this stuff around with me, and it got rather tiresome after a while. Number two, the Super Wide C didn't really add anything to the equation in terms of imagery, and after about the 4th day I left it in the hotel room safe.
Right now I'm creating an Olympus E-P2 travel kit - 20/1.7 Lumix lens, 7-14/4 Lumix, plus potentially that 50/0.95 Noktor when it is more readily available. We'll see how that all works out!
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Ben Z
Veteran
I'm physically able to carry a large photo shoulder or backpack loaded with bodies and lenses. If my aim of traveling was to use and thereby justify owning every piece of GAS-induced photo gear I've got, then I probably would carry at least two systems
But my aim is to capture interesting photographs, of people and places "doing their thing", and I find that wearing a large camera bag or backpack tends to make me the center of attention rather than my potential subjects. Not to mention how many shots I would lose while deciding what format, body, and lens to choose, then getting it out and setting it up (unless you propose hanging them all around your neck)...and not to mention shifting mental gears between dissimilar cameras. Just a simple thing like which way a lens turns to focus (or mount) can slow things down for me enough to miss lots of good ops. If you don't have those issues, then you're a better photog than me (and probably most of the professional travel photographers too...rarely see them working 2 formats together in the field).
kshapero
South Florida Man
Looked at the Naneu Pro. IMHO it can not hold a candle to the build quality of think tank products.
batterytypehah!
Lord of the Dings
Please ignore DSLR. It is not mine.
Hee. I literally thought for a moment that was a cup holder with a water bottle in the center there.
kshapero
South Florida Man
that would be sweet:angel:
V
Vic
Guest
Naruto,
Your perfect kit has two cameras of different formats, with no backup bodies. While they are spectacular photographic instruments, I would think instead about taking two cameras of the same format, just in case one of them decides to take a nap while you're away from home. For example, a M8 and a backup M6TTL or M7 (dials turn the same way and both have meters). Any film M camera will back up a M8, and give you M9 or better quality pics.
Best wishes in your travels!
Your perfect kit has two cameras of different formats, with no backup bodies. While they are spectacular photographic instruments, I would think instead about taking two cameras of the same format, just in case one of them decides to take a nap while you're away from home. For example, a M8 and a backup M6TTL or M7 (dials turn the same way and both have meters). Any film M camera will back up a M8, and give you M9 or better quality pics.
Best wishes in your travels!
naruto
GASitis.. finally cured?
Nah, I am just used to multi-tasking.
Doesn't mean I am a good photographer. I am generally slow in photographing, and I mean really slow...Thanks Vic.
What I did not mention is there is a M3 hidden in the main baggage/the wife's purse.
The backup body for all cameras...Michael C
Newbie
I go with just my M9 with a 35/2 asph: freedom, and a challenge at the same time.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Two bodies, two lenses: MP + M9, 35/1.4 + 75/2.
Sometimes one extra lens, 15, 18 or 21. Sometimes two (add 135/2.8). Note (rough) doubling of f.l.
Week before last: Bretagne.
Last week: Pyrenees.
Next month: UK (probably).
July: Arles
September: Cologne.
Frances and I typically travel for 10-15 weeks a year. Unless we have stuff to test she takes EITHER 35mm (one lens, 50mm; two lenses: 50+90; three lenses 18+50+90; four lenses 18+28+50 + 90) OR an Alpa (38mm + 6x9cm).
And we carry one body as a spare (either M2 or M4-P) but it stays locked away unless we need it.
Cheers,
R.
Sometimes one extra lens, 15, 18 or 21. Sometimes two (add 135/2.8). Note (rough) doubling of f.l.
Week before last: Bretagne.
Last week: Pyrenees.
Next month: UK (probably).
July: Arles
September: Cologne.
Frances and I typically travel for 10-15 weeks a year. Unless we have stuff to test she takes EITHER 35mm (one lens, 50mm; two lenses: 50+90; three lenses 18+50+90; four lenses 18+28+50 + 90) OR an Alpa (38mm + 6x9cm).
And we carry one body as a spare (either M2 or M4-P) but it stays locked away unless we need it.
Cheers,
R.