38Deardorff
Well-known
Boojum Paris is still great & safe..... I've wandered with a Leica or two.... another time with a Rolleiflex.....but a fully loaded Domke on one shoulder...takes its toll on the spine...
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Carry-on Bag - Camera Bag
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boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Boojum Paris is still great & safe..... I've wandered with a Leica or two.... another time with a Rolleiflex.....but a fully loaded Domke on one shoulder...takes its toll on the spine...
Eh, bien. Ça va. Maintenant suis-je content.
I understand leaving as much luggage at home as possible. Here I can lug a bag of crap around as I have the car so it is different.
Archiver
Veteran
That's one of the perks of road trips - apart from the lack of airport nonsense, visas and foreign currency, you get to take as much gear as you feel comfortable. Someone in Europe can road trip to different countries - in America, you can road trip to Mexico or Canada, which may or may not be appealing. A friend who has made many Mexico trips was recently stopped by Mexican police, then mugged and beaten by them, so his Mexico days are over. But I'm rambling now.
A7 III + long zoom sounds like a good kit, although definitely have a shoulder bag or similar to stash it. If you have a pocket camera, bring that, too. My preference is for 1 inch compacts like the Panasonic LX10, Sony RX100 or RX0. They can take photos where an A7 with large zoom can't. As always, remain alert and smart.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I am with you on the small bag or, better, just the camera. And better than a camera bag is an old, non-descript bag that does not shout "Camera! Steal me!" I will have the 55mm 1.8 Zeiss/Sony also. A small camera would be a interchangeable lens one that could wear the same lenses as the A7. Sony has some small ones. The A7CR is sweet but if I had that I could leave the A7 III at home. Or save the $3K for the trip and keep the A7. I have an old Pentax Q S1 which takes crazy good pics for a teensy camera. And I have two zooms and a "normal" lens for it. Camera in one pocket, lens in the other and away I go.
Here's an example of how the little rascal works. Can you guess why I liked the boat?
Boojum! by West Phalia, on Flickr
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Rayt
Nonplayer Character
The Mexican provinces bordering the US are the trouble spots and I won’t go there for any reason, but further south is ok. Tons of US retirees around San Miguel de Allende. I have walked around Mexico City with a Leica around my neck. At night though there were cops with machine guns at every street intersection which made me uneasy enough to make me go back to my hotel and wait for an early morning street photography walk. I have flown with my 4x5 to Europe and Asia when the Quickload and Readyload films were still available. The standard film holders weigh more than the camera and lenses so yes I will leave them for road trips. The hassle with medium format is the second bag with at least 50 rolls of 120 film for a 3 day trip. A Rolleiflex is small and light enough but 12 shots per roll will go fast. Now it’s a non issue with film killing X-ray. Film for road trips and digital for flying.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I lived three years on Chapala and some time in Baja in Mulege. The trip down Mexico 1 had interdiction points with army machine gun nests alongside the road. I was never hassled and found out later that big bags of Oreos helped a lot. Those army guys were from far off Oaxaca and lost and nervous. A bag of cookies made them real relaxed and happy. I also had some cops send me down a really bad road on the mainland with my half ton Dodge diesel and 30" Airstream. I saw it as a setup and came back and drove down the first road where I had been where no one could be expecting me. In large gringo communities you are mostly safe but elsewhere it is drug cartels.
If I went back I would fly to Guad and take a taxi to Ajijic. But driving is off the table. You only have to be wrong once.
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Archiver
Veteran
Um, did your childhood include rigorous martial arts training, and did your brother become a mercenary while you went on to be an accountant? 🤔
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
LOL No. But I have known folks who were, um, felonious and this deal the Federales set me up on stunk to high heaven. At first I thought they were OK but the road became worse and worse and further and further from the main highway. A schoolboy could have smelled a rat there. Dead Gringo, robbed on a back road. Wreckage burned up, no witnesses. No idea why he took a back road. Closed case. It was on the road to Mazatlan. I got in real late but I got in alive.
Prest_400
Multiformat
Take the "big guns" X2D or Q3 for normal-wide and perhaps the smaller format for a telephoto.
I went to Asia with my Fuji 6x9 (big volume), its tons of film, then a m43 with a telephoto and the RX100 as pocket + phone(s).
Never used brand or specific camera bags, just a generic 50L hicking large backpack as carry on (overhead) and then a tote bag as personal item carrying the m43 and telephoto for window vista shots. I put a camera insert to carry it within and avoid banging around; but generally I am not so delicate with the cameras...
Being SE Asia I didn't bring much clothing. Checked in the large 23kg bag however.
I went to Asia with my Fuji 6x9 (big volume), its tons of film, then a m43 with a telephoto and the RX100 as pocket + phone(s).
Never used brand or specific camera bags, just a generic 50L hicking large backpack as carry on (overhead) and then a tote bag as personal item carrying the m43 and telephoto for window vista shots. I put a camera insert to carry it within and avoid banging around; but generally I am not so delicate with the cameras...
Being SE Asia I didn't bring much clothing. Checked in the large 23kg bag however.
38Deardorff
Well-known
B, will you have a car this trip or be using public transport?
ellisson
Well-known
It's just that a fully loaded Domke F2 bag is a lot of weight on your shoulder(s) no matter where you are. For transporting or shooting at one location, it's great. But for wandering and exploring, I doubt you would want to carry a fully loaded F2 bag.
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boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
No car. Facing the traffic there sounds scary. Public transport is cheap and easy. So a small sack would have to do.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I see your point. I will have a smaller bag for day trips.
38Deardorff
Well-known
B, the last two trips to Europe I travelled with only a 28 litre pack (no checked luggage) and worked on the art of minimalism for everything i carried. I used the pack in the photo which weighs 408 grams. Everything fit inside including a Belroy mini sling bag (Bellroy | Considered Carry Goods: Wallets, Bags, Phone Cases & More) for carrying cameras. In the pack i also bring a tiny travel duffel that folds up the size of an apple. That way on the return trip i have space for anything i've acquired...that might need to be checked luggage..like bottles of grappa 😉
I took a Leica & 2 lenses and a Voigtlander Perkeo ll.
People tell you you can leave stuff in your hotel. Well that's true but if you've ever walked from one end of LAX, Frankfurt or Charles de Gaulle airport to the other...or travelled by the tube or Métro & then walked to your hotel......you know the story.....how about those stairs in Monmartre or Cinque Terre....?
In travel, i've come to believe less is more.....freedom, joy....ease.
& the economic upside...is if absolutely need/want something i can just buy it.
Have a great trip!
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boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Yes, I understand traveling light and lugging less. I have dragged a large Samsonite bag all through Schiphol. But how often will I have to do that? That's my angle. I will have a smaller "carry-on" for short trips. But I have not settled on anything yet so what you pose is in the mix.
38Deardorff
Well-known
B, in my travel lifetime i've lugged climbing gear, skiis....etc to Europe, Japan, Nepal many times. So necessity has made me lug a lot more times than i care to think about.
"How often will i have to do that?" is indeed the key question.
I have to say the light travel trips have never made me regret or miss something i left behind....and as a result changed my view how little i really need on a journey....& doing a bit of laundry in a hotelroom sink isn't much of a hardship.
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Archiver
Veteran
As a tangent, this talk of gear and bags always make me throw in my experiences and thoughts regarding traveling and cameras. My journal has regular ruminations about travel gear!
There's a balance to be struck between enough gear and too much gear, and varies from trip to trip, depending on activities, locations, situations and expectations.
My overseas trips tend to be fully photographic, and my kits have evolved with budget and experience. Each trip taught me something which was solved on the following trip.
The digicams and DSLR kits were carried in a single shoulder bag. The M and m43 kits were carried in a backpack, and hung around my neck at appropriate times of the day.
Because I wanted the best image quality I could get with my gear and the locations were pretty safe (Hong Kong and Japan), I could carry two smallish camera kits and a compact camera with impunity. Situations included landscapes, dark interiors including galleries and restaurants, portraits and details.
I don't know how safe Paris is, there are mixed reports. I'd be inclined to take something small enough to be low profile when needed, but good enough that I'm satisfied with its images.
- Two digicams and a film compact showed me that I still wanted better image quality, and three compacts were an embarrassment of riches when it came to choosing the right camera for the situation.
S70 - A Thousand Christmas Stars in Digital by Archiver, on Flickr
- Canon DSLR + compact showed me that I loved large sensor image quality on a trip, but not the weight and bulk of a DSLR. I also wanted a higher quality tele option for portraits and low light than the Fuji F30 would allow.
30D - Anonymous Posh by Archiver, on Flickr
- The M9 showed me that I LOOOVED its image quality, but there was often a crucial lag in being able to focus, so I wanted a good quality autofocus solution that wasn't too big. Hence, micro four thirds with a zoom.
M9 - Arashiyama Bamboo Forest by Archiver, on Flickr
- too many lenses makes for too many choices, so I cut it way down for the following trip.
Where I am now: I'm considering that my next trip will only involve the SL2-S with 35SL, and the Panasonic GX85 with 9mm, 25mm and 45mm. Sony RX0 in my pocket. This will cover almost every situation I'm likely to encounter, small enough to stash in a shoulder bag, and discreet enough to fly under the radar in most places. Video quality will be off the charts with the SL2-S, adding another component to the documentation of memories.
As for @boojum situation: the A7 III + zoom is a great primary option for safe situations, the 55/1.8 is discreet enough for most places. I'd add a pocket camera if image quality better than a phone is desired.
There's a balance to be struck between enough gear and too much gear, and varies from trip to trip, depending on activities, locations, situations and expectations.
My overseas trips tend to be fully photographic, and my kits have evolved with budget and experience. Each trip taught me something which was solved on the following trip.
- two compact digicams with a film compact
- Canon DSLR + zoom with compact camera
- Leica M body with four lenses and two compact digicams
- Leica M body with three lenses, m43 camera with four lenses, digicam
- Leica M body with three lenses, m43 with two lenses, digicam
The digicams and DSLR kits were carried in a single shoulder bag. The M and m43 kits were carried in a backpack, and hung around my neck at appropriate times of the day.
Because I wanted the best image quality I could get with my gear and the locations were pretty safe (Hong Kong and Japan), I could carry two smallish camera kits and a compact camera with impunity. Situations included landscapes, dark interiors including galleries and restaurants, portraits and details.
I don't know how safe Paris is, there are mixed reports. I'd be inclined to take something small enough to be low profile when needed, but good enough that I'm satisfied with its images.
- Two digicams and a film compact showed me that I still wanted better image quality, and three compacts were an embarrassment of riches when it came to choosing the right camera for the situation.
S70 - A Thousand Christmas Stars in Digital by Archiver, on Flickr- Canon DSLR + compact showed me that I loved large sensor image quality on a trip, but not the weight and bulk of a DSLR. I also wanted a higher quality tele option for portraits and low light than the Fuji F30 would allow.
30D - Anonymous Posh by Archiver, on Flickr- The M9 showed me that I LOOOVED its image quality, but there was often a crucial lag in being able to focus, so I wanted a good quality autofocus solution that wasn't too big. Hence, micro four thirds with a zoom.
M9 - Arashiyama Bamboo Forest by Archiver, on Flickr- too many lenses makes for too many choices, so I cut it way down for the following trip.
Where I am now: I'm considering that my next trip will only involve the SL2-S with 35SL, and the Panasonic GX85 with 9mm, 25mm and 45mm. Sony RX0 in my pocket. This will cover almost every situation I'm likely to encounter, small enough to stash in a shoulder bag, and discreet enough to fly under the radar in most places. Video quality will be off the charts with the SL2-S, adding another component to the documentation of memories.
As for @boojum situation: the A7 III + zoom is a great primary option for safe situations, the 55/1.8 is discreet enough for most places. I'd add a pocket camera if image quality better than a phone is desired.
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DownUnder
awol (temporarily I hope)
Sensible, this. But at my age, even such a bag is too big for me.
For my general carry-everything bag on my brief Asian sojourns I take a backpack - a fairly big expandable one but still a backpack. Most budget Asian airlines limit travellers to 7 kilos but I've never had my pack weighed at boarding, so I try to squeeze in more. Tho' my limit is < 10 kilos. So far so good. (Another trick is to hand carry my MacBook Air at check in, and put it into my pack later.)
In my pack I now take small, light, foldable bags, usually bought in budget shops in Malaysia for very little. As '38' writes, less is best. In my big pack, two changes of clothing, one extra undies and socks. Almost no cosmetic items. No razors or knives or even wine corkscrews which are seen as dangerous weapons in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia and confiscated. In Asia, anything I need on the spot can be easily bought, at far better prices than in my home country. So what's not to like?
In my time I've carried shiploads of photo gear. No more. Now I take a small Lock & Lock top zip bag, I think I bought it in an Australian charity shop for $3. It has a small green dinosaur on the front, with the name James, either its previous owner or the 'sour's monicker, not sure which.
In it goes a Nikon D800 with a cap and a 28/2.8 D, a spare battery and two cards If I feel the need for it I would try to squeeze in (to my backpack, not the L&L) an 85/1.8 D, but when I've taken this lens with me I found I didn't use it much. A 180/2.8 ED would be more useful, but it's heavier. So.
This small bag then goes into my backpack. It fits nicely in the bottom without being too bulky, and it leaves enough room for the other junk I usually take with me. Even my MacBook Air.
On more ambitious journeys I will opt for a lighter Fuji XE2 or Xpro2, an 18-55 and a 14. That's the lot.
I find digital photography more liberating so my film days are long past, but if I ever decide to again go analog it will be a Contax G1, a 28/2.8 and a 90/2.8 (both Zeiss G Sonnars), lens hoods and UV.s And of course film. As I have more 120 than 35 in my home fridge, I now and then fantasise about one last trip with this roll film, in which case it would surely be a Rolleiflex T, a 16 exposure kit, a lens hood, a UV, a Weston EuroMaster. Nothing else.
I have a Zeiss Nettar and a Voigtlander Perkeo I, both ultra small cameras. I love them to bits but no, they are too basic for me. So the Rollei T it would be.
It took me until late in life to realise there is true freedom in going lightly in the world. While I still can.
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boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I'll tell you a story about canoeing/backpacking that was taught to me. Make three piles. 1) Must have stuff. 2) May need stuff 3) Not needed but maybe useful. Pack the first pile. ;o)
In Vietnam I'll send my laundry out if I can. I can use may age as an excuse. And I will be no less than a week in a place.
38Deardorff
Well-known
Archiver, my overseas trips are also "fully photographic".....but not specifically nor entirely urban. Besides many times working as a professional mountain guide in Europe, my pleasure trips involve hut-to-hut mountain trips involving carrying everything you need... all day for days on end..so carrying the kitchen sink photographically speaking is not at all an option.
I have often spent time either getting over jet lag for a few days or after the mountain portion of trips in Paris....maybe half a dozen times. It is safer than any city in N America. I've walked around with either a Rolleiflex or a Leica M on my shoulder.
Downunder..... it's a small day pack & i don't check luggage (photo with person)....& i also travel with very few extra clothes but do include raingear and a small down sweater... I have a drawerful of Opinels, Swiss Army knives and corkscrews ....from all those trips. Invariably i only check luggage on the way home.
Boojum hasn't said where his travels will take him, but i know if someone calls me for a last minute trip, i can throw together a small kit of clothes and cameras in under an hour....
.
I have often spent time either getting over jet lag for a few days or after the mountain portion of trips in Paris....maybe half a dozen times. It is safer than any city in N America. I've walked around with either a Rolleiflex or a Leica M on my shoulder.
Downunder..... it's a small day pack & i don't check luggage (photo with person)....& i also travel with very few extra clothes but do include raingear and a small down sweater... I have a drawerful of Opinels, Swiss Army knives and corkscrews ....from all those trips. Invariably i only check luggage on the way home.
Boojum hasn't said where his travels will take him, but i know if someone calls me for a last minute trip, i can throw together a small kit of clothes and cameras in under an hour....
.
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