A week trip to EU, only one 35mm kit to bring

Way too much stuff for a week, and plane carry-on, Sug. Just take the M2 and 35/2; maybe the 90/2.8 as well.

Forget backup's ... it's a Leica. And if it breaks, you'll be "forced" to buy a 2nd MP 🙂

Cheers,

Roland.
 
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I'd go with your Leica M's - that 'A' outfit doesn't sound like a particularly big kit. Two bodies are nice - one for b+w, one for colour.

I'm heading to Vienna for a week and my kit is 'only' a Contaflex TLR and a Hasselblad Super Wide C. Yeah, I know - weird.

Your M kit sounds fairly straightforward and seems reasonable to me.
 
i can understand the argument for travellling light and not having a backup, but i come with wedding photography experience where one simply would not think of not having a backup.
 
I'd suggest the MP with 35/2, plus the XA. You can manage with that and use all the extra space for film.

Alternatively, it might be worth buying film locally (get Macodirect to ship to your hotel before you get there) then developing it before getting on the plane - so a developing tank and a changing bag would be handy. Chemicals are available in small bottles locally, also from Macodirect, so no problem there.
 
Michiel Fokkema said:
I miss a wider angel. At least a 28 or even better a 24.
Europe is not so wide as California. You can't always step back if you want to get more in your picture.
Cheers,

Michiel Fokkema
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I second that sentiment. I'd seriously look for a 24/25mm lens. If you want to take a photo of some facade in a narrow street, stepping back isn't an option. It'll serve as a great all-around lens and you'll probably use it 70% of the time.

I'd also bring a 50 and a mini-tripod. You already have a 35mm lens on the XA (which I also recommend bringing).

I hardly used a 90mm in Europe. I had to force myself to use it to justify bringing it.

I'd also bring film and more film than you think you need. Good film is hard to find there.
 
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I agree w/ Martin P. For just a week's trip, traveling light, I'd take one M body, a 50 plus something wide, and an XA. That's the kit I took to Chicago for a four day visit not long ago, and it was perfect: M2 w/ 50 & 28, loaded w/ b&w; XA w/ fast color.
 
Go as light as possible. Carrying too much "stuff" gets in the way on the street. One M +35 your polaroid plus as much film as you can carry and you are set.
 
I'd take one Leica M with Summicron 2/35 and one OM with 2/85 both for BW and the XA for color. On the one hand you won't be forced to change lenses and on the other hand three cameras should keep enough options for backup. And not to forget - this would be a very light equipment to which you could still add a tripod.

BTW, if you like capturing narrow alleys you might appreciate a focal length (far) below 28mm.
 
Thanks much for super helpful comments.

I'm leaning towards option A "lite" after reading all your advices.

Sounds like you REALLY need wide angle because of narrower streets and alleys. I'm from Japan so I should know this better, but I guess I'm pretty much spoiled after spending nearly a decade in California. 😛

I'm usually a 50mm person. Based on your advices, I should slide my thinking of focal length by one typical "step." Wanting 50mm type of use in California -> use 35mm in EU. If 75mm or 90mm in CA, 50mm in EU.

I still have some time so I'll think a bit more about getting a super wide angle although I feel even 28mm is too wide for me in regular use. However, I do have a 24mm for OM so I might come back to system choice again.

Fortunately, Sherry just told me my Summicron 35/2 is all well and coming back to me now.

I'm leaning towards something like this:

MP + 35/2 with Tri-X @ 800 in my hand most of time
SX-70 for specific project shot
XA in pocket just in case

I just received my M2 back from Youxin. I have to run a couple rolls to test out, but if M2 is good to go, I might pack it with Elmar-M 50/2.8 as body cap but "forget" about it until it really becomes needed.

This is my first trip to France (and EU), and as many of you said, it's too short to explore deep. I probably should just simplify the gear as much as possible and see what I can get from it. Then I'll know what I missed because of the limitation I put to myself, and modify the gear setup when I revisit sometime next year.

Part of me wanna just grab an M2 and a Cron 35 only, pack some shirts and hop on the plane, but I'm not brave enough. 😛
 
Martin,

I was thinking about getting all film in EU and develop them as well, but didn't think about self developing on the spot! :O I'll be staying at my friend's guest room so I don't want to make their kitchen or bathroom smelling like darkroom. 😛
I'm planning to bring a couple dozen of rolls from home and buy some more in Paris. I'll see if I can find a shop who can do b/w develop quickly for cheap, but I somewhat doubt it. I guess I'll be bringing rolls back home and develop them all in my kitchen. My GF will be mad at me for sure though...


Now thinking that 35mm will be my primary lens for the trip, Cron 35/2 beats Zuiko 35/2.8 (or 24/2.8) for the speed. I feel 35/2 and 800 (or 1600?) film should be fast enough for most of scenes I'll take.

Never been to Europe, never experienced dark winter Paris, I'm not sure how "dark" it is. I might be craving for an F1.4 lens during the trip, but I feel somewhat optimistic...
 
I took the following to France: Two Leica iiic; 25mm, 28mm, & 35mm Cv lenses plus 50mm Summicron Collapsible. Leica M7. 40mm CV Nokton f/1.4. Adapter rings to use the screw-mount lenses on the M7. Leica D-lux 3. Leica D-Lux 4.

I did not carry all this gear at any one time. Mostly I carried the two IIIc camera, and one or two of the digitals. The film cameras for black and white, the digitals for color. That much fit in the pockets of a small photo vest so I didn't look too obviously like a tourist (as if they couldn't tell anyway). One camera out to shoot with, the other in a pocket. I kept different focal lengths on the two film Leicas. When I started to feel M-deprived i would carry the M7 instead.

I found little need for a lens longer than 50mm. In fact I only used the 50mm for 3 shots out of 27 36-exposure rolls. Nevertheless, if you are going to be out in the countryside, say, in Provence, there are views that could use a longer lens to advantage.

For the options you presented, I vote for outfit A.
 
coelacanth said:
I'm leaning towards something like this:

MP + 35/2 with Tri-X @ 800 in my hand most of time
SX-70 for specific project shot
XA in pocket just in case
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Sug,

That is exactly what I would suggest. I took 2 trips this year that were each about a week and took only a M6 with a 35/1.4. I was fretting beforehand about how much I would miss not having a 50 or being stuck with one film at one iso (Tri-X). The reality is that I really enjoyed not having to worry about equipment choices and just focused on photography. It was great fun. Use the SX-70 for your project and the XA as emergency backup.

Have fun.
 
coelacanth said:
Never been to Europe, never experienced dark winter Paris, I'm not sure how "dark" it is. I might be craving for an F1.4 lens during the trip, but I feel somewhat optimistic...
Click to expand...

Well, dark is dark. But, most of Europe is north of most of the U.S. so there are fewer hours of winter daylight. You can chase things down on the net for the details but, roughly, think of good sun from 10 a.m. or so until around 4 p.m. Toss in the universal prospect of gray overcast winter days and the fact that the sun stays low in the sky and those medieval Montmartre streets may call for wide apertures.

Hope for sun but be prepared for gray.
 
if you took 2 leica bodies, you would not have to walk around with both all of the time, but the second body woulde be there if you needed it for whatever reason.
 
Hi Sug,
Good for you but they just had a snow in France and is coooold and dark! I would go with your MP and 50, 35 and your Oly with the 85. Get film here and have it hand inspected at SFO if is above ISO 1000! (Like 1600 that would be good for the lighting in this weather) I just came back from France, Normandie and I shot my D3 and M2 with 35/2. On my flicker stream I don't have yet the images from my film but you can see the images taken with the D3.
 
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I just got back from Vienna, and (believe it or not) it gets dark there at 3:30pm. I found that I shot less film than anticipated, and carrying around the bag all day got a bit tiring (with a Contaflex TLR, extra lens, and a Hasselblad Super Wide C). Plus, it was about 26 degrees, and it snowed from time to time.

So, having said that, pack as lightly as possible.
 
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I'd go with option A though I'd be very comfortable just taking the MP and 35 Summicron. I don't think there would be an advantage in taking the Olympus because of the 50f1.4. With the MP you can hand-hold the camera at lower speeds so the Summicron would be just as good or better in lower light. Take a versatile film like Tri-X.
 
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