Advice Needed: Gear in Paris

[Bertram2]

Hi All,

I'm totally psyched to say I'm going to Paris in March, and am wondering what to take. Thinking of my Konica slr for the wide angle lenses (sorry) and one of my rangefinders, of course, for street shooting. I'm thinking slide film in the slr for big vista shots and b&w film in the rangefinder (either my Oly RC or Canon GIII) for street and interiors. Any suggestions on film, i.e. HP5 versus Neopan 1600? Any suggestions on Paris itself? Thanks in advance....John.

I am going to Paris each year, at least for a week or so. And if here is anything I have learned about shooting in Paris than it is that you have to travel LIGHT.

If you want to explore this magc city you must walk, and walk, and walk........
It is exhausting soemtimes and after a while you begin to to hate everything you have to lug around during the day.

This year I'll use an all-auto SLR plus zoom during the day , a little Ricoh R35 in my pocket, loaded with B&W fim.

At night a Bessa R plus Nokton or J8 plus monopod , a tiny CV 4/25 lens in my pocket.
For B&W Tri-X, ADOX 100 or FP4 at sunny days.
For colour C41 Superia 200, works well at night too, fo slides a ISO 100 Kodak.

Much too much again, the Ricoh R35 plus Tri -X would be enuff 😉

bertram

 

[StuartR]

I will second Bertram -- bring your walking shoes. Paris is pretty small and you can get to many places on foot. By doing so you will have far more picture opportunities. I think you will want your 24mm lens as many of the streets are rather tight and the architecture interesting, so you will probably not be able to step back in many situations and the wide angle will help with this. The color and quality of the light in paris is wonderful, so you can have a very nice time shooting color.

I have only spent about a week in Paris, so I am not as qualified to answer as some others, but I particularly liked the Pere Lachaise cemetary...it is very moody and interesting. Basically a who's who of French history, so if that is of any interest to you, you might check it out. Isle St. Louis is great for a walk...it is touristy, but it is also very very Parisian, and it gives you wonderful views across the Seine. If you are interested in gawking at rangefinder stuff, there are a number of great photo stores on Boulvard Beaumarchais.

For processing, I did 11 rolls of slide film at Picto. http://www.picto.fr/
They did a fantastic job, but they are a pro lab and not used to speaking English (or at least I really struggled as I don't have French...I am starting on my fifth language, but have not gotten to french yet...).

For film, I liked using 100 speed slide film, but in the evenings I wish I had more speed. If I were to go again, I would bring a ratio like 4 rolls ISO 100 E6 film, 2 rolls ISO 400 E6, 4 rolls ISO 100 BW, 3 rolls Tri-X.

 

[SRMC]

I spent a two week long honeymoon in Paris and London in 1999 and have to give a third nod to the need for comfortable walking shoes. After several days of walking I felt as though someone had beaten the soles of my feet with a baseball bat. Believe me, you'll spend far more time strolling than you can imagine, and it is no fun if your feet are in pain. Before the trip I thought my shoes were decent, but I wished I had a pair of Clark's or ECCOs or something similar.

Definitely take a tabletop tripod or a product like the Ultrapod. The Ultrapod is nice as it includes a velcro strap to permit you to tie your camera to railings where no horizontal surface is available. I was able to get some very nice night shots of the Arc de Triomphe and blurred traffic by standing in the center island of the Champs Elysees and placing my SLR/Ultrapod/cable release on a traffic barrier. That turned out to be one of my favorite photographs.

In regard to communication, I studied Spanish rather than French in high school, but my wife and I got along just fine. Using our English-French dictionary we were able to make ourselves understood, and after suffering through our butchering of the French language, many people volunteered that they spoke English.

I'd also consider taking a small p&s camera. There were times I didn't want to take my SLR or Canonet and instead carried only a pocketable Nikon Lite-Touch.

Have fun!

SRMC

 

[martin-f5]

my paris photos

Hi,

for me paris is posssible at a weekend, it's not so far away.
2001 in autum I visited this interesting city for some days.
I used my minolta XD7 wich was perfect for my work.
In the link above you can see what I've done.

My opinion is a 100 ASA b/w film and a camera with 50mm lense,
even at night you can get wonderfull pics.

I take APX 100 or fomapan 100.

If you are using slower lenses maybe a tri-X developed at 100 ASA would give you some "reserve".

regards

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

As well as wandering the streets try stopping and sitting in a locals' (not tourists') cafe bar and watching.

They won't mind if you just order a small coffee or beer and sit there for an hour or so listening to the music or keeping an eye on the tv and all the time watching the people inside and outside.

Also, early morning when people are going to work, going to the market and so on can be good. Say 7AM. Look down sidestreets for cafes where people are slugging back a coffee or brandy on a chilly morning.

If you have a hat and gloves try sitting outside anyway.

Daytime any ISO100 to ISO400 that you know and like will be fine.

 

[StuartR]

Though it sounds like you might have some French, even if you don't have any, it is worth getting a few down so you can just be polite. The typical phrases: Yes, No, Please, thank you, excuse me, I'm sorry, I don't speak French, do you speak English? and so on. Just having those phrases and getting them out as best as you can shows that at least you are trying to be polite. For my experience, I found the Parisians to be very friendly. Just don't wear shorts, hawaiian shirts, make a lot of noise and cut to the front of lines because you are American. I know that you won't do any of those things, but those are the typical offenses. I think it pisses off Americans living abroad more than the actual denizens of the country, but it is a pet peeve of everyone I know who has spent a lot of time abroad. I think 99% of RFF people from the US will be very good representatives of our culture abroad.

 

[ush]

going to Paris you can't miss the 'grand palais' lately re opened to public. bring your wide angle, it's really a piece of architecture !
most parisians speaks english, or like me a 'sort of' english, if you speak slowly you shall be understood =)
an off the road destination could be the 'marché de rungis' on early morning, you will meet the typical parisian 'titi' by the bars around the area. for a better immersion, do leave the baseball cap at home, and the smalest camera will be the better one.
others destination to be seen are 'le canal st martin' the metro station 'abesses' and do have a rest on the roof terrasse of the 'institut du monde arabe' looking at notre dame with a delicious mint tea in a hand, your favourite rf in the other.
have a good trip !

 

[cbass]

Ush,

Merci. Lovely photo of the grand palais.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[Michiel Fokkema]

Hi,

I'm quit often in Paris. Most of the times I have to work during the day but can shoot in the evening. For that i ue Neopan 1600 @ 1000 and a Lieca M6 with summiluxes. In my opinon this works very well.
For day shots I normally use slide film. Provia 100 or 400. I'd certainly would take a wide angle. For me 28 is ideal. I also carry the 35 and 50 Summiluxes.
The Marais is very nice to visit. There is also the Picasso museum which is a joy to visit and has nice oppurtunities to photograph. Same applies for the Rodin museum.
If you like food markets go to Rue Mouffetard. Not during lunch because then all the market people are at lunch.
The centre is alway intersesting but you certaintly should visit Il St. Louis which is like a small village in the big city. Wander a bit along the Seine.
If you have time to visit some camera stores go to the what they call the 'Boulevard des Photo'. It is the rue Beaumarchais. There are a lot of camera stores. They can be quit expensive though.
If spring is early this year I can recommend the canal st. Martin. If you have some spare time the fleamarkets in the North are very interesting.
Well, in the end i think any place in Paris is nice and interesting.

Have a nice trip,

Michiel Fokkema

 

[jaapv]

Oh man- this thread reminds me I haven't been there for years, and just over three hours drive away!! Where are my car-keys??!!Sound advice, all of this. But beware-once you are there you'll realise that Versailles, Reims (Champagne-tasting!) and Brussels, etc. are within a short distance... You'll have to return and return and return....

 

[sooner]

Wow, I came into work this morning and found all these great responses and suggestions--I'm making a list! For the record, I speak a little French and don't mind humiliating myself with it. I can't promise any good pictures upon my return, but I do promise to post some of them. Thanks again for all the suggestions. --John/Sooner

 

[Alec]

Hey folks, if it is not too late yet, I just stumbled upon this guide:
http://www.offrench.net/photos/articles/paris_photo.php

The guy, whom I don't know, shoots Canon DSLRs but gets pretty nice results, so his take is interesting!

 

[vincentbenoit]

Hey folks, if it is not too late yet, I just stumbled upon this guide:
http://www.offrench.net/photos/articles/paris_photo.php

The guy, whom I don't know, shoots Canon DSLRs but gets pretty nice results, so his take is interesting!

The guy's name is "Ffrench"... Ca s'invente pas!

Vincent

 

[ch1]

sooner,

I am so envious. The other night my wife and I had a pre-theater dinner at Cafe Un Deux Trois in Times Square and I mentioned how long it has been since we were last in Paris.

As someone here mentioned - bring some "woolies". I first went in April and had some really chilly and damp days (so much for Cole Porter and the "April in Paris" stuff). That said, with the many museums, cafes etc. there are plenty of indoor venues to enjoy.

Since you can take pics in the museums (but sans flash) don't forget to pack (or buy while there) some fast tungsten film. A monopod (which does double duty as a walking stick) might be useful there.

Bring the SLR for the wides, obviously the architecture demands it and you'll also want to take some long vista shots of the Seine and up and down the Boulevards etc.

Early morning/evening shots of the narrow streets always make for great B&W's.

If you catch a warm weekend day - go out to La Defense. The plaza fills up with all kinds of folks and will provide some nice street shot opportunties.

Have fun, eat and drink well.

 

[John Camp]

I was in Paris last summer and did most of my photography in museums, along with some street stuff (it's the best place in the world to shoot dogs, IMHO.) You can buy anything you need there, so you don't have to haul a lot of film, although it's more expensive than in the US. Pay attention to the people above who say you can't use flash in museums (besides which, you wouldn't use flash to shoot stuff in glass cases, or behind glass.) Do take, or get as soon as you arrive, some high-speed film; it works great in museums. You can have it developed pretty quickly, a few hours -- ask your hotel's concierge where to find a shop -- so you don't have to ask for hand inspection instead of x-rays at the airport security. If I were you, I'd have my cash changed to euros here in the states, at your own bank, and if you need it, I'd get more euros through a Visa ATM in Paris. DO NOT use the American Express exhanges in the airports or you will be rudely screwed. In my opinion, the most important photographic equipment you can take to either London or Paris is a decent pair of walking shoes; and they should look like real shoes, not like day-glo Nikes, so you can wear them with a sport jacket. Gel heal inserts are good.

I like Parisians. They're interesting people. And I like the food, art and women. The women, in an odd way, have always seemed to me like Texas women, discounting the latter's Big Hair. Though I wouldn't attempt to explain that.

JC

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Oh yes, lest you forget: En avril, ne te découvre pas d'un fil - weather is liable to be cold.

The first time I went to Paris was in early March; this is during some of the weirdest Winter weather in Minnesota. Being in Paris was a breeze (which tells you just how everything is relative), I didn't even need my gloves, but did wear my sweater, and sometimes did have to bring my coat, although I'd roast after walking for a while.

I heard somebody cry out, with a southern accent, "putain!, il fait froid de chez froid!" Never forgot it. 😉

Travel light. I took two cameras (two SLRs 😱 -- I didn't own a RF yet) and about six lenses; I managed, but I'm not sure I'd do that again.

HP5+ vs. 1600 Neopan? I'd say take the Neopan with you; you can find HP5+ in Paris at about the same in most places here in the U.S. (if you factor in shipping). That's my experience, anyway.

Bonne chance! (you lucky dog)