Fall colors in Japan

[GaryLH]

Hi all

My wife and I are planning to go to Tokyo and Kyoto during the time of fall colors this year. My normal vacation setup is
- Panasonic LX100 plus Ricoh GR along w/ the gw3

We plan to do the normal tourist type stuff..mainly on our own but w/ a few guided tours sprinkled in here and there. Most like something like a half day city type.

I was just wondering if I should bring a different setup. I was thinking of substituting one of the cameras w/
- Sigma DP0 for 21 fov and pano or
- Sony a6000 for high ISO and Zeiss Toit 12f2.8 and 28f2 FE lenses or
- Fuji xe1 and 14f2.8 and 27f2.8 mainly for Fuji colors
For a max of two cameras..

What would u do? Stick w/ my normal setup or mix and match differently keeping in mind two cameras max.

Thanks
Gary

 

[Mute-on]

We're about to leave Tokyo after 5 days, before that 3 days in Kyoto. Great trip. You will love it!

I brought along a couple of Leicas with 35 and 50. Could have easily lived without the 50. Sometimes missed something wider than the 35 for the close quarters of narrow streets in Kyoto and Tokyo (maybe 15-20 feet wide). For these you would do well with a 21.

In summary, 21, 35, a 70-90 if you have it, but no bother if you don't.

I agree with two bodies max (bodies, not systems). Take extra memory cards, and buy more at Yodobashi camera in Tokyo.

Most of all, enjoy!

Cheers

J

 

[GaryLH]

Thanks J

Sounds like my Panasonic LX100 will handle most of the workload. It's a matter of deciding how I want to handle 21 fov.

The way u described the narrow streets makes me think of the old parts of Europe where it was not narrow but at times in deep shadows due to tall buildings.

Gary

 

[dfatty]

the lx100 should be really good, with the gr to help for low light. i'm really trying to pare down for a trip coming up, and i've arrived at a somewhat similar set up, the canon g7x and the nikon A. i considered the lx100 but i already have the g7x and really love the touchscreen for quick vacation snaps, which speeds up the process so i don't have to make my wife wait too long, lol. i agree that something wider might be good for narrower streets and alleys, although the gr should be pretty good for that purpose.

i recently added a ricoh theta that i really enjoy. it's not a "serious" camera but it's a great way to preserve memories in a way you can't with regular cameras. will definitely bring that, too.

i'm also seriously toying with also bringing one of the merrills, it all still fits in a really small bag. 😀

 

[GaryLH]

One of the reasons I'm rethinking my normal vacation setup is I'm worried about what I may need for high ISO in some places like temples or other old buildings.. The lx100 is fine up to ISO 800 worst case of f2.8 but the Ricoh only gives me a stop better ISO from my experience thus the thinking about either the Fuji or Sony..

And in fact at 28fov on the lx100, the fstop is f2.1 so the high ISO ends up a push. The Ricoh ends up for street, 21 fov w/ the gw3 and a good backup camera.

The dp0 was because if it turns out that ISO 800 is all I need then those foveon fall color landscape shots are gonna be had to beat. It is acceptable in color up to ISO 800 and b&w up to ISO 1600. Stay below 400 for best results though.

Thanks for the input
Gary

 

[dfatty]

yeah, foveon for the fall shots would be nice. maybe bring one of the merrills (if you still have any) because they're smaller? i guess that would break the 2 camera rule though.

i just looked back at some old pics of mine in japan (some tokyo, most not), and i don't have any shots in a temple. plenty outside of temples. if i remember correctly it was a combination of not being allowed inside most temples and it not seeming appropriate at the time. but i can understand wanting something good for low light, even if it's not in a temple.

i also didn't take any shots wider than 24mm, but iirc i didn't have a wider lens with me, nor do i remember wishing i did. of course focal length choice is very subjective. imo you are well covered with the gw3 though.

 

[GaryLH]

After the last post, I remembered about this is a website called littlebigtravingcsmera. It is basically a blog by a European about his vacations and business travels using small cameras. What I found was that in a lot of southeast Asian locations he was shooting his 14f2.8 Fuji at f4 at 1/60 around ISO 1250-2000 in a lot of cases..which puts it at the very edge of the Ricoh GR+gw3..

Yeah I'm tempted to break the two camera rule..as well..

Thanks for the additional info
Gary

 

[dfatty]

Yeah I'm tempted to break the two camera rule..as well..

If there's a place to bring a lot of camera gear, or big ILC kit, it's Japan. No one looks twice, and it's very safe to carry around. 😀

never seen http://www.littlebigtravelingcamera.com/ i'll have to take a look.

 

[Mute-on]

I shot film in 100 and 400 (rated 200). I could have used 800 inside one temple and two markets (under cover walkways with more limited natural light).

I wouldn't take another body just for higher film speed. If you can get up to 800 you will be fine with digital and f2.8.

Japan is about walking. Don't take gear you might use once or twice. It will only weigh you down. The GR could easily cover everything. Every additional camera will add another 10% photo opportunities maximum.

Cheers

J

 

[Samouraï]

Well I'm going to vote for the Sigma dp0 Quattro. It's way too much fun, and not frustrating in my experience. A little awkward and large, but it's light and comfortable. May as well bring two cameras that serve different purposes. This is a great travel camera, however, and the extra battery pouch on the strap will get you through a day.

 

[GaryLH]

I shot film in 100 and 400 (rated 200). I could have used 800 inside one temple and two markets (under cover walkways with more limited natural light).

I wouldn't take another body just for higher film speed. If you can get up to 800 you will be fine with digital and f2.8.

Japan is about walking. Don't take gear you might use once or twice. It will only weigh you down. The GR could easily cover everything. Every additional camera will add another 10% photo opportunities maximum.

Cheers

J

Thanks..

Looks like 800-1600 ISO will cover me then.

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Well I'm going to vote for the Sigma dp0 Quattro. It's way too much fun, and not frustrating in my experience. A little awkward and large, but it's light and comfortable. May as well bring two cameras that serve different purposes. This is a great travel camera, however, and the extra battery pouch on the strap will get you through a day.

I'm really tempted... Fall colors w/ a foveon sensor... Probably gonna pack that day and c if I've got the room 😛

Gary

 

[peterm1]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Japan to walk the Nakasendo trail, an ancient feudal highway originally running all the way from Tokyo to Kyoto thru the mountains. Not much of it is left these days but there are still segments thru the mountains that are just as they were 200 years ago.

I can only tell you what I took into consideration when planning, as normally I would take a DSLR. That is not an option if walking on mountain trails is on the agenda even though the Naka Sendo is hardly "roughing it". So I wanted something light with a limited range of lenses to carry.

High quality images with good color of course is a requirement. And from experience so is good low light capability. You can get some nice shots at night but only in a camera that handles low light. While I do not wish to carry a large number of lenses I prefer fast high quality primes to slower zooms which also tend to have less good image quality. So my solution will be a Sony NEX 7 with a sigma 30mm f2.8 and a Sony 50mm 1.8. Both have excellent image quality. I did buy the NEX 7 with this trip in mind. I am not much one for wide angles so doubt I will need anything wider in most situations. I suppose I could break my rule about zooms and take the standard Sony zoom for the NEX system which goes to 16mm. But it's not really up to handling the 24 Meg sensor on the NEX 7 although it copes reasonably with the 16 Meg NEX F 3.

Rather than buying more lenses just for the trip I may supplement this with couple of Leica M mount lenses and adapter. Maybe a Leica 90mm f2.8 and / or a 75 mm f1.8 Voigtlander. I have a back up body in the form of a Sony NEX F 3 which produces surprisingly nice images and has excellent low light capabilities to ISO 3200.

I don't know if that helps you or not. But it may give you some issues to consider when thinking about your own lens and body options.

 

[GaryLH]

Thanks for the input...

Back in the day.. I used to get acceptable night shots at 400 but that was w/o movement. I thinking right now 1600 is the min. Need for high ISO. 3200 is probably the max I ever need in that situation. The Fuji and Sony I have can handle the situation..

For me this will mainly be a fun tourist vacation w/ my wife. Most of it I suspect will be the normal p&s tourist snap shots..nothing to write home about, just record the memories.

The fall colors is what makes me think about bringing a serious camera along. The shots in dark places was also where I was a bit worried. My original combo of lx100 and GR looks like it will work from what I can tell. My issue is the temptation to bring something better for taking shots of fall colors. 🙁

In your situation, I can understand going w/ primes. If I was healthier these days I would do something similar. The Zeiss Toit 12f2.8 is one spcial lens but only if your into ultra wides. The other Zeiss all Toit lenses are just average for Zeiss but better than the normal Sony e mount lenses. The 16-50 pancake zoom is pretty good in the center but edges aren't as good (at least my version, fine for snaps). The Zeiss version is better (16-70) but it seems to have enough manufacture ring variance that I'm not sure about it. In terms of primes, u can't go wrong w/ the Sigma e mount primes. I would also think about the new 30f1.4 if u want a fast prime and the 60f2.8 if u need a 90fov.

Focus peaking works pretty well and if u still have good visual acuity (getting old, mine is lousy), then your legacy glass could serve u well.

Have fun out there
Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Well the fall colors and DP0 foveon Magic looks like the deciding factor along w/ my 2 camera minimum rule. I've decided to replace the GR w/ the dp0. My main camera is gonna be the lx100. The dp0 stays in the sling bag until I need the 21fov or fall colors.

I'm shooting the lx100 ISOless at base ISO (200) for best dynamic range and tonality. It can go -2 exposure comp easily. After that I plan to kick in auto ISO for situations indoors that are constantly changing w/ max ISO at 1600. This should give me enough to handle most dark interiors w/o flash.

Gary

 

[dfatty]

gary, i just came back from my trip and i was sooo glad i brought the dp2m, it was the standout performer. the g7x was a good all arounder in decent light, while the Nikon A was the low light worker, but it was the dp2m that gave me all of my favorites. my only issue was that i was bracketing a lot and killing the dp2m batteries quickly. even though i brought 5 batteries, during the course of the week it was tough keeping them all topped up with a single charger - next time, i'll bring 2 chargers. but i'll probably never go on another trip without one of the merrills.

i think you'll be very happy bringing along the dp0q!