Gear Choices for Big Bend National Park?

[Beemermark]

Big question is how are you traveling? If by car you can carry a lot. If your flying in and renting a car that's a lot to carry. What are you interested in photographing. I just got back from Yellowstone NP which involved a lot of plane transfers and layovers. I really wanted to take my D700 and two or three lenses but opted for my M9, 35/50/90 as being lighter and easier to carry. Could have used the 300mm or 500mm for some wildlife shots but was happy with what I had. Think I might have done as well with my Fuji XE-2 and a couple of zooms.

Point is (1) what is important to photograph, landscape or wildlife. (2) how much can you really carry (3) pick one system and a minimal amount of bodies and lenses. Don't forget filters (especially the split horizon ones), batteries, and all that other small stuff.

 

[Rob-F]

We will go in the Toyota 4-Runner (4 wheel drive). Plenty of room for gear and a wife. But I'm still considering not being bothered with too much gear. I'm getting old (getting?) and it gets to be burdensome!

I mainly like to shoot impressive vistas, as if I were filming an epic movie in Todd-AO. You know, something like Laurence of Arabia. Hence the preponderance of wide-angle lenses, including SWC and XPAN. Throw in a few closeups of flowers and other little stuff for variety. I could go lightweight with Leicas for the 35mm shots; but gee, then I'd have to leave some of my neat Nikkors behind, like my new (to me) 70-180mm Micro-Nikkor. And my PC Nikkors. Oh, well. Decisions, decisions!

 

[michaelwj]

Sue and I will go to BBNP for several days in mid to late March. We will stay in a hotel nearby. I'm going to follow my usual practice of bringing more gear than I can possibly use in such a short time. Here are my thoughts:

I will bring the Hasselblad 500C/M to shoot Velvia, cropped to a 2:1 aspect ratio for projection on my screen of the same ratio. I have 40mm CFE, 50mm CFE, 60mm CF, 80mm C, 100mm CF, 150mm CF. On account of the cropping to 2:1, the widest lenses will get used the most. Any recommendations for which focal lengths should go (40 and 50 definitely) and which could stay behind for this subject? I was thinking to take the 40, 50, 80, and maybe the 150. So I'm questioning if I should bother with the 60 and 100mm. I will leave the SWC behind, as I need to use reflex viewing to compose in 2:1 ratio (I have it marked on my viewing screen).

I will bring the XPAN, but as I have only the 30mm and 45mm lenses, there is no decision to be made there.

The other decision is whether to bring the Nikon system, with D700 and FM3a; or go lighter with my M9 and MP. For Nikon, I have just about every focal length from 15mm to 300mm. I'd like to leave the 300 behind, in which case the longest would be 180mm. And the 15mm would stay home, in which case the widest would be 18mm, unless someone knows a reason why the 15mm would be needed at Big Bend.

For Leica, I have 15mm through 90mm. I would bring a 21 or 24; a 28mm; 35mm; 50mm; and either 75 or 90. I think I want to go small and lightweight with the Leica outfit, and leave the Nikons at home. Comments?

As a rule, I have found that for outdoor photography, 24mm is wide enough. Is there a need for anything wider at Big Bend? I'll bring wider if there's a reason to.

I want to reduce decision-making and confusion while shooting by pre-selecting the best gear, based on the experience of those who have been there, and leaving the rest home. So thanks for any comments you may have!

Oh, yeah: Where are the good places to shoot? And I have a Toyota 4Runner, and can handle rough roads; but may very well take it easy, just bring the wife's Honda, and skip the mountaineering. I've gotten old. So thanks for any and all advice.

Underlined:

At least you know your style!

My bolding:

So, A Hasselblad 500 with 4 lenses, XPan with 2 lenses and either;
1. A "heavy" kit with Nikon and some number of lenses from 18-180mm, or
2. A "light" Leica setup with 5 lenses.

It might be just me, but once I've got a full 4 lens Hasselblad 500 kit, and an XPan, adding a Leica kit doesn't make it light!

My comments:

We'll take the Hasselblad kit as a given. I've no experience in what lenses to take for it.

I think with the XPan you can cut out a lot of the Leica setup, you can always use the XPan non-pano if you want, and so there's plenty of overlap. But I can see that the Leica can be a lot smaller and lighter than the XPan. So how about the XPan kit plus a 3 lens Leica kit with a 24mm, 50mm, and 90mm?

A day could be done with a mix and match selection of the above. Say the 500 with the 50mm and 150mm, Leica with a 50mm, and the Xpan with a 30mm for instance. Or just the XPan with the 45mm and the Leica with the 90mm for trips further from the car. Or the whole lot from the car!

FWIW if I had that gear the first thing I'd do is sell most of it, and then take the Leica with a 35mm (or 28mm) for the trip and enjoy myself without worrying about what to take 🙂

 

[Beemermark]

We will go in the Toyota 4-Runner (4 wheel drive). Plenty of room for gear and a wife. But I'm still considering not being bothered with too much gear. I'm getting old (getting?) and it gets to be burdensome!

Oh, well. Decisions, decisions!

Understand completely (both about getting old and making decisions). One thing I've learned though is that if you take everything along, you've simply delayed the decision making until you arrive at the scene. And when you get to that spot that you want to capture on film you'll be trying to decide what camera and what lens to use. You'll be digging through all the bags, everything will end up in the wrong place never to be found again when needed.

Trust me, been there done that.

 

[JoeV]

While you're in the area, you should visit Marpha. Be sure to visit on the back half of the week, as all the pubs are open then. And have a bite after the late night grilled cheese parlor.

~Joe

 

[raid]

Enjoy the trip. Focus on tranquility and silence, with mother nature providing you the best shows possible. As for equipment choice, take with you what makes you feel good about it. I would pick the Xpan and a Leica with a 35mm lens. This is sufficient.

Have fun.

 

[splitimageview]

One thing I've learned though is that if you take everything along, you've simply delayed the decision making until you arrive at the scene. And when you get to that spot that you want to capture on film you'll be trying to decide what camera and what lens to use. You'll be digging through all the bags, everything will end up in the wrong place never to be found again when needed.

Best answer. 🙂

Sometimes photographers worry more about having every possible piece of gear so as to not miss any potential shots, than they do about enjoying the trip itself.

 

[raid]

I therefore suggested to take along only two lenses.
A panorama view with the Xpan and a "standard" view with a 35mm lens on a Leica.

 

[splitimageview]

Yes, earlier I stated I would just take the Xpan; it can shoot both pano and regular. Maybe take a second camera with a faster lens.

 

[raid]

A back-up camera is good to have on such a trip.

 

[brennanphotoguy]

That's way too much stuff. Take the SWC, 500c/m with a 60mm and 100mm, XPan with the 45mm and an M with a 28, 35 or 50 and a 90. I wouldn't want to travel with even that much stuff. I went on a trip to Joshua Tree for 5 or 6 days and just took my Yashica T4, M3 with a 28/50 combo and my Rollei.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I would just take one format. Seeing as you have an extensive kit in Hasselblad, take that stuff and be happy. You also won't need to worry about lugging along a bunch of batteries for a digital Nikon SLR. I also wouldn't take a digital camera bigger than a point and shoot.

Last October I applied for the Big Bend artist in residency program and didn't make the cut but my kit was going to be a large format camera and a point and shoot. That was for a month. Don't let gear selection get in the way as the desert light rapidly changes. You can only shoot one at a time so just go with that one. I know I change lenses way too much but in the end shoot mostly with two lenses on my 35mm kit. If shooting 120, I use a set of Mamiya 6 bodies with all three lenses available and the closeup attachment. It's not too hefty but not too light either; but it certainly isn't a platoon of Hasselblad 120, Hasselblad XPan and a 35mm kit. That's just way too much. In the field, it's also too much gray matter usage thinking about what will capture the scene best. Just shoot it and make the best of what you have.

Anything wider than 28mm in 35mm format or about 40-50mm in 120 is going to be too wide for vistas. You lose a lot of detail unless you are up really close with <28mm equivalent FOV. The Hassy SWC is your wide so then take an 80mm and the Makro-Planar if you want to get it. It would still be useful for landscapes and you have the utility of a macro.

You probably don't want to be driving with $10,000+ in photo gear in your car as well. Yes, you may not be far away from it much but if you bring too much in the vehicle, you're not going to be able to carry it all and SUVs are very easy targets as all the goodies inside are visible through the windows.

In a nutshell, you're on vacation. Enjoy it by packing light and shooting what you really like seeing. It isn't all meant for documentation. It took me years to learn to just relax and enjoy life instead of documenting it.

Have a wonderful trip!

Phil Forrest

 

[ktmrider]

I was in the Big Bend on Friday touring on my motorcycle. I have been down there a lot. Go light, perhaps just the SWC and blad.

Their are lots of back country 4X4 roads. However, the terrain for hiking can be rough so have good footwear with ankle support. Do not forget Big Bend State Park which is 50 miles west of the national park. Farm Road 170 to Presidio from Lajitas is one of the most scenic in the state. There is even water in the Rio Grande (that is not as common as you would think) so some scenic photos from the road incorporating the river. And things are green at the present time.

Don't worry about drug smugglers or border crossers (spoken from the expertise of a retired CBP pilot). Don't worry about bears or panthers (present but rare). However, as someone said "everything in the Big Bend will either bite, prick or sting" and that is a very true.

Finally, don't forget water. Temps last week were in the low 70's during the day and down to 40's at night. However, the dry relative humidity will suck moisture out of your body.