Gear Help? Driving Across N. America

S

Spleenrippa

Yes, Right There
Local time
12:00 PM
Joined
Dec 4, 2008
Messages
417
To tell the whole short story- I'm in the Canadian Forces (Avionics Tech) and my posting here in the west is over. I will be driving to Nova Scotia later this summer to assume my new position.

Driving time will be ~2 weeks. I haven't decided on my route yet, but I'd like to dive right down into the middle of the 'States, and then arc back up- eventually entering Canada again via Maine.

I'm having a trouble deciding exactly what to bring along with me.

Here's a list of 'o' my junk, copied from another of my threads:
Bessa R- J8 50/2
Bessa R3a- Nokton 40/1.4
Leica M3- 50/2 Summitar
Bronica ETRS- 75/2.8
Fuji gs645s 60/4
Nikon F90x- Nikkor 105/2.5
Nikon F80- Tamron 28-105
Canon 1DIIN, Canon T2I- 70-200 F4, 50/1.4, 50/1.8
Ricoh GRDII w/21mm adapter

Taking a rangefinder is a given, I think... The hard choice lays in deciding what companion camera(s) to bring along.
I'd love to bring a MF rig, but my ETRS is bulky and the FOV of the GS645S is nearly the same as my 40 Nokton- do I need that? :rolleyes:
The reach and 1080p video I get from my Canons would be great, but the bloody 1D+lens is monstrous and they both need their own chargers, etc.

The hardest part is that I need to pack myself, a bunch of clothes and my cameras into this :D:p:eek:
seether.jpg
 
Last edited:
ferider said:
"I'm A One Lens Kinda Guy": M3 + R3a + 40/1.4 (and nothing else) ?
Click to expand...

Haha, maybe I should make that, "one lens per body kinda guy."
It's tough, because while 35mm is ultra-portable, everyone loves the depth and tonality you can get with MF...
The digis allow me massive storage and a variety of focal lengths, should I feel I need them.

Hey, at least I'm not throwing my 4x5 gear into the mix. That's staying on the moving truck for sure!
 
Take the R3a/40 and the 645/60
drop down thru Yellowstone and Wyoming - very picturesque.
Go thru North Dakota and Iowa if you fancy endless fields of corn and soybeans
Stop in Chicago for some urban grit and to restock w/film
If you like aviation - the Oshkosh Airshow is July 26-Aug 1 - a must see
 
Take long lenses and lots of cash if you're planning on Osh. Don't plan on getting a hotel room, they're all spoken for.

I'd take i-70 across, go to southern utah (arches NP), denver, kansas city...
 
My own experience is that if I take too many cameras, I always feel I've got the wrong one in my hand. Simplify!

If you are going through South Dakota, you might want to check the dates of Surgis' Bike Week. You won't find a motel for 50 miles around it, and the traffic is terrific (good or horrible, depending upon whether you like to see thousands of poseurs on their Harleys.)
 
Easy-- Bessa plus 35mm lens and medium format of choice that has the widest angle (for landscapes).
I have done this many times with: Bessa+35mm lens, as well as either a Mamiya 645 with wide angle lens or the Rolleiflex.
-S.
 
Don't know what you shoot -- and it makes a difference.

Couple of thoughts:
After I bought the 40, I had a hard time taking it off the camera. It is very versatile.
On the other hand, in land like you're planning to traverse, I've always found a 100 very useful, sometimes short.

So, it seems the question is -- do you, will you shoot telephoto. If so that makes the choice pretty clear among that gear.

'nother question is, just cuz you are in a car, do you want different formats because you can, or do you want to simplify to one?

Yet another, if you are shooting mostly landscapes during that period, any reason not to go MF?

More questions follow those, but those might just start you down the path of eliminating options.
 
HCB did it with a single lens and Robert Frank did it with a bag full of lenses. Winogrand and Eggleston sort of one lens guys. Robert Adams a few lenses.
 
I've done the "drive across America" routine several times, and 15 years ago I actually hiked across America following interstate 10. 1 camera is more than enough for the task, just make sure you have enough film.

My favorite American main highway is interstate 40, which runs from Barstow California to Wilmington North Carolina. I got pictures of the signs at either end of the highway (in my boxes of slides back home), and countless pics of the places in between.

I like the old Route 66, which follows along I-40 for much of it's length. There are still quite a few old motels and restaurants along the way, a few reminders of the America of the 1950's.

Places like Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and numerous Old West towns are close enough to I-40 that they can be reached easily enough. On the east end of I-40 you can visit places like Memphis or Nashville. It's a great route.

I-10 passes through places like Jacksonville, Mobile, New Orleans, San Antonio, and Phoenix. There are quite a few interesting places to see, but the stretch across Texas seems to last forever (879 miles, if I remember correctly), the long empty stretches will put you in a daze, and probably take your mind off photography.

The more Northern highways are also nice enough, particularly going from Portland Oregon towards Ontario Oregon, and down toward Salt Lake City. But the southern highways remain my favorites for scenery and big spaces.

My old camera of choice was a Nikon f3 with a 20mm, 28mm, and 50mm lenses. I also had an old 300/2.8 ED which I used to get a few sunset pictures from the top of Sandia peak in Albuquerque.
 
You are driving in a car and you have to move it all East anyway, so just bring it all with you. Then select what to use as the situations present themselves.
 
Don Parsons said:
Not to change the subject, but does the OP have any Orca pix he wants to share? :)
Click to expand...


Just because I'm from- and live in- the Sunny Beaches of Canada, doesn't mean I'm loaded with shots of Orcas.
However, I can probably hook you up with a few shots of whales of a different kind if I look through my street negs :p
 
You're doing it wrong. You need a 20" X 24" view camera. And a mule to carry it. And another mule to carry the glass plates.

;-)
 
FrankS said:
You are driving in a car and you have to move it all East anyway, so just bring it all with you. Then select what to use as the situations present themselves.
Click to expand...


You did see my car above, right? Not exactly a full sized sedan.
I'm 5'6, and it is only just nearing shoulder height on me. The boot is big enough for a large-ish duffel and, say, a Domke F2.
A Domke F803 could fit in the cockpit with me on the passenger floor.


Edit: I should probably elbow height to mid-bicep... Er... Gah. How about we just say that she's damn short, with not a lot of cargo capacity?
 
Last edited:
Re the Airventure airshow in Oshkosh as a possible waypoint -- it's easy to drop in on without previous arrangements, as long as you're game to camp out. The on-site campground is huge and never runs out of space. When you check in, you pay for all nights through the end of the show. If you leave early, you're refunded pro rata. Photo-wise, since airshows are major telephoto territory, I should mention that there's a Canon photo concession on the grounds where, if you're in line by 7 am or so, you can check out a digital Rebel with long lens for the day.
 
I've been to Osh like, 25 times.
Camp Scholler sold out last year.
The Canon concession no longer caters to amatuers. I have this from the guy that runs it.
Osh is about money for the EAA and not the members, take it from me, a member who has flown his own airplane at his expense several times only to have to pay to have access to his own airplane. It's b@#$%^&*t.
 
Oshkosh info

Oshkosh info

Sorry you've had bad experiences at Oshkosh, Don. I don't mean to start a dialog because this isn't the time or place. Just want to note that www.oshkosh365.org has full info on the airshow and camping, etc., including forums for Q and A.

I've been there every year since 1988, mostly by car, and I've accumulated nothing but good memories. Well, and a few thousand photos.... ;-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom