Going to Iraq....MP + 35 or 50?

Going to Iraq....MP + 35 or 50?

  • 35mm Summilux Pre-Asph

    Votes: 126 67.0%

  • 50mm Summilum ASPH

    Votes: 62 33.0%
  • Total voters
    188
Consider an Olympus E-3 (or if you don't want to spend so much, an olympus E-1) and the 12-60 SWD lens as a backup. They're basically weatherproof/sandproof.
 
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LeicaTom said:
Leica + Desert Sand = Junk

I was in the first Gulf War (near the front lines and in the deep desert) and watched a friend`s M6 become junk....

Iraq has some of the finest sand grain in the world, it get`s into everything, even when it`s sealed, take some advice from someone who really knows, go down there with EXPENDABLE Canon or Nikon Digital Equipment, using a Leica in the desert went out in 1943, if you want a heap of useless junk take the MP down there, you will come back with nothing but regret, take a camera that you can throw away after the assignment trust me you will, unless you keep it as a fond memory, while it won`t be able to take photos anymore.....

Tom
Click to expand...



Tell that to this guy:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/70355737@N00/


He's shot with a wide variety of Leica (M7, M6, etc) in Iraq for over two years so far and his gear is still running strong.
 
I'd take a Pelican case with a ton of film and a dozen Olympus Styli. Just tell everyone you used a Leica. Good luck with the "calm, responsible" withdrawl.
 
Is this a serious post? I mean this with all respect (sometimes folks like to play games on here!) and a genuine curiosity. If so, I assume you are with the military or are damn good or have a great and patient editor, or all of the above! Why you would want to take a Leica to Iraq is beyond me but more power to you! Good luck, stay safe, and bring lots of tape. Oh, and my vote is for the 35mm Summilux.....in a bag next to your Canon 1Ds Mark III :)
 
Before you go try and get a hold of some of Wilfred Thesiger's books, especially "Arabian Sands" and "The Marsh Arabs." And if your'e really lucky his "Visions of a Nomad". He travelled and lived for years in some of the world's last remote places carrying a Leica 11 in a little goat skin bag to protect it from the sand. His photos in "Visions" depict a world now, unfortunately, changed for ever. By the way up until 1950 when he bought Elmarit 35 and 90 lenses, he only ever used a 50.
 
Seeing how this is a serious topic; I don't have the dollars for an MP nor a 50 mm Summi, as a result I don't know what the images might even look like. I'd take a couple of Olympus XA's and a couple of 120 Holga's. Everyone has good stuff... why replicate work being done with more expensive equipment. That's my advice.

FWIW, try avoid getting shot by friendly fire if you aren't an imbedded photographer.
 
Are you serious man? I mean look at tightsqueezes photos on flickr, there is also a current thread on photonet, with photos of the wounded, check out your local PBS station(we get it here in oz)they regularly show the K.I.A. lists. You will have a Leica, but they`ve got CANNONS & BOMBS, so unless you`re in the military & have too go, DON`T !
 
When I was in Iraq for 7 months, I took an M6, an OM-2n and I exported a Nikon D100 to myself whilst I was out there. The only problem I had was with the D100 which would occasionally stop working in extreme heat. I cleaned out the cameras fairly regularly - once a week or so - and kept them all in CCS cases when not in use. I wasn't in the Green Zone in Baghdad and thus was scanned exactly zero times whilst I was out there, and the film I used - Provia 100 - didn't seem to suffer in the heat, although I kept it in one of those X-ray proof bags. As for lens choice, I took a 28 and a 100 for the Olympus, a 50 for the Leica and a 24-85 for the Nikon.

Any questions, feel free to ask.
 
Ignoring the man-made risks, which I am not qualified to judge, I'll join the chorus that suggests you take a second body. I do not believe for an instant that the Leica will be instantly trashed by the sand, as long as you are reasonably careful, but anything made by man can stop working. Using Leicas in India during the dusty season, I've brushed them off carefully before putting them away in Ziplocs when I'm not using them, but otherwise, I just use 'em.

I am however slightly puzzled at the original question. I'd have thought that anyone going somewhere like this, with such strong ideas about film (even film type) and about the project itself, would also have strong ideas about lenses. I'd take a 35mm and wouldn't even consider 50mm; my wife would take a 50mm and wouldn't even consider 35mm.

Cheers,

Roger
 
If you insist on taking only one lens, take the 35:

- More DOF at the same stop.
- Better for interiors (buildings, vehicles).
- Can be hand held at least one shutter speed slower than a 50 and still make a sharp image.
- More compact.

My .2 cents?

Take both. Just stick the spare lens in your jacket pocket. The extra reach of the 50 will at times come in very, very handy and if one lens is damaged, you'll have a backup. I also recommend getting a cheap backup body, even if it is a Bessa. The M4-P may be a good pick. They are undervalued in the market and very tough. Basically it's an M6 without the meter and better framelines. Stay away from the M4-2, even if it is the bargain of the decade. Quality was spotty on these. They either work or are flaky.

Also get a multicoated Schneider B+W UV filter to protect the front element from sand. Normally I don't use a UV filter, but when I used to live in the States and visited the desert they were a lens saver.

Good luck and be safe.
 
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Now that I've had my morning coffee and am actually awake, here's a question:

Why are you going to Iraq, unless you are in the military or a contractor?

I'm not a PJ, so I do not claim to be an expert on this subject, but I do know that Iraq is an incredibly dangerous place not only for westerners, but pretty much any one over there. You really can't just leave your compound and wander around the place, without armed protection and even that does not guarantee your safety. This isn't Sarajevo in the 1990, where there was a distinct front line. If you just wander the streets of Baghdad you are pretty much guaranteed to end up dead or being kidnapped.

Inquiring minds would like to know...
 
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At first, I thought I would vote for the 35mm. But considering that filter cannot be added unless you put on the round 12504 hood, the 35mm Summilux pre-asph then becomes less convenient to use. The hood may also prevent you from turning the aperture ring often, especially when you are in acute conditions. So I probably will vote for the 50mm Summilux.

Afterall, is going to Irag the only choice? Better think twice.
 
My guess is that it's a government sponsored project based on bits in the posts here. Not strictly PJ or military. While I can say that one MP & lens is not how I would approach what little is known about the job, I'm not the one doing the job either. <shrug>

An EOS-1 N-RS (weather sealed, pelical mirror so no slap or blackout) and something like the 24-70/2.8 L would probably be a better choice in many ways.

William
 
If the US mandate is not renewed by the end of year, there will be no US personnel allowed in Iraq after December 31. Maybe his trip will be a short one?
 
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Carried a Nikonos V down the Grand Canyon, and up and down Flat Top Mountain with a slide down Andrews Glacier, very minimal equipment, and no worries about dust, water, snow. Long before cell phones and bad knees.

Also very compact, but it seems there is a camera story to go along with the photos.

Am thinking 35mm focal length, and possibly a separate finder.

Since your film is being flown out, assume stuff can be flown in, so if something breaks, replacements are not out of the question.

Sounds rather a question in philosophy rather than practicality, one camera, one lens, one film? One Yellow filter?

Regards, John
 
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