How many cameras do you take on a long trip?

How many cameras do you take on a long trip?

  • 1 camera

    Votes: 93 14.4%

  • 2 cameras

    Votes: 313 48.4%

  • 3 cameras

    Votes: 173 26.7%

  • 4 cameras

    Votes: 39 6.0%

  • 5 cameras

    Votes: 13 2.0%

  • more

    Votes: 16 2.5%
  • Total voters
    647
I think the most I ever took would have been something like a Yashica TL Super, Fujica ST 901, 18mm, 28mm, 50mm, 50mm macro, 135mm, 80-200mm, various filters, film, Yashica 124 MAT G, film, and various odd accessories, including a extension tubes, tripod and flash. That in as small a bag as it would fit in, travel by bus and train and shanks mare up and down mountains in Korea. At least after the theft of the 124 MAT and its replacement with a Mamiya Super Press 23, I had a car, but I still did a lot of walking up and down mountains to photograph scenery, shrines and temples. I was younger then and less smart I guess. As time went by I acquired more lenses and other accessories and a large canvass bag, but with a car the walks were often shorter.

I try to be smarter now and make better decisions as to what I will be wanting to photograph and what will reasonably be needed to do that with, not trying to take everything "just in case." I have put together a kit of a Yashica FX 103, FX3 (backup), 18-28mm, 28-70mm macro, 75-150mm, some few accessories as desired, a dedicated flash for sure, a Welta 6x6/645 folder, and film. It sure is easier to carry and seems to fit most of the lens lengths I normally use.

I am older and don't enjoy a lot of weight. Hard to believe I used to carry all that!
 
In my SLR days I took 2 bodies and 4-5 lenses. Now I travel light. and take my M6TTL usually with 35 and 90mm lenses. I might take a 50 as well but have found in the past that it doesn't get used. I also used to pack an XA or a mju-ii as a spare but tended to never use that either. My last trip abroad was three days in Amsterdam with the M6 and a 50 Elmar. Hardly the trip of a lifetime but I'm not sure I missed the extra kit.

Mark
 
Flying commercially, I travel light. Usually an FTN with a couple of lenses and maby a digital.
If I don't have to be light. it'll be two FTN's with lots of lenses for slides. either a GSN or Retina for B&W, and maybe the digital. 😎
 
NIKON KIU said:
...say 5 or more days...
Click to expand...
You mean for the weekend? Just one usually. 😉

Sorry for being a smart-ass. I voted "two", because that's what I took when I left last September. Any more, and it'd be a pain to carry. Any less, and I'd have nowhere to put the colour film. 😀
 
These days, usually two.

Either an S3 or the SP, plus a p&s backup, which for some time now has been a Canon Powershot G1 digital (very nice images at ISO 50 and 100). For lenses, usually the 28, 35, 50 and 105.

If I were shooting photos in a photojournalism situation, which I don't do much of any more, I'd bring two film bodies and replace the 28 with a 21 or 25, and also replace the 105 with an 85/135 combo.
 
I usually take one camera and one lens. I really hate baggage...The xpan and the 45 is working great. I can shoot regular 35mm with a 45mm lens or pano which is equivalent to a 25mm. So I have normal and wide angle with the same camera. I did bring a holga on my last trip, but that fits into my xpan bag and it is very light, so I don't really consider it another camera...
 
I have not traveled for a while but if I was on an exended trip, it would actually be the Olympus OM-1 with a 50 f1.8, a 28 f3.5 and the 70-150 telephoto zoom. The kit does not weigh a ton and I know the OM-1 has never failed me. That is for now if I am leaving first thing in the morning. If I had say 6 months, I would be using a Voightlander R3a with the 40 Nokton and a 75 Helier, keep it real simple. None of this carting 3+bodies and lenses.

Bill
 
I judge it like Raid does, depending on what the location is like -- whether I think I'll be shooting an average amount or more. On a long trip, I'm probably going with my girlfriend, and she'll want to bring either her F3 (with AIS 50/1.7 and AF35-70) or "our" D200, and I'll bring the Canon 7s with Canon 50/1.2 and CV 35/2.5. If it'll be somewhere particularly scenic or interesting, we might bring all three, and I might toss in a Tokina 12-24 to go with the Nikon. We did it once, and it wasn't bad to pack, but we were staying in a pretty trustworthy hotel and didn't feel weird about leaving anything.

It's nice being able to split camera options/carrying responsibilities with your loved one. If we ever have kids and I won't need a flash stand.
 
For a long trip, e.g. driving the west coast of the USA when you live in the UK, I took -

Canon 20D with two lenses
Canon !NHS for with one lens for slide film
Konica 500Z P&S digital

and my wife would take her Canon 300D

Plus a laptop for downloading photos, email, DVDs, etc
 
As a matter of fact in my short daily trip to work and back, I am already taking two fixed lens cameras, of the biggie size.

As for what I may consider a long trip, after seeing the ongoing results of the poll, better I keep quiet.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
Just returned from 7 day shoot in Sicily with my normal assignment kit
Ricoh GR-1
2x RD-1 + 12, 15, 21, 28, 50 mm CVs R2 as back up body + 85mm
Pentax LX body + 17mm f4 [fisheye] 28mm shift, 80-200 zoom, 2x converter, lensbaby
xpan + 45mm,90mm +filters
noblex [28mm panoramic]
tripod
1x vivitar 2500 flash
1x vivitar 283 flash, slave, umbrella, mini soft box, quantum bantam battery
2x mini slave flashes
Gossen digiflash meter
laptop
8X 1 gb SD cards
Epson 2000 hard drive/viewer
10 rolls velvia 100
10 rolls provia 400
2 rolls SFX "infrared"

So thats actually seven cameras! [and 4 28mm lenses!] 🙂

The xpan kit, the Pentax stuff , the R2/85 and most of the flash kit [only used the 2500] didn't get used on this trip but you never really know, shot a whole week in Venice last month, only used the panos and the film camera with "odd"lenses, and all the lighting kit , shooting in a restaurant kitchen...............
All fits into a Billingham Hadley pro and a rolling"porter" case, tripod in checked luggage!
Clive
 
Last edited:
anglophone1 said:
Just returned from 7 day shoot in Sicily with my normal assignment kit
Ricoh GR-1
2x RD-1 + 12, 15, 21, 28, 50 mm CVs R2 as back up body + 85mm
Pentax LX body + 17mm f4 [fisheye] 28mm shift, 80-200 zoom, 2x converter, lensbaby
xpan + 45mm,90mm +filters
noblex [28mm panoramic]
tripod
1x vivitar 2500 flash
1x vivitar 283 flash, slave, umbrella, mini soft box, quantum bantam battery
2x mini slave flashes
Gossen digiflash meter
laptop
8X 1 gb SD cards
Epson 2000 hard drive/viewer
10 rolls velvia 100
10 rolls provia 400
2 rolls SFX "infrared"

So thats actually seven cameras! [and 4 28mm lenses!] 🙂

The xpan kit, the Pentax stuff , the R2/85 and most of the flash kit [only used the 2500] didn't get used on this trip but you never really know, shot a whole week in Venice last month, only used the panos and the film camera with "odd"lenses, and all the lighting kit , shooting in a restaurant kitchen...............
All fits into a Billingham Hadley pro and a rolling"porter" case, tripod in checked luggage!
Clive
Click to expand...


How do you like your Pentax 17mm/4 lens and if you were to sell it, what would you ask for it? Your Noblex reminded me of my Horizon panorama camera. Wouldn't it be cool for the Great Wall of China?!
 
Since both my wife and I shoot together, it's 3 dslr's, 1 film slr, Bessar R + J8 or Leica IIIa + Summar, MF RF folder or MF slr and/or 4x5 Speed Graphics.

That's what I'm planning for 3 weeks in BC this summer.

If I'm driving, then the 4x5 monorail comes also 🙂
 
I really like only taking one camera, too many times if you have a big kit you find yourself fumbling for that other lens or separate bpdy and you miss that desicive moment, i love having the fuji and having no possible way to expand my kit, i just grab it and go. Then at least i figure i can at least make an exposure and even if it would have looked better if i took it with a 50mm instead of a 28mm at least i have something, instead of just standing there awkwardly on the street trying to put another lens in. It seems everyone has to bring a "back-up" body, but isnt the reason we shell out big bucks for the Leica or fuji or ZI is for the reasurance that it isnt going to break and is well made? I have no problem trusting that my camera will not malfunction anywhere, and i dont think anyone with an m7 or an mp or even a recently CLA'd anything should be either.
 
Why would it fail, all normal persons take one camera with them, if i'd have a couple of cameras it's because they are diferent, one shoots color and the other b&W or one with a wider range of shutter speeds, one collapsible and the other isn't...But why would it fail??

I think any of the cameras the members around this forum use are mechanically less vulnerable to failure...
 
nomade said:
Why would it fail, all normal persons take one camera with them, if i'd have a couple of cameras it's because they are diferent, one shoots color and the other b&W or one with a wider range of shutter speeds, one collapsible and the other isn't...But why would it fail??

I think any of the cameras the members around this forum use are mechanically less vulnerable to failure...
Click to expand...

Still, I can't go often to Mongolia and I don't want to take the risk my camera fails me or gets stolen on my trip and I'm left with no (useable) camera. So, I bring a backup. Mechanically these cameras are all capable enough but dust, rain, cold, heat, impact from a fall, or theft can render any camera out of service. And it's not like I can replace it on the spot.
 
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