Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
When I travel "light", I travel with my Canon 300D and Leica M6, with a few lenses each. When I travel seriously light, I pack only my Leica M6. When I travel "normally", my back and shoulders suffer.
If you were going on a trip....
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Sean Moran
Established
I've just returned from a week in Cairo, carrying a Leica M2, a Leica M3, a Summicron 50mm, a Summaron 35mm f/2.8 with goggles, an Elmar 90mm f/4, a Sekonic L-308S meter, filters and a few rolls of HP5+. I carried the full kit everywhere (in an army surplus bag into which I'd velcro'd a Billingham insert) because the hotel staff gave a few indications of dodginess (upon which I'll elaborate if prompted). It was at the upper limit of comfortable carryi ng - walking for miles around the pyramids, downtown Cairo and the Coptic quarter. If I was happier with the hotel, I might have carried the just the M2 and lenses etc in the daytime (loaded with HP5+ rated at ISO200) and the M3 and lenses etc (loaded with HP5+ rated at ISO800) at night. As it turned out, I used mainly the rigid 50mm Summicron, but on the few occasions when I needed the 35mm or the 90mm, I really needed them.
By the way, on this trip I actually managed to avoid x-rays at all: flying Belfast - Heathrow - Frankfurt - Cairo return. Yes, even Heathrow relented this time. The only x-rays I couldn't dodge were at the Egyptian museum in Cairo - and the blighters wouldn't even let me take the camera into the museum after all that. One dosage to one film isn't worth bothering about - in fact half-a-dozen dosages would probably still do no harm - but I still try to avoid Roentgen's rays if I can.
Cheers,
Seán.
By the way, on this trip I actually managed to avoid x-rays at all: flying Belfast - Heathrow - Frankfurt - Cairo return. Yes, even Heathrow relented this time. The only x-rays I couldn't dodge were at the Egyptian museum in Cairo - and the blighters wouldn't even let me take the camera into the museum after all that. One dosage to one film isn't worth bothering about - in fact half-a-dozen dosages would probably still do no harm - but I still try to avoid Roentgen's rays if I can.
Cheers,
Seán.
raid
Dad Photographer
So it is a 35-50-90 combo that you chose. Glad to hear that your choices worked for your needs.
Sean Moran
Established
Yes, Raid, that 35-50-90 combination seems to cover everything I need. I did once feel that the macro capability was missing and took a Pentax SLR with a Tokina 90mm macro lens as well as the Leica gear on a foreign trip, but it was a lot of un-necessary weight for no real advantage. The few tight portraits I took of locals were horrible, whereas the Elmar 90 (and the Summicron 50) did so much better aesthetically IMHO.
Cheers,
Seán.
Cheers,
Seán.
raid
Dad Photographer
Sean,
I am tilting towards the 90mm/4 Elmar as a small light tele lens with excellent optical properties. The rigid Summicron 50mm lens came out as sharpest in my tests of 50mm lenses, so it may come along, and then throing in a 35mm would keep the weight manageable indeed.
Regards,
Raid
P.S. We were planning last summer to spend it in Cairo, but it did not work out. I had big ambitions for photography there.
I am tilting towards the 90mm/4 Elmar as a small light tele lens with excellent optical properties. The rigid Summicron 50mm lens came out as sharpest in my tests of 50mm lenses, so it may come along, and then throing in a 35mm would keep the weight manageable indeed.
Regards,
Raid
P.S. We were planning last summer to spend it in Cairo, but it did not work out. I had big ambitions for photography there.
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wtl
Guest
gosh...will all the talks take all the fun out of the trip?
sorta like going to mcdonald's that you know exactly what you are going to get?
sorta like going to mcdonald's that you know exactly what you are going to get?
FrankS
Registered User
wtl said:
The trip itself is still an unknown adventure, those of us who want to are just discussing how to prepare for it. 🙂
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wtl
Guest
FrankS said:
my feeling is that your wife will have a much better time than you will have, while you are doing all the preparations.
C
ch1
Guest
wtl said:
I don't think there is a "disconnect" b/w enjoyment and preparedness. It's true we all need some serendipity in life - but a totally unplanned trip can be a disaster too!
Frank has assembled a nice kit of gear, usable in a variety of circumstances. Deciding what components of that kit fit the circumstance of this particular trip is simply a logical way of exploiting what he has available to use.
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wtl
Guest
i hear you. sorry for the interruption.
clarence
ダメ
I find obssessing about my preparations quite therapeutic.
Everyday I prepare a schedule to plan out exactly what I will do on that day. I understand this isn't to everyone's taste.
Clarence
Everyday I prepare a schedule to plan out exactly what I will do on that day. I understand this isn't to everyone's taste.
Clarence
FrankS
Registered User
I quite enjoy the process of selecting gear in preparation for a trip. Think of it as analogous to foreplay. 🙂
Andrew Touchon
Well-known
FrankS said:
If it's an outdoor trip I would take My M6ttl .58 with 35 Summicron ASPH, 50 Summicron and 90 Rokkor. If I thougt I would be taking indoor shots I would add my 35 Nokton for available dark shots. If I thought I would need a second body I would add either my Bessa R3A with 40 Nokton, or Leitz Minolta CL with 40 Nokton, or my M6ttl .72 body.
Andy
jrong
Too many cameras
It really depends on where I am going. If it's to a city, then I tend to bring 2 cameras, one SLR and one rangefinder, a decent variety of lenses (all my rangefinder gear fits comfortably into one Domke FX5-B bag 🙂) and lots of film, and one set of spare batteries. No tripod and the mininum of filters.
If it's to the countryside, then I will still bring 2 cameras - 1 SLR and my Bronica SQAi mf camera, which has to come with a tripod, lenses, lightmeter, a whole collection of filters, etc. I don't get the concept of "travelling light" in this case, and tend to economise on packing clothes and other stuff rather than compromise on photographic gear. 🙂 I always try to bring MORE film than I think I need, and spare batteries, even though I don't think I need them. I'll cram all this into a LowePro MiniTrekker. One testament to how tough and rugged this bag is that it has withstood my cramming all my gear into it on so many occasions, and suffered torrential downpours etc. with no ill lasting effects. 🙂 A larger backpack might have been a wiser move, except that a MiniTrekker crammed full of my gear is about all I can carry without breaking my back...
Jin
If it's to the countryside, then I will still bring 2 cameras - 1 SLR and my Bronica SQAi mf camera, which has to come with a tripod, lenses, lightmeter, a whole collection of filters, etc. I don't get the concept of "travelling light" in this case, and tend to economise on packing clothes and other stuff rather than compromise on photographic gear. 🙂 I always try to bring MORE film than I think I need, and spare batteries, even though I don't think I need them. I'll cram all this into a LowePro MiniTrekker. One testament to how tough and rugged this bag is that it has withstood my cramming all my gear into it on so many occasions, and suffered torrential downpours etc. with no ill lasting effects. 🙂 A larger backpack might have been a wiser move, except that a MiniTrekker crammed full of my gear is about all I can carry without breaking my back...
Jin
pcfranchina
Well-known
Actually wondering the same stuff now. On Friday I am headin to Italy on a 2 week tour of about 12 cities. Pretty limited in luggage, only allowed 1 piece of luggage and a carry-on. So my gear will be my carry on. A domke clone bag with my R3a w/ my 40 1.4 and a konica 8mp digital. I think I want to keep it as simple as possible.... This way I can throw other stuff in there too.
raid
Dad Photographer
I may need a Domke small bag one day.
amateriat
We're all light!
My "travel" setup is about 95% identical my basic "working" setup (whether for my own work or for the occasional client): a pair of Konica Hexar RFs and a trio of lenses (28/50/90 M-Hex), small Konica HX-18 flash, bigger Nikon SB-20 flash (tip to fellow HRF users: the SB-20, as shown in the attached pic, is the unit to have when you need a lot of punch in a relatively small package; in addition, its dedicated sync function is compatible with the Hexar's), Wein slave unit, cable release, Glottos mini tripod, Palm PDA and cell phone, spare set of CR2 batteries for the HRFs, about 20 rolls of film, mini umbrella, and a paperback (this summer's reading list: the entire John Updike "Rabbit" canon...about time, too). All of which fits in my Domke F-803 Satchel (also in pic) which still slides comfotably under even a tiny regional airliner's seat (put to the test not terribly long ago when I had to make a same-day round-trip from NYC to St. Louis with two connections each way on planes off seemingly all possible sizes for commercial flight). Not traveling as light as humanly possible, of course, but more than light enough, and one hell of a lot lighter than I used to with SLRs.
I might add a pocket 35 to the mix once in a while if I'm feeling especially ambitious, most likely the Ricoh GR1 when it's finally repaired; in the meantime, there's my Konica Lexio 70 with its slower, somewhat more distortion-prone (at 28mm, anyway) zoom.
Bring enough film, travel as light as reasonable, keep your mind's eye open. Or, to use an old saying that I just made up, click with your surroundings, not just your camera. 🙂
- Barrett
I might add a pocket 35 to the mix once in a while if I'm feeling especially ambitious, most likely the Ricoh GR1 when it's finally repaired; in the meantime, there's my Konica Lexio 70 with its slower, somewhat more distortion-prone (at 28mm, anyway) zoom.
Bring enough film, travel as light as reasonable, keep your mind's eye open. Or, to use an old saying that I just made up, click with your surroundings, not just your camera. 🙂
- Barrett
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wlewisiii
Guest
When we went to northern Wisconsin for 5 days over the US Memorial Day weekend, I took the same bag I carry every day. It's a small Tamrac bag with my Canon LTM 135/3.5 & external finder, 90/4 prewar Elmar, my Sekonic L28C meter, misc do-dads & as much film as I can stuff into the cracks - 16 rolls that weekend (Only shot 5 of them, but hey, I might have shot more 🙂 ) - all to go with my CL and the collapsible Summicron that is normally mounted on it. If I ever get the 28/2.8 or 3.5 I'd like to have, it'll be shoe-horned into the bag too, probably at the expense of rolls of film 🙁
The only difference is if I'm planning the trip as an explicitly photographic outing. Then the Speed Graphic, Canon 7 & Canon FTb-N and their attendant kits come along as well depending on what I intend to photograph. The plus to this is the extra room for film in the bags... 😀
William
The only difference is if I'm planning the trip as an explicitly photographic outing. Then the Speed Graphic, Canon 7 & Canon FTb-N and their attendant kits come along as well depending on what I intend to photograph. The plus to this is the extra room for film in the bags... 😀
William
back alley
IMAGES
if travelling i always take 2 cameras as i'm way too neurotic to believe that if i take only one that it wont break down.
i would take the zi for ease of loading and meter.
i would take the cl, not for ease of loading, but for small size and light weight.
the cl would have a 40 (dreaming here as i don't have a working 40 on hand yet) the zi would have the 25 and i would take the 90/2.8 hex also.
no 35 or 50 as the 40 is gonna do double duty there.
and should it all fall overboard or get stolen, i have an m3 and a good 35 (& external finder) a 28 and several good 50's to come to😉
i would take the zi for ease of loading and meter.
i would take the cl, not for ease of loading, but for small size and light weight.
the cl would have a 40 (dreaming here as i don't have a working 40 on hand yet) the zi would have the 25 and i would take the 90/2.8 hex also.
no 35 or 50 as the 40 is gonna do double duty there.
and should it all fall overboard or get stolen, i have an m3 and a good 35 (& external finder) a 28 and several good 50's to come to😉
amateriat
We're all light!
Funny you should mention this. As all but one of my cameras (Konica Auto S3) is electronic in origin, the one ace I hold is that all but one of the electronic models (the OM-2s which I only occasionally work with) use the same battery, which makes keeping spares much easier.back alley said:
My travel set (like my working set) is usually my Hexar RF system, sometimes with my Ricoh GR1 coming along for the ride. They all use CR2 batteries for life-support, so carrying three spares in my bag – a pair for whichever Hexar poops out (each body can clear at least 100 36-exposure rolls before needing a new set, and I don't keep as close tabs as I might on when they were last replaced), plus one for the Ricoh, which is about as miserly as a p/s camera gets, provided I don't lean on the flash too much.
Keeping the variables down to a minimum is a good thing when you're truly on-the-move, photographically and otherwise. It makes it easier to be in the moment, wherever you are.
- Barrett
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