Lens Advice (Alpine Trip) Needed

[c.poulton]

I don't usually go in for the typical what camera/lens advice postings as I find these are usually very personal choices, however in this case this is something very new for me...

In a couple of weeks I am going to the French Alps for a weeks trekking / walking / biking holiday. Based in an Alpine ski resort I will have a base from which to set out each day.

Now my question is: I want to try my hand at shooting some landscapes / mountains etc. - something new for me as I tend to shoot street by and large, so what kit do I take - go wide, long, or both?

My choices are:

SLR: Pentax P30t
Pentax K 135mm f/2.5 Takumar
Pentax A 35-70mm f/1.4
(or Chinon 35-100mm f/3.5-4.3)
Pentax A 50mm f/2
Miranda MC 24 f/2.8

Any advice would be useful.......

or

RF: Leica M2
Leica 90 f/4 M ELMAR Collapsible
Leica M DR 50 f/2 SUMMICRON
VC Color-Skopar 21 f/4.0

 

[mfogiel]

Normally in the mountains, you would like to have something like 35mm and 135mm, the first for a broader view, the second for some field compression, as usually the distances are big. I would go for the RF kit, as it is lighter, so 21, 50 and 90.

 

[Riverman]

From the kit you have I would take one of your zooms plus the 24. In the last year I've made trekkingtrips to Alaska (took a 20mm and a 40mm Voigt + Nikon FM), Scotland (Canon S90) and North Norway (D700 with a 24 and a 50).

Over these trips I've realised that the S90 is great but simply not tough or weather resistant enough and the sensor is too small for enlargements beyond 8x10. The Nikon Fm and Voigt lenses is great for trekking - hard as nails but quite light. Downside is that I needed to carry a variety of film speeds for changing light conditions, especially around dusk and dawn.

Being mainly into street/candid I've always avoided zoom lenses. My last trip (to Norway) has however persuaded me of the advantage of getting a zoom. Changing lenses on a mountainside is a pain in the butt. Over the last year, I've also begun to see the benefits of digital for this type of shooting. Autofocus far from essential unless shooting wildlife.

Take a polarizer if you have one. Assuming you're shooting colour I'd carry some Provia 400 in addition to whatever daylight film you carry. Some faster film will be handy in twilight. I wouldn't bother with a tripod but do figure out a decent system for attaching your camera to the front of your pack harness so you always have it ready. Light changes fast and you don't want to miss shots while fishing around in your pack or changing a lens.

 

[Riverman]

Links

d700 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbk21/sets/72157630058818297/

S90 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbk21/sets/72157629132351500/

Fm http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbk21/sets/72157627548714817/

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

I've just come back from Seefeld in Austria and we've been hill walking in the Austrian Tyrol for the last twenty five years or so.

I would take the Leica kit. It's small and relatively light, which I guarantee you will be glad of, round about mittag. In my experience, a superwide is essential for urban areas and interiors, the 50mm will get the most use and the 90mm will do very nicely for concentrating on the scale of the mountains.

 

[BobYIL]

Have been to the Alps five times, all motorcycle tours. I have used the 24mm probably 95% of the photographs (like the ones above), 50mm and 105mm for the rest. I used a Nikon F plain prism for the convenience of taking out the prism for low-angle shots with the 24. Get a few rolls of Velvia 50 and when you slide-show back home you live once again "being there"...

 

[c.poulton]

Many thanks for all the advice.

I'm leaning towards taking the Pentax with 24, 35-70 zoom (or 50) & 135.

I would not be too keen to take the M2 with me on long day hikes, probably in bad weather, (plus a light meter). At least my Pentax is cheap plastic (so I wouldn't worry too much about it getting dropped or damaged), has a built in light meter and the zoom, as Riverman suggested, might be quite useful to save having to change lenses that often?

I'll take a range of B+W film with me of differing speeds, although with quickly changing light, ideally I would carry two film bodies - (possible as I also have a Pentax Super A), but do I really want to haul them around all day?:bang:

 

[MartinP]

M2, 35 and 90 would be "trad", but otherwise the 50 and 90. The little Voigtlander is very small so take it too, but it wouldn't really be used that much I guess. A Leicameter MR would work fine on the M2.

The main thing you miss from your list is a (padded?) case to hang on the hip-belt or shoulder strap, so the camera is actually accessible! Nothing reduces the fun more than every shot taking five minutes due to removing the rucsac to get at the camera.

The M2 is more durable then the plastic Pentax I'd bet. Use ISO400 b+w film and you can pull it or push it as required, or use Portra400 for colour. If you want stunning, grainless, landscape shots use a tripod and a Mamiya 7 or a folding 5x4" camera, not 35mm 😉

 

[c.poulton]

M2, 35 and 90 would be "trad", but otherwise the 50 and 90. The little Voigtlander is very small so take it too, but it wouldn't really be used that much I guess. A Leicameter MR would work fine on the M2.

The main thing you miss from your list is a (padded?) case to hang on the hip-belt or shoulder strap, so the camera is actually accessible! Nothing reduces the fun more than every shot taking five minutes due to removing the rucsac to get at the camera.

The M2 is more durable then the plastic Pentax I'd bet. Use ISO400 b+w film and you can pull it or push it as required, or use Portra400 for colour. If you want stunning, grainless, landscape shots use a tripod and a Mamiya 7 or a folding 5x4" camera, not 35mm 😉

Very good points Martin:

- I could take my VC 35 plus Elmar with the M2 and leave it at that?
- Didn't think about a carry case - your right, having to reach into my rucksack every time I want to take a shot would be SO annoying!
- Shame you can't push/pull film mid roll 🙂
- Unfortunately I'm limited to 35mm so I'll try to get the best results that I can.
- M2 meter, I still have my old VCII meter somewhere.....

 

[John Bragg]

Leica with 35 and 90 plus Pentax and 35-70 zoom as a backup.

 

[c.poulton]

Leica with 35 and 90 plus Pentax and 35-70 zoom as a backup.

Thanks John 🙂

I do like to have backup kit with me when I travel for piece of mind - there's nothing worse than travelling to a 'remote' location and having kit fail on you.:bang:

 

[boomguy57]

Of those choices, I'd take the M2 kit. It provides versatility in a very compact package. Do you have a meter you carry? You could get a VC Meter II perhaps, unless you just guesstimate (no matter how accurate my guessing is, I'm a bit OCD about getting it right and need a meter for my own peace of mind).

 

[sahe69]

Take a polarizer if you have one.

In my own experience (from Austrian alps) that can render skies almost black. A much more useful (for once!) filter would be a UV or a skylight filter. In high altitudes there's sometimes a massive amount of UV haze. A warming filter might come useful, too, under those circumstances.

 

[JMQ]

My 2 cents: get a high quality P&S (Olympus Mju, Contax T) and enjoy your alpine trek/bike. You save on weight, and you won't have to spend 3 minutes each time you stop to photograph.

 

[c.poulton]

Thanks guys -

boomguy57: I do have a VC Meter II.

sahe69: I intend to shoot exclusively B&W and so will be taking along red & yellow filters (I tend to have UV filters on all my lenses as a matter of course in any case).

JMQ: Tempting, especially when the trip is not supposed to be primarily a photography holiday (according to my wife! 😉). I do have an Olympus XA which could be pressed into service however I know that I would be kicking myself if I did not bring along some of my 'larger' kit.