Mamiya 7 in Morocco

[bensyverson]

I want to take my Mamiya 7 to Morocco in August, but I'm slightly concerned about the dust. I won't be going out into the desert, just staying in towns/cities, but still. Has anyone taken the 7 into similarly dusty environments? Was it okay?

My alternative is to buy an Iskra for the trip, but one of the main reasons for getting the 7 was travel photography, so I'd feel weird leaving it.

 

[RF-Addict]

I don't have eperience with the Mamiya 7, but I have taken my 645 into the desert many times, incl. dust storms and the camera was always fine. Just use some common sense when you change lenses or film and you should be fine.

 

[Sisyphus]

I do not have an Mamiya 7, but if I did I bring it with me to where ever I travel.

I have brought other cameras to dusty or rainy places and they were fine.

 

[ERV]

I spent 10 days in Morocco this April with my family and my two M6's.
Marrakesh is a particularly dusty and smoggy city due to the lack of emissions controls. It all depends on how much film you intend to shoot because the more you open the camera, the greater risk for dust to be a problem. My wife had her canon 5D and she used one lens the whole time. That's the full-frame digital tradeoff..
August should be very hot and dry as well.
I really liked Morocco and we had a great time. PM me if interested in more details.

 

[bensyverson]

Ha, thanks everyone! I'll stop being a wimp and just take it. 🙂

I only have the 80mm, so that'll stay on the camera the whole time. I guess I'll just plan to change film indoors, and quickly...

 

[MelanieC]

I'm leaving for Morocco in two days and will be there for a month (mostly near Rabat) and am still debating which cameras to bring myself. I have pretty much decided not to bring my M3, because it is literally not replaceable (it was my dad's) and will be bringing an Olympus OM-1 instead. I am pretty sure I am bringing a Holga. And I'd like to bring one digital camera but cannot decide between the Nikon D70s dSLR and my Panasonic LX2 compact digi.

If I bring the Nikon I'm only bringing one lens for it.

 

[bensyverson]

Melanie, I'm thinking the same thing -- I'll be bringing a Rebel XT, but just one lens, a Sigma 10-20m. Actually, come to think of it, I'll probably pack the 50 f/1.8 too, just because it only weighs about 10 grams. 🙂

 

[charjohncarter]

I think I'd be more worried about 'pick pockets' than dust.

 

[Marc-A.]

Bensy, sorry to say that, but August is the worst month for visiting Morocco, even if you don't fear heat. One year (2002 I guess) we had 49°C in Marakech; it was pretty exeptional, but 45°C is very common. In the North, Rabat or Tangier aren't as hot as Marrakech (35°C is hot in Rabat).
Otherwise, Morocco is a great country for photography, and you shouldn't fear the dust (it's not that dusty); if you take your camera at the beach, there's no reason you can't bring it in Morocco, even in the South.
Have a nice trip.

 

[Marc-A.]

I think I'd be more worried about 'pick pockets' than dust.

Do you have any reason to think that?
As a matter of fact, you're more likely to be stolen in Paris, Barcelona or London than anywhere in Morocco ... can't understand the prejudice. Anyway ...

 

[bensyverson]

Yeah, I'm not too worried about pick pockets. Knock on wood I guess, but I've never had gear stolen, not in the back alleys of Chicago or the slums of Beijing. I don't carry camera bags, and I'm aware of my surroundings.

Marc, I'll be visiting friends who've lived in Morocco, so I've been warned about the 45° temps, although I'm not sure anyone could really be prepared for it. 🙂 What did you do to cope when it was 49? I suppose a hat is a must. What about pants? Shorts are considered tacky in Morocco, but long pants will no doubt instantly be soaking wet!

 

[ray_g]

I think I'd be more worried about 'pick pockets' than dust.

I have to say I agree with Marc. Tourism is a big part of their livelihood, especially in Marrakech, and the people frown on anything that might jeopardize that. There are also plenty of plainclothes police in the areas you will likely be in as a tourist. I was recently there, and felt safer than a lot of other places I have been to, be they "modern" cities in Europe and the US, or developing countries in Asia and South America.

"Prejudice" is a very loaded word. Is there any particular reason or example to illustrate your point?

 

[Marc-A.]

What did you do to cope when it was 49? I suppose a hat is a must. What about pants? Shorts are considered tacky in Morocco, but long pants will no doubt instantly be soaking wet!

Bensyverson,
If it's really hot, I recommend that you do what local people do and what common sense recommends: drink a lot of water, rest under shades, try not to go out from 1 pm to 3 or 4 pm. Even with a hat, it's better you don't go out at these hours (especially if you have children with you). I'm sure members who live in the South of the USA and who know the hot days, would say the same.
If you're out when the sun is high, wear a cap and put a lot of sun cream [stupid story: one year, I thought that I didn't need cream because I'm used to Moroccan sun; I stayed under the sun for a 45 min between 1 pm and 2 pm and ... instead of getting tanned, I've been actually burnt for 5 days :bang: :bang: ]
About shorts, if they're decent, they're not tacky. If you fear that wearing shorts means you're a tourist, then I have to say that even with long pants people would see you as a tourist 😉 But don't worry, Moroccan people are used to live with European (especially French) people, and shorts are fine, even for women - if not too short. They are very welcoming, sometimes too much 🙄
Be cool, wear comfortable clothes, don't show a superior air (in this respect, French tourists are the worst in Morocco ... sorry for my compatriots), and don't haggle over everything (in medinas, it's fine, but in regular shops in the French districts, it's not).
Make a lot of good pictures, and post them 🙂

Ray,
You're right, I'm not sure "prejudice" was appropriate ... it sounds a bit too strong, and I had no reason to use it 🙂

 

[alcaraban]

My brother was in Tunis (including Sahel) two years ago with my SLR and had two sand/dust problems:

Firstly, he got a nice amount of sand in a lens, which actually is a zoom which extends and sucks a lot of air when zooming and, to a lesser extent, when focusing. The other lens he carried (a 28mm prime) only got sand in its surface (luckily he didn't try to clean it).

Then, a grain of sand scratched the surface of a roll. Not too bad, a horizontal tiny line near the upper edge. Just remember not to change film in the middle of a sandstorm.