Next Trip: One Camera; Two Lenses Max

I took a shorter 4,000 mile trip down Baja, across to the Mexican mainland, and down to Guadalajara during the film days. I used a Minolta HiMatic, auto focus and auto rewind, and Kodachrome. The shots still look great. Small is good.

Oh, and I rode a BMW R80. If you are going to take months or years to travel, and only ride 20 miles a day or whatever, a little dirt bike will work. But if you are going to do any 500 mile days....take the BMW.
 
From the perspective of my age, the Beemer sounds like the way to go. That should be a great trip!

When I have traveled, I have always chosen a camera that was small and lightweight, yet still very competent. I have also lost a couple of cameras to theft when traveling, so I am wary of taking anything that would cause me a lot of grief if I lost it or damaged it. Additionally, I don't like changing lenses, anyway, but I have even less patience for it when I am traveling.

As such, I have always documented my travels with compact, fixed-lensed RFs (Olympus 35RC, Vivitar 35ES, and Canonet GIII 17 QL). They have always been supremely convenient and I have never felt like I needed anything more. Your closest equivalent to this would be your M2 and a 35mm lens.

Back home, I shoot 35mm with old manual-focus SLRs and my favorite focal length duo consists of an 85mm 1.7 and a 28mm 2.8.

I would also be concerned about vibration from the motorcycle. You might even choose the bike based on the vibration that it would generate. I would wrap the camera in the middle of clothing, when stored in the panniers, or on my person - perhaps around my neck under a jacket, to reduce the effects of vibration.

Have a great trip!

- Murray
 
I love rangefinders and I love film. I travel a lot, not on motorcycle, but in mountainous regions, and I work parts of the year on a boat. I know South America a bit, after a total of 14 months road tripping there.

If I was to go back for a long trip, I would not take a rangefinder. I have used M6, M7, M8, Zeiss Ikon, and now a Bessa III. All broke down on me in crucial moments, mostly mechanical issues. I still use them, but for documentary work in non-remote places only. All mechnical is a nice idea. Reality is, however, that they break too. Sure, an M2 can in theory be serviced a lifetime. Who will do so in town xy in South America? My M7 failed (mechanical, mind you) in Georgia, Leicas CS was useless.

Further, vibration would concern me too much. Imagine your RF de-aligning, and you notice that not until you get your films back. Ouch. You will likely knock the camera against something during the trip at some point...not knowing how that affected the RF mechanism would make me nervous. A M9 mitigates that a bit, as you can check results, but digital Ms introduce another layer of fragility and problems (loved my M8.2, the dust on the sensor not so much).


Robust for such a trip in my books is Contax. It it was all film... A G2 with the 45mm + 21mm and a Contax T3. Two bodies is a must, one non-RF and ideally P&S.

Personally, my choice would be Fuji something or Leica X-something (those things are tough, really) and a Contax T-series camera. Mixing film and digital is perhaps not desirable initially, but I have come to appreciate the variety and this way you have a back-up without redundancy.

(PS - on my SA trips I used Pentax Espio, Sony DSC V1 an Contax TVS III. All without problems)

Good luck!
Peter
 
All I can really add is "Have a great trip" about the camera/motorcycle decision. You will make the right one when the time comes.
 
Making decisions like this in preparing for a trip, is almost as much fun as the trip itself. Enjoy!
 
Yes, the planning and worrying is half the fun. And to throw something else into the mix, I have a Leica R6.2 and it is not any bigger then a M film body.
 
Update

Update

I just spent ten days in STL riding motorcycles with my sister and her partner (only time I ever ride Harleys). I took the M9 as they like me to take portraits of them with their pride and joy (bikes). We also spent a couple days at the Busch brewery and the Arch. I am amazed how often natives never visit things in their own back yard.

Anyway, the M9 was a good choice but for the amount of photos I took, film would have been fine. I am using the camera more as a visual diary on some of these trips. Currently, I am leaning toward an M2 and a couple lenses. And it looks more like a trip RTW then motorcycling to TDF.
 
ktmrider said:
I just spent ten days in STL riding motorcycles with my sister and her partner (only time I ever ride Harleys). I took the M9 as they like me to take portraits of them with their pride and joy (bikes). We also spent a couple days at the Busch brewery and the Arch. I am amazed how often natives never visit things in their own back yard.

Anyway, the M9 was a good choice but for the amount of photos I took, film would have been fine. I am using the camera more as a visual diary on some of these trips. Currently, I am leaning toward an M2 and a couple lenses. And it looks more like a trip RTW then motorcycling to TDF.
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I seem to be challenged in the area of acronyms. I didn't understand STL, RTW, or TDF.

I have traveled and lived abroad, and I remember after my first big trip (six months around Latin America, in 1973) it occurred to me that there were things in my own state that I hadn't seen, so I visited them upon my return. There is still a lot here in the US that I haven't seen and would like to visit. At the same time, much of the allure of travel abroad, for me, is immersion in another culture and language.

- Murray
 
goamules said:
I took a shorter 4,000 mile trip down Baja, across to the Mexican mainland, and down to Guadalajara during the film days. I used a Minolta HiMatic, auto focus and auto rewind, and Kodachrome. The shots still look great. Small is good.

Oh, and I rode a BMW R80. If you are going to take months or years to travel, and only ride 20 miles a day or whatever, a little dirt bike will work. But if you are going to do any 500 mile days....take the BMW.
Click to expand...
Don't do 500 mile days!

As my mechanic in Bristol (specialist in BMW and Vincent) said, "The first time I did 500 miles in a day, I realized than any fool could -- and only a fool would."

Yes, I've done 500 mile days on a BMW (and once on a Bullet) in Europe and India. Foolishness!

Cheers,

R.
 
seakayaker1 said:
I would definitely be taking the BMW instead of the 250. It is a long ride and comfort in the saddle is a strong consideration.

I would take the two film cameras with two lens. I would sell the M9 and pick up a fixed lens small digital camera to use to send photographs back to wife/daughter.

Have a blast and be safe out there, happy trails!
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So is easy riding on bad roads, which might incline me to the smaller, lighter bike. I've done scores of thousands of miles -- probably well over 200,000 in total, on three continents -- on both large and small bikes.

Cheers,

R.
 
TDF is Tierra del Fuego. RTW is round the world. STL is 3 letter identifier for St Louis, Mo. I come from 33 years in aviation, thus the 3 lettter ID.

It now looks like a motorcycle trip to Alaska in August using my small 250 dual sport vice my BMW1200GSA. My partner may have some medical problems so only 300 miles per day. And I have numerous IRONBUTT rides of 1000 miles or more in 24 hours. 300 miles is a piece of cake.

After return from Alaska, I am now planning a round the world trip leaving in mid Sept and will take 6 month to a year. First stop is Hawaii to revisit some places from my days as a pilot in the Marines but also for WW2 history (Pearl Harbor) and hiking on Haleakala. Next stop is the Philippines for Bataan and Corrigidor. Then New Zealand for hiking but must remember the seasons are reversed.

By the way, I landed a CH46 on the MISSOURI back in 1983 off the coast of Thailand. It had a flight deck made of wood and only wheeled helos were permitted to land, not skids. Am curious if my memory is still good. The MISSOURI is now next to the ARRIZONA.

So, two M2's with 21,35 and 90?

And yes, Roger I have read your articles on photography and motorcycle travel and really enjoyed them. I may rent bikes in most or all the countries I visit.
 
15 Perhaps?

15 Perhaps?

I am playing with the idea of substituting the 15 for the 21. I do not use either lens with much regularity and both are about the same size. I suspect that most of the shooting will be with a 35 or 90.

Wondering if 15 for 21 is too extreme.
 
So, this just occurred to me and I know nothing at all about the equipment which would be required but has anyone traveled with a film still camera and a video camera? Am not talking about still cameras that do video but a dedicated video.

Go Pro looks interesting for documenting stuff. Would like to hear how well all video does in low light.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Don't do 500 mile days!

As my mechanic in Bristol (specialist in BMW and Vincent) said, "The first time I did 500 miles in a day, I realized than any fool could -- and only a fool would."

Yes, I've done 500 mile days on a BMW (and once on a Bullet) in Europe and India. Foolishness!

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...

I love 500 mile days, on the right bike.
 
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