One camera, one lens (not the usual thread)

Roger Hicks said:
Dear Roland,

Ever seen anyone lose all their data?

If I travel with a laptop, the data is backed up and I can use the jump drives/CDs anywhere. No-one gives a toss about letting you use their computer, and a new laptop doesn't cost much in the unlikely event that you have to buy one.

Getting another Leica is another matter.

Cheers,

R.
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mfunnell said:
Yes. Really. Because they were going somewhere where buying a 2nd laptop (or any PC) wasn't a possibility.

...Mike
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Dear Roger & Mike,

of course there are extreme situations where backups are needed, even a 2nd laptop, etc. In Iraq, on Safari, whatever.

My point was more that most of our trips don't fall in the above category, and offer replacement possibilities for almost everything. Most of the locations where I travel, I can buy/rent a laptop, a cellphone, or a good camera, get data access, etc.

I see how renting is not an option on a long motorcycle trip. In particular when you earn your livelyhood by reviewing equipment, among others. Very special requirements though, when compared to the average traveler, IMO. Because if not, you would not go by bike. What do you do when your bike breaks down ? Much more likely than your MP breaking down.

(on my own motorcycle trips (on a BMW as well), room is extremely sparse and usually gets occupied rather with another sweater or pair of shoes for the wife than another camera).

We seem to be more paranoid about photo equipment failures than about other stuff, and at the same time, we make a big point about getting the most reliable, battery independent, etc, photo equipment out there. Feels like a contradiction to me.

Roland.
 
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My last trip: two cameras. A very small digital P&S (Canon SD10), and my Konica C35 auto. Both cameras are truly pocket cameras. I have an 8 inch tripod to go with them. I take both (all three) everywhere on my trips, no fuss. If you go by the axiom that the best lens is a tripod, no problem with image quality.
 
Ever seen anybody travel with two laptops ?
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Well, my time here in Thailand is partly business, and I'd be screwed without a computer. So as a backup I bought a new desktop machine when I first got here this time, installed the appropriate software and copied all my stuff on to it.

And I'm glad I did, because the laptop I came with has broken.
 
My sightseeing trips nowadays are pretty local, but I have every confidence my cameras are going to function flawlessly. (& I shoot Bessas). which are known for the wind on levers locking up. Tomorrow I'm going to the Heavy Rebel Weekend & it will be one camera, two lenses & plenty of film. Unless my wife decides to go with me, then I'll take two cameras & have her carry one for me.;)
 
I just got back from a two-week road trip to the pacific northwest. I took along a Minolta X700 so I could use my 50/1.7 Rokkor lens for some landscape photography. I've used this camera for years w/out a problem, but about four days into the trip and before I could get to the location where I'd intended to use it, it simply stopped working.

I was very, very glad that I had a couple of mechanical rfs along (Canon P and Bessa R).
 
I've never had anything stolen, even though i often travel to Brazil, which has a bad reputation in that respect. The theft potential has never been a consideration toward what i travel with. I almost always travel with as much gear as my large case can contain. I recently bought a Tenba Roadie (small), which has wheels, and a great laptop compartment. I take a Hasselblad, Canon 5D, Zeiss Ikon, a 35mm film SLR, and a couple of compacts.

But, when i go out to shoot, from the hotel/apartment, i take only one or two of those cameras, and one to three lenses, tops, depending on what i'm shooting. If i'm just aimlessly wandering around, or if i'm out for some purpose other than photography, i take one small camera and that's it. If i'm out touring, with or without a guide, it's probably the Hassy and an SLR or Ikon.

I've never thought to chain anything down in a hotel. Maybe i should.... I used to use hotel safes for a camera or two, but they're usually too small, and i haven't felt the need recently.

No, i can't imagine ever taking a plane somewhere, and bringing only one camera. Not because of the potential for theft or malfunction, but because i can't ever be satisfied with just one camera. I need variety, and i have too many different objectives. I sorta envy those who can do that, though.
 
Last year I was in northern India for 6 months – took a D70 with 18-70, a Coolpix 7900 and an 85/1.8, plus an M6 35/2, 50/2 & 90/4. By the end of the trip (this is a very dusty environment) the 18-70 zoom function had quit so naturally I was very pleased to have the 85. Dropped the 7900 and damaged the battery cover but the camera continues to function fine. Didn’t use the M6 as much as the 2 digitals, and of course had no problems with it. I’d always have some sort of back-up, although off tomorrow on a 5-day backpack trip and uncertain whether to take the D300 or the 7900 – not both.
 
CK Dexter Haven said:
No, i can't imagine ever taking a plane somewhere, and bringing only one camera. Not because of the potential for theft or malfunction, but because i can't ever be satisfied with just one camera. I need variety, and i have too many different objectives. I sorta envy those who can do that, though.
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And that's what it's all about. Failure redundancy is just a pre-text :D
 
Thanks, everyone. This really is very interesting, with many points well taken. It is very easy indeed to assume that our own prejudices/fears are universal, the more so if they remain unchallenged for years at a time.

Many of my paranoid preconceptions are clearly due for examination, and I hope that others (especially the overconfident) feel the same.

Just one specific point, to Roland: there's a lot more I can fix on an old BMW than on an old (or indeed new) Leica, and one of the reasons I like my 1972 Land Rover so much is that I can fix even more myself. Same with my 1895 Gandolfi, come to think of it.

Cheers,

Roger
 
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I hate, and I mean hate taking a backup body with me but I do it for work with my DSLR , the reasons mentioned in above posts explain why. I recently walked for hours through the Amazon jungle with what seemed like a ton of gear and all I could think of was my M3 and how light it would be to carry (and that I could take more water with me if that is all I had) but once I arrived at my destination it really paid off to have all that gear. Then, I had to carry it back.
 
the grd makes a great backup camera.

for travel, i like 2 bodies and 3 lenses.

i could take the zi plus 35 and the entire cle kit, it would all fit in one bag and i would be covered from 28 to 90.
 
I had a brand new Mamiya 6 crap out in Phoenix en route to the Grand Canyon. The local pro shop said.. "this is bad, got to go to the specialist or Mamiya" I ended up shooting with an Olympus OM1. Very glad to have had that or I'd have had nothing.

Travel/camera issues are becoming more frequent I believe due to inept baggage handling or lost luggage and finally ham handed baggage inspectors during pre boarding.

Take a "cast iron" manual camera as back up.. your choice.
 
I tend to travel far too heavy. On my last trip to Thailand and Laos, I carried my Canon 5D plus two L zooms, plus my Leica M6 & Bessa R4M with a lens each. The reason I brought my 5D was that I was shooting for several NGOs who needed high quality digital files. I carried the rangefinders for black & white work. Of course, add onto this the weight of extra batteries and chargers, two portable hard drives, lens cleaning gear, memory cards and film. It was all entirely ridiculous. This year I'm heading back to Laos, but I'm hoping to leave my 5D at home. Either I'll shoot colour film for the NGOs, or I'll pray for the release of an affordable digital RF (please, Epson or Nikon or ...)

However, in 2002 I travelled around Turkey carrying just the great little Olympus Stylus Epic with its prime 35mm f/2.8 lens, and rolls of Provia. I had a wonderful time and came back with some very satisfying images. The Epic often still finds its way into my bag as a backup.
 
Most times if I'm out for a day or two I just take the M7 and 50mm C-Sonnar. I may stick a 35 in my pocket if I expect I'll need it, but that's it. For long trips I do throw a small bag with my Nikon F2, a 35, 50 & 200. I know these will work and I'll be able to use the F2 to hammer a nail or two if the need arises
 
Roger Hicks said:
Has anyone had a problem with taking just one camera that then breaks/is lost or stolen/otherwise fails to deliver the goods?
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I'd never go on a trip without any backup of some sort. Last time I went travelling in West Africa one of my Leica bodies (M6 TTL 0.58x) died early on in the journey, which made me glad I'd brought the second one. Then at some point I dropped my 50mm Summicron in the sand and had to stop using it for fear of causing irreversible damage; fortunately the 35mm Summicron made it through unscathed.

I consider myself very lucky never to have had any equipment lost or stolen. (Although I came close once, when some thugs deprived me of all my money at knife point but failed to notice the camera in my bag).

Leaving some of the gear in the safety of the hotel room is not always an option when backpacking.

And then there's always the nagging possibility of losing exposed film, but that's another topic altogether...

Cheers

Vincent
 
I usually pack a second camera (a digital P&S) since my wife and other traveling companions always insist on typical tourist snaps with me in the picture. It's invariably easier to hand over a digital P&S for a snap rather than explain how to shoot a rangefinder.
 
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