Perfect Travel Kit

[peter_n]

I took the F6 and it is a great size. I lug a lot of stuff, family llama guy, so a photo backpack with some area to stuff the stuff would help my back.

Can't work out of a backpack Ralph. I'm taking Domke F-2, two M7s, 35, 50, 90, a Polaroid SLR680 😱 (new acquisition) and a stack of film.

 

[maddoc]

For me ... No camera bag, MP + 28/50mm and some rolls of film, Gossen Digisix. If I don't have to carry much other stuff I would add the M4-P as a second body or the Hassy with one lens.

 

[edodo]

i would take my m4 with canon 35mm f2 and the 100mm f3.5.
and for the night club or every dangerous places to bring your leica, i'd bring a minolta 35rc it is so small and light, and is a rangefinder too.

 

[FrankS]

A MF camera sure is nice to have with you for scenics and landscapes, as well as a fast shooting/low light 35 RF camera.

 

[KM-25]

i travel light, never have checked baggage - just a camera bag and a small stuffed bag.

but then it's just me and i'd rather do a load of laundry than carry around too many clothes.

I spent three months in S.E. Asia, I had one Nikon F100, 16 fish, 17-35 and a 85 1.4.
I also had three days of clothes, I often washed them in the sink of my hotels and hung them up to dry, all quick dry material.

Anytime I bring too much gear, I miss shots.

I want to do the same gig, but this time with just one or a pair of M6's, 28 cron and 50 aspheric and a SF-20.

 

[Rico]

I have a light SLR config, but prefer RF for travel. Smallest kit is M4 and Summaron 35/2.8. Can add a Contax T3 for backup, alternative film option, flash, and for its completely different image rendition. Then, I might add a Sekonic 308 and Elmar 90. That's it for travel. Bag is always used (F6).

 

[Doctor Zero]

I'm going on a 3 week trip to the States soon. My normal travel kit is all my rangefinder kit: R2, 35 'cron, CV21 and CV90. I'll throw in the external self-timer and no longer take my flash. For a one-day runabout, I would usually only take the 35.

Because I plan to have a few days of rest and just do picture taking 😎 , I'll bring the YashicaMat 124G (120 film) - it's relatively slow but I enjoy it. Also toying with the idea of bringing my 70 year old folder, which takes 127 film.

And: in my pre-RF days, I travelled from Beijing to St Petersburg, following (but never actually taking) the TransSib trains. I took my Nikon FM2 and 24, 50, 105 and 200. That took up a lot of space and weight and so I only took 2 shirts and 2 pairs of trousers and not much else! I carried a small backpack. A lot of washing - but very liberating 😀 .

Doctor Zero

Edit: planning to take film as well 🙄 ! Combination of Ilford FP4 and HP5, Kodak (Elite 200) and Fuji (Superia 200). This covers me from 125 (FP4) to 1600 (pushed HP5).

 

[kalokeri]

Travel light.

Last time I took just my Leica plus 35 and 50 ´crons with me. I changed lenses just a few times, most of the pictures were taken with the 50.

I am convined that it´s not necessary to travel with lots of gear. Travelling with a small kit is much more relaxing. Maybe I try travelling with just a 50 next time.

Thomas

 

[Harry Lime]

2 x M bodies

1.4/50 Lux-M
2/50-DR (backup lens)
1.4/35 Lux ASPH

Sekonic 308
VC meter II (fits in the hot shoe)

Tons of Tri-X and Delta3200

Tiny GPS unit and a small AA battery charger so I can find my hotel, again.

All of this fits in my jacket pockets or a small $10 waist pack.


If I'm traveling, because I am shooting, I add one of the following:

SLR with 50mm
or
Rolleiflex 2.8/80mm
or
Xpan with 4/45mm


Less is more.

 

[JNewell]

CL x2
21mm CV
40mm Summicron-C
90mm Elmar-C

Compact, relatively affordable. Make sure someone like Sherry or DAG goes through at least one of the CL bodies first, though - they are all ~30 years old.

 

[Harry Lime]

Travel light.

Last time I took just my Leica plus 35 and 50 ´crons with me. I changed lenses just a few times, most of the pictures were taken with the 50.

I am convined that it´s not necessary to travel with lots of gear. Travelling with a small kit is much more relaxing. Maybe I try travelling with just a 50 next time.

Thomas

Perfect. Two lenses and one or two bodies.

I constantly see tourists with BACKPACKS FULL of gear. Huge DSLR cameras with battery grips, two or three big zooms and the occasional prime thrown in for good measure. They are lugging around batteries, chargers, flash units, laptops, hoods, big expensive tripods and who knows what else. It's ridiculous.

Robert Capa covered the D-Day invasion with two Contax II cameras mounting 50's. He left his Rolleiflex on the ship, when he hit the beach.

HL

 

[StuartR]

Robert Capa covered the D-Day invasion with two Contax II cameras mounting 50's. He left his Rolleiflex on the ship, when he hit the beach.

HL

Is that how you see your vacation?

 

[markinlondon]

Is that how you see your vacation?

Blackpool can get pretty rough at this time of year 🙂

 

[StuartR]

Hahaha,

I guess I just meant by my comment that fetishization of minimalism is just as much an issue as fetishization of completeness. The person who travels with a pair of underwear, a minox and 4000 rolls of film is as crazy as the guy who brings everything he owns. The real point is to bring what you want, what you feel comfortable with, and what from experience you know works for you. If you are agonizing between the 35 and the 50 and really can't makeup your mind, then bring both. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

I think a lot of people who bring along a lot of equipment are doing it because they enjoy photography, have the stuff already and want a chance to use it in an interesting place rather than just let it collect dust at home. I think that's a pretty reasonable desire.

That does not mean that if you find you enjoy yourself with one body and one lens, you should feel underequipped. It's all about comfort and preference. Personally, I long for the days when people travelled over land and sea with porters, carried trunks and brought things back like the Elgin marbles (not that I advocate looting!), but that's just me.

 

[cmogi10]

I'm a pack rat...I like to carry everything everywhere I go.

Luckily I don't have too much.

Two bodies and half a dozen lens

Yesterday I had my M8 and my M4P , a 50 Nokton a 35 Skopar a 28 Elmarit and a 90 Elmarit.

 

[oscroft]

I'm away from the UK for a couple of months, and I only finally decided what to bring a few hours before I left. I have with me a Leica M6, a Voigtlander R4A, CV 21/4, 28/3.5 and 50/2.5 lenses, and about 50 assorted rolls of film (all the film I happened to have in the fridge at the time).

 

[kalokeri]

You are right, Stuart. It´s all about the personal preferences.

I used to travel with lots of gear in a backpack - two bodies, four to five lenses and a flash. The backpack got quite heavy in sunny Greece or Spain. But I liked to play with my gear, it was part of my holiday. Nowadays my backpack is lighter. I really enjoy it, especially in dangerous places like Blackpool.

Thomas

 

[RML]

Robert Capa covered the D-Day invasion with two Contax II cameras mounting 50's. He left his Rolleiflex on the ship, when he hit the beach.

Well, covered.... He went off the beach as soon as he thought he had enough shots in the bag. He admitted feeling a coward for leaving the beach so soon while other couldn't go anywhere. (I don't blame him for skipping the rest of that party, really) And he came and went with only one job to do: to go in, shoot, and come out alive again. He didn't need to carry anything except his cameras and film.

I, on the other hand, will not only have to carry my cameras and accessories but also my wife and child's water and things, for the duration of our upcoming vacation in Istanbul. I'll leave my suitcase in the hotel, as well as the battery charger for the R-D1, but other than that I'll be carrying every item the three of us will need. 🙂

 

[BillBingham2]

......I constantly see tourists with BACKPACKS FULL of gear. Huge DSLR cameras with battery grips, two or three big zooms and the occasional prime thrown in for good measure. They are lugging around batteries, chargers, flash units, laptops, hoods, big expensive tripods and who knows what else. It's ridiculous........
HL

Back in my 20’s, that was me for a few years, then I realized I was not enjoying my vacations, and back to rangefinders I went.

For me, a lot depends upon the vacation. The main kit is a M6 40/1.4 mounted, a 15/4.5 and a 105/2.5, a Minolta TR-1 (small table top tripod), Vivitar 252, extra camera batteries and cable release in a small diaper bag. Extra AAs for the flash and the tripod often stay in the main luggage. In a belt pouch is a Bessa L with a 25/4 attached. I want to carry a Bessa T instead of the L, but I need to find a bag that is just a smidgen larger. This would give me a backup to my M6, though I doubt I will ever need it.

If I need to reach out to some things, the F2A 180/2.8, 2X, 28/2.8 AIS comes in a small diaper bag, otherwise she stays home.

B2 (;->

 

[migtex]

Going next week on vacations... for 3 weeks... South of Portugal (@Sagres anyone?)... so, I'm still wondering if I take only RF's or DSLR along with it... (kid does bodyboard so.. the 80-400 VR is a need/Must)... it's good to have options .. but it's hard to choose..sometimes.
And what RF's The S and the S2 or the just new arrived Bessa R2S NHS... ? options, options...