The Traveller's Dilemma

The Traveller's Dilemma

  • I take my best gear. I want to make the best possible photographs, regardless of the hazzards.

    Votes: 172 62.8%

  • I leave my best gear at home. I want to know that it will be waiting for me when I get back.

    Votes: 24 8.8%

  • I only have the best. For me, there is no choice to be made.

    Votes: 44 16.1%

  • Nothing I own could ever be put in the same sentence with the word "best."

    Votes: 34 12.4%
  • Total voters
    274
Never had much of a worry on this, especially since I've switched almost completely to RFs. Virtually everything I own fits in a small SLR-sized messenger bag.
Of course, the few times I've had malfunctioning mishaps were far, far away from home, so the X100 comes with me.

With SLRs I never cared for zooms, so it was juggling (quite literally) a bunch of prime lenses, and when I was younger and had far more energy, two camera bodies. Got some great shots while traveling, at the expense sometimes of actually enjoying anything else.

As for safety and security, again, no worry carrying a RF. Everybody has a DSLR now so carrying one doesn't make you stick out anymore, but they're still a big-ticket consumer item target for theft. My Leica looks old, my Fuji looks REALLY old, and the only people that have ever noticed were other Leica owners. Stick it in my pocket if I have to.

A few years back I spent a week and change photographing in North Philadelphia, and not once did I feel like I was a theft target. I did get chased by a guy a block or two, but turned out he was a cinematography student who wanted to chat about cameras.

I hike a lot, and have considered getting an older SLR as a take-along, since gear tends to get banged up a lot (and I don't know how Ansel did it with LF)...but honestly my RFs are small enough that they are easy to get in and out of a case so I'm less tempted to have one swinging around my neck.

As for losing or misplacing a camera: only did that once..last week at a bag locker at IKEA. Only realized it once I got home and braved traffic to get it back.
 
Further to my earlier post about selecting travel photo gear for portability and versatility as the main considerations, it galls me no end that to get the full frame experience, which personally I find important, it remains that film cameras are still much lighter and usually more compact than full frame digital gear. Which is one of the reasons I still use film.
 
I bought my cameras and lenses to use and i have them insured to the hilt - therefore I take them with me to make photographs, which is what i bought them for to begin with.

If a location comes with a high risk of me being robbed, beaten, maimed or killed - I will not go there and will choose another place to photograph.

No body of photographic work is worth dying over.
 
pyeh said:
Further to my earlier post about selecting travel photo gear for portability and versatility as the main considerations, it galls me no end that to get the full frame experience, which personally I find important, it remains that film cameras are still much lighter and usually more compact than full frame digital gear. Which is one of the reasons I still use film.
Click to expand...

Do you factor in the bulk of all that film to equal the quantity of pictures that can be stored on one large card?
 
Darthfeeble, no I don't, since I don't shoot a lot of film per day, maybe 1 roll every 2 days when I travel. When I walk about I don't carry more than 2 extra rolls of film whereas with digital I'm carrying two extra batteries per camera and extra cards, mainly because I'm neurotic about battery exhaustion and card failure. In some countries film is readily available retail and cheaper than home, so I don"t worry about running out of film. This is not to mention the battery chargers and cords plus power adapters for foreign countries that I pack when I fly.
 
The problem with one large card is that they hold a lot of photo's and if anything goes wrong you lose the lot; better to take a few small one, imo.


Regards, David
 
I am going to the Philippines for 10 days

I am going to the Philippines for 10 days

Going 5 hours drive out of Manila. Weight is a consideration for me as I will always carry a camera. So I am thinking one body, MP, plus 3 lenses, 21f3.4, 35f2 and 50f2. Even that will weigh a bit. My other body, M4 needs repairing. So no back up body.
 
Traveller's dilemma indeed

Traveller's dilemma indeed

Matt,
That's almost exactly the kit I often take when I travel, although I might have a 24 instead of a 21. I agree it's a lot of weight to carry for distances. And if you add a back-up body then it's even more to cart around. But if you don't take a second body then it means faffing about changing lenses. What to do?
 
I was going to Hong Kong early next year, but I've cancelled as work is really hectic at this time. My kit would have been the M9, 21/2.8, 35/1.4 and 50/2 and the Panasonic GX85. In Hong Kong, I feel pretty safe to carry a bit of gear with me, even in the touristy places. There used to be a lot of pickpocketing and such in Hong Kong in decades past, but it is much safer now.


When I'm in less savoury places, I take the smallest but best quality camera I can, which can mean the Ricoh GR, Panasonic LX10, or now the Sony RX0. The Sony is frankly a revelation for wide angle street photography. Super small, extremely robust, and with surprisingly good image quality which is better than the LX10 at f4. It is totally silent and focuses well.
 
pyeh said:
Matt,
That's almost exactly the kit I often take when I travel, although I might have a 24 instead of a 21. I agree it's a lot of weight to carry for distances. And if you add a back-up body then it's even more to cart around. But if you don't take a second body then it means faffing about changing lenses. What to do?
Click to expand...

A possible backup body would be the Zeiss Ikon or Leica CL. Both are much lighter than the usual film or digital M.
Another possibility is a decent film camera like the Contax T3 or T2, Nikon 35Ti or 28Ti, or the equivalent Minolta. You could use that as your wide while enjoying the 50 on the M.
 
Archiver, I'm with you on the large plus small idea, except I'm not keen on autofocus film cameras, because you can't chimp them to check focus, and I don't have a particularly high quality one anyway. I have taken an MP and a CL together and that kinda works except for the difference in operation and feel. I have also taken two CLs together and I'm thinking now of taking two CLEs.

Regarding digital, someone on RFF said some years ago, and he may have said it again in this thread, that his ideal is an M9 and 50 lens paired with a Ricoh GR. I'm tempted to try that combination too. Would be very versatile. Only downside is schlepping two sets of batteries and chargers.
 
For me that´s an easy decision in 2018/19. It is a huge difference to what was possible in 2007 when
this thread started I think.
Nowadays my tiny compact digital (25-500mm, panorama) slips in a pocket and I´m ready to go everywhere.
Depending of duration and expected places there might be the APS-C body with prime in the
luggage. Backup is the IPhone and - go 🙂
 
I went to Kyoto two weeks ago. Rain was in the forecast so I took the Contax N1 with 24-85 zoom. It did rain at times heavily and I was able to shoot with one hand while holding an umbrella with the other. Otherwise I only use manual Leicas and Rolleiflex.
 
pyeh said:
Archiver, I'm with you on the large plus small idea, except I'm not keen on autofocus film cameras, because you can't chimp them to check focus, and I don't have a particularly high quality one anyway. I have taken an MP and a CL together and that kinda works except for the difference in operation and feel. I have also taken two CLs together and I'm thinking now of taking two CLEs.

Regarding digital, someone on RFF said some years ago, and he may have said it again in this thread, that his ideal is an M9 and 50 lens paired with a Ricoh GR. I'm tempted to try that combination too. Would be very versatile. Only downside is schlepping two sets of batteries and chargers.
Click to expand...

That person with the M9 and GR is probably me, haha. I feel that way a lot when it comes to high quality digital stills and travel. Although, I would more likely include a fast 35 and a 21.

Two CLE's would be a really slick combination if you want a very small RF footprint. Put a tiny Voigtlander 21/4P on one with a viewfinder and it's practically a pocket camera. Put the 35 or 50 on the other and you're ready for just about anything.
 
Axel100 said:
For me that´s an easy decision in 2018/19. It is a huge difference to what was possible in 2007 when
this thread started I think.
Nowadays my tiny compact digital (25-500mm, panorama) slips in a pocket and I´m ready to go everywhere.
Depending of duration and expected places there might be the APS-C body with prime in the
luggage. Backup is the IPhone and - go 🙂
Click to expand...

In 2007, I traveled to China with the Canon G7 and Fuji Natura Black because I didn't want the bulk or possible theft of my Canon 30D. The G7 had a tiny sensor with a 35-210mm range. These days, you can get a Panasonic with a 24-360mm lens and a 1" sensor; I would have committed illegal acts for a camera like that in 2007. The Natura Black could be replaced with the Ricoh GR. It's amazing where camera technology is today, eleven years after this thread was started.
 
My way has changed dramatically since 2007.
I slowly had changed to digital for internet pro work.
I began with Pentax Optio with 3.5 MP.
Contrary to most posters on forums, small files were perfectly acceptable.
I noticed at "Nikon Image" at Contact Toronto, the projections were 640x480.
I used to carry a Nikon kit, 2 bodies, 5+ lenses, flash, filters and FILM.
Following a harrowing experience at a certain London airport UK, extra scans of my film in South Africa!.
i decided to stop using film cameras.
I carried a few point and shoot cameras, spare rechargeable AA batteries.
charger, many SD cards, two used as back ups.
The joy of freedom, cameras easily under a shirt or pocket.
I love film but travel it's way too much trouble.

My M3 is very worn but I see no point in "losing" it!
So worn, that if I visited a Leica Boutique, the staff would disinfect the place my camera had been!
 
Rafael said:
How do you choose the photographic gear that you take with you on trips to countries where for meteorological reasons or for reasons of public safety you face the very real possibility that your gear will be damaged, stolen, etc.?

... Do you take your best gear?
Click to expand...

I would take my best equipment but I would keep it light and small. Also, I would make sure my insurance coverage is valid before leaving.

Places where your equipment could be damaged or stolen are also likely to be places where the photographer could be damaged or kidnapped. Since I only travel for pleasure, I wouldn't go to those types of places.
 
Since I take the best photo equipment for the situation, I am not sure how to vote in this old poll.

For the times when I must shoot in a hostile environment, I take backups. For example, if my photo equipment may be lost, stolen, or damaged, I take ...

a. The inexpensive 75-150mm f/3.5 Series E mounted on a Nikon EM to substitute for the more expensive 80-200mm f/2.8 mounted on a Nikon F2.

b. A less expensive Pentax 35mm system rather than a more expensive Nikon 35mm system.

c. A less expensive Contax 35mm rangefinder system rather than a more expensive Leica 35mm rangefinder system.

d. A less expensive digital compact camera rather than a more expensive digital SLR or mirrorless camera.

e. A weather resistant camera or an underwater camera instead of a camera that may be damaged by rain, snow, condensation, or salt water.


Nikon EM vs. F2 by Narsuitus, on Flickr
 
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