Tokyo trip, help me decide which camera I should bring

[silent1]

I booked a trip to Tokyo in May, I'll be staying there for one week. It's always been my dream to visit Tokyo and Japan, and finally the dream has come true. I'm excited!

I'm now in the preparation phase, studying travel guides and making plans about what to see/what to do.

Of course I also started to think about what cameras I should bring along.
I don't want to carry a big bag on my wandering in the big city, I'd rather carry a small/medium messenger bag (most likely my Eastpak JR shoulder bag) and have enough free space in it to accommodate crazy Japanese purchases I may collect along my way.

I thought of bringing a main camera, to be used mostly with black and white film, and a Ricoh GR1s compact camera, for colour film. My problem (first world photographers problem) is: which main camera?
So far, I came up with the following solutions:

1) Leica M6 and Summicron 50mm + Ricoh GR1s
Pros: I love my Leica, reliable and predictable results, no obnoxious buttons to fiddle with, rewarding and almost zen-like shooting experience. The Summicron would be very nice for street shooting, although not as much versatile as a 35mm/40mm lens. The GR1s, with its surprisingly good 28mm lens, would complement the 50mm very nicely. I got nice results with this combo in the past. Cool factor.
Cons: The Summicron could be too slow for night shooting, the M6/Summicron combo is a bit on the heavy side and the table tripod I was meaning to bring can't hold it very well, this would force me to bring a gorillapod as well, thus further limiting the free room in my bag. Also, it is an expensive combo and I would be crying really hard if something happened to it, especially to the Summicron. No self-timer with the M6.

2) Leica M6, Summicron 50mm AND Nokton 40mm + Ricoh GR1s
Pros: All of the above + the Nokton is great for night photography and adds some versatility.
Cons: I don't like carrying two lenses with me and having to switch back and forth. Two sets of filters. No 40mm frame lines on the M6, meaning that I will have to to manually switch to 35mm to get an idea for framing. Heavy combo.

3) Minolta CLE, Nokton 40mm + Ricoh GR1s
Pros: Great little combo, lighter than the Leica. The 40mm field of view suits my needs very well. Automatic exposure. My table tripod holds it with no problems. If something happened to either the camera or the lens I wouldn't be so desperate. Self-timer. Super nice electronic shutter release cable.
Cons: My CLE has suddenly stopped working in a couple of occasions. Couldn't figure out what it was, the camera would just refuse to shoot. After removing the batteries and let it rest for a while I managed to bring it back to life. Also, the film advance lever spring sometime comes loose, it doesn't snappily go back in place after moving it. The problem usually disappears after a while. Probably some screws need to be tightened? I don't fully trust this camera.

4) Konica Hexar AF + Ricoh GR1s
Pros: The Hexar is a fantastic camera, fast-action, amazing autofocus system, super silent, very suited for street photography. I can use my table tripod with it. Self timer is there. Super IQ, although I prefer the Summicron and Nokton bokeh.
Cons: 1/250s is somehow limiting, but I've got an ND4 filter for that. Also the camera is not so easy to operate with all those buttons. I would need to practice a lot at home so that I would be ready in every situations. Not easy to manual focus. 35mm and the Ricoh 28mm are very close, but I'm not sure this is a con. Also, the Hexar is not as "cool" as the Leica.

Listening to my heart, I would bring the M6. Listening to my mind, I would bring the Hexar. A good compromise could be the CLE with the Nokton.

Well, I'm open to suggestions 🙂

 

[jagwar.jim]

I'd go with what you enjoy shooting with the most. I wouldn't worry too much about theft or anything in Tokyo, it's quite safe as cities go.

You will enjoy japan. You will probably enjoy it more with your favourite camera!

If you take a leica people will probably start conversations with you too, they are popular over there!

Hope that helps.

 

[furcafe]

Personally, I would go wider than 50mm for Tokyo, at least as a main lens, simply because it's a crowded, dense, megacity & your ability to back up may be limited, so option 2 but with only the 40.

Here are photos (equipment info is in the tags) from a trip from 5 years ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/furcafe/sets/72157610941269467/

 

[filmfan]

Option 1, easily.

 

[roboflick]

Travel light and take the hexar af. Can't beat the lens, auto exposure and silent mode for street shooting. Enjoy your trip!

Nik

 

[funkydog]

Leave the cameras at home. Bring lots of money instead. In Tokyo, you will see mint condition Leicas calling out to you like sirens in Greek mythology. You will return home heartbroken if you don't bring at least one back. No girlfriend visa required.

 

[reaperman]

Last year i had been in Tokyo for just one week. Took my M6 along with a 35 mm Summilux and a Voigtländer Super Heliar 15mm f4.5.
This Super Heliar is a sweet little lens for shooting street in crowded parts of Tokyo.


Akihabara * 秋葉原 von strichcode auf Flickr

 

[shiro_kuro]

Your first choice is perfect for Tokyo ..... The M6 with the 50 along with the GR1s

I used this combo while in Tokyo and felt it was the perfect set up .... in fact you could bring only the GR1s and have no regrets ......

Your other choices are not as reliable for a trip like this ,with your CLE acting up and the possibility of the Hexar having some issues ,it's not worth the risk .

The 50 is perfect for street photography in and around Tokyo or just about anywhere ; )
The Ricoh is also perfect for the streets Tokyo

May is a great time to visit ..... Will you be there during Golden Week ?

No doubt you will have a great time .....

 

[silent1]

Leave the cameras at home. Bring lots of money instead. In Tokyo, you will see mint condition Leicas calling out to you like sirens in Greek mythology. You will return home heartbroken if you don't bring at least one back. No girlfriend visa required.

haha I'll be needing earplugs (and eye patches) so that I won't be succumb to the sirens' songs! No, seriously, I won't buy any new Leica. I can't even justify owning two of them (M6 and M2).
But I'll keep an eye out for one of those shiny Ricoh GR21.

Your first choice is perfect for Tokyo .....

May is a great time to visit ..... Will you be there during Golden Week ?

No doubt you will have a great time .....

I just checked the 2013 Golden Week dates and no, unfortunately I'll arrive when everything is over alreday (I'll arrive on 10th).

By the way, I'd be very happy to meet RFF members for a photo walk or a nice talk over a cup of coffee (or a couple of yakitori 😀) so if anyone is in Tokyo by that time, hit me up! we'll arrange something!

 

[Godfrey]

The photos from my first trip to Tokyo in 1992 are lost, but at that time I used an Olympus Stylus and a Nikon FM + 21/50/105 lenses. Used the P&S and the 50 or 105 the most.

My second trip there with a camera was 2002: carried a Sony F707 with Zeiss 39-200 EQ lens. Got a lot of great shots, mostly using the widest and longest ends of the range.

When I go back, I'll carry the M9 with either 40 or 50 Nokton, and the M-Rokkor 90mm. Or swap to the M4-2 if I want to do film. The iPhone 4S is both snapshot camera and backup. And lightmeter. Maybe take the Balda Baldix or Voigtländer Perkeo II too ... Compact and 6x6 for a different look.

G

 

[tuanvinh2000]

i would go option 1. but i kinda of agree my knee would get weak with all the dandy BP m6/mp sold there. much cheaper than asked anywhere else in the world. ppl living in japan must have a lot of resistance (or they already own an mp). 🙂

 

[silent1]

i would go option 1. but i kinda of agree my knee would get weak with all the dandy BP m6/mp sold there. much cheaper than asked anywhere else in the world. ppl living in japan must have a lot of resistance (or they already own an mp). 🙂

I... Must... Resist...

😀

 

[silent1]

Thanks for all the answers guys, I've almost made up my mind about bringing the M6 and the Nokton 40mm (and possibly the Summicron 50mm, I'm not sure yet), especially now that I found an easy way to keep the 35mm frame lines engaged (I don't want to permanently modify my Nokton 40mm), see picture below:

Besides, my M6 looks so badass with all those black patches and that big Nokton hood on the front! I love it 🙂

 

[silent1]

I'm leaving for Tokyo today! So excited!

I eventually decided to bring my CLE/Nokton 40mm combo and the Ricoh GR1s.
My Leica M6, apart from being more heavy and cumbersome, has not fully recovered from a light leak problem I thought had been solved long time ago. So it'll stay at home.

By the way, if any RFF member from Tokyo would like to meet up for a photo walk or even just for a coffee, I'll be very happy to!
My email address can be found following the link on my signature and then clicking on the info link on the left. I'll be reading it in Tokyo.

Or if you spot a tall Italian guy looking totally lost in translation with a cute little rangefinder hanging from his neck, come and say hello 🙂

 

[btgc]

I'd pick my favourite camera which I know and like to use. No matter what others use - there are no recipes except if you want pictures like someone else has taken.

 

[Spicy]

I was there with a buddy at the beginning on March. It was a great trip, as we're both camera nuts (I converted him to film, muahahaha), and it had been agreed upon from the start as a designated photography trip, with other stuff as needed.

I took my M4-P with CV 21/4, Rokkor 40/2, and Canon 100/3.5, along with my nostalgia-imbued "bought brand new in 1974 by my father when he was younger than me" F with the 105/2.5. Took 11 rolls, mix of B/W and color. Best shots were from the 21/4 and the 105/2.5.

I know your kit has long since been decided (or has it?), but as mentioned above, Tokyo is basically the exemplar city for a wide lens. Things are generally fairly cramped and busy, and interesting stuff happens quickly enough that hyperfocaling with a WA lens is a critical skill.

That being said, I think you made the perfect decision. If you have anything wider, I'd suggest it, but the CLE with the 40 will great, and the 28 of the GR1 should be wide enough to get interesting scenery (there's A LOT of it -- hey, it's Tokyo), and should be competent enough to handle emergency primary duty should the CLE go on the fritz.

Definitely hit up the camera sector in Shinjuku. It's across from the main station (East Gate, if memory serves?), and wander around the back-alleys. There's a huge digital electronics store there, but sure to pop your head into some of the smaller shops -- they have a lot of non-exported unique stuff, and all sorts of wacky film that's no longer available anywhere but inside Japan. I picked up some 1600 color Fuji Natura (never seen such high ISO color negative before)... It's like a kid in a candy store. Not hellatiously expensive either, but not exactly bargain cheap (another store had a bucket of bargain almost expired film for 100JPY nearby, so I snagged some of that, naturally).

Have a blast, and make sure to be comfortable. Don't know what kind of shape you're in, but I'm a pretty fit mid-20s guy and walking around all day was just shy of "very tiring but not painful." If my Rolleicord had been working then, I would've brought it and an FM2N with pancake 50/1.8 packed with TMY at 1600 for night duty. Oh well -- decisions, decisions.

Enjoy, and I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say we demand scans upon your return.

 

[silent1]

Thank you Spicy.
I went to Yodobashi camera and I had exactly this feeling you describe "like a kid in a candy store"!

I had to buy something so I got some Fuji Presto 400 and Fuji Natura 1600, which can't be found in Italy.
Tokyo was just incredible, I still can't believe I'm back to boring Rome.
If you guys are curious, waiting for my film pictures (I need to develop and scan some 18 rolls!), you could have a look at this album I made from my iPhone pictures.