Travel Advice: Keep It Simple, Stupid...

[benno]

Have you travelled much before?

How seriously do you intend to be shooting?

Good shooting on a holiday like this doesn't just happen - you need to work hard to make good photographic opportunities, and if you have a partner with you she may not appreciate hiking up to odd vantage points and waiting for hours for the light.



With that in mind I would strongly recommend a simple setup - both M bodies, one long lens (90 for me) and one wide lens (35 for me) and your Noct if you really are that attached to it. Maybe give one of your more compact cameras to the GF so that you can steal it back if you really want ;-)

Oh, and iso 400 in bright sun isn't too much of a problem, but you certainly won't be shooting wide open.

Here's a little of my experience:
I recently travelled through Cambodia with an M3, 35/50/90 and a Olympus 35RC as a backup. Looking back, I only used the 50 for about 4 shots, and only cause I needed the speed - it's my fastest lens. It did occasionally get annoying having the wrong lens mounted, or having to change film mid roll. I would love to be able to travel next time with two bodies, a 35 and a 90 (preferably a fast 30 - i.e f1.4) and a bag of film. While I use the 50 a lot back home, I didn't find much of a need for it travelling but ymmv.

It was great - the only electronic things I had was a ****ty watch I bought at the market and my light meter that used a single AA battery. I never really wanted for another lens and the only time I wanted a camera other than the M3 was at night when I wanted to use a flash - the flash sync is buggered on my M3 so I used this setup and bounced it off the ceiling whenever possible.

Less is more!
You definitely don't need *two* compact cameras and I think you could just take an appropriate lens to use on an M body instead of the Xpan.

 

[sjw617]

I did ask her - all she said was that I have to take an M body (any body) and my Noctilux. She said that of all the photos I take, that combination leads to the most 'irreplaceable' images.

Trust her... take the Noctilux on an M. If you get your best results with this, you should be shooting well over half of the vacation with it.
Backup could be an M with a wide (stitch 2 or 3 for a pan). Full backup and can do without the Xpan. Stitching is not hard.
Throw in a p&s and that is a nice small kit - 2 bodies, 2 lenses and a p&s.

 

[waileong]

By the way, I advise to stick to colour, not bring both black and white and colour film.

You will find that causes too much fumbling with filters (esp with different camera systems), and agony over what to shoot in a particular situation.

One set of filter problems (in colour) is already bad enough. Don't make things worse.

 

[vieri]

Bring 2 M bodies, the 35 lux & nocti, and either a P&S or the Xpan if you feel you'll need it. IMO there is no need to double the 50s, nor to bring 2 compacts, and while the Xpan is a great camera it's also pretty heavy (btw, which lens do you have on it?) and you will be happy not to have brought once the hiking will start to become long and tiring.

I travel with 2 M bodies, 21-35-50-90, and my recently acquired Oly XA - that's all I need, and I could do as well without the Nocti, if I needed to limit weight/space (though, I'd rather not!). 😀

 

[Russ]

The camera selection sounds fine. Just be sure to bring along at least two reliable rigs. As for film, I highly recommend the new Kodak Portra 400VC (replaces the Kodak 400UC), it's very good. Beautiful colors, very fine grained and womderful flesh tones. In the higher speed color rhealm, I used to shoot theh Fuji NPZ quite a lot, but lately, I'm finding that I much prefer the newer Kodak 800 Portra. Fine grain and better colors. It's very good. As for B/W, you can't beat the Neopan 400 & 1600. Great stuff.

Have fun. Sounds like it'll be loads of fun, fraught with great photo opportunities. I have many Portra 400 & 800 samples in my Flickr site.

Russ

 

[bcostin]

Definitely take the xpan. The camera is practically made for scenery like that, and that's what you bought it for, right? I think you'd regret leaving it at home.

One M-body with the Noctilux, a second M lens, and one of your high-end compacts seem to round out things pretty well. In the event that your M dies (how likely is that? I honestly don't know) you'll still have sufficient flexibility for everything but very low-light situations. And maybe toss in a cheaper compact for bad weather or otherwise risky conditons.

 

[urban_alchemist]

As for film, I highly recommend the new Kodak Portra 400VC (replaces the Kodak 400UC), it's very good. Beautiful colors, very fine grained and womderful flesh tones. In the higher speed color rhealm, I used to shoot theh Fuji NPZ quite a lot, but lately, I'm finding that I much prefer the newer Kodak 800 Portra.
Russ

It's funny you should say that Russ - I've been having a similar change of heart. As a long-time Fuji Pro user, I've been finding the more saturated colours a bit 'too much' recently and have moved much more over to the Kodak films.

With 400H it is pretty close - I love the creamy whites and rich greens, but the rest of the range seems to be totally outshone by their Portra equivalents....

Just purchased some June 2009 expiry UC from the states - it'll go into the freezer, but I think the MP and TC-1'll be loaded with 400NC and Portra 800, and the XPan with 400H (for lanscapes, I think I'll want those deep greens much more)...

 

[WoolenMammoth]

I wouldnt be caught dead in argentina with a camera bag... Bring what you can carry. If you have to ask a question to strangers about what to bring on a trip you obviously dont need it. I dont know if youve done a lot of traveling but less is more...

 

[urban_alchemist]

I wouldnt be caught dead in argentina with a camera bag... Bring what you can carry. If you have to ask a question to strangers about what to bring on a trip you obviously dont need it. I dont know if youve done a lot of traveling but less is more...

I have done alot of travelling, and generally, there are two different camera questions:

1. Which cameras do I take on the trip (taken in carry-on luggage on the plane, and stored in the hotel room with the suitcases when not needed)?

and

2. Which camera (s) do I take out today? Usually, this ends up being one CAMERA (Xpan/M with one lense) and one camera (compact in the pocket).

I'm asking question 1, not question 2 (as that will be determined on the day).

And no, I have never, nor will I ever, carry a camera bag on a day out...

 

[mcgrattan]

Like lots of others I tend towards the less is more approach. I'm going away for a short trip next week and I plan to take two compact cameras [Rollei AFM35 and either a little Ricoh or a Stylus Epic], and that's it. That entire kit will fit in a jacket pocket. If I was going for longer I'd probably add an interchangeable lens RF or dSLR or MF Fuji RF to that list. I'd still expect my entire 'kit' to fit in a (very) small shoulder bag with room left over for a guide book and whatever other junk I was carrying.

3 'proper' camera bodies -- Xpan and 2(!) Ms -- would be too much for me. However, it sounds like (for you) that you have 2 you must take -- Xpan and M with Noctilux -- so I'd just add one of your compacts [the Minolta?] to that list and the compact would be the nightlife/pub/shopping/street (etc) camera.

[If it was me, and I was traveling with your gear, I'd take the XPan and the Minolta, and that would probably be it.]

Unless your girlfriend is very tolerant schlepping lots of gear will get pretty tired pretty fast.

 

[mcgrattan]

Also, I think the answer to your question 1 will depend on what sort of transport and luggage transfer is going on. If it's you dragging your gear from place to place and using public transport [even if that luggage is then going to 'live' in a hotel room much of the time] then I'd take as little as possible.

If, on the other hand, the luggage is being transferred for you, or you have a car or other form of transport, then taking more gear might not be an inconvenience.

 

[jmilkins]

Are you sure you want to go to Argentina ...I mean what about Chile...or Peru...or another South American country? 🙄 Ok just kidding I feel your pain - I have the same issues when deciding what to take on a trip with so many oppourtunties.

I spent 5 months backpacking from Ecuador to Patagonia in 1996 and lugged 12.5 kilos of SLR gear with me and a hundred rolls of Sensia 100.

1 month in, one Dynax 9xi seemed faulty for a roll, so I was glad to have a back up.

Later, half way through the trip 3 nice young chaps working in the fields with machetes indicated reasonably convincingly that they wanted the camera around my neck more than me - they could either cut off the camera or my head.

My fault really - the tourist police said the area behind the temple was "safe" so I hadn't put it straight away with the other one in my pack. I reported the incident and found my self in a jeep with the same police chasing suspects through the fields. We actually rounded up 2 of them and when they asked me if they were the ones, I looked at the automatic weapons these men had pointed at 2 very frightened boys and said "No, absolutely not."

I realised right then how lucky I was to be able to afford to travel, even backpacking. The next day I would be off somewhere else to expand my horizons, while these young guys probably sold that camera for their next couple of meals, and then back to subsistence living until the next foolish tourist came along.

Good luck with your choices. I'd probably take the Xpan, One M and two lenses and the TC-1 and GR1 because they are both so small. Don't forget extra batteries for the cold of Patagonia.

 

[Nugard]

1. MP+35lux+Nocti.
2. Xpan.
3. Ricoh.

That's all... And film of course... Many-many rolls of different film...

 

[visiondr]

Al Kaplan, you're a breath of fresh air in here.
On a recent trip to Italy: MP, 50 summicron + film... result, many memorable and some fantastic photos.

 

[cmogi10]

1. MP+35lux+Nocti.
2. Xpan.
3. Ricoh.

That's all... And film of course... Many-many rolls of different film...

That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the thread.

+Uno

 

[peter_n]

I went on a similar long(ish) trip to northern Europe earlier this year. Did not take the Noctilux but did take 24, 35 & 75 lenses. Those three focal lengths covered absolutely everything I needed. I also took my MP3 and MP (0.85x mag). I highly recommend that kit.

 

[ellisson]

Unless you are going on a shoot for National Geographic, I'd keep it light and simple with two cameras, two films (one color, one BW), and 3-4 lenses. You never know when you'll get back to these exotic places. You'll spend less time worrying about which camera/lens/film to use/take on each side trip and more time enjoying the scenerery and getting the images that really matter.

 

[wlewisiii]

I'm in the one body, 3 lenses & a number of different films, although, realisitically I'd probably only carry two. For me, this would be my Contax II w/ 35, 50, 85 shooting Tri-X and Reala. Good luck with whatever you decide!

William

 

[Al Kaplan]

OK, I'll play. M3 with the too heavy (but it's fast & sharp) 85/2 Nikkor in case I need to swing a potential weapon on the end of the strap, M2 with my second version 35/2 Summicron because it likes me and l already have it, and my Bessa L because it's cheaper than a Leica deep rear lens cap for my 15/4.5 Heliar. An LTM to M adapter for the 15 in case the Bessa dies. A Weston Master V exposure meter with the incident adapter. Five rolls of Tri-X for each day of the trip, which is a roll or two per day more than I'm likely to use. The Bessa L acts as a back-up exposure meter. If the M2 dies I can easily estimate 35mm coverage with the M3. Should the M3 give out the 85 will work on the M2. Everybody else on the jaunt will be shooting digital or color anyway so why should I drive myself crazy trying to think both ways? I'm crazy enough when I don't think at all.

No, ISO 400 film isn't too fast for the tropical sun and a 1/1000 second top shutter speed. What clear skies do is give you darker shadows not brighter highlights. Here in Miami on a clear summer day my Tri-X exposure is usually f/11 at 1/500 second. Otherwise there's no shadow detail.

 

[raid]

I was today day dreaming about a trip in which I only have MF cameras with me. I would have the Graflex XLSW with its 47mm/8 lens as my wide angle lens, and the Rolleiflex 2.8D with its Planar 80mm/2.8 as my fast normal lens, and if the weight is manageable, I would have the Tele Rolleiflex with its Sonnar 135mm/4 as my medium tele lens.