Travel with Film?

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ktmrider

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So, I had to return to the US from an attempted round the world trip to figure out a medical problem. Well, I got the green light and will be leaving at the end of December for a preplanned trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong with my daughter. When she returns to the US, I plan on staying in Asia for a couple more months.

My last trip I took an M9 with 35/90 lenses trying to travel light. I will say I immediately missed a film Leica. This trip I am contemplating either M9 and M2, M2 and M2 or just one M2 or one M9. I am 62 years old and traveled the world as a pilot with a film camera and lots of film. Why I hesitate to do so now, I am not sure other then digital is SO convenient. I do not find myself shooting thousands of photos even when I travel with digital. The camera is used more as a visual diary with some street photography thrown in.

My photography is half digital and half film. I prefer the film process and using film cameras (both my M2's are from 1959) but digital is so damm easy. So for those of you who shoot both, what would you travel with? Since I am only planning a two month trip, film would not be overwhelming as it would be on a six month trip. And I like both color and b&w but part of me says just pack TriX or HP4 with the M2.
 
I'm committed to film. I like the ritual, the process, the limitations and the end result. A trip with film requires more thought: what type(s) to take (fast, medium, slow or some combination), whether mono, colour or both and how much to take too. Of course it's a hassle and there's a risk that a badly maintained security scanner will fog the lot but so far I've been lucky with this. There's something anachronistic but also romantic about film. And I prefer the cameras too. So listen to the part of you that says Tri-X or HP5 (we're on to 5 now!) and have a great trip.
 
I always travel with a digital camera. When I pack a film camera to supplement it, I shoot color with the digi body and B&W with the film body. Typically I use 400 speed film and bring an ND filter plus applicable step-up adapters so I can mount the ND filter on all lenses that I bring. For 400 speed film, my preferences are the usual suspects: HP5+, Neopan 400 and Tri-x and on some occasions some TMX.
 
Good that you got a "green light" to travel... hope all is well with you...

I usually travel with film as the main camera and digital for travel updates... recently it's been the Fuji X100T and a Nikon F3P w/ AI-S 50mm f1.2 (with AI'ed Nikkor-H 2.8cm f/3.5 & Nikkor-P 10.5cm f/2.5 in the bag). I found that the X100T with auto focus and face detection is a good combination with (for me) the Nikon F3P, which is just so familiar thru the viewfinder. I think shooting that pair helps my visualization resulting in improved film images.

Color film... mostly Kodak Gold 200. Neopan 100 & 400 in the bag, but I prefer color when traveling.

Casey
 
I always pack film and a small digital p&s. But I've never been on a trip for months, mostly a couple of weeks and always with a car (plenty of space and weight is no object). I shoot about 1 roll of 120 a day and that could be a problem when on the road for months. So yes, in that case digital might be far more convenient.
 
When I make works, I take film. Otherwise, for the records only, digital.

It's not easy to be always in a working mood.
 
I'm in a similar situation early next year. In the past I've always shot WAY too much with digital and I often found that upon return did nothing much with the pics. Also the fact that both my wife and I used digital SLRs we'd come back with a couple of thousands pics, half of which were of the same stuff!

This time round (going to Vietnam) I'm planning on leaving digital duties to my wife and I'll be taking a film SLR with maybe just 2 prime lenses and a maximum 5 rolls of film. I'm hoping this'll push me to think a bit more and shoot quality rather than quantity.

All the best for your trip!
 
My general rule for travelling is digital for colour and black and white for film.
When travelling I try to avoid bringing more than one type of film, as else always have the feeling I have loaded the wrong one. Usually go for TriX and bring along a two stop ND filter.

If I am travelling really light with just one camera, I might take a film camera with Portra 160 or 400.

With you choices I would go with M9 and M2 with TriX/HP5.
 
I'm glad your health has been given the okay, I hope it stays that way for a long time.

I say take one or both M2s. You say you prefer them, and the only reason not to is that digital is easier. Since when is "not being as easy" a reason to not do something you enjoy? You don't strike me as being that type of person.

Enjoy the trip whatever your choice of camera.
 
I'm going to South East Asia in about 2 weeks and I choose certain films for certain glass in certain circumstances. I'll be away for a month.


These are my notes:

Yashica T5D (Portra 400, Gold 400) Daytime. (sunny)
Leica M4-P 35mm Summicron v4 (T-MAX 400 pushed) Afternoon, Late. (overcast)
Olympus Mju ii (Ektar 100) Midday (sunny).
Rolleiflex 3.5f (Portra 400, Acros 100) will be looking good available lightsources for portraits mainly.

Digital:

Fujifilm X100
Ricoh GR


If I were to choose 1 setup only. I'd go for the Leica and T-max 400.

EDIT: I would never go without a small digital backup.
 
I will be backpacking for a month next month and bringing 2 film cameras: 28mm G Rokkor on Leica MP + Kodak Portra and Ektar, and 40mm Ultron SL II on Nikon F3HP + Ilford HP5+ and Kodak T-Max.

I tend to only use film cameras when I travel; there is something romantic about the excitement of the unknown. Plus, with film you click the shutter and then put away the camera. In this way you enjoy the travel experience more. With digital you'd be fussing about the images such that sometimes you forget about the moment.

When I get home and the films are processed and scanned, I am usually blown away. Whereas when I take a digital, the images are immediate and so they have less impact on me.
 
Ruhayat said:
I will be backpacking for a month next month and bringing 2 film cameras: 28mm G Rokkor on Leica MP + Kodak Portra and Ektar, and 40mm Ultron SL II on Nikon F3HP + Ilford HP5+ and Kodak T-Max.

I tend to only use film cameras when I travel; there is something romantic about the excitement of the unknown. Plus, with film you click the shutter and then put away the camera. In this way you enjoy the travel experience more. With digital you'd be fussing about the images such that sometimes you forget about the moment.

When I get home and the films are processed and scanned, I am usually blown away. Whereas when I take a digital, the images are immediate and so they have less impact on me.
Click to expand...

On the other hand, you know you have the shot and properly processed digi looks like film. X ray do not damage. You need not scan. You need not find a quality film processor. There are no new quality home scanners.
Old ones have service issues and software issues.
 
Well, it seems to me that if one has the self discipline to turn off the LED and not to chimp, then digital offers the same excitement as film as least as far as being surprised by the image. In fact, if we all agreed only to shoot 36 exposures without a break, then we have the same as film with the savings in space and weight of film canisters. I mean I get 300 plus exposures on one battery with the M9-that is almost ten rolls of film.

However, the film process and the look of the image is different then digital. And it is the process, the old film cameras and even loading the film into the tank and looking at the strip of negatives as you pull the film off the reel to dry that is exciting and will never be replaced by digital.

In my world, there is room for both. In some ways, I wish that were not so. That way I could concentrate on either digital or film, not both.
 
First: nice to know you have the "green light".
Second: I never been away more than three weeks...a road trip is in my dreams, maybe one day...

Third: In my not so long journeys I found a good combination to have a serious film camera in my case it could be Leica M7 or my old Rolleiflex) + a small digital (Leica X1). Film B&W or color depending on location and mood and the digital for instance when I need higher iso (interiors shots) than the ones of the film.

But a longer than two months journey will require a lot of film, with processing, scanning...so it depends on how much time you are ready to dedicate to this when you back home...

robert
 
I would not call digital as easy. On the trip film is easy. Nothing to recharge.
Four rolls per week are plenty, if you not alone. Twenty five isn't so difficult to carry on for two months trip.
Quality 400 bw film rated at 1200 and clear, x1 and x3 filters to get it covered on one roll during day and evening.
 
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