Traveling light and then facing challenges

So you went with 5 fully charged batteries, I mean, 5 ! And, still, you couldn't use anything else than an iPhone ? How many days did the trip last ?

Some years ago I went in Tuscany for 5 days with a D700 and two OEM Nikon batteries (and the charger). Battery #1 failed on day #4. Battery #2 came back home almost fully charged. I did not use the charger once there.

I came back with 450 shots in NEF (that was too much of course but it's another debate).

That's where DSLRs all still rock. Those charming mirrorless toys with their very poor battery life aren't for me. Anyway, that was the only trip on which I took a "serious" digital camera. All other trips, included some longer ones, were with meterless and 100% mechanical film gear, and plenty of film rolls in my pockets. The real freedom when you travel. No batteries, no chimping, no lightmeter. It works just super.
 
raid said:
So I decided to travel light this summer.
We had no checked luggage.
Rental car was a compact Toyota Yaris .
Photography equipment was minimal (Ep2 and Epl1 with Zeiss Sonnar 5cm 1.5 and a Summilux 25/1.4).
I took with me 5 batteries and many memory cards but Ii left behind the battery charger!

I don't know how this happened.
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And, the phone is full.

Raid, next on the list will be camera cards. Get an extra.

Good luck with the rest of your trip! I know you'll find solutions.
 
Photography equipment was minimal (Ep2 and Epl1 with Zeiss Sonnar 5cm 1.5 and a Summilux 25/1.4).
I took with me 5 batteries and many memory cards but Ii left behind the battery charger!
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It was lost among "minimum", 5 batteries is "home alone" already. One camera, one lens, one memory card, one spare battery and charger is the minimum.
 
31 years ago I deliberately went to Italy for a month with no camera. My M4 had been stolen a couple of months earlier. I lasted two days. Bought an M4-2 and 50 Summicron in Florence and had no light meter. But I shot Ilford FP4 and Kodachrome 25 and 64 using the box end exposure guides, some experience and a little luck and missed very few with bad exposures.
 
I have an electronics travel kit I put together, it contains 2 phone chargers, 2 outlet adapters, one power bank and one universal battery charger. This lives permanently in an outer pocket of my carry-on so even if I do forget my real charger I have backup.
 
It's pretty easy to find such charger in any Italian city.
Unless you're getting excited with the challenge, of course ;)
 
raid said:
Doing well academically makes me also enjoy my photography. Maybe a "reward"?
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Yes! Me too. Another measure I've learned to appreciate is "quantity". So, this year its been both quality and quantity -- most papers in one year since I started this whole "science thing".

I think I need an M240 :rolleyes:

In reality, as you know raid, this is critical for such careers. Not always fun :bang:
 
Charger... Check in to a big hotel. Mention, "Was here a week ago, and I think I left a charger behind. Can I check your drawer full of left-behind chargers?"

Also works for umbrellas.

And, congrats, Raid, on your paper and it's reviews. Sounds like good stuff.
 
raid said:
I kept things simple. No wifi used for uploading images. Family life is more important yo me. We enjoyed each day delicious food and many Cappuccini and of course Gelato.
Whatever you encounter has most likely been photographed (better) by someone else.

Thanks for the tip.
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True, though if you are someone who charges phones overnight, many cloud apps can upload while the phone is on standby.
I extensively used dropbox camera upload and was surprised to find how much of my daily shots ended uploaded.
You only have to check if it is working, and it will upload in background. No need to check it.
It worked great on Android but on iPhone not so. I deactivated camera upload about a year ago because it behaved erratically and suddenly instead of uploading the latest, it went for a complete upload... 1600 shots.

The rule of disconnecting is a must. People who end up travelling for social media, IMO, it is draining to be connected other than a short period at the end of day and only for family purposes.

raid said:
We drove from stone along the coastline North to LaSpezia which is close to Cinwye Trrre. Then we drove to Camogli which is close to Genova. Then we drove to Rome.
The many tourists make the trip less to enjoy.
This is reality.
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I live in the coast of Barcelona and work in the city. The heat now and crowding really makes it less enjoyable.
For city sightseeing around, I really do not like summer. BTW, my town is a sort of holiday resort. Deserted during winter (scarily so) and crowded during summer.

I tend to not forget things. Only a couple times when I had to purchase film while on trips, allocating a hop to a camera store. That if it is a city with a good film supply.
 
I'll second the idea that family is first and foremost. I sometimes get caught up in my picture taking, but when it comes down to it, my family gets the priority every time. We recently went on a little family vacation to Alaska. It was actually very pleasant as it was one of the few times my son was as engaged in photography as I was. Of course, like most young people, he effortlessly gets nicer photographs than I do. Oh well, we had a most enjoyable time together...I'll cherish that.

One more thing occurred to me. With RFF being such a worldwide cosmopolitan group, I wonder if raid could have put out a call for help here. I know that if he were vacationing in the Pacific Northwest of US, I have an Olympus charger or two... would have been no problem getting a charger to him for the duration of his trip. Would be a bonus if we could meet and have coffee while we're at it :)
 
Congratulations on the paper, Raid! And I hope that you and your family enjoyed the trip. I visited there a few years ago, and remember Cinque Terre as an incredible place, even with tourists inside.

You did not need to forget something in order to travel light, but there is a lesson to learn there. You must always take a film camera along!
 
I seem to remember an old travel thread in which you were looking at the options for what cameras to take. One was was a rangefinder kit, another was for the Natura S and Contax T2. Now you've got two micro four thirds camera using M-mount lenses. Cool all round.

Ah, here it is:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45566

In the past, I've taken a digital camera and film compact with me on trips. These include the Fuji Natura Black and the Contax T3. How useful the film compact would have been to you!
 
Raid, if your luck is like mine, you will find the charger in your luggage when you return home! :eek:
 
My travel light kit (still film) is a Olympus Pen F with four lenses. The 20 f3.5, 25 f4, 38f1.8, and 100 f3.5, that and film and a few filters and such. That and my iPhone 6, that's it.
 
I suppose that's the argument for travelling with your M2 or M6 or RF of choice... your thumb won't go flat. But I remember the trepidation of not seeing the results until I got back home when I did that in the 1970's. And running out of film at the Notre Dame...
 
The run-flat-proof rig?
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