Traveling with light equipment

[Biggles]

The World According To Biggles

The World According To Biggles

Minimalist travel kit: Olympus Stylus.


Minimalist travel kit for a trip planned expressly for photography: Leica CL with 40mm Summicron, and Olympus Stylus as backup.

However, I had no high speed lens and no wide angle lens.

So you take slow, narrow pictures. The gear's there for you. Not the other way 'round.

The camera that matters is the one in your hand. You see to that, and things generally take care of themselves.

Safe trip, Mr. A.

 

[Nick R.]

Raid,
What about the T2 didn't work for you? It might help in deciding what to bring this time. I'd think that the T2 and a M body with a couple of lenses would be fine for most everything.

 

[ray_g]

I've never been to Germany. What sort of photos do you think you will be taking?

Which camera(s) have you been using lately. You have a lot of equipment, Raid, and many combinations are available to you. But I would not recommend bringing something you have not used in some time, for obvious reasons.

I try to travel as light as I can, especially if I anticipate moving around a lot by public transportation. My last trip to Europe (Prague and Vienna), I brought my Ricoh GR1 (28mm), and M6 with 50/1.4 Lux and 35/2 ASPH. I could have left one of the M lenses at home, but what the heck. 😉 I really did not feel like I missed any shots.

Have fun.

 

[back alley]

if i had the guts to do it and if it were me, i would take one body and a good 35mm lens.
true light travel and probably 90% of what i shoot would be covered.

 

[MartinP]

Walking around the Hardangervidda (mountains and glacier in Norway) two years ago, I settled on a Konica p+s with fixed 35mm lens and built-in flash, lots of film and a spare battery. Hopefully you don't have to be as light as that (I guess you will go up any mountains in a car) so the CL you mentioned sounds ideal. I'd take the wider lens over the tele though.

Have fun, and remember the weather is a bit cool-and-grey over here now.

[EDIT:] Back alley has the same 35mm lens idea - typing on different continents, but same focal length 🙂

 

[vrgard]

if i had the guts to do it and if it were me, i would take one body and a good 35mm lens.
true light travel and probably 90% of what i shoot would be covered.

Yep, that's why my standard travel rig is a Leica CL with 40 Summicron lens. Small, unobtrusive, sharp, and that fancy Luigi case I bought from Joe/backalley completes the rig!

-Randy

 

[ray_g]

if i had the guts to do it and if it were me, i would take one body and a good 35mm lens.
true light travel and probably 90% of what i shoot would be covered.

I agree. On that trip, I took close to 90% of my photos with the 35mm.

A small p&s is good for back-up though, and for those times when you don't want to bring a bigger camera or camera bag. It should be a p&s you would be perfectly happy shooting the rest of the trip with, should something happen to your primary camera.

 

[raid]

The idea of simplicity and taking only my M3 with the 35mm Summicron is very appealing suddenly. Do I dare?


Yes, a small P&S has its place in travel photography. Maybe the T2 or the Stylus with 35-80 lens.


Raid

 

[raid]

Raid,
What about the T2 didn't work for you? It might help in deciding what to bring this time. I'd think that the T2 and a M body with a couple of lenses would be fine for most everything.

Nick: I used the T2 in two rolls of film last week. For action shots with kids, there is blurr and there is a time lag. I guess that for general photography it should work well though.

Raid

 

[VinceC]

You want to carry a point and shoot just in case the M3 freezes up or gets dropped, etc. It's just comforting to know there's a backup camera, even if you keep it packed away in a suitcase.

 

[back alley]

The idea of simplicity and taking only my M3 with the 35mm Summicron is very appealing suddenly. Do I dare?

yes!
this can be your ultimate test...one camera and one lens and report back to us after the trip.

joe

 

[raid]

I think that some of you have challenged me to the degree that I will do it. I will take my M3 with the 35mm/2.0 with goggles or the M6 with the Canon 35mm/1.8. My backup camera will be the T2 or XA or GT.

I hope that I have the will power to be strong and that I will be ....

[sounds like a prayer for absolution]

Raid

 

[raid]

I've never been to Germany. What sort of photos do you think you will be taking?

Which camera(s) have you been using lately. You have a lot of equipment, Raid, and many combinations are available to you. But I would not recommend bringing something you have not used in some time, for obvious reasons.

I try to travel as light as I can, especially if I anticipate moving around a lot by public transportation. My last trip to Europe (Prague and Vienna), I brought my Ricoh GR1 (28mm), and M6 with 50/1.4 Lux and 35/2 ASPH. I could have left one of the M lenses at home, but what the heck. 😉 I really did not feel like I missed any shots.

Have fun.

Ray: I expect to visit churches [dim] and breweries [dim] and castles [dim]. The rest will be villages and fields. I doubt it that in this trip I will visit a large city.


Raid

 

[surlysimon]

I am going to france in July and have been giving this some thought, i will take my Nikon D50 with the sigma 30/1.4 and 18-55 zoom (the slow one). It is the film cameras that are vexing me, it will be either Bessa R or R2 with 35 skopar and 28 skopar and if it's the R then the 50 nokton, if the R2 then maybe I will just take the 40/1.4 and 28/3.5.

As a final back up I thought either an XA or MjuII.
I know this doesn't sound light but i will be away 6 weeks so i want to be covered.

The more I think on it the R2 with 40/1.4 is sounding better and better.

 

[ray_g]

Hmmm, after comparing all those 50's you decide on a 35mm? LOL. Or do I smell a 35mm comparo coming?

 

[ray_g]

If you anticipate frequent changes from outside to dim interiors, you may want one body with fast film, or film you intend to push. In this case I would probably bring the M3+50 and M6+35. You may want the on-camera meter for the interiors. I would also throw the 25/4 in the bag since it is small and light.

 

[vrgard]

Agreed about the security of a backup camera. Another reason to pack the "back up XA" or other very small P&S (dare I say digital?) is so that you can travel even lighter when going to more formal events during your travels. As much as I like my CL as a travel rig, I still wouldn't tuck it into my tuxedo pocket for fear of hearing that old line about, "is that a camera in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" 😛

-Randy

 

[Biggles]

You want to carry a point and shoot just in case the M3 freezes up or gets dropped, etc. It's just comforting to know there's a backup camera, even if you keep it packed away in a suitcase.

Heh. Yup.

Went to the arctic, one year. In February. OM-1 froze and died as I presented it. Whipped out the Stylus. It froze and died after five shots. Then my fingers froze, and I nearly died.

But at least I have those five shots. Oh, and my fingers... more or less.

 

[back alley]

If you anticipate frequent changes from outside to dim interiors, you may want one body with fast film, or film you intend to push. In this case I would probably bring the M3+50 and M6+35. You may want the on-camera meter for the interiors. I would also throw the 25/4 in the bag since it is small and light.

or just take lots of tri-x and rate it at 200 or maybe 320.

 

[back alley]

now i'm thinking about what to take to montreal for the weekend...damn!