Traveling with light equipment

[raid]

I am back.
I mainly used the CV 25mm/4 and then the Canon 50/1.2. The Elmar 90/4 was the least used of the three lenses. The Canon came in handy for some low light photos inside a brewery, and it is a good portrait lens overall. Traveling light certainly was very enjoyful for a change. I took 9-10 rolls of film. I had B&W film in the M6 and color in the T2. The M6 is underexposing by 1 f stop, and I caught this early as I had my spotmeter with me.

Raid

 

[sockeyed]

I'm a little late coming to this thread, but this is what I took travelling to Borneo and Cambodia in November (one month trip):

If you go to my flickr page, I've labelled everything.

Actually, I ended up taking my Bessa R3M instead of my Hexar RF, and the Nokton-50 as well as the Nokton-40. I didn't use my Iskra much at all, so I wouldn't carry that with me again, I don't think.

I'd travel a bit differently now, I think, with my Canon 30D w/17-55 f/2.8 lens for colour, and two RFs + 50 + 25/28 for B&W.

 

[dee]

Two bodies , 35mm f 1.8 + 50 mm f 2 . lightweight exposure meter [ mine is an excellent, cheap '' modern '' plastic Japanese one labelled Jessop ] , mini - tripod .
Which cameras , I would not dare to suggest , but iIdon't care for zooms , don't use telephotos , and am rubbish with flash !
The chances are that i would take my proven Minolta SRs and SR7v [ pre SRt ] rather than my ''new '' Leica IIIc / IIIf , 'cos these I am still learning .

 

[Xmas]

Last trip I took a Zorki 1a and a XA4, the XA4 broke, the Zorki kept going. Needed warm wet /dry jacket with pockets, so the cameras lived in jacket.

Decided to buy film locally, real bad idea, 'Wont aps fit?'.

Noel

 

[sockeyed]

Yes, carry plenty of film. My friend I was shooting with in Cambodia ran out but found some Neopan 400 in a shop. He shot a bunch of it, but it was wrecked - xrayed or heat damaged.

It happens to the best of them. I ran into Ian Berry of Magnum in Siem Reap, and one of the first things he asked me was, 'Do you know where I can find some Tri-X?"

So, bring film film and more film. No good having several bodies and multiple lenses if you have nothing to put in them!

 

[raid]

I always take enough film with me, but at times I like to try out some film bought locally. Sometimes, I find film in Germany less expensive than in the USA, but this is rare.

Raid

 

[35mmdelux]

take a leica m3 with 25 or 28 and a 50.
lots of film and just enjoy the trip and remember this is a hobby and not a job.

joe

Very well said and true. On my last trip to Central America I took M7, 28mm, and 50mmLux. I only wish I had taken my 21mm for those wide pano shots.

For a minimalist kit: M6, 35mm & 21mm. (w/ small handheld meter).

 

[ERV]

I am also late to this thread, however I just returned from 10 day trip to Morocco with my wife and two children.
I took two M6 bodies with grips, and my three favorite traveling lenses, a zeiss 28mm, 35mm 'lux, , and an elmar 50-m current version, all in a Billingham Hadley classic bag. I like to shoot a lot and took plenty of film- 20 rolls of Fuji Superia 400 shot at 320 and 20 rolls of Reala. I also took about 6 rolls of XP2 BW. I also took my small sekonic meter, extra batteries, lens cloth, and a black sharpie wrapped with a small amount of red and black gaffers tape.
It ended up to be a nice compact set-up, the Hadley was large enough for the two cameras as well as a bottle of water, note pads and pencils for the kids, guide book and hat.
A couple of observations; although Morocco is a very colorful country by day, BW film (or color converted to BW) is great for the evenings. I loaded one m6 with 100 and the other with 400 color and traded off depending on the light. We encountered a couple of overcast days and having faster film, particularly in the medinas with limited sun, was a benefit. The visual complexity on the streets, alleys and small shops were a better fit for the 35mm and 28mm, and I rarely used the 50.
Since shooting people is difficult in Morocco I did a fair amount of street shooting from the hip and chest. The meter was helpful for this because I could take a reading, set the lens and fire away w/o bringing the camera up to my eye. A small meter also looks like a cel phone, which everyone has these days.

Sorry for the longish post however if anyone is planning a trip to Morocco, email me if you have any questions. We had a great local guy who helped with everything from guides, cars and drivers, travel suggestions, etc.
Next steps; get the film processed and up on Flickr, do an edit for an I-photo book, and continue to save for a M8...

 

[Harry Lime]

Here's what I take.

2 x M bodies (M4/M6ttl or M4/M7)

1.4/35 Lux ASPH
1.4/50 Summilux-M
2/50 Summicron-DR (because it glows in sunlight)

1 x Sekonic 308 meter (small)
1 x VC Meter II for M4

Tons of film.

All of this fits in a small, simple waist pack or my jacket pockets.

Any more gear than that any you end up 'gear juggling'. One symptom is that you will inevitably always have the 'wrong' lens on the camera. As a result you will always first go through a series of mental and physical gymnastics, as you decide what lens to use, instead of just taking the shot.
;-)

 

[Jeremy Z]

Three Options

Three Options

1) Olympus XA & film. 35mm is a good all-around lens, IMO.

2) A fixed-lens rangefinder with a fast, high quality 40-50mm for the mainstay, and something with a proper wide angle, i.e. 28mm or less. If you don't have a good FLR, you could just use an interchangeable lens RF with a 50.

3) Digital SLR with two zooms; this can truly do everything, but may not be as much fun.

Other posters have a good point. Decide what you want the focus of the trip to be and choose based on that.

 

[Rico]

My extra-small travel kit is the M4 with Summaron 35/2.8, plus the Contax T3 (S35/2.8). M4 handles the daytime street at 100 ASA, while T3 handles the evening with Superia 800 and its inbuilt flash.

 

[harry01562]

Simplest kit, Raid, but you could have left the 90 at home. I find that a 35 or wider is very useful on a trip. After having problems, I do like to carry a 2nd body. I'd go Canon P w/35/2 and M3 or Canon 7s w/your choice 50/1.2. I've also used the 1.2 nicely for some night club, stage show stuff, and it's a really great combo with the 35/2. I like the M3, but the 7s has the advantage of the 35 VF built in, and the body is just as reliable, IMHO. I also carry a Gossen Pilot or a Sekonic L-398M meter when I am in a tough lighting situation. No batteries, and no fuss, as I don't use the meter in the 7s (unreliable and old..like me). This all fits with space for a book, tickets, etc in my MClassic bag. Oh yes, lots of room for film, also.
Hope your trip was fun and rewarding.

Harry

 

[raid]

Harry,

Yes, the trip was fun and also rewarding, but I am behind work now and must catch up.

The 90mm lens could have been left and I would not have missed it.

Raid