traveling with the r-d1

[jonnyrf]

Hi, I'm in a bit of a dilemma as to which camera to take traveling with me. Been a great fan and user of the Rd1 for a few yeas now & had some superb pictures out of it but recently been using film with an old OM1 and 85mm (this was mainly due to a recent photography class). Maybe its because i don't professionally print out from my digital files but i am finding that the some of my film camera results are really quite good.

I know the rd1 is justas /more than capable, in many ways but i am soon to go to cuba traveling about for three weeks and i don't want to take both. I'm packing light, but i do worry about petty (or in the rd1's case, not so petty ) theft.

Question really is, should i go with a £150 Olympus or $1500 Epson outfit??

Feel free to call me paranoid, !!

 

[david b]

take the oly and your favorite film and have no worries.

 

[Johnmcd]

As much as I love my OM1, take the RD1 and a small 12" screen notebook. That way you can dump the files and preview each night. I don't know if I could travel for 3 weeks without seeing what I shot 🙂

I don't know what bag you use but I can fit an old Toshiba protege M100 notebook in my Lowepro mini trekker backpack as well as an RD1, some lenses and whatever else I want to carry for the day like lunch, phone etc. The notebook only cost $400 second hand (over $3000 new) - talk about a throw away society.

I am traveling to Europe in May and will be carrying the above.

Still may be too heavy for you. Could also try some smaller storage device with screen like the Epson one.

Either way have fun and make sure you post some pics.

Cheers,

John

 

[sevres_babylone]

Done both. Two visits to Havana. First visit was pre-R-D1 (at least for me) and I travelled with my Oly and a Mamiya 7. Next trip took the R-D1.
I would take the R-D1, because you will take a lot of pictures in Cuba, and otherwise you'll end up with stacks of negatives/slides. You could fit both an R-D1 with a lens and the Om with the 85mm in a Domke 803. However, I think that with the R-D1 you just won't use the film camera enough to make it worthwhile taking along.
The R-D1 is my first digital, and I have to say I do like being able to change ISO without having to juggle different types of film. So I could go from sunlit streets to the Tropicana easily with the R-D1.

 

[Geo]

I would take the RD1 and a 2GB card.
The camera does not look like an expensive DSLR and I don't think you
need to worry. Cuba is not Columbia.
Don't forget it's only 36 frames on your film cam.
Geo

 

[triplefinger]

I travel with my RD-1 and a cron 40-c on it. it's all i need. I might slip in the ZM 25 if I'm packing heavy. it's the best.

 

[Bill58]

I think I'd take the most reliable one--and wouldn't be the RD-1 I'm afraid. There aren't too many repair technicians for RD-1s in Cuba.

 

[yanidel]

Been in Cuba before and though the level of living is pretty low, I did not feel more theft danger than in some of the touristic European cities. Police is pretty much all over the place, so RD1 in a waist bag should be safe enough if this is your main concern.

 

[RML]

I bring my R-D1 plus a couple of lenses. Backup? Hmmm... Canon Eos 300D, sadly. But I could also bring the Leica M2, or a Bessa R, or a Leitz Minolta CL. All film, though, and that's why the Eos usually ends up coming along.

 

[__hh]

I don't mean to hi-jack Jonny's thread, but I am in a similar position.

I'll be traveling for work to the US and Canada next month (incl. Ottawa, DC, NY and Hawaii). Should I stick with my 5D and L lenses (covering 16-35mm, 50mm, and 70-200mm), or go light with my R-D1s and (M6 or M3) and with just my 28mm and 50mm? My 1st big trip to N. America and I want to make good use of the photographic opportunities.

In this case, cost of equipment is not a factor, but weight Vs ultimate image quality Vs focal length versatility is. Can I have it all (light and high quality) with just my RF kit? I assume yes, but still the usual reliance on DSLRs is making me think twice about going RF-only.

 

[kuvvy]

I'd take the R-D1 (if I had one) as you will be shooting stacks of photos. taking that will at least be the cheaper option than film shooting. I would also take a small film compact along too. My choice would be my Pentax Espio Mini, a super little camera with a 32mm lens that is superb. When travelling I always take 2 cameras with me and it's usually one film, one digital. One for 'serious' shooting and one for snaps and as a backup.
I've been on trips where I've taken lots of options and ended up using only one and alernatively i've been on trips where I've taken just a compact and a bundle of film and still come back with good shots. Personally i hate to be laden down when travelling so keep your choice lightweight, a camera you enjoy shooting and enjoy your trip.

 

[jonnyrf]

thanks guys.

Im thinking i might go with the R-d1 for daytime and take my small Olympus XA (loaded with neopan1600) for evenings - my brother tells me the hemmingway specials are extremely drinkable - might be a wise move!!

 

[jl-lb.ms]

I would take the R-D1, with a Bessa R as a backup. Two bodies, one set of lenses (assuming you're using LTM lenses.) I have worked out a travel kit consisting of an Epson P-2000 image storage device, plus an Asus eee computer. The latter is a very tiny, but capable notebook that uses SD cards for its memory. It runs the Linux operating system and is quite reliable, having no internal disk drive. I've managed to load the GIMP image editor plus an outboard raw file converter. The two devices together fit in a very compact bag. Add a small camera bag for the R-D1 and I'm set.

john

 

[JonasYip]

I usually travel with my RD1 and a few lenses. It definitely has the advantage of looking fairly "unfancy" compared to my DSLRs. But the reliability issue is something to consider... I happen to have a 2nd RD1 body so that goes too, though of course any M-mount body would be fine as my backup....

 

[35mmdelux]

take the RD-1 and get a Olympus Epic for film. make it easy on yourself and enjoy the trip. besides your 85mm is too long in a place where wide might work better.

 

[sirius]

Hi, I'm curious why so many people talk about the reliability issue? What do they mean by that when referring to the R-D1?

The biggest problem for me is how to store all the photos. Do you buy a lot of memory cards?

 

[jbf]

I just got my RD-1 from Akiva (KShapero) last week and I'm loving it. Granted, I still love my film camears madly, but the rd1 is definately a fun camera to use.

Personally if it were me, I would say take both... i mean the OM and RD1 arnt going to be taking up much space if you limit yourself to say one lens each or maybe three lens total (one for say the om and two for the rd or vice versa).


Not sure though. I'd probably take the OM if you really really were tight on space.... but 85mm for me would probably be a bit too telephoto. I could probably live with a 35 only or hell even a 50mm only.