Voyage To Egypt With M7

[Andy Charrier]

Dear Leica Lovers Friends:

My parents have just invited me to Egypt and Europe this Summer Hollidays (Souhtern Hemisphere).
I’m so excited about that you couldn’t believe. If they hadn’t I would have had to stay in the burning hell of Santiago. I have never being on a trip to Egypt, so does anybody have any suggestion? Is it dangerous to travel along the Nile with a U$ 3000 camera around the neck?
I’m something confused about the gear I’ll take to this journey, since I’m used to making pictures with my Nikon Gear. The main problem for me is that I don’t have much experience with my Leica couse I’m a Rangefinder newby.
So you maybe think I need to travel with my Nikon F100 and my M7 or perhaps only with my F100.
What do you think?. I only have a 35 Summilux pre asph by now and it's very hard to find or buy Leica equipment in Chile and I will probably take more portraits picture than landscape. So I will need to take with me the F100 anyway.
I’m very used to travel always with a lot of weight, so I don’t care about travelling overloaded during my holidays, but I feel the need to bring the Leica and you know why.
Other question. Does anybody knows any second hand shop in Paris where to buy Leica Lenses? I will be there for a week with my grandmother so I will really appreciate any advice of you about the Leica market in Paris. Is it worthy?
Last question Would you recommend me a Black 90/ 2 Summicron from the 1957 for my portraits?
Thanks a lot and I promise to post some pictures of Egypt.


Andy

 

[ray_g]

Andy, sounds like a fun trip. I couldn't help but think to myself that Egypt will probably be hotter than "the burning hell of Santiago." 😉

I am sure the M7 would make a great travel camera, but for such a trip, you'd be better off with equipment you are use to. At least until you get to know your RF better.

 

[waileong]

I was in Egypt in 2001. You can see the remnants of a great civilisation.

There's poverty everywhere, lots of beggars, the guides are always asking for baksheesh (tips), to get anything done quickly you always need to give baksheesh. Foreigners always pay more for everything-- the idea is that foreigners are rich.

There's also high society of course, thousand-dollar cruises down the Nile, beautiful seaside resorts at Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh, expensive hotels with a view of the Pyramids.

Speaking of pyramids, they look better from a distance than close-up. It's amazing how decrepit it is. So much is crumbling. The Arabs obviously don't care too much about the Pyramids.

With this kind of poverty, crime is always a possibility. But if you keep your things about you and don't show off, I think you'll be all right. I had nothing stolen from me in Egypt. Damn, I got my backpack stolen at a train station in Spain!

Wai Leong
===

Dear Leica Lovers Friends:

My parents have just invited me to Egypt and Europe this Summer Hollidays (Souhtern Hemisphere).
I’m so excited about that you couldn’t believe. If they hadn’t I would have had to stay in the burning hell of Santiago. I have never being on a trip to Egypt, so does anybody have any suggestion? Is it dangerous to travel along the Nile with a U$ 3000 camera around the neck?
I’m something confused about the gear I’ll take to this journey, since I’m used to making pictures with my Nikon Gear. The main problem for me is that I don’t have much experience with my Leica couse I’m a Rangefinder newby.
So you maybe think I need to travel with my Nikon F100 and my M7 or perhaps only with my F100.
What do you think?. I only have a 35 Summilux pre asph by now and it's very hard to find or buy Leica equipment in Chile and I will probably take more portraits picture than landscape. So I will need to take with me the F100 anyway.
I’m very used to travel always with a lot of weight, so I don’t care about travelling overloaded during my holidays, but I feel the need to bring the Leica and you know why.
Other question. Does anybody knows any second hand shop in Paris where to buy Leica Lenses? I will be there for a week with my grandmother so I will really appreciate any advice of you about the Leica market in Paris. Is it worthy?
Last question Would you recommend me a Black 90/ 2 Summicron from the 1957 for my portraits?
Thanks a lot and I promise to post some pictures of Egypt.


Andy

 

[einolu]

Hey, if this trip is in the summer, you should have plenty of time to learn your M7. Get out there and take some pictures! As for the Leica being expensive, believe me, it wont attract as much attention as a digital camera. You can cover your Leica with electrical tape and other things to make it look a little more vintage... Also, thought you might be used to traveling heavy, traveling light is a very pleasent experience, so you should give it a shot 😉. Have fun.

 

[sockeyed]

Einars is right - your Leica will probably look less appealing to thieves than a fancy-looking digicam or dSLR - just make sure to cover up the red spot and the name.

Rangefinders make great travel cameras; I just got back from travels is SE Asia with my Bessa R3A + three lenses, and the whole kit fit in a smallish pouch on my waist.

Have a great trip! I'm sure everyone is looking forward to your photos.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Andy, that is a great opportunity. Good luck with your voyage, should you decide to go.

Is it dangerous to travel along the Nile with a U$ 3000 camera around the neck?

I cringe when I see these region-centric questions. It is dangerous to be anywhere with a $3000 camera around the neck, including your own bathroom. So whether you're in Melbourne, Detroit, Cairo, Berlin or Aunt Bertha's, it is always "dangerous" to wear a $3000 camera around your neck, be it from an insurer's point of view, or a Goldwater campaigner's point of view.

If you're incredibly worried about it, see if you can take a homeowner's personal item property policy that would cover your photo gear. If you're worried about you wearing it, then perhaps it's not worth it, as easy as that. And I say that with the noblest of intentions.

Felices vacaciones.

 

[peter_n]

Andy you're not getting any responses on the Paris thing. There are a few French members here who would probably be happy to help you.

Best to do a search for "Paris" on the forum and see if it throws up people who live there, either through photos or posts.

Good luck and have a wonderful holiday!

 

[ray_g]

I absolutely agree with Gabriel. I felt safer walking around Istanbul with my Leica a couple of months ago, than I do walking around with it in New Haven, CT.

On second thought, take the Leica - so you can post some photos here! 😉

 

[Ben Z]

My experience in travelling is that "modern-looking" SLRs with large zoom lenses attract more interested side glances from "unsavory" individuals than a Leica, even with its nameplate and logo showing. Few street theives know a Leica from a Lomo. They figure bigger camera=more valuable. Taping the nameplates is a useless affectation. If a theif knows what a Leica is, he'll recognize it without the nameplates just as we all would. My experience in Egypt is that you've less to worry about in terms of street theivery than in some major European cities, and much less than in American cities. I don't know the reason, perhaps the law is very tough on criminals in Egypt.

As to whether to take the F100 or M7 from a usage standpoint, I guess it depends on what kinds of photos you're after, what lenses you've got for the Nikon, and what your stamina level is for carrying stuff around. I like the size of the Leica outfit, but I'd rather an F100 with say 28-105 zoom than a Leica with just a 35. But that's because when I go on once-in-a-lifetime travels I want full flexibility to capture a host of subject matter. If I travelled around the world doing the same-old-same-old candid people snapshots as I can do at home in Chicago, then a Leica +35 would probably suffice.

The 90 Summicron you mention is a fine lens not just for portraits. Stopped down to normal shooting apertures it's a fine, sharp lens. It is however one of the heavier lenses in M history, so if you've got the choice I'd pick the later model with 55mm filter, which is much smaller and lighter. There really isn't a bad 90 in the bunch, and 35+90 will cover a lot of photographic territory. I'd want a 21mm too, like the Voitlander which isn't too expensive.

www.keh.com is very reliable and ships internationally. You could order what you want and get it sent to Santiago before you leave.

The only place I know of in Paris is called "Maison de Leica" but there may be other shops as well.

 

[pstevenin]

Andy, sounds like a fun trip. I couldn't help but think to myself that Egypt will probably be hotter than "the burning hell of Santiago." 😉

I am sure the M7 would make a great travel camera, but for such a trip, you'd be better off with equipment you are use to. At least until you get to know your RF better.

I just did the exact thing a year ago (or so) we I just offered an M6-TTL + 35 summicron just before flying to Argentina & Chile for our wedding trip. With just a test roll before boarding.

We did pretty good photos there.

Take it with you and take photos! even 35 is okay for portraits (just step close enough)

 

[ywenz]

Then you have to think that many theifs are probably well versed in expensive items.. i.e. the rolex daytona that flashes by on a fat cat's wrist, or a leica camera bouncing around someone's neck....

Leicas being expensive is not an obscure fact.

 

[pstevenin]

Dear Leica Lovers Friends:


Other question. Does anybody knows any second hand shop in Paris where to buy Leica Lenses? I will be there for a week with my grandmother so I will really appreciate any advice of you about the Leica market in Paris. Is it worthy?
Last question Would you recommend me a Black 90/ 2 Summicron from the 1957 for my portraits?
Thanks a lot and I promise to post some pictures of Egypt.


Andy

There are plenty of such boutiques.

The most famous one is La maison du Leica (WWW.lamaisonduleica.com) Boulevard Beaumarchais near Bastille (the Photo neigborhood of Paris)

You may try Objectif Boetie (My gear provider) small but competent or Objectif Bastille

The price is higher here than is US, but you still can find good bargains.

 

[Graybeard]

The benefit from covering part of a Leica with electricians tape may lie not so much in concealing the make of the camera but rather in making it appear that the camera is in such poor condition that it is being held together by a homemade tape repair.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

In less consumerist places Leica etc is unknown.

I took mine out and a guy, a friend, was gushing about his colleague's new Canon compact and completely ignored my Leica because he had never heard of Leica.

In many places I feel safer with a Leica than I would do with an Olympus Trip.

 

[nomade]

Hey have fun, just be carefull to where u put ur stuff, robbers here, there everywhere, but nothing special about Egypt in that case, i'm not sure where exactly u r going, but in summer i wouldn't recommend any trips to the south(luxor, aswan) the tempertaure where i live(alexandria ) in summer is sually between 29-33, 34...Cairo 33-38, luxor or aswan will be above 40, and so will be sharm and hurghada but the thing is that u can jump and chill in the water anytime, which is not something u'll enjoy in the nile 😀

Because many people are poor and uneducated, and so are theifs, they'll hardly recognize ur camera's value unless it appeared on ur face and the way u r handling the camera, basically if u left ur camera unwatched anyone will have it, it's something with an ic inside, and they can steel it for money, doesn't matter how much iits really worth...

A horse ride near the pyramids will be great, the sun would be the only problem, and always make sure u r paying a reasonable amount of money(no one like to be cheated).

Have fun...

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

My parents have just invited me to Egypt and Europe this Summer Hollidays (Souhtern Hemisphere).

I think that summer southern hemisphere indicates December and January...

 

[nomade]

Ooops, i skipped that part, the weather is generally cold in the northern part of the country, warm in the south(but can be freezing @ night)

 

[pedro.m.reis]

Dear Leica Lovers Friends:

My parents have just invited me to Egypt and Europe this Summer Hollidays (Souhtern Hemisphere).
I’m so excited about that you couldn’t believe. If they hadn’t I would have had to stay in the burning hell of Santiago. I have never being on a trip to Egypt, so does anybody have any suggestion? Is it dangerous to travel along the Nile with a U$ 3000 camera around the neck?

I went to Egypt for a cruise in the Nile and a weekend in Cairo. this was about 4 years ago.
Egypt is a heavy policied country. You'll have the company of "tourist police" and "secret police" everywhere you go. Your biggest problem will be escape from the natives who will try to sell you evrything.... even if you are on your ship and they on small boats......
All said, i was never afraid in Egypt, even when me and a small group of friends "escaped" to downtown cairo saturday night.... BUT i was carring a small P&S....

Just remember, if they whant $10 for anything, then probably that thing costs $1..... 😀
Have fun.