What film/films for a cycle trip across the US?

[Bob Michaels]

I took a 2-week bike tour in my youth; took a crap P&S, wish I had taken a Leica.

I did a number of week long solo bike tours. Took an Olympus Stylus Epic on several. Took a ContaxG with one lens on one, and ContaxG with two lenses on another. But looking at my photo albums from each trip, I cannot tell what camera equipment I used on a particular trip.

 

[FrankS]

400asa B+W film in one camera, 100asa colour neg film in the second camera. It's the way to go. Some images call for colour, some for B+W. Having 2 cameras means that you won't have the wrong film (in your one and only camera) and it means you have a back up should one camera fail. How many ounces does a second camera body weigh?

 

[Vics]

Tri-X.
Vic

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Kodachrome, of course.

Chris

 

[35mmdelux]

Kodachrome 64, or 200 if you can find it, and mail it to Dwaynes. They can return it to your home address.

 

[jenik]

From what I've read and seen Kodachrome looks amazing but I have exactly zero experience with chrome films and feel like getting to know it on a trip, where I can't get it easily processed, might not be the best idea (it's also terribly expensive). But thanks for all the suggestions!

At the moment I think I'm leaning towards Fuji Reala or Kodak Ektar with a couple of rolls of Neopan 400CN just in case.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Now I realize this is a photo site, but just make sure you remember you are doing an incredible bike tour and not a photo excursion. It will not even be a combination of the two. I have done a lot of both and remember a lot of hard decisions about priorities even with a casual schedule.

Do enjoy your tour. I am still hoping to do that cross country ride someday.

 

[venchka]

ps,

This will be a 2-3-4 month trip, right? You can get film all along the way. You can call Freestyle, give them a credit card number and have film mailed to places ahead of you. Small town post offices will hold mail for you. Or they would. Better verify that. Drug stores and supermarkets sell film. Kodachrome isn't as expensive here as in the U.K. Nothing is for that matter. There are even a few camera stores left that stock film.

Point is, you can use different film every week if you like. Roadside sources will have Kodak gold and Max or Fuji 400 & 800. Sometimes you may even find BW400CN. CVS drug stores sometimes have Tri-X and Ektachrome. Or did. That may have changed.

For B&W, you can't beat Freestyle rebranded Kodak Plus-X and Tri-X. You really don't need 400 film all the time in the USA. We have abundant sunshine.

The good news is that the best scenery is waiting in the last 2-3 weeks of the trip. Do not miss the Tetons & Yellowstone or Highway 20 in Washington. Squeeze Glacier in if you have time.

 

[venchka]

So did I

So did I

From what I've read and seen Kodachrome looks amazing but I have exactly zero experience with chrome films and feel like getting to know it on a trip, where I can't get it easily processed, might not be the best idea (it's also terribly expensive). But thanks for all the suggestions!

At the moment I think I'm leaning towards Fuji Reala or Kodak Ektar with a couple of rolls of Neopan 400CN just in case.

I had zero experience when I loaded my first 35mm camera with Kodachrome II. I still have the slides. They still look good.

No experience is no excuse. Adhere to the Rule of Kodachrome: The great American Landscape and it's wonderful people should be recorded on Kodachrome.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Chuck Albertson]

If you prefer B&W, stick with that, and whatever film you usually shoot. It's one less thing to worry about on the road. If you're used to shooting Tri-X (for example) and the batt in your M6 dies miles from the nearest drugstore (they always do) you can carry on shooting using the exposure settings you've been using most of the time.

 

[MartinP]

Several decades ago (oops) I made a cycle-trip of more than three months within Europe. I always planned that I would make photos along the way and I took a Contax 139 with me, together with a Pen-EE.

The slr had bulk-rolled FP4 in (I took thirty rolls with me and mailed it back in batches of five, though this was before any mail x-rays I suspect) and I used 100 asa colour print film in the Pen. Nowadays you could get something like a Stylus to replace the Pen and have the side-benefit of a flash too.

Some days I did hardly any photography, and some days hardly any kilometres. It turned out that I didn't even use all my FP4.

For some odd reason (possibly because I had one) I took a 135mm lens with me, as well as 50mm and 28mm. I never used the 135, so I'd suggest taking normal or wider lens(es) only.