What would you take?

[Spanik]

It's a time for selfies and happy snaps and images to show friends on facebook more than it is for making art.

If my wife insisted on selfies and facebook I'd get another wife pronto.


Maybe that's why I don't have a wife....

Seriously, If you go on a trip you both have to enjoy it, that may involve compromises. but not to the point where you regret taking the trip.

So yes, my typical trip gear is a medium format body and 4 lenses + extras. If going light I leave the extras at home, but at least that goes along.

 

[Roger Hicks]

If my wife insisted on selfies and facebook I'd get another wife pronto.


Maybe that's why I don't have a wife....

Seriously, If you go on a trip you both have to enjoy it, that may involve compromises. but not to the point where you regret taking the trip.

So yes, my typical trip gear is a medium format body and 4 lenses + extras. If going light I leave the extras at home, but at least that goes along.

And it's why I do...

Cheers,

R.

 

[nongfuspring]

t's a time for selfies and happy snaps and images to show friends on facebook more than it is for making art. Concentrate on your wife and what would make her happy FIRST, and if there is room for photography afterward, you'll be able to at least get the shot with a reasonably current iPhone.

I think I just threw up a little bit 🙁

 

[Lss]

I would be slightly nervous carrying several thousand dollars worth of Leica gear on vacation. My rule is never take anything on a trip that you aren't prepared to possibly lose.

I always take my health and life, and I am somewhat hesitant losing either. Money is just money. It's not easy to replace lost equipment for all of us, but at least it is possible. Insurance surely helps. For me, it's not much fun owning equipment that isn't used.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I always take my health and life, and I am somewhat hesitant losing either. Money is just money. It's not easy to replace lost equipment for all of us, but at least it is possible. Insurance surely helps. For me, it's not much fun owning equipment that isn't used.

Exactly. If you can't afford to take the risks inherent in using it, then you can't actually afford to buy it.

Could I replace my (uninsured) M9 tomorrow? No. Can I afford not to use it? No. If I can't use it, why am I wasting my time owning it?

Cheers,

R.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Could you possibly buy a small digital point and shoot? There are loads of good ones available. I would be slightly nervous carrying several thousand dollars worth of Leica gear on vacation. My rule is never take anything on a trip that you aren't prepared to possibly lose.

HCB traveled to USA, India, China and USSR, I can't recall him losing his Leica cameras. OP is going to Europe not Libya. Chance to lose is same as on local trip near home.

OP's M2 with Voigtlander lens isn't something which is hugely expensive. And OP's Nikon SLR is way cheaper comparing to really good digital P&S (if any actually exists under cheap price).

I'm facing same dilemma and been looking for small digital compact for couple of weeks now. "Small digital point and shoot" cameras are the same load of crap as they were years ago. More pixels added into specifications, but on real world pictures it is gobble of noise, no pixels, but pixelation.
The only digital compact which doesn't have total crap in IQ I was able to find so far is Panasonic LX100, but the price of it even used is not cheap to be able to lose and forget about it.

 

[dwojr]

HCB traveled to USA, India, China and USSR, I can't recall him losing his Leica cameras. OP is going to Europe not Libya. Chance to lose is same as on local trip near home.

OP's M2 with Voigtlander lens isn't something which is hugely expensive. And OP's Nikon SLR is way cheaper comparing to really good digital P&S (if any actually exists under cheap price).

I'm facing same dilemma and been looking for small digital compact for couple of weeks now. "Small digital point and shoot" cameras are the same load of crap as they were years ago. More pixels added into specifications, but on real world pictures it is gobble of noise, no pixels, but pixelation.
The only digital compact which doesn't have total crap in IQ I was able to find so far is Panasonic LX100, but the price of it even used is not cheap to be able to lose and forget about it.

It is a different world today than in HCB's time in so many ways. For OP's purposes of traveling with wife to Europe I still think a small camera would be more appropriate. But if you are looking to get the highest quality pics then obviously it is not ideal.

When I took my family to Europe this past summer I took a Fuji X30. Quality was decent but certainly not the best by any means. But it made for easy hiking and a more enjoyable trip then the last time when I took multiple cameras and lenses.

Of course you could invest in one of the FF compacts from Sony or Leica.

 

[Roger Hicks]

. ... But if you are looking to get the highest quality pics then obviously it is not ideal. . . .

More like "completely worthless" in many situations, if you want anything more than happy snaps.

My wife knows I love her. The best way I can demonstrate this photographically is by developing her films for her... (I asked her to marry me almost exactly 35 years ago in August 2001).

Cheers,

R.

 

[dwojr]

More like "completely worthless" in many situations, if you want anything more than happy snaps.

My wife knows I love her. The best way I can demonstrate this photographically is by developing her films for her... (I asked her to marry me almost exactly 35 years ago in August 2001).

Cheers,

R.

What is wrong with happy snaps on a family vacation? I printed 100 of my favorite pics and am perfectly happy with my snaps and more happy with my memories.

Here is a link to my happy snaps:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskH1nRvJ

I'm sure I will be thoroughly shredded over them.

 

[MikeMGB]

What is wrong with happy snaps on a family vacation? I printed 100 of my favorite pics and am perfectly happy with my snaps and more happy with my memories.

Here is a link to my happy snaps:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskH1nRvJ

I'm sure I will be thoroughly shredded over them.

I couldn't agree more, I took my wife and daughter to Europe at the beginning of the year, we were traveling light so all I took was a 7 year old Leica C-Lux 2. We were all perfectly contented with my Happy Snaps.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

It is a different world today than in HCB's time in so many ways. For OP's purposes of traveling with wife to Europe I still think a small camera would be more appropriate. But if you are looking to get the highest quality pics then obviously it is not ideal.

When I took my family to Europe this past summer I took a Fuji X30. Quality was decent but certainly not the best by any means. But it made for easy hiking and a more enjoyable trip then the last time when I took multiple cameras and lenses.

Of course you could invest in one of the FF compacts from Sony or Leica.

x30 doesn't looks like "small digital point and shoot":
X30 is 118.7mm x 71.6mm x 60.3mm.
M2 is 138 mm x 77 mm x 33.5mm (+another 30mm for lens).

At one trip HCB was hunting at nights to have some money and at the end he was seriously ill, but camera made it back with him to Europe. Some of my relatives are living now near Brussel and travel across Europe with kids regularly. They aren't scared to take some pictures.

I think, it comes to two choices some of us have to make.
Choice one. Take convenient digital camera you are OK with and not afraid to lose. For some it is x30 and Leica digital compacts.
Choice two. Take camera you like to use and like outcome from this camera. For some it is film cameras.

Over years I went through all of these stages.
Took no camera. And now it sucks to have no pictures.
Took film PS (it was no digital). Great to have just few pictures from almost each of many trips.
Took film SLR. No difference from cheap PS.
Took mobile phone. Tons of crappy 2MP pictures, somewhere, can't find.
Took similar to x30 in size digital FujiFilm camera. So-so 5MP pictures.
Took 12-16 MP DSLR. Technically best pictures I ever took.
And now for couple of years I'm taking one Leica M film camera and mobile phone.

I admit, the film Leica M is the real problem! It is not going to take pictures in bang-bang-bang mode. It is not going to give picture which wife is going to like most of the time. But it is the only camera I like to take pictures with to have pictures I never have taken before. And location is irrelevant. Anywhere we go, family is waiting for me often, while I'm taking something like this:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kf095/24397790799/in/dateposted/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kf095/21153393009/in/dateposted/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kf095/20741042632/in/dateposted/

Usual conflict of interests to me and maybe for OP as well. Take pictures I want or take pictures family needs. This is why it is important to have wife interested in taking pictures with digital camera she has approved. 🙂

 

[Roger Hicks]

What is wrong with happy snaps on a family vacation? . . . .

Nothing, if that's all you want to shoot.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Cyriljay]

I would take either Leica body, the 21mm, the 35mm, and the 50mm. If limiting to two lenses, I would leave the 50mm home. This is because the narrow streets in France call for the use of wide lenses. Ideally, I would use a 24 or 25mm rather than the 21, as I find them to be rather more versatile than a 21 in Paris. A great combo is 24/35/50. That is what I use in France. Yes, there are shots to be had with the 90, but again, the wides will be more important. Bon Voyage!

Why use a wide lens in Paris? Any special reasons ? In London or New York it is the same eye anywhere . I don't suggest any angle but the usual comfortable angle used to see any particular Photography then I am going to use that lens . I do it that way . 🙂