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Canon Travel Kit

bradhusick

Active member
Bob,
I also have the M8.2 and the 5DM2. I would bring only the M8.2 with your 21, 28, 50 and add the 70 cron or 90 APO. Done. Put it in a small A&A bag (Image Smith). The Canon is good for long tele sports shooting and HD video. Not needed on your trip, it sounds like. Just MHO.

-Brad
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
A week in Paris, then three days in St. Petersberg and then a week in Moscow and environs.
-bob
Leave the Canons home. Take a M8 and 4 or 5 lenses than pack the Cambo Rs1000 and your back with one or two lenses. Just a thought
 

mark1958

Member
I travel a lot and commonly go with the 5D and now 5DII as my travel camera. I always take the 24-85 Zeiss (now instead of the 24-105), and the 70-200/4 L IS. I take the 430EXII flash. Sometimes this is all I take. However, depending on where I go I consider taking one or two of the following Leica 28mm R, 24mm TSE, 90mm TSE. To be honest, when i went to Berlin a couple of years ago, I ended up using my 90mm TSE lens the most for walk around shooting.

When I go to a Keystone meeting (which can be Whistler, Colorado, Utah, etc etc), I pack my MF gear and a tripod. I take the Hasselblad H3DII-31, 28mm, 50-110, (sometimes the 80mm), and 210mm with 1.7x converter, extension rings, and a few ND/graduated filters. I usually get all of this in a packback. Now that I have the 1.5HTS, I need to find room. I am thinking of getting a 50mm (at some point) and bring the 28, 50, 100, 210mm and leaving the zoom at home.
 

atufte

New member
My travel kit...(+ 50mm) it all fit's into my Domke F5-XB

http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/depailler/imgs/4/d/4dfa2cff.jpg

I also used two M8's for a couple of years, but this is almost as compact
and much more versatile... try it, just skip the large zoom's and way oversized L lenses and this actually becomes a very small and compact kit...(add a Zeiss ZE/Leica-R lens or two with a EG-S focuscreen and it becomes even more rigid and precise)
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
EOS 450D and Sigma 18-125.

Stunning result and almost no wight.

Maybe if I would buy new I would go for the new EOS 500D of course!

These cameras give you so much quality, freedom and possibilities which you could NOT find in even the most advanced analog SLRs some 10 year ago. And Sigma glass is cheap and great - at least the lenses I bought. :D
 

Robert Campbell

Well-known member
EOS 450D and Sigma 18-125.

Stunning result and almost no weight.
Got a 450D with a Tamron 18-200 for our daughter recently -- she wanted to move on from the P&S. This is much more compact -- and much lighter than my 5DII, and better for travel -- if your purpose is travel to see/explore Paris. If however, you are going primarily to photograph these places [lucky you] then by all means take a full kit, tripod and a few sherpas.
 

Dale Allyn

New member
Never would do this if traveling to a city :salute:
Interesting. I read this type of remark in threads on various forums and always wonder what elements are in play here. I travel to cities and (almost) never give any thought to my gear at all. I mean other than the usual "street smart" awareness. I don't drag a rolling cart with Lieca stickers all over it, up three flights of stairs in burned out crack houses, but I carry a discrete bag and whatever gear I want to use.

Obviously, people have different comfort levels, but I'd hate to not have access to my photography because of fear. If one is truly fearful, the gear can be insured so that one simply hands it over freely in the event of any conflict. It's just metal and silica, not a family member. ;)

But I have also seen people traveling who seem to sort of project an "aurora" of obviously being out of their element and of vulnerability. It's worth learning how to jettison this look IMO. :)
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
Could be that he means that he wouldn't want all the fuss when travelling if the purpose was not specifically photography of the sort that requires the sherpas, etc.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Interesting. I read this type of remark in threads on various forums and always wonder what elements are in play here. I travel to cities and (almost) never give any thought to my gear at all. I mean other than the usual "street smart" awareness. I don't drag a rolling cart with Lieca stickers all over it, up three flights of stairs in burned out crack houses, but I carry a discrete bag and whatever gear I want to use.

Obviously, people have different comfort levels, but I'd hate to not have access to my photography because of fear. If one is truly fearful, the gear can be insured so that one simply hands it over freely in the event of any conflict. It's just metal and silica, not a family member. ;)

But I have also seen people traveling who seem to sort of project an "aurora" of obviously being out of their element and of vulnerability. It's worth learning how to jettison this look IMO. :)
One example:

In St. Petersburg last year, during White Night season. I carry my 450D with kit lens - a really not impressive camera - and suddenly I am surrounded by 4 Russian men, who make body contact with me from all sides although there is no need for it because not so many people on the streets. I hold my 450D in one hand, my briefcase covered by the other hand, do not get into any discussion with them and just manage to disappear.

Think about that with a MF cam and tripod or a technical cam and tripod. I would not really like this situation.

St. Petersburg is not the only city you can experience this of course, immediately Moskau, Dehli, Madrid, etc come to my mind as well.

This is my main reason to travel light and cheap. If they steal my 450D I will be angry bt no big loss. I even could go to the next store wherever I am and buy a new one. TOtally diffrent for a MF cam or a tech cam :toocool:
 

Dale Allyn

New member
I understand, Peter. Different experiences and different comfort levels. My primary business requires that I carry high-value "baggage" which dwarfs the value of MF gear, so one learns to blend in and be extra alert (I mean "crazy alert") and it's not much fun sometimes. That being said, I've not visited St. Petersburg so have no experience with that. Friends of mine who do business in Russia suggest that it's one of the most corrupt environments in which to work (no offense intended toward our good Russian friends), and I can image circumstances which would make one uncomfortable.

Ironically, some MF gear looks as if it should be lower value because of its somewhat dated and clunky look. Others not so much. :)

I prefer to travel with 5D (and maybe a second body) and a few lenses. I don't own an M8, or that might be my choice. If photography is the main purpose of my trip though, then these days I want my MF kit. Of course, tomorrow I may have a different idea. :)
 

jklotz

New member
Best advice - just insure it. Then bring what you want. What's the point in owning all this nice camera gear if you don't use it?
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
The older I get, the more I believe in and live by the KISS principle...
 

Terry

New member
The older I get, the more I believe in and live by the KISS principle...
Which is exactly why I like my G1 and M8 combo. I won't travel with the D700 unless the whole trip is by car. I can't stand lugging the stuff or what to do with it when you don't want to leave it unattended in a hotel room. Also one reason that the 24 lux is so appealing to me fast! and I will replace two lenses with one. The G1 gets great reach with the 2x crop factor. I know it isn't great for sports but not what I take when traveling.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Which is exactly why I like my G1 and M8 combo. I won't travel with the D700 unless the whole trip is by car. I can't stand lugging the stuff or what to do with it when you don't want to leave it unattended in a hotel room. Also one reason that the 24 lux is so appealing to me fast! and I will replace two lenses with one. The G1 gets great reach with the 2x crop factor. I know it isn't great for sports but not what I take when traveling.
I heard so many things about the G1. Good and bad ones.

Do you actually like it? I trust you as you work with M8 and D700, which I know both very well.

So what is the real appealing thing about the G1? And how does the electronic viewfinder work in daily life?

Thanks

Peter
 

ChrisDauer

Workshop Member
The older I get, the more I believe in and live by the KISS principle...
That's where you take 1/2 your age, add 7; and never kiss anyone under that, right? :D

As we get older, we need to remember to continue to do strength training exercises (lift weights). I recommend bringing everything. That's my strength training.

Alternatively, it's a great way to keep your gear purchases in check. Don't let yourself own more than you can lift together at one time.
 

Terry

New member
I heard so many things about the G1. Good and bad ones.

Do you actually like it? I trust you as you work with M8 and D700, which I know both very well.

So what is the real appealing thing about the G1? And how does the electronic viewfinder work in daily life?

Thanks

Peter
OK, I almost got all the way finished writing and lost it. Here is round 2. :mad:

First we need to establish where I am coming from and my mindset. I am not as accomplished a photographer as most on this forum. I hate large heavy cameras. So, until 2007 I was using a Digilux 2 and several small sensor cameras. The Digilux 2 died and was at the Leica hospital with no vital organs available for transplant....finally, I asked Leica about upgrading to the M8 as I was really not happy with the Digilux 3 which was the offer they were currently running. Leica said yes and I was ecstatic...lens binge time. Loved the M8 but was really feeling the limitation when I needed some more telephoto.

When I figured all of this out, we were at the height of the D3 mania. However hard people tried to convince me to get a D3 it was just too big for me to handle and I bought a D300. When then the D700 came along I made the trade. Walking around with the D700 and 24-70 just isn't fun for me. It is fine when I have a purpose but not as a wander around kit for me.

Now the DP1 gets announced and I have high hopes for big sensor small camera but the usability issues turn me off. Next up the G1 comes along and answers my dreams.... so now for the G1. I can see why there is a love hate relationship from users and I will try to explain....

The body and lenses are small and light and I can carry it everywhere and that is just awesome for me. I don't think anyone is complaining about that although some people find the body a bit cramped. Here is the Nikon 70-300 f4.5-5.6 (52mm filter) compared to the 45-200 f4.5.6 (67mm filter) from Panasonic.
View attachment 15838

People are complaining that the lenses are too slow. I don't hear people whine about the 70-300 when their other choice is the "oh so compact" :cool: 70-200. :D

Next up...the camera is complex. Panny packed a lot of options that a lot of people that have been around photography for a long time don't really want or need. So forget about them. It isn't as if the D700 doesn't have a million different ways to shoot it. There certainly were a number of threads with people trying to figure out the best way to implement the multiple methodologies for focus. There is no other camera that I know of with the simplicity of the M8...which is a shame.

It is undisputed that the manual focus of the G1 is brilliant. Getting perfect focus on a Noctilux is childs play. This is particularly true with manual focus and the articulated LCD. Speaking of the LCD there are shots that I take with the G1 that are easy at angles I wouldn't even begin to try and do with the M8 or D700. Note - I don't have a Nocti but at PMA I did out the new one on the G1:
View attachment 15839

There are issues with wide angle M8 lenses in the corners. Panny is doing software corrections for their lenses. There have been a number of theories why the 28 cron isn't good in the corners. Personally I think it has to do with lens corrections in the files...Panny has acknowledged that they do make jpeg and raw lens corrections to the files. So, Panny is supposed to come out with an M adapter and they told me IF they come out with the adapter, the lenses will work just fine.

Moving onward to the EVF and this is where it is a love hate relationship for why people sold it. It is the best one out there -but to some people they just can't get over not seeing the live image. It is big and bright. As the light levels go down you do start to see a noisier image and the refresh slows. This annoys people. For me, I have a live histogram in finder and it also gains up making shooting with a manual lens already stopped down easier because you don't lose the light in the viewfinder. Now if you are coming from an M8 where you can hit the shutter all day and nothing changes in the viewfinder the G1 will be sort of odd and takes some getting used to because in normal use it freezes and is showing you the image playback. It will jolt you at first because the moving world is all the sudden a frozen image with you hit the shutter. You can disable image review, however in most instances I don't but leave it at a couple of seconds (there are a bunch of choices). If image review is on, a quick tap of the shutter will take you to the live view again. I don't think some people ever get over this.

This is not a burst shooting camera. You do get a shutter blackout it is hard to follow movement. I use focus tracking for this but Jack is probably best on the forum to address this as it was his first pet peeve about the camera. Bottom line THIS IS NOT A FIRST CHOICE CAMERA FOR SPORTS :bugeyes:

Image quality - at low ISOs it is just fine. No it doesn't scale up in ISO nearly as nicely as the D700. The m4/3 lenses to date haven't helped as they are slow. However, as you can see above, you can use an awful lot of lenses on the camera. There will be more lenses particularly with the oly offerings that should be getting closer to reality. Is my M8 an more brilliant at dealing with low light and high ISOs, no. Can I get the ISO lower, yes use my fast Leica glass on the camera.

It has a mechanical shutter. Some don't like the noise of it. I laugh because it is like just the upgraded shutter noise of the M8 and not at all as loud as the re-cock on the M8.

Bottom line this is a new camera in a new format. I am happy to be an early adopter to ensure the format (mirroless) is taken seriously and moves forward.

The interest in this camera just BEGS for Leica to sit up an take notice that there really ought to be a Leica version....the entry M or CL that everyone has been asking for.

For me, the camera is a total keeper. Can they do some things better. Yes! Is this an incredibly well sorted out camera for the first one of this genre ANSOLUTELY!:thumbup:

OK....so I'm sure I missed stuff but I'm happy to answer more specific questions if you have them.

Weight of:
G1 = 385 grams :)
M8 = 545 grams
D700 = 995 grams :eek:
 

Terry

New member
Whoops no matter how much you proofread.....

The lens diameters are backwards 45-200 is 52mm and Nikon 70-300 is 67mm I have them reversed.

There are a couple of other glaring typos that it is too late to fix. Sorry.
 
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