Hassy + Phase One P25+ Kit, would you bring them for a desert trecks ?

[steflaurent974]

I travel to marocco mountains, a 7 days treking. Before, I'll pick my M8 with a Canon TV .095 modified in Paris ( just a rangefinder and focus revision).

So I'm sure I'll have the M8 ( I can bring other lenses Elmarit 21, Cron 28 for example).

I would like to bring my P25+ as well but I'm afraid of dust (as i experimented in Lybian SAHARA for the 2006 total eclipse of the sun). I do have the choice in lens : the heavy old distagon 40, the 50 FLE , the classic 80 and the 180/4 , and a 38mm SWC.
Maybe the best choice is the P25+ on the SWC ? As I'll have the M8, this combo gives me a really good and compact landscape high definition system ; the only bad thing is the viewfinder of the SWC wich don't allow precise framing. (I don't want to use a focusing screen because of dust).

Here are my thoughts !

M8 with Canon 50/0.95 , Cron 35
SWC with P25+ for landscape.
Manfrotto 190pro Tripod.

What do you think of this set (in my backpack all the day long !! 6 to 7 hours walking a day ). Any better suggestion ?

 

[dfarkas]

I travel to marocco mountains, a 7 days treking. Before, I'll pick my M8 with a Canon TV .095 modified in Paris ( just a rangefinder and focus revision).

So I'm sure I'll have the M8 ( I can bring other lenses Elmarit 21, Cron 28 for example).

I would like to bring my P25+ as well but I'm afraid of dust (as i experimented in Lybian SAHARA for the 2006 total eclipse of the sun). I do have the choice in lens : the heavy old distagon 40, the 50 FLE , the classic 80 and the 180/4 , and a 38mm SWC.
Maybe the best choice is the P25+ on the SWC ? As I'll have the M8, this combo gives me a really good and compact landscape high definition system ; the only bad thing is the viewfinder of the SWC wich don't allow precise framing. (I don't want to use a focusing screen because of dust).

Here are my thoughts !

M8 with Canon 50/0.95 , Cron 35
SWC with P25+ for landscape.
Manfrotto 190pro Tripod.

What do you think of this set (in my backpack all the day long !! 6 to 7 hours walking a day ). Any better suggestion ?

Not so sure about the Canon 50 f/0.95... You may be better off with M8 + 35 cron and maybe 75 or 90 (if you have these focal lenghts).

I'd ditch the aluminum 190Pro in favor of a Gitzo carbon fiber 1 or 2 series (GT1541) with a small, light ball head like the GH1780. A 2 pound (1kg) difference over 7 hours of hiking makes a big difference on your back/shoulders/neck.

The SWC should work for you. As far as framing, take a shot and review it on the LCD to check framing. Trial and error seem a bit imprecise, but it works. Just be sure to use a level on the camera.

Or, if you really want to cut down, just take the M8, 21, 35, and 90 with a small Gitzo. Pack light, travel happy, and get great pictures anyway. I'm usually guilty of bringing too much gear on trips. In those rare cases that I minimized, traveling was much more pleasant and I still got great shots.

Best of luck.

David

 

[steflaurent974]

David you suggest I could let the 0.95 Canon and change it for my cron 90 apo asph. It's so right this Canon 50mm is huge and heavy. This give me this set :

-Leica M8 cron 35 + Cron 90
-SWC with P 25+

Or for a lighter set :

-M8 Elmarit 28 , Cron 50 wich give me a classi all purpose 35mm equivalent and the 50 mm as a little tele to shoot portrait (Touareg, Marakesh)
-SWC with P25+

And I'll study the Gitzo suggestion, Carbon upgrade !

Stephane

 

[Don Libby]

I don't think this part of the question has been answered so here goes...

I live in the Southwest where dust is a constant companion, along with gusts beyond 45mph. That said I've used a P30+ and now a P45+ in this environment without any failures or problems.

I used the P30+ on first a Mamiya then Phase AFD in all types of climates ranging from dry near zero humidly to blowing snow, rain and sleet. Switching camera platforms to a Cambo RS1000 also meant a switch to a P45+. I've used this in wet humid rain forest environments to blowing snow and very cold as well as blowing sand storms in the Monument Valley Area where you can easily get "white out" from the blowing sand. I've had sand in nooks and crevices of my body that you simply don't want to know about and in each case the Phase One has come out great.

I shoot with a large CF Card and never change cards outside; I also change the backs orientation all the time while outside with no problems. I'll admit I'd never think of changing the back if the wind was really blowing.

So in short, what do I think about taking a P25+ or for that matter any Phase One into the desert? Yeah I'd do it in a heart beat. I'd also think about taking a large plastic bag along to place the kit into if I needed to change out the card and to protect the battery locking mechanism when I needed to change batteries. I'd also tape the openings of the back to add extra protection.

Hope this helps.

Maybe Doug will chime in here as well...

Don

 

[Guy Mancuso]

CI also has rubber plugs for all the three exposed ports on the back. Cost a couple dollars and get a few spares but covers the firewire port, PC and multi port as well.

 

[Don Libby]

The plugs work well enough however if I were hiking and in constatnt movement I'd feel better with the tape as I have had a plug get loose.

 

[Dale Allyn]

I was going to ping Doug about this, but since you guys brought up the rubber plugs...: I'm wondering why the plugs don't enter the firewire port more deeply. I have used my plugs exactly once because the very first time I removed my camera from my bag the rubber plug was brushed loose and ended up in the sand. It was barely brushed on the divider on the way out of the bag (barely, really) and that's all it took to remove it. If the FW port cover was deeper it would solve this problem IMO. I feel it's a terrible design flaw, so I wondered if there are certain back models that don't have the cavernishly deep FW port. My point of wanting to mention this to Doug was to suggest that he feed the info up the chain to Phase in hopes that they'd fix them.

You see, the first time I used the covers it was cold out and the rubber shrunk just enough to be too loose to be of use. The plug over the FW port is so shallow that once it shrunk a bit it just flopped there. In my opinion, Phase should redesign them with a much deeper FW port plug and then send replacements to all who paid $10 for each of them. I don't mean to be whiney here, but it seemed really silly to botch something so simple, especially when charging the price that is charged.

I want the covers and need them, but if I choose to use mine I'll have to use gaffers tape to keep them attached which seems kind of silly.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

I agree Dale being a longer plug on the Firewire port would help a lot .I have lost a few myself.

 

[steflaurent974]

lol - I do have already loose this plastic plug...I'll remember to bring a roll of gaffer to seal the DB.
By the way, I own an Orion trekker from LOWEPRO but it will be too small for my day things (water, rainsuit, knife, ....everything but photo gear). Do you guys have any suggestion for a serious backpack.
I have seen two of them wich seems to be big enough :

LOWEPRO Rover plus
VANGUARD Kenline 59

If any of you have some experiences about these or other similar backpack, please feel free to share !

Best regards ,

stephane

 

[dougpeterson]

I don't think this part of the question has been answered so here goes...

I live in the Southwest where dust is a constant companion, along with gusts beyond 45mph. That said I've used a P30+ and now a P45+ in this environment without any failures or problems.

[...]

I'd also think about taking a large plastic bag along to place the kit into if I needed to change out the card and to protect the battery locking mechanism when I needed to change batteries. I'd also tape the openings of the back to add extra protection.

Don

Don said it. Precaution is always better than recklessness, but using the Phase back in such tough conditions will be the least of your concerns. I'd either get one of the rubber port covers for the sync and fw ports, or just gaffe tape over them (since you won't be using either even a little in a desert).

CI also has rubber plugs for all the three exposed ports on the back. Cost a couple dollars and get a few spares but covers the firewire port, PC and multi port as well.

I was going to ping Doug about this, but since you guys brought up the rubber plugs...: I'm wondering why the plugs don't enter the firewire port more deeply. I have used my plugs exactly once because the very first time I removed my camera from my bag the rubber plug was brushed loose and ended up in the sand. It was barely brushed on the divider on the way out of the bag (barely, really) and that's all it took to remove it. If the FW port cover was deeper it would solve this problem IMO. I feel it's a terrible design flaw, so I wondered if there are certain back models that don't have the cavernishly deep FW port. My point of wanting to mention this to Doug was to suggest that he feed the info up the chain to Phase in hopes that they'd fix them.

You see, the first time I used the covers it was cold out and the rubber shrunk just enough to be too loose to be of use. The plug over the FW port is so shallow that once it shrunk a bit it just flopped there. In my opinion, Phase should redesign them with a much deeper FW port plug and then send replacements to all who paid $10 for each of them. I don't mean to be whiny here, but it seemed really silly to botch something so simple, especially when charging the price that is charged.

I want the covers and need them, but if I choose to use mine I'll have to use gaffers tape to keep them attached which seems kind of silly.

Don, this is the first I've heard of the "case of the shrinking rubber port covers" . I've had nothing but good use of them, but there's not much cold weather here in South Beach. You're not being whiny and I'm sure you know we'll be happy to refund your money if your not satisfied. We'd also be happy to replace them, but it sounds like that for your usage a replacement would be likely to shrink.

I think the shallow plug length is to allow the use of the port covers on the P65+ and all future backs which have built in flop-down firewire covers, but I could be wrong.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
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[Guy Mancuso]

Never heard of shrinkage