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Nikon travel the world kit

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
So Guy started a travel the world with Sony kit thread and I thought it was a great idea, so I'm copying it here. Here is what Guy posted over in Sony:

Let's have some fun. Say you won a contest to travel the world all expenses paid for 3 months. The only catch is you come home with 50 outstanding travel images, so what kit would you take. Rules are you need at least 1 body, 1 lens and 1 bag, that's the minimum. Oh and 1 tripod. So pick all 4 general items plus plus. What tripod , what bag , what lenses and what cameras.


What's the best in your mind. Remember this is for fun:toocool:
So for me, here is my choice. Keep in mind I do own and use a Sony A7r body for specific purposes:

Nikon D810 hands down over my A7r -- it just fits my hands like a glove, the controls are right where I know they should be, and the images flow directly through the outstanding viewfinder to my brain. Not to mention incredible AF, metering, great higher ISO when needed, 2-card storage capability and outstanding battery life.

Lenses are a bit tougher. When I travel, I usually limit myself to 3, but for a world-class trip, I may bump to 4. They would be first and foremost, the 50 ART and my Nikon 28 ASPH AF-D. And in all honesty, I could prolly just quit right here, but wouldn't for a world-class trip. Next would prolly be my Nikon 17-35/2.8 zoom simply for the wide end and versatility. Final would be a Nikon 70-200/4 to cover all longer focals and versatility -- I don't own it yet, but will before my next world-class excursion ( :ROTFL: ). Note that I'm not opposed to leaving the long zoom in my hotel room when I know I won't be using them and plan on moving light and fast.

4 lenses and body will cram into my Domke J803 for the plane ride -- I have modified a Domke 4-lens insert for it -- and is a perfect working bag since the camera and one lens is always out. In the pockets I have extra battery and cards of course, lens cloth and small body brush, travel guidebook and local map fits in the rear slide pocket -- and that's about all I need for a day around any village.

A note on the yet to be released Sigma ART 24. If it is as good as the 50 and 35, I will own one. However, while 24 is a focal I use a *lot* for landscape, I don't use it often while traveling, finding it either a tad too wide or a tad too long, hence my gut tells me I'd be happier with the extra width and versatility of the 17-35 zoom.
 

rayyan

Well-known member
Nice thread Jack.

There are 193 countries in the U.N. ( at the last count ). I have not been to all,
but to many..very many of those.

I have never traveled with more than 2 lenses ( on a Nikon body ) on any one occasion

Nikon 17-35 and the Nikon 85/1.4

Nikon and/or Zeiss 50mm with the Zeiss 100mm

Just a Nikon or Zeiss 50mm/1.4.

Any Nikon DSLR body would do for me ( as the F3 and F100 did ages ago ).

p.s. I have circled the world E-W and W-E; with my Nikon and the lens combos above.
 

Bryan Stephens

Workshop Member
Mine is my Cambo WRS-AE, with the IQ260. The lenses: HR 40, HR 70, SK 120.

Tripod is my trusted Gitzo GT3541L, with my Arca Cube.

The bag is the Domke J2, with wraps on the lenses, and the back. I have the small carry bag for the Cambo WRS body as well.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
So Guy started a travel the world with Sony kit thread and I thought it was a great idea, so I'm copying it here. ...
This thread could be run in every brand forum.. :)

When I carried Nikon gear, back in the film era, my typical travel kit was an FM2n or FE2, MD-12, and lenses 20, 35 or 50, and 85 mm. At some point, I changed the longer prime for a 70-200 zoom, or something like that, but I used it only infrequently.

Nowadays, I'm more likely to stick with something smaller and lighter than a DSLR.

G
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
I don't own a Nikon but if I did the trip with a Nikon it would be with that Black & Gold Df or a D810. I'd go with a Nikon 20/1.8 and 58/1.4 or the Sigma Art 24/35/50. I'd use a Nikon 70-200/4 for the long end.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I actually don't care which camera you want to put out for the job here, it can be anything -- as Bryan, who knows me pretty well, figured out :)
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I actually don't care which camera you want to put out for the job here, it can be anything -- as Bryan, who knows me pretty well, figured out :)
Okay, well, going back to Guy's note:

Say you won a contest to travel the world all expenses paid for 3 months. The only catch is you come home with 50 outstanding travel images, so what kit would you take. Rules are you need at least 1 body, 1 lens and 1 bag, that's the minimum. Oh and 1 tripod. So pick all 4 general items plus plus. What tripod , what bag , what lenses and what cameras.
1- I could go with the Leica X and its lovely Summilux 23mm f/1.7 ASPH lens in a very small bag like the Tenba DNA 8 with my Sirui T-025X travel tripod.

2- Carry the Leica M-P with 21, 35, 50, and 90 lenses in the A&A ACAM 1000 with Manfrotto 190CXpro3 legs and A-S Monoball P0 head.

3- Schlep the Olympus E-M1 with 14, 25, 45, and 75 lenses, toss in the 40-150 for a giggle (it weighs nothing), and use the same tripod and bag as above.

4- Eschew digital, carry the Hasselblad SWC, groundglass back and magnifying finder, same tripod as above, Lowepro Passport bag, Sekonic meter, and thirty rolls of 120 film, two A12 backs. It's a bit to carry, but

5- Moving even farther afield from modern sanity, stuff the Polaroid System Bag with the Polaroid SLR570m and Minolta Instant Pro, same tripod as above, and thirty packs of film... The thirty packs of film would be the problem as they take up a lot of space and weigh a bit.

I suspect I could make it back with 50 excellent photos using any of these kits after three months of shooting... :) But in truth, I'm more likely to go for light weight and digital capture: kits 1, 2 or 3 (even cut down to two lenses on 2 and 3) can do a seriously great job of nearly anything I'm likely to shoot.

G
 

Bryan Stephens

Workshop Member
I miss both my Hasselblad SWC and my 503CW with my 40mm lens. Both were excellent cameras and I have many a great capture with them.
 

Tim

Active member
I'll play the Nikon game. I don't own any but here what I'd go with.

Nikon Coolpix A goes in pocket. There is APS-C 28mm.
A D610 and a 20mm with either a 50mm or maybe a 85mm. Probably the 50mm. A lightweight Feisol tripod and a Think Tank bag.
I'd check the shutter for oil first though!

All in all it would be relatively light.
Print size from 24Mpixel would still be good.

Leave laptops and tablets home.

Done.

Is anyone going to start a "Fuji travel the world kit" :poke: :watch:
 

Swissblad

Well-known member
My pre-digital era travel kit used to be a FM3a, a small compact 35-105mm AF zoom (which worked very well MF) and a 24mm f2.8.
A 2nd FM2 body was loaded with FP4 …..:)

These days I tend to take the Fuji XT-1 or X-100 - lighter and less obtrusive.
 

segedi

Member
Jack,
Please post a photo of that bag! I have one and can't see how all that gear will cram in there. Did you modify the insert with voodoo? :)

My travel kit:
D750
Voigtlander 28mm
Nikon 85mm f/1.8
And to cover 50mm, Leica M and Summilux
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Here we go. This will be longish, and I'll present three setups and one bag. The bag first:



The bag is a Lowepro Inverse 200 AW, bought by coincidence many years ago. The price is slightly more than $50 at the moment, so it's very cheap. I have no idea on how many journeys mine has been travelling, but we are talking about 100+, on planes, buses, trains, boats, motorbikes, tractors etc. It's also been with me at well over 100 car races and other sports events and countless other occasions. It's pretty much been with me anywhere, every day the last few years, and it's been rolling down staircases, fallen off vehicles, been used as pillow etc.

For functionality, it features:
- Can be used as a shoulder bag, belt pack or handbag.
- Rooms one camera body and up to five lenses (one on the body) or two bodies and three lenses. Small lenses can be stacked, making room for more.
- Can take a 70-200mm f/4 or consumer grade 70-300mm standing.
- It has a flat top, which doubles as a desk when worn as a belt pack. Great when filling in immigration forms etc.
- Is compact enough to be carried inside a larger carry-on bag for air travel, leaving enough spare room for a weekend's worth of clothing.
- Has two external bottle holders and outside pocket for batteries etc. (I mostly carry my spare battery inside the bag though.
- Holders for two memory cards inside the lid (I travel with two cards in the camera and two spares in those pockets).
- Straps for a small tripod or Gorillapod underneath.

2. What I carry in the bag at the moment.

The D810 is a given. When I go places that I may not be able to come back to, I bring the best camera available. That's the D810. Somebody else on this forum told me that, and that was part of my reason for leaving m4/3 behind and go all Nikon.

I currently carry Nikkor 20mm f/3.5 AiS (not good enough), Nikkor 28mm f/2.0 AiS (very good), Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro (too contrasty) and the Nikkor 105mm f/1.8 (very good). I also carry a Tamron 1.4x TC for the 105mm.

This setup works quite well for me, and my original plan was to stay with that but change the 20 and 50mm lenses. The most likely candidates would be Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 AF-S and Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 Macro. It's nice to have a macro lens available in case I want to capture a detail up close, and that Zeiss has a very good reputation.

3. Possible future setup
The new Sigma 24mm f/1.4 may replace both the 20 and 28mm lenses. Add to that the Zeiss 50mm mentioned above and the existing 105mm, and I have room for an extra lens. There are two candidates for that:

- Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 AF, which would extend my reach a lot.

or... wait for it

- Tokina AF 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X 107 AF DX NH Fisheye.

The latter is the DX format fisheye zoom lens from Tokina, but without the built-in lens hood, making it usable on FX. It's a very fun lens that opens up an ocean of creative options. I can see a lot of uses for travel photography. Link here:

Tokina | Digital Eyes - Visionary technology makes a difference you can see

4. The zoom solution.
Zoom lenses are for me mostly work tools, but if I were to travel around the world together with a woman, children or both, there would be less time dedicated to photography. Zooms would be handy then. Those would probably be Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8, Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 and probably the Voigtlander 40mm f/2 with the included close-up lens to save weight.

I don't carry a flash when I travel, but a lightweight tripod is often in my bag. On a journey like this, I would bring several caps for protecting my head against the sun and three pairs of comfortable shoes for walking. I also use relatively thick cotton socks in the shoes to increase comfort a notch more and because they are comfortable to use at places where shoes are not allowed.

So far this year, I've been travelling for 5 weeks in three different countries and at the moment, I don't know when I will return home. Choosing the right travel setup is a very important part of that reality.
 

Paratom

Well-known member
OK, an open thread is much more fun IMO.
I would bring the Leica S with 21,45 and 100mm and the T with Standardzoom and Telezoom and 23/2.0 for lower light and quick snapshots etc.
My Gitzo tripod.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Now I have finally to chime in :)

Would bring the EM1 with 2.8/12-40, 2.8/40-150 (TC1.4 added for occasional use) plus the 1.8/75 and all would fit in my Wotancraft Avenger bag, including a MacBook Pro 13" Retina. The OMD system has really grown on me!

And happily call it a day (or 3 great months) :D

Peter
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Jack,
Please post a photo of that bag! I have one and can't see how all that gear will cram in there. Did you modify the insert with voodoo? :)

My travel kit:
D750
Voigtlander 28mm
Nikon 85mm f/1.8
And to cover 50mm, Leica M and Summilux
Gimme a few days and I will -- in the meantime, here's an older photo to whet your appetite on how I do it.

First understand there's a *lot* more room in in the J803 than the regular canvas 803's. The trick is that 4-lens divider. It is a regular Domke insert, but modified. On all of them, the foam pads can be slid out the bottom. I take them out and trim their widths by 1 inch each, reinsert them and then it fits in the J803 as you see here:



Note that you are looking at 2 M bodies and 7 M lenses here. Note also that the rear foam panel for the lens slots has been removed, but in Nikon config, it's left in and they're not trimmed and left full width.

(edited for clarity) Next, for the Nikon config, I use a similarly modified 2-lens insert as they have larger slots for the larger Nikon lenses. Here I slide the insert a bit more left to leave a single compartment, usually reserved for my biggest/fattest lens. Then I can put 2 of my other Nikon lenses in the 2 lens-slot bays. The big slot left over on the right side holds the D810 with the 17-35 or Sigma ART, or of course the 28 ASPH -- it will even hold the body with the 70-200 nose down (hood off or reversed), though that leaves the body a little "exposed" up top, but the flap still covers and closes.

Had a few minutes to get a snap -- quick jpeg under fluorescents though, so apologies for the color, but here you go:



PS: And yes, that is the same exact J803 as above, just 6 years and a hundred or so photo shoots later -- they wear extremely well!
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Jack

Where is the Sigma 35/1.4 Art, or don't you have one? I cant remember from Moab.
I don't have one yet -- my goto in that focal is the 28 ASPH. In reality, the 28 ASPH is closer to 30mm actual than 28, so makes for a really awesome street and travel lens.
 
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