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Am i nuts to bring all this stuff????


patrick_davis

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I've been to Spain twice on seventeen day trips both to vacation

and to shoot. First time I brought an RZ67 with four lenses,

yeah...it was crazy...result was very little usable work . Second

time I packed my Pentax 634N with 4 lenses and a Bronica 645

with 65mm...result lighter kit much more keepers but I was in

one place for a week and I worked from a small van. Next time I'll

go even lighter and carry 35mm.

My advice is to travel light twoo bodies, 50/80 and rent a 150 it's

light and go to some bookstores and look at the work of Charlie

Waite he's produced a slew of work many books with just these

three lenses while traveling Europe.

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Although someone suggested, don't leave your tripod at home. In fact, I got some better quality yet lighter tripods (now a Gitzo CF) after european trip.

 

if you want the quality of larger format, nothing wrong, it's your personal preference , just better not bring all the lens and 've a smaller kit that you can use when you don't want to bring too many things.

 

space in Munich and Vienna is not THAT tight to me, and i think it's quite safe there. i'm not sure if you enjoy drawing attention form others by using a large camera. Well, I don't. On the other hand, you might benefit from a lighter kit so that you can use more energy to walk and search for photographic opportunities.

 

by the way, if you just use hasselblad, i guess you'r going to give up low avilable light photography ...how about shooting people in dim restaurant/pub? not your cup of tea?

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Go lighter! In my humble opinion, a 50mm (or 40mm if you prefer), an 80mm and a 120mm (or your zoom if you prefer) will do just fine.

 

Pickpockets are a fact of life, but avoiding incidents is really common sense (Paris is relatively safe by the way. Do not carry a wallet in your back pocket of course, and keep an eye on your equipment in restaurants & public areas - common sense!). You're wise to have your equipment insured. Most hotels will secure your valuables on request. I'm not sure what you're planning to shoot, but in a big city like Paris and especially with cumbersome medium-format equipment, try to prepare a little "shooting schedule" ahead of time (focus on Notre Dame & Left Bank on an afternoon for instance) and improvise along the way (and you will, beleive me). Save your energy, choose "Quality" over "Quantity", and have an excellent trip abroad.

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I live in Paris and you would miss something if you don't take a rangefinder or a good point & shoot to catch the mood of the streets, the people and the autumn light (great places on the left bank of the Seine).

Tripods are now allowed unless you choose a very crowded place.

Pick-pockets do exist in Paris especially in Montmartre and Chatelet but I guess they prefer digital SLR or P&S than Hasselblad ....

 

Have a nice journey in Europe !

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Doesn't sound too bad to me (except for the big zoom) but then I made numerous backpacking trips throughout Europe and India with a Pentax67, 3-4 lenses and a big tripod. Take a PacSafe but practice with it at home before you go - they catch on any straps or buckles sticking out of your bag and can get quite maddening when you're in a hurry to go out. Also use a small padlock on the bag zips so thieves can't pick things out through the mesh. Definitely worth it though - mine saved my whole kit once in a fleapit hotel in Delhi - the thieves had tried to cut it open but didn't get very far). I always carry a Fujica GS645 as well - easy to carry around when you leave the main kit locked up but uses the same type of film so no need to carry 35mm stock.

As for standing out as a tourist, it tends to be the shorts, Hawaian shirts, baseball caps and loud voices rather than large camera packs that give that away. Some of us Europeans have big cameras too, you know.

 

I wouldn't fret too much about safety - Vienna and Munich are extremely safe and even Paris is generally safer than most big cities in the USA. Except the traffic of course - crossing the road around the Place d'Etoile makes Pamplona's bull-running look like a stroll in the park.

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I agree with those that think this is way too much stuff. I've done several Europe photo trips - both with large kits (multiple bodies and several lenses), as well as with one-body/one-lens kits. On my last two trips, on one of them I just took my Rollei 6008 + 80mm, and on the other I just took a Nikon N90s + 35-70f2.8 (which was my point-n-shoot at that time). I have had MUCH more fun - and have been much more productive photographically - on trips with the minimalist kits.

 

I would recommend your body and just two lenses at the max - if it were me, probably the 80 and either 40 or 50 (whichever one you prefer the perspective, but not both). But I'd take them in a small, discrete pack or shoulder bag that you can wear under your arm or slung over one shoulder so it hangs on your FRONT.

 

The Paksafe is a good idea, but only for locking up in your hotel room when your gear isn't with you. I wouldn't wear the Paksafe around on the street - you'll make the frontpage of the local newspapers. Of course, if you take a smaller kit in a smaller bag, your gear can just go everywhere with you.

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you ARE mad yes, but not because of a fear of being ripped off - its called weight and bulk. Fine if you have a hire car to yourself the moment you arrive at the airport to the moment you leave, otherwise you are going to have a very sore back indeed and be very very unpopular on trains and buses. Spend a weekend with the full rucksack on your back for 8 hours a day while you're out shopping and see...far too many lenses!!
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I regularly take a Bronica body, 4 lenses and a TC together with filters , film, and a light tripod etc round cities. My bag weighs just under 20lb, and provided I stop fairly often for photographs or a beer, I can cope with that without too much grief. In fact I take more equipment than that but I each time I go back I assess what I'm going to be doing over the next few hours and load the bag accordingly.

 

A few thoughts. First you don't need a really heavy tripod for city work. You can usually find a firm footing, and get out of the wind. I use a Manfrotto 190 with a simple ball head. Second look at your bag. I hate backpacks, and swapping my Lowepro Magnum AW for an Omni Pro improved access and saved 2lbs. Just think how much you have to spend on a tripod to save 2lb. Then you don't need all those lenses. the 50/80/zoom would do me just fine. If you do need to take more, leave them in your hotel and be prepared to return with the right gear- you'll be doing that anyway if this is a pro assignment, to get the right light for the shot.

 

Personally, I've never felt that my equipment's been under threat. I guess part of that's down to a view that the average thief is looking for something he can use or sell on easily and a Canon or whatever SLR is more desirable. Also MF gear is quite heavy and let's face it, not even Maurice Green would be moving fast with my bag over his shoulder.

 

You will come across issues with your tripod in places like Paris though- the combination of big camera and tripod gets attention very quickly from security guards and it is to me an essential part of shooting in cities to have a means of getting a quality result hand-held. I typically take along a Mamiya 7 and 400 speed film for either camera.

 

Finally I think the view that European Cities are in some way safer than USA cities is a touch romantic. It very much depends where you go. There are parts of Paris that can be quite daunting; much of NYC seems relatively safe to me. I've had my wallet stolen twice in the last ten years - once in Milan; once in Barcelona but I spend about a month a year in North America , so far without incident. European tourist centres are full of people, often from elsewhere, who will seek to pick your pocket. Nothing new there though, and the best defence is to make it look like other people will be a softer target. If anyone puts their hand in your backpack they'd prefer to find a wallet than a Hasselblad though.

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