Travel companion

Hi all!

I am about to embark on a three month tour taking in the States then India and

expect to do a lot of walking around. With this in mind i am looking for any

thoughts you guys may have regarding which of my cameras to take....

I have a Pentax Spotmatic with 55, 135 and 200mm primes, all SMC / Asahi

originals and a sweet little Rollei 35 ( original German ). They are both

capable of taking lovely shots but i dont want to take them both and cant make

up my mind which is best suited.. I reckon, at a push the Rollei will get

better results but it is less flexible with only the one lens. So although in

the right conditions when i get a good picture it will invariably be better

than what the Pentax would produce there are likely to be more occasions when

the Pentax would produce better.

Obviously the Rollei lends itself to travel more than the Pentax - size and

weight - but i just cant decide if the lack of flexibility would be too

limiting?

Another option, following the recent of my Hasselblad would be to plough the

money into the Leica M2 that my local camera shop has in stock... Less money

for beer tokens but a tempting proposition none the less!

Any advise would be gratefully received!

the spotmatics is a little heavy IMO... my travel cameras are a Canon Rebel G with 50/1.8 (weighs about 1 lb. total loaded) and an Olympus Stylus Epic for tiny pocket use (weather proof!). I take both, but just carry one with me... at less than $100 each I'm not worried leaving one in the hotel room (used Rebel G's currently go for about $30). Not having a fast lens with precise focusing ability would keep me away from just taking the Rollei.

Cheers for the advise, i am sure that the results that can be obtained with both those cameras would be amazing, and they would def weigh less but i do prefer the feel of the older stuff! Comment r.e. the Rollei does go along with my own reservations about taking it..!

Take both! You'll carry the Spotmatic slung over your shoulder, and the Rollei in a pocket or pouch. At 40mm the Rollei is slightly wider than the Spotmatic 55mm. Put faster film in the Rollei for indoor shots, put slower film in the Spotmatic for outtdoors.

-Bob G

As my teenage son has been saying since he could talk: "why not both?" Seriously, I would keep the Rollei in a pocket for the semi-wide view and leave the 135 or 200 on the Spotmatic. That way you have two focal lengths w/o changing lenses.

Go with the Rollei. If possible, have it CLA before going, and shoot 3-4 rolls of film to be sure it's working properly.<P> The Rollei has a 40mm lens. You can usually walk closer or you can crop the image, and if you need wide-angle just make several exposures side-by-side and have them merged into one wider shot. Have fun!<P>PS, I suggest Kodak Portra 160NC.

As a traveling companion, I would recommend Heidi Klum. For a camera on an extended trip like this, I seriously would take a digital Canon A620 or one of its newer siblings, put new AA lithium batteries in and a couple of 2 gig cards from costco. No worry about fogging film, carrying multiple film cannisters, extra lenses. Light weight, quality images, no worries. My wife just completed a 100 km hike to Santiago de Campostela, and she could have taken any of my 150 cameras (M2,M3, M6, Nikon F100, F3,F2, D70, Canon FTb, T90, etc). We settled on the A620.

I would have both cameras serviced(or get newer ones) before embarking on a once in a lifetime trip.

Nothing wrong with a Spotmatic though I think the lens choice is restrictive. I like to travel with a wide angle. 28mm f3.5 is perfect for those architectural shots. A 35mm f2.0 is big and runs about $100 pluse sunshade. It shouldn't set you back too much and with India being sunny it should be ok. Now a Leica M2 that is another story...if the price is right...

I'd take them both. One for color and one for b&w. Sorry if this doesn't help much!

walking around for 3 months won't get you out of Oregon! I hope you plan on catching a ride now and then or your view of the states will be severely limited. Also don't count on hitchhiking in the US some states don't even allow it on major roads and freeways. Instead of the Leica look for a nice Canonet QL-17 G-III have it completely tuned up and modified for 1.5V silver Oxide batteries. Then if you walk off and leave it or it goes way under someone else's power you can replace it for about $75.00. Put the rest of your budget into film and beer tokens!

It would appear that the majority view is to take both! Both are well serviced so i would not be too worried about them holding out for three months on the road....there thats gone and done it, they will both break within about 5 mins of getting off the first plane now! Hmm, best empty some space from my rucksack...

I spent five weeks a few years ago teaching in Southern India and did a fair bit of travelling around and photography. I used my Rollei 35 and am glad I did as it was available at all times in my pocket. There are so many interesting things to photograph that portability and instant availability of a camera for a shot should be your main concern. Although I have a reasonable working collection of classic cameras, both MF and 35mm, if I did a similar trip again I would take both my Rollei 35 and Rollei 35S, one for B&W and the other for colour.

I wouldn't hesitate by no means: Rollei 35

First of all, a lot depends on what you want to shoot.

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As many other posters said, a digital camera is worth considering, because you can just snap away and get lots of nice pictures. The Canon digicams are highly regarded and if you have the money I'd go for a high-end model with face recognition and image stabilization. If you're smart and know how to use it, you should also get an inexpensive external flash unit (i.e., Speedlite 380EX) for <b><a href="http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-82.html">diffused bounce flash</b></a> (if the camera has a hotshoe). And you can still take that Rollei with you.

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If you are dead-set on classic gear, another option is equipping your Pentax screw mount lenses with M42-EOS adapters and use them on a Canon <abbr title="digital single-lens reflex camera">dSLR</abbr>. Yes, metering will work, but you have to stop down manually. Dial in a bit of overexposure, because the light meter will consistently underexpose with manual focus lenses. And get a kit lens to have the wide angle side covered.

Two of my favourite travel cameras are:

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<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5807451-md.jpg"width=600><P>

Rollei 35S with Carl Zeiss Sonnar 40mm/2.8 <P>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5807352-md.jpg"width=600><P>

Minox M.D.C, titanium shell, Minoxar 35mm/2.8 lens<P>

<P>

Rollei 35S is heavier, at 12 oz, Minox MDC 7.5 oz<P>

Are you going on the trip to take pictures or to play tourist, and are you on your own or with a friend/spouse and will they let you slow down to take pictures properly? If you're going for the purpose of shooting, take the Pentax. If you're not going to have the time take the Rolei. Or take both! I take my Olympus Stylus Epic on famly trips for snapshots, used to do the same with the Canonet GIII QL 17 before it started skipping. Both are amnong my favorite cameras even if they're not as versatile as an SLR. . I leave the Nikons at home unless it's a serious photo trip.

If you are planning on walking alot, wrap some electrical tape conspiciously on the cameras especially over the name plates. Some Unicorn stickers wouldnt hurt either.

Take the Rollei, but I'd never go on such a trip with only one camera. Take a good quality P&S like a Canon MC, Canon Sureshot, Kodak VR35-K12. They are dirt cheap now and take fantastic photos (will easily match your Rollei).

I'd go along with David's comment. I own a Rollei 35 and it's a beautiful camera and a marvel of miniaturization, but it can be awkward to use and it doesn't especially stand out in terms of image quality above a number of cheaper and more practical alternatives. And what you want on a long trip is not something to fondle, but a robust, practical, small camera that makes great images. My favourite alternatives are the Konica Big Mini (fully auto) and the Olympus 35RC (shutter priority auto or full manual). The Konica has autofocus and the Oly has a rangefinder (the Rollei has neither).

FWIW, in 1970 I spent a year in Asia with a Spotmatic outfit (35mm, 55mm and 135mm). When I went back two years later, I took a Rollei 35 instead. For the next 20 years, the only travel camera I took was the Rollei, and I took it or the 35S I replaced it with on most trips where I wasn't doing photography for work until three years ago when I went to digital for professional reasons. If I still used film, the 35S would still be my favorite travel camera (and I have a closet full of Rolleiflexes, Nikons and Leicas, so this is not due to lack of alternatives).

 

YMMV of course.

Well chaps many thanks for all the helpful comments! A decision has been made and ( at the expense of pack space ) the Spotmatic is coming away travelling. Love the Rollei to bits, such a nice handling camera, but being able to change lenses won over. Very nearly picked up the Leica...but that will just have to wait till next time - unless i see a nice one in the states...

Gotta love old cameras! Unless they break...