This November: Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia

<p>Yes, this is another "what lens should I bring?" thread.</p>

<ul>

<li>Bird photography is back on the itinerary, so I am packing the D500 and 200-500mm. My birding activities will be targeted, not random, so I will not be carrying the 200-500mm all day.</li>

<li>I am bringing my D800e and Sigma 35/1.4 ART - I trust this combo and will use it for low light (e.g., night markets)</li>

<li>Wide angle - unsure, but choices are: 20/1.8 AFS (small, fast, good IQ and wide) or 24/1.4 ART (fast, somewhat more versatile FL, great IQ) or 17-35/2.8 (versatile, good IQ)</li>

<li><strong>Mid-range - this is where I am somewhat lost.</strong> The mid-range lenses I own and use are: 24-70/2.8 (too heavy) and 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 primes. I also have a couple of AIS lenses, but do not plan to bring them.</li>

</ul>

<p><strong>My perceived need is coverage for situations where my FL needs could change from 24mm/28mm (for environmental shots) to 180mm/200mm (to isolate a specific subject). A perfect example would be shooting from a boat at the Cai Rang floating market.</strong></p>

<p>For me to cover that range with my current gear, I'd need 2 bodies and 2 lenses (a 17-35mm and a 70-200mm). It would be nice to cover than with one body (either FX or DX) and one lens, and it would also be nice not to have to pack my 70-200mm/2.8 v1. My options:</p>

<p>OPTION 1 - Tough it out. Bring the 70-200mm/2.8 v1. Use 2 bodies and 2 lenses. No need to buy a new lens.</p>

<p>OPTION 2 - Buy a new lens. Leave the 70-200mm at home.</p>

<ul>

<li>(2A) Buy a 24-120mm or 16-80mm (DX) - I think I might be missing too much on the long end.</li>

<li>(2B) Buy a superzoom (FX/DX) that will provide en equiv. FL of 16/8mm up to 200mm. IQ is likely not going to be as good as any of the above lenses (all of which I already own), but may be good enough. I am leaning toward this option, and specifically looking at the Nikon 18-140mm (equiv FL of 28-210mm).</li>

</ul>

<p>Your thoughts?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Unless you love sweating and discomfort, I would recommend taking the lightest possible setup. I was in Vietnam in December/January a while back and found it unbearable much of the time. It was so hot and humid my camera slid right out of my hands when I was putting it on a tripod in the central highlands. I was very happy I only had two primes (one wide, one normal) when I was shooting. North of Danang is somewhat more bearable in the winter, Hanoi was very pleasant. In November in the south, it will be well over 80 with super-dense humidity.<br>

If I went back this fall, I would take a small Fuji mirrorless.</p>

 

<p>Hi Jeff - while I'd love to visit DaNang and Hoi An in the central part of the country and Hanoi and Halong bay up north, our itinerary takes us from HCMC to Can tho and Chau Duc in the south, then crossing the border into Phnom Penh and eventually Siem Reap. We'll save north and central VN for a later trip.</p>

<p>Heat and humidity are never fun especially with a backpack full of gear, but having been born and raised in the Philippines (which has comparable heat & humidity), I know how uncomfortable it can be and am mentally prepared for that kind of weather.</p>

<p>I'd love to lighten my load, but the 200-500mm precludes that. I can try to minimize gear beyond that and I think a DX superzoom may give me that flexibility.</p>

I second Jeff's recommendation to travel as light as possible. Saigon, the Mekong Delta, and all of Cambodia range from hot to extremely hot year round. Also keep in mind you may need to load all your stuff onto a boat or carry/drag all of it for a distance. I once had to walk (with all my stuff) about a kilometer to transfer between buses on the opposite sides of a damaged bridge. Summer is the rainy season in that area, so always be prepared for a heavy downpour. Storms can roll up pretty quickly.

 

Don't expect a lot of wildlife in populated regions of Cambodia (most of it has been eaten).

 

When I've traveled in that region, it has been with a single body and three primes (wide and normal). I wouldn't even consider carrying as much as you're planning to take.

<p>Thanks Mike. Right now, bird photography is back on our itinerary (various riparian sites in the Philippines, Can Gio and Tra Su Cajuput Forest in VN, and West Baray, Ton le Sap lake and Wat Atwea in CAM). But that's not final. If birding is again removed from our itinerary, then yes, I would probably stick with 1 body and 3 lenses--probably 2 primes and I may still get a wide-tele zoom. </p>

<p>Why not bring the 2 or 3 lenses you use most often?</p>

 

<p>Hi Leslie - if we set aside the need for a 500mm, then I would likely bring the 20mm/1.8 AFS for WA and the Sigma 35/1.4 ART (my go-to lens and for low-light needs) with my D800e. The only mid-range lenses I have are the 50/1.4 ART, 85/1.8 AFS and 24-70/2.8. What I don't have is one that meets this need:</p>

<blockquote>

<p><strong>coverage for situations where my FL needs could change from 24mm/28mm (for environmental shots) to 180mm/200mm (to isolate a specific subject). A perfect example would be shooting from a boat at the Cai Rang floating market.</strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>With my current lenses, meeting that need requires two lenses; thus my perceived need for a 5x (or greater) zoom. A DX superzoom means packing my D500 (which I really want to try out for travel use) in addition to my D800e, but an FX zoom allows me to just bring one body.</p>

<p> </p>

Having spent three years in Thailand and southern Taiwan, I would second the nomination for a mirrorless. I

am not advocating this M3 body but it is what I have and what I would use. The body is 24MP with the

same sensor as the latest Rebel at only 12 ounces. With it I have the following lenses:18-55, 55-200 at 12

ounces, 11-22 and 22mm f2 for low light. There is a built-in popup flash. The lenses and body weigh about

four pounds is a small bag. The lenses are inexpensive, and they are very sharp. I have done my share of

sweating in those climes but one gets used to it. I shoot moving birds with a 100-400. It weighs three

pounds so does the 70-200. I think the M3 can be a pain as sometimes it still surprises me. There may be

better out there but the lenses are really good for their size. They are not that fast save the 22mm. The

Canon pictures are sharp and true to color. I can easily carry three lenses with two in my cargo pants and

one on the camera. I don't know how one can shoot birds without a 200 or better and that's not long enough

most of the time. You may have great short lenses but birds are very small at those focal lengths. The 200M

lens is 320 on the crop body and the two of them weigh less than a pound and a half. Maybe you would be

happier with less weight. The pictures are usable but certainly not fine art. An EOS M1 would be a cheap and very light backup.

<p>Hi Dick - I do have a mirrorless body as well (Sony A7R), but the only AF lens I have for that is an FE 28/2.0. I use the body primarily as a digital back for M-mount lenses. I am not willing to buy additional FE lenses. I had briefly thought about the Sony A7R, along with the 28mm and a couple of M-mount lenses (and possibly my ZI to shoot b&w film), but I think I'd like to go the DSLR route on this trip. All of the above assumes no bird photography (it's an ongoing discussion with my better half). </p>

<p>At this point, my current thinking is to bring an FX and DX body, a 20/1.8 AFS, 35/1.4 ART and purchase a 28-300mm lens. The long end of the superzoom on the D500 (equiv FOV from 450mm) could serve as a birding kit in a pinch if I can sneak away for a few hours.</p>

 

<p>Well, either you have done this sort of thing before or you haven't. That is, carrying around a heavy kit. If you have then there is no need to ask. You already know.</p>

<p>It seems to me that you just have this need to bring (big and heavy) top glass. </p>

<p>I used to have this need to impress but frankly I'm well and truly over it.</p>

<p>I have a D800, D600 and 30 Nikkor lenses. But for travel I now take a V1 and J5.</p>

<p>90% of the time the J5 with the kit lens covers things. If I need more reach I use the 30-110 or for super reach I have the 70-300 CX.</p>

<p>Last time I was in Cambodia I saw a fat old guy lugging around what seemed like a D4 and 70-200mm f2.8. I seriously thought that he was going to die of a heart attack, he was sweating and huffing and puffing so much.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>It seems to me that you just have this need to bring (big and heavy) top glass.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>The question wasn't about heavy or light; the question was about coverage, especially the mid-range.</p>

<p>Good for you that you have a V1 and J5 for travel. I don't. These days, I often travel with a DSLR, so the lenses are necessarily bigger. Your kit requires 3 lenses--the kit lens, the 30-110 and 70-300. If you read my post (see option 2), I will likely have 3 equivalent lenses, except it will be for FX or DX format; thus bigger.</p>

<p>Next, time, read the question.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks to everyone for responding. I decided to take my D800e with 3 lenses: 20/1.8 AFS, 35/1.4 ART and 70-300 AFS. In a pinch if I need longer than 300mm, I can use the D800e in crop mode.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Not sure if you have done river markets before, but light become harsh after like 8:30am until almost sun down. I have done a few in Myanmar and Thailand. Harsh light and too many people (tourist included) in the frame were two main (big) problems. Get there early. Best carrying them lenses...<br>

</p>

<p>Bring what you feel comfortable carrying and what you think will get the job done. </p>

<p>Thanks Tim - that's exactly the kind of balance that I'm trying to strike. I've been on trips, such as birding in Alaska, where a 500mm was the first lens into my bag and all other lenses were secondary. This upcoming trip requires: wide, low light, mid prime/zoom and reach. I'm trying to figure out gear combo will provide that coverage and still be somewhat portable. I think a DSLR, 2 primes and a tele zoom should be reasonable.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I have been living and working between Cambodia and Thailand since 1994, currently based in Bangkok. Your trip is technically in our winter, but it can still be quite warm. (I was in Hong Kong yesterday on the hottest July day in 50 years.) <br>

You will definitely want to get it all into one carry-on bag of not too much more than 7 kgs or you will be running into issues with having to check it into the cargo hold. Just the two bodies and those two lenses are almost at the limit.<br>

I am full time photographer and sometimes shuttle between cities with a lot of stuff, but I would never go on a trip with that amount of gear, but I guess you know what you want to bring along. That much stuff will feel like a massive anchor after a couple of days.</p>

<p>Thanks Ian - I was born and raised in SE Asia so I'm very familiar with the weather. As for gear, I think I'm settled on one body, 2 primes and 1 tele zoom. </p>

<p>perfect kit!</p>