Travel with Film or Digital

<p>Hi all, first time post. I am going to be working close to Trujillo, Peru for three months and then plan on traveling around to Brazil and Argentina. I don't have a digital camera and was wondering what to do? I have a topcon re super with great lenses but am worried about it getting stolen. I also have a minolta xd11 and was planning on taking the 28mm rokkor and a vivitar 70-200mm. Is it worth all the hassle to bring film down there or is digital the way to go? I was looking into the G10 or 11. I'm just really not sure what to do. Any thoughts on it would be great.</p>

<p>Thanks,<br>

D.DuBose<p><b>Moderator: This is the Travel Forum. This is not the pointless discussion forum. All posts that are not specific to the issue of traveling with a film camera vs traveling with a digital camera have been and will be removed. Posts that point to specific differences relevant to travel will be retained.</b></p>

<p>I suggest that if you are going soon that you take the gear you are used to. I found that digital takes a bit of time getting used to. If on the other hand you have a bit of time to get used to it then something like the G10 or G11 would make an good compact choice.</p>

<p>Stick with what you know.<br>

Also look at getting an inexpensive film rangefinder (Kiev, Zorki, FED, Canonet etc) as a "point and shoot" for when you:</p>

<ol>

<li>Can't be bothered to take the SLRs</li>

<li>Are worried about getting the expensive stuff damaged</li>

<li>Need to pack light</li>

</ol>

<p>How much film will you need to carry around for 3+ months and can you get your film processed in a timely fashion?</p>

<p>To me, this is a no brainer. Memory cards are dirt cheap now; if you don't have a way to upload your images, just get a few high-capacity cards and they can last you the entire trip. You can instantly review your images and can reshoot immediately if you are not happy with it.</p>

<p>Digital will take some time to get used to. Get the camera now and use it for a couple of week before you leave on your trip. You don't want to find out that there is something wrong with your camera while you are traveling.</p>

<p> This all hinges on how much time you have to get used to a digital camera. If you have enough time (2-4 weeks), then I would take something like a G11. If you want to take film, consider a quality film P&S, like an Olympus Stylus Epic, or XA and spend time getting familiar with it before leaving.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hello David,<br>

I think much depends on how you use film. Do you shoot compulsively and fill up a roll in a day? If that is the case, a small point and shoot digital camera like the Canon S90 would be a good little toy for the pocket. If however you think about your shots, carefully compose and expose only when you are absolutely sure, go with film. As a film camera user I expect you to be knowledgeable about light and exposure. You will know when to shoot and when not to. Even if you are taking a shot a day, three films should last you for the duration. I would however suggest that you pack around 6-10 rolls as a maximum with your minolta kit. Take some fast films like Fuji 800pro to go with the slower 100 iso films.</p>

<p>A little story - take it for what it is worth. A few years ago I was at Machu Picchu for the Winter Solstice. Naturally I was excited about the event. I shot a roll of slides along with photos using the small digital camera that I was carrying. When I rewound the film, I realized that it was much easier and much quicker than I was accustomed to. Later when I had the slide film developed, my suspicion was confirmed, I had not loaded the film correctly to begin with and ended up with no slides. Luckily I had the digital images. I lived in Brasil for two years and had difficulty getting slide film developed.<br>

I would recommend that you take a digital even if it is only along the lines of a P&S as a back-up.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>As a film camera user I expect you to be knowledgeable about light and exposure.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I think this is my favorite line ever. What does it imply about digital photographers?</p>

<p>Seriously, though, I don't see how taking your lightweight Minolta and two lenses counts as "hassle" unless you don't enjoy using that stuff. A 3-month trip is a really big deal, and I wouldn't want to be caught traveling S.A. for 3 months without exactly the camera I wanted. Take the Topcon if that's your favorite.</p>

<p>Your film will sit happily in the containers for 3 months until you can get back to your lab for processing. Even with digital, you would have the same problem of maintaining your shots until you can get back to civilization for archiving. Personally, I trust film in a canister for 3 months over digital on a memory stick for 3 months. Maybe if you decide to buy a digital camera, you should get a portable hard drive memory backup solution, too.</p>

No more I want color but got Tri-X in the cam deal...plus instant ISO changes

<p>The OP has not answered how much photography he is planning to do. 3 months in Peru means about 90 days plus time in Brazil and Argentina. Will the OP shoot as much as 1 roll of 36 frames per day? We are talking about 100+ rolls of film. During the film era I have carried that many rolls on trip. Needless to say, that is a major hassle.</p>

<p>Do a little math and figure out how much it will cost you in terms of film and processing, plus printing if you are shooting print film. Even though you only shoot 50 rolls, that will be a lot of money and a lot of film to carry around.</p>

<p>However, all you need is one tiny memory card to store the images equivalent from 100 rolls of film or even more. Solid-state memory is very stable. I am not too concerned about losing images inside, but those SD cards are small; if you accidentally lose that tiny card, so goes all of your images.</p>

<p>You can do this with film or digital. I'd say take the film camera you're most comfortable using because "the camera should never get in your way". If you choose the XD11, get another prime - a 50/1.7 MD is extremely sharp and under $20.</p>

<p>I believe we are now beyond the question of practicality for film. You can easily pay off a very good digital camera for what you would spend in film and processing, without all the hassles and questions that film and decent processing now bring.</p>

<p>Howard, that may be a little short-sighted. Actually, so that I don't get too personal, maybe this is true for you. But it is not true for me.</p>

<p>I have a top-level pro film camera, but not the top-level pro digital camera I would like. The D3X still costs $7000 more than my most expensive 35mm film camera. Even if I lower my sights to the D3s, I still have to justify $4000 savings during the life of the camera. At the pace I shoot, which is a non-professional amateur slow-pace, that's about 10 years of film and processing for me. All the while, I am shooting full frame and getting 24MP scans.</p>

<p>I'm not saying film is for everyone, but I wouldn't say the issue is beyond question. I also have fine digital cameras, but nowhere near as fine as the film cameras I use. Basically, in the digital world, I still feel confined to the realm of cropped sensors.</p>

<p>It doesn't even take the top, most expensive 35mm camera to achieve excellent results. I've seen stunning pictures come out of the Olympus Trip 35, which can be had pretty cheap nowadays. And all it takes is about $10 a roll.</p>

<p>I agree. I have some amazingly cheap film equipment and a scanner, film and processing is a few dollars a roll or cheaper for B&W that I do myself, and to get the same quality I'd need to spend $4000+ on a D700 and lens. The "go digital to save money" argument doesn't make sense when you're talking to somebody who already has the film equipment and isn't talking about plans to shoot 400 rolls of film.</p>

<p>I think the only thing I would be worried about would be film storage. If you are in the tropics, will that cause problems for your film? I would look into that possibility before keeping film sitting for 3 months. Maybe if you had a small cooler chest or at least an insulated lunch bag to keep the film in that would help insulate it against the worst of the temperature fluctuations? Something like this product, maybe? http://www.amazon.com/Ensign-Insulated-Lunch-Cooler-Bag/dp/B000I3239A</p>

<p>I am wondering if you can use FedEx or another trusted carrier to send those films to a lab here in the US for development who could then send them to a relative or photographer friend you'd trust to hold them. On the other hand, I know people who've tried this from India and it's not gone well for them. Films were lost. </p>

<p>Why is always film VS digital ?<br>

It should be film and digital. They are both 2 beautiful mediums. Each has advantages and drawbacks. When I shoot film I love the images, when I shoot digital I love the images.<br>

Use what your confortable with. Its very simple - compose the image - the most important part, then expose it correctly and make sure its in focus. Works the same for either.<br>

While lurking here I read in some post that VS should be used only for Boxing. I like that one</p>

<p>Take the XD11. Get a 50mm 1.7 rokkor MD on ebay. This is a must and very cheap lens. You can get one for $20-$30 and it will outresolve a currebt brand new Canon prime.</p>

<p>If you can add two more lenses they should be:<br>

- 24mm rokkor-x 2.8 md<br>

-135mm md tele rokkor-x 2.8</p>

<p>Why G10 or G11? For the same price you can get an Alpha 230 with kit lens. At least it is a SLR and you would feel a lot more comfortable with it because you have been using the Topcon and XD11. I'd not be surprised if you get frustrated with the controls of G10 or G11. You can find better DSLR too if you gonna pay more</p>

<p>I have done both ways; loads of slide film or digital cameras. The ONLY thing nicer about traveling with a film camera is that I get a lot less dust issues with film cameras. Other than that I'm completely behind dSLRs for traveling.</p>

<p>Why not do both? Take a G10 with lots of memory cards for your volume shooting - you can delete the bad shots later. And take your Minolta with 20 rolls of film for great light and special occasions.</p>

<p>I would only add the following. If you choose to go digital I would advise a DSLR and not a compact G10 or G11 I have both and even thought the G10 can shoot good pictures for me its not a comparision to a film or DSLR. I would choose a canon 450D with kit lens or Nikon eqivelent. The D90 is for me a super compact DSLR or what ever model would for me be the alternative choice. I would not take a G10 or G11 unless its really high quality snap shots in perfect light.</p>

<p>agree with Dan, take both and use your digicam for you Facebook shots, use the film for the important shots.</p>

<p>I would go with a small point and shoot with a zoom lens, akin to a Panasonic P&S for the color snap shot stuff and I would load up your mechanical SLR and two lenses (a wide angle 20-30 mm and normal to short tele 45-90mm)with B&W for the artsy careful comps. With the B&W films, you can go with an assortment of iso 50, 100 and 400. As someone indicated, you can process the film yourself very economically. With the backup Leicasonic, you can pick up a very high capacity SDHC storage card 8-16 GB cheaply and it should last the duration of your trip.</p>

<p>I agree with John Tran a dslr could be a better option than a canon G10/11. I have shot ocassionally with a film slr (konica and nikon) and with digital slr cameras like the canon 300D and 40D. I prefer the image quality of film above the now very dated 300D, but i think in many ways my 40D (also aging) is better than a film camera. The image quality is very good of my 40D. Nowadays you would get even better cameras for the same money i bought my 40D. In other words, differences between a dslr and film slr have narrowed. If I where you i would go for a digital slr; its the future. Go to a local shop or friends make some test images feel the different models . Do not be afraid of the many options, you can, but you do not have to use them.</p>

<p>Other issues may be the high altitude (filters), remote area (extra batteries, storage medium and/or film), and different plugs.<br>

to avoid steeling: use a not to appealling bag to store your camera, use safes, insurance, etc.<br>

Have a good trip!</p>

<p>Leonard</p>

<p>Both certainly have their place, and I personally prefer shooting film. But if you are going to Peru, I would be suspect of the quality of processing you would get there, and it is not good for the latent image to be sitting around for 3 months unless you freeze the film.</p>

<p>I would go with digital in this case. Of course if you do not have digital, then go with film and see if you can preserve the film until you get back to civilization. :-)</p>