lens assortment for nepal trek

[nswelton]

Hi

 

I�m going to Nepal for a three week trek and I�m trying to figure out what exactly to

take. I�ve got a D60 and an Elan, as well as a 16-35 2.8, a 50 1.4, a 90 2.8 and a 70-

200 2.8 with a 2x TC. I�ve also got one of those 28-200 lenses, which I can barely

stand to use since I've been spoiled by nice glass.

 

I think I�ll bring the digi and the film camera, an iPod with a memory card attachment,

the wide angle zoom and the 50 prime. I can charge batteries when I need to at stops

along the way, and if I�m stuck for a few days without electricity I�ve got a film

backup. But the question is whether or not to bring either the 90 or the telephoto

zoom. The 90 is light, while the zoom is heavy. I don�t know if the zoom is worth

the weight and hassle, but I also don�t want to kick myself if I get there without it and

decide I want it.

 

Any and all thoughts are much appreciated.

 

Also, what have people done to insure their camera stuff?

[Jerry_]

Without knowing what 'weight' you are used to carrying and for how long, to go without a lens and to find out you needed it, that will be one difficulty to judge before you go.

 

 

 

And, a monopod might be useful to drag along.

 

 

1. It is a good support for hinking (if you need one.)

 

 

2. As you do your climbing, heavy breathing (going up in altitude) is going to make holding everything rock-steady a bit of fun.

 

 

 

Travel safe!

[ranong]

IMHO you have a 2X convertor so i would say take the 90 prime cause it is small. if you need a long lens wack the converter on it. shooting at f5.6 should be very doable.

as for how much weight you will be carrying....i trekked in nepal 2 years ago, carrying all my own gear, and the pack weighed 8 kg. add some camera gear (i brough only a p&s) and you should have a very manageable pack. if you are rich or lazy, you could always hire a porter. also i feel that the everest region is far better than anapurna. fly into lukla and walk slowly. enjoy the mountains they are truely beautiful.

 

eddie

[cfimages]

Nathan,

 

Consider also a lightweight tripod - up there in the mountains the air is clear and is perfect for long nighttime exposures of stars and the mountains. If there's a full moon, the mountains will glow at night, it looks really amazing.

Also, there are a few camera stores on New Rd, Kathmandu (it's the big road halfway between Thamel and Durbar Square). There prices are quite good. I don't think they rent lenses, but you maybe able to buy a 75-300mm lens, use it for the trek and then the store will buy it back. It won't be as optically good as the 70-200L, but it will be a lot lighter to carry.

And finally, make sure you go to Bhaktapur, which is just outside Kathmandu - it's an amazing place for photography. It feels like the city that time forgot.

If you have any questions about anything to do with Nepal (hotels, bars, restaurants etc) feel free to email me.

 

Oh yeah, one more thing. Try to make time to go to Pilgrims bookstore in Ktm - it's near Ktm Guesthouse. The most incredible bookstore in the world, with lots of beautiful coffee table books of photography in the Himalayan region.

 

Enjoy,

Craig

[marco_hidalgo]

Nathan:

I did the Everest trek in 2000 and the annapurna trek in 2002.

At the Everest trek you will not find much electricity after your

second day! that is after Namche Bazaar. At the annapurna

there are more facilities with electricity. But not at the higher

altitudes. Batteries die fast in cold weather, I was at -15 celsius

at night, and saw many people with dead batteries and unable to

take pictures at the Everest trek. At the annapurna trek I saw

many PS digital cameras with no problem at all.

Travel light! very light! zoom lenses are perfect for trekking, and I

say this, while not having any zoom lens at this moment,

because I have become a prime lens fan.

On my first trek i took a Leica with two zoom lenses, a 28-70 and

a 80-200. It was a great combination. At the annapurna I took

two bodies, one Leica R with a 28mm and a Leica M with a

90mm. The Leica M with the 90mm was due to maximize

steadiness while photographing at high altitudes, as breathing

becomes difficult, camera shake is more obvious, therefore a

camera with no mirror slap was perfect.

Have a good time and visit also Patan's Durbar Sqaure.

[kaiblanke]

Nathan,

<p>

Marco gave some good advice, really think of travel light. I made the Annapurna circuit about a year ago with a Leica M and a 40 and 90 lens, which was almost perfect - a 21 would have been nice, but that was out of question because of the price then. While some of our group carried something longer than a 135mm, they almost did not use it at all: Maybe only for 3-5% of the pictures, and the close-ups of mountains get tedious very fast. A good standard lens set or zoom is usually enough: The wideangle zoom is nice, and toss in a generic (but nice) 28-105 and you will be set. Since it is quite bright during the day lens speed is usually not an issue, maybe for DOF, but I found myself pleased with f4 and more. You may look at some of the shots in my Nepal folder here on Photo.net. About storage: I shot conservatively, but used 2 rolls/day, so think of reserving some space for that. Space / weight is always a big issue: You will have to carry it all, or as in our case put some of your load onto a sherpa, but they also have only limited carrying ability. So a tabletop tripod would be nice, but I never saw a need for anything bigger. 2-3 lenses would also be enough to carry, since you may wish to carry them themselves (the sherpas may be off with your luggage until the evening), and they get very heavy in higher altitudes.

<p>

Another thing: Having digital stuff in high altitudes is a risk: Microdrives need 'thick' air in order not to headcrash, the same is true for some laptops harddisks. They usually are fine until 10.000 ft, but above that no one can guarantee - I met an unfortunate guy up there at 11.000 feet with the best of the treck still to come. Electricity is also something I would really not rely on. Around Annapurna it was there - sometimes and not regularly. So I would not expect to use the D60 all the time and maybe even leave it at home. Then take the WA zoom and the 50/90 or get yourself an 28-105 or similar and you will be set - maybe a small second body, but altogether less than 2 kg of weight, since otherwise you simply are too tired to take pictures :-)

<p>

Enjoy your time up there - Kai

<p>

PS: I wrote a short summary of my experience in the leica forum, there might also be some additional information in there for you.

[jose.kilbride]

Nathan,

 

I spent over a month in Nepal, over half of that trekking through the Langtang and Helambu regions, moderately difficult to easy. I echo all the others above with regard to Bhaktapur and Kathmandu, amazing places just packed with photographic and cultural opportunity.

 

Gearwise - I carried my own pack, and with the amount of variable equipment needed to cope with differing weather systems (from bloody hot to absolutley freezing) and everything else, I ended up with a pack of about 16 kilos, before adding in my camera gear. This came to about 4+ kilos in itself, consisting of a Nikon f801s, 24-120, 70-200, FM2n + 50mm1.4 and 24mm2.8. Plus film. And sundries. And then add 3 litres of water...

 

I ended up taking only a tabletop tripod, which when coupled with the fast lens this was perfect for interiors of the lodges and gompas. The 70-200 was good for stacking up those interlocking hills and capturing detail within the cities.

 

In your case, whilst the 90 is lighter, it perhaps is not as flexible as the zoom. I would go with both cameras, the 16-35 and 50, and (gulp) the 28-200 on the elan. If you are going at the right time of the year, you won't need a fast lens as the mountain air is clear and pinging.

 

This brings me on to the overwhelming factor of weight. No matter what you say and how fit you are, trekking in Nepal isn't easy. We joked about sections being 'Nepal flat' and believe me, they weren't.

 

A little test:

 

Check if the trek you are doing is a big one with decent lodges and electricity. At least you might not underestimate the amount of film you may need. I took 50 rolls in 30 days. It would have been more but I had run out of slide film.

 

Pack everything up ready to go. If you are employing porters, pack only what you think you will need and be comfortable with in a daypack, otherwise pack up everything (and I mean everything).

 

Find a good 20 stories of stairways and walk up it with your pack (or packs) on.

 

Walk down it.

 

Walk up it again.

 

Repeat for at least an hour. Stop every now and then to 'take some photos'.

 

You'll now know what is suitable for you. Getting your equipment choice and gear placement right will make everything easier, but the walking and struggling with a pack can be very very hard unless you've done your prep.

 

Have fun and take lots and lots of photos.

 

José (very jealous)

[kott]

And heres some current info on trekking in Nepal:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FA30Df03.html

[dylan_stamat]

Nathan... you should bring yourself to Thailand after Nepal.

I heard the climbing is thuper !

:)