Assignment Moscow/St Petersburg

[albert knapp md]

We are gearing up for what promises to be a very interesting and

exciting trip to Russia in mid-June. We will be visiting Moscow,

teh area around called the Golden triangle (old towns and

monastery in pre-Romanov Muskuvy) and St Petersburg. We will

be spending evenings at the Bolshoi in Moscow and the

Marinsky in St Petersburg..... For the first time in a ling time, I am

a loss for what to bring camera-wise. We will have a car/driver

and guide. should I bring my M7 with 24, 35 and 90 or the R

series with 19, 28-90, 70-180, 50, 28 PC and 100 macro. Mind

you, I will be photogrqaphing everything from museums to the

ballet to old monasteries. I thought I would bring the entire R

series as well as the M7 with the 90 for ballet/opera

photography. Or, should I just bring the M7 kit and bag the R8?

As for film, I will be bringing my usual, Velvia 100F (couldn't get

the 100 in time) and Provia 400.

Thanks so much!

Albert

[john_amiet2]

Albert, you are the one carrying it all! My advice is cut the R system and go all out with the M system. You will (maybe) miss some pics by leaving the R at home, but I reckon you could miss more by being fatigued from the load.

 

The M7 will be brilliant with that spread of lenses. I would (personally) add a 50mm AND a spare(backup) body. That kit I would use anywhere if I had to carry the gear all day etc.

 

Enjoy

[wmwhee]

For its compactness, quiet operation, and ease of focusing, I would bring the M7 kit. Sounds like a great trip. Photographing in a new place is like seeing for the first time.

[torben_daltoft]

Lucky you! I would go for the M w. 35, 50 and 90. Don't forget to do some "street" shooting late night on the banks of the Neva (in Petersburg); the bridges are up, and alot of people seem to just spend their time in the light nights of 60 deg N

[e_b7]

What are their rules on opera/ballet photography (assuming no flash)? I'm just curious, because where I live, they don't allow it.

[stuart_richardson]

I used to live in Yaroslavl' for awhile and went to university there and I also lived a year in

Vladivostok, but that is 7000km away, so not an issue. You probably will go to Yaroslavl'

because it is on the zolotoe kol'tso (golden ring). If I were you, I would stick with the M

system. Though I have not really tried it, my Russians on the street are not particularly

fond of being photographed. I would try to keep things as low profile as possible. If you

have a screwmount, zorki-like body that might be a good choice. If you use the M7, I

would use electrical tape to cover the red dot and other markings. The gap between rich

and poor is very wide in Russia, and I think it makes sense not to flaunt your camera

equipment if at all possible. As for photographing inside ballets monasteries and so on,

make sure you ask your guide if it is ok. Otherwise just be very discreet and don't use

flash. I would also bring some higher speed negative film with you so you can be sure you

will be able photograph in the dark areas of monasteries and so on. I am not sure if you

are going to visit Rostov, but it has a beautiful monastery.

<P>St. Petersburg is fantastic. I highly recommend Issakovsky Cathedral and the Russian

Museum. Of course the Hermitage is amazing, but since you are going to Russia, make

sure you check out its own great artistic tradition at the Russian Museum. My favorite

there is Arkhip Kuindzhi, a fabulous landscape painter from the Crimea. Anyway, others

should be able to offer more advice, but that is what I have for you at the moment. Please

ask questions! I love Russia and love to talk about it. I am sure Alexei Shishin would also

be able to help with advice from a native if he finds the thread.

[pensacolaphoto]

Albert: After seein Al's thread on having pain from carrying the camera bag on one shoulder, I am now more leaning myself towards carrying lighter and fewer ranegfinder cameras and lenses. I wish you a great vacation time. Try also grainy B&W and slow speeds too.

[stuart_richardson]

"My Russians" <P>whoops, I meant to say "many Russians". I don't think many Russians

would be too happy about being photographed unless you get to know them, but they might

just regard you with a bemused tolerance...I doubt many people would actively protest.

[feli]

I would take the M7 and your 24/35/90 and leave the R system home.

It's smaller, lighter, better for low light interiors and also less flashy looking. As someone else said, tape over the logo, dot etc. Maybe send it to Al for a week, for some 'cosmetic enhancement'. Use a crappy bag or stuff everything in your pockets.

 

I think the R system is way too big and will draw far too much attention. The R8/9 with a zoom looks like it costs at least a million dollars.

 

Sounds like a terrific trip.

 

Don't forget spare batteries! I keep one or two spare sets taped to the shoulder strap. That way they are never in "the other bag", when you need them.

;-)

[jim_a]

Albert, regardless if you take the M or R system I would not make a trip like this without a

backup body or Murphy's Law will bite you hard. You could take the M with three lenses as

your main system and take one R body with the 28-90 as a backup as this seems to be the

most versatile lens of those you listed. Both systems with all those lenses is overkill IMO. Less

is more. Have a great trip!

[mark-j]

Albert: I would go with the M kit. The R is much heavier, but more obtrusive. The 24/35/90 sounds like a good range of lenses. Is the 35 a 2.0 or 1.4. It might be nice to have a fast lens for inside. I would definitely carry some fast film for indoors. Less is better and lighter. Enjoy your trip, it sounds enjoyable.

 

Mark J.

[dan flanders]

Remember that every piece of gear that you will not be using on a particular quest will have to be left someplace that is secure. Perhaps your hotel can provide a safe, but if you will be going from city to city then such a facility may not be available. I believe I would prefer to have my camera and a backup with standard lens, a WA in the 25/28 class and a 90. If you find you need something longer you can possibly find one made for the various Feds and Zorkis at a flea market for a ridiculously low price. Forty years ago when I first completed a Leica outfit I tried to take it everywhere I went only to find that it was a horrible burden. Gradually I learned to pare it down to the point that I often went on extensive safaris in Alaska with only a Leica and one lens. Outdoors that is probably all that is needed but a modest WA is usually needed for architectural interiors. And there is the occasional situation where a 90 is handy. Even with that you may find that much of it is superfluous. Keep your kit lean and efficient and I believe you will have more keepers and you will not be burdened by unnecessary security worries.

[erik_jones]

my wife and i took a russian river cruise for our honeymoon. i brought my m7 with 50 and 90mm crons for b&w and a minolta maxxum slr outfit with zooms from 19 to 200 for color. suffer the weight of your gear or regret the missed shots. bring some high speed film. though photography is forbidden during church services, no one noticed me taking some 90mm shots with delta 3200. this is also great at night. do not let anyone scare you with stories of gypsies in moscow or st. pete's. use the same level of caution you would in any big city. always pay the small photo fee at the admission gate of any church or museum. it's usually under a dollar to take as many shots as you can (except for the myakovsky museum, where it seems to be a dollar a shot). bring enough film. the smaller cities and villages tend to sell old film and overcharge for it. here are two more important lessons than anything having to do with film: (1) don't buy anything old, no matter how much your guides or associates tell you that it won't be a big deal. I was arrested at the airport in Moscow, detained for 3 hours, and my stuff - 2 19th century crosses - were confiscated. (I ended up buying better specimens off ebay through a lithuanian seller). (2) bring cash. banks are slow and charge exorbitant fees. traveler's checks aren't even accepted at many banks. the infrastructure of the cities - even cosmopolitain moscow - are just not up to (american) date. on a rainy day, when the place was only 1/2 full, a business took my credit card. the following day, when it was sunny and packed, it refused. the visa/mastercard sign was on the door. russia is an amazing place to visit, but i was happy to return home to the land where money flies through the air.

[doris_chan]

Don't forget a large stick to beat off the rampaging gypsy gangs.

[Troll]

I took a 24, 35 PC, 50, and 135. Afterwards, decided that a 90 would have been just as useful as the 135 and a lot smaller. The 24 just wasn't wide enough in Moscow; if I ever go again I'll take a 21,40, and 90 on a pair of CLs.

[jorn ake]

Ach, more gypsy bashing. I will warrant that the majority of the crime in Russia is not perpetrated by gypsies.

 

Albert Knapp, you should leave all your cameras and just take me. I promise to photograph everything and give you exclusive rights to a complete set of complimentary copies.

[stuart_richardson]

If you hope to avoid unwanted attention is to try to do the most you can to make yourself

look like less of a tourist. Unless you bought your clothes there, you will look like a tourist

anyway, but avoid the most obvious no-no's. Don't wear shorts. Very few people there do,

and well, you shouldn't anyway. Keep your camera in a non-camera bag looking bag (read

Domke 803) or in your hand. Around your neck is not optimal and very touristy. Don't

wear a baseball hat, wearing neutral colors and shirts without text and so forth. Russian

men tend to wear slacks, dark shoes and they dress more formally than Americans.

Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule, but if you are wearing khakis or jeans and a

plain shirt you will draw a lot less attention than you would if you were wearing shorts,

flip-flops and a shirt that says Universal Studios Orlando or something like that. Just

looking like you belong goes a long way towards preventing you from being a mark. This

goes for travel anywhere...

[doris_chan]

Jorn: "Ach, more gypsy bashing. I will warrant that the majority of the crime in Russia is

not perpetrated by gypsies"

 

I couldn't agree more with you. My comment was actually a reference to an earlier post

from Dr Knapp where he described his adventures in Europe: "have used my tripod on

several occasions in Europe as a defense weapon against

gypsies. They send the children, literaaly like a pack of locust to harass their "prey"....A

tripod, with the ball swinging works wonders. In my experience, the tripod doesn't scare

them. It is only when you actually hit one of these wretches that the rest realize that you

are serious....the swinging tripod works wonders.....With my RF, I guess that I would punch

and kick....BTW, should you ever draw blood, make sure you clean the area or camera/

tripod IMMEDIATELY with water followed by alcohol...Hepatitis C and HIV contamination

remain remote possibilities, so see or call your physician at that point"

 

Possibly the most offensive post ever made on this forum.

[e_b7]

M7 with 35, maybe 90, and spare batteries. Or R8 with 28-90, also spare batteries. As for the R series, it's a little more bulk than necessary. As for reliability, if that's really a concern, you can always buy something decent in Russia.

[Alex_Es]

Albert,

 

As you once wrote (regarding theatre photography), less is more. I

would keep the equipment down to a minimum. A backup body is a good

idea. In fact essential. One thing I highly recommend is getting a

Voigtlander 15/4.5. Chances are that you will be need wide more

than telephoto, particularly in St. Petersburg with its stunning

architecture. I'd leave the R stuff at home and bring an M 50.

 

Also, make sure your equipment is insured against theft. Plenty of

that in Matushka Rossia. I would probably not be interested in

photography if my Minolta Hi-Matic was not lifted in Moscow. It

wasn't until Warsaw that I could get another camera and it was a

Zenit B which was such a demanding camera that I became a photo

maniac just trying to use it. (Another story.) Point is less is

more for another good reason: Less stuff to keep track of. Don't

leave anything in hotel room safes or hotel safes either. Just

don't. If Intourist is still Intourist you have a good chance of

having stuff lost or given to someone else.

 

Advise you got about dressing like a Russian is important. When I

was there I saw plenty of blue jeans bought on the black market.

Imagine that there are plenty of people in zhinzi now. But best to

be nondescript and a bit threadbare. I remember when we met that you

were quite a natty dresser. Dress sort of like me and you be fine.

 

I recall that Russians hate being photographed by strangers. In the

Sovet times they authorities were nervous about bridges and such

being photographed. But all that is very much like the US these

days. Best to ask permission to photograph people, unless you know

them. Russians are generally easy to get to know and are very

generous--too generaus sometimes. But it is true that there is a big

gap between rich and poor these days. Soviet wages and capitalist

prices. Plenty of inefficiency and corruption as in the old days but

not the social safety nets of the Soviet system. I would imagine

that people are a lot more open these days. When I was there people

were very careful about what they said and there was a lot of looking

over the shoulder (a bit like Japan, believe it or not, abeit for

different reasons).

 

One thing to be aware of. There are a lot of poor and angry youth in

Russia. NeoNazism is now a big enough to worry people. There is

considerably more xenophobia than there was in the Soviet times. Or

so I have read. It is not difficult to stand out as a foreigner.

The less gear you carry the less conspicuous you'll be.

 

In the way you dress and move, treat Russia as a third world country.

 

I wish I was going with you. The awful stuff aside, it is a

fantastic place.

 

Thanks by the way for advice on Lear. Shoot went well yesterday.

I'll be writing it up presently.

[paul t]

Thanks for that, Doris, if thanks is the word. Don't remember that thread, but I

do hope that others who've expressed similar opinions, would take

themselves down to the West Side of Chicago or somewhere similar, flaunt

their cameras and wave their tripods, and check out the locals' reaction. After

all, why restrict your bonhomie and generosity to foreign turf?

[enrique_munoz1]

I lived 8 years in Moscow 1993-2001. Whatever you wear, people will know you are foreign, so I would not worry too much about it. Most will not recognise or be particularly interested in an expensive rangefinder or the name Leica, but an R will attract a lot of attention, so I would stick with the M. Many people do not like being photographed, but if you smile and then shoot it is usually alright, although you will then get a posed picture (the Yaschica T4 with its right-angle viewfinder is great in markets etc). Never directly photograph the police without permission (it is alright if you pretend to be taking a picture of a building or something). You can shoot in the Bolshoi and Maryansky without a flash. You will want a fast wide angle for Kremlin and for churches in Yaroslav, Suzdal and Sergiev Posad (also strictly no flash). Do not leave photo equipment in hotel rooms, but safes in international quality hotels are not a problem. Take plenty of mosquito repellant, all the film you will need, difficult to get hold of outside Moscow. Have a good time.

[jorn ake]

Doris Chan:

 

I agree.

[jtk]

Do you speak Russian? It's a beautiful language IMO, and not nearly as hard as French once you get past the cyrillic (ie syntax is more like English than like French or German).

[enrique_munoz1]

John, I speak Russian reasonably well but I can not concur that it is easier than French. It is a beautiful language, though.