Film for New Zealand & Papua new Guinea

[robovet]

I'm planning a trip to Papua New Guinea & New Zealand. I've already decided to leave the digital slr's at

home (5D & Mark 3). Mainly because it will allow me to cut the belly cord to my laptop, charging batteries

etc. I'm bringing a pentax 67 II with a 55, 135maco, and a 200. Also bringing a leica MP with a few lenses.

I'll be taking portraits,details and landscapes. I was planning on taking fuji 160 and 400 color negative

and some trix. Friends have suggested transparency film. I plan to send the film to Richard's Lab for

proofs and low res scans. I'll be scanning with a nikon 9000 and printing the keepers on an epson 4800.

Any comments out there ?

 

Thanks--

 

Marc Laxineta

www.robovet.net

[q.g._de_bakker]

Two suggestions.<br>The first one in the form of a question: why carry two camera systems? Bring the Pentax, leave the Leica at home.<br>Transparency film still has its fans, but negative film is both better and easier to use. So stick to your original idea.

[ilkka]

I would want to have two cameras that can use the same film but not necessarily two camera systems. Certainly not a 35mm and 120 system. For landscpaes, the Pentax is an obvious choice. For details, not sure what that means, but a macro lens on Pentax would probably be better than a rangefinder. For people, Leica could be easier, though not necessarily for portraits. At the very least, I would try to get by with just two lenses for the Pentax, probably 55 and 135. I wouldn't bother with both colour and black and white if you are scanning anyway.

[brucecahn]

Dude: You are actually going to New Guinea? Have a great time, and try not to be eaten by cannibals like they say David Rockefeller was. I agree with the guy who says just bring a 6x7 Pentax. If you have at least 2 bodies. Otherwise bring both cameras. You never know which will decide to take a vacation, without advance notification.

[mike-images]

G'day Mark,

 

two very different countries. Are you planning to get off the beaten track and to walk about or are you going to be on wheels?

 

New Zealand is easy - it has all the support services you could want plus it's as photogenic as you could wish.

 

As for PNG: you should assure yourself that you understand the challenges of the country and that you understand how to maximise your personal safety. Read the travel advisories and plan accordingly.

 

I'm a fan of transparency film always have been. I feel like you get more punch and bite than you do with print film. YMMV.

 

Have a great time and show us the pics when you return.

 

Best wishes

 

Mike

[jimsimmons]

I don't know PNG, but I've lived in New Zealand for three years now. The variety of the green colours in the NZ bush never ceases to amaze me. The common wisdom is to use a film that can differentiate all those shades of green and that would be a Fuji film. Most people like Velvia for getting the greens to be very saturated. The Nikon 9000 should be able to read into the very dense Velvia shadows. But personally, I'm more a fan of Kodak's E100G. It has a very neutral colour balance that I like in the transparency. Once scanned you can take that anywhere though.

 

I also second the Pentax 67. That's what I shoot, and the level of detail that it gives the vast landscapes here is necessary to do them justice. Of course, if you're not brining a tripod, then you won't get what the Pentax and transparency have to offer.

 

I also shoot Fuji NPS160 and 400H, but not for the things you say you're going to shoot.

[nigel_robinson]

I lived in NZ for 28 years before moving to Europe. When I went back for a visit I found the light to have a high dynamic range - colour neg film was a bit more user friendly. Hope that helps.

 

N

[q.g._de_bakker]

<i>"The Nikon 9000 should be able to read into the very dense Velvia shadows."</i><br><br>That's the deciding thing, comparing slide vs negative film. There is absolutely no problem recovering detail from either shadows or highlights in negatives, but always a worry when using slide film.