Shooting by bicycle from Nepal to the UK

[darius_thompson1]

Hi all,

 

I am commencing a long distance cycle tour this November. I would like some advice about my choice of equipment.

I found the recent thread on Chris Harkers South America trip very interesting, and I hope my posting this

thread on my situation isn't too repetitive. Anyway..

 

So far, and I have found it has just about worked, as long as I can find film and processing, I have travelled in

Tibet and Nepal with one Leica M2 with 35mm and 50mm Summicrons, a Rolleiflex 3.5F and a Samsung NV11 digital

Point and shoot. With the film cameras I meter with a Weston Master V. I have some nice 6x6 BW portraits and

leica stuff so far, with the associated image quality and character that those systems are renowned for. I can't

complain about the equipment in that respect!

 

My aim is to have quality black and white prints and some 35mm slides to use for a small book, hanging medium

sized enlargements on the wall when I make it back, or whatever else I could use the photos for, but I really

trust these two film cameras, they are well serviced and the only problem is the film and weight and choosing.

The digital camera makes acceptable images for my website, they aren't fantastic, but as is the case with a

small, convenient camera, I have made a lot of my favourite pictures with it.

 

My problem is that I am anticipating how it will be to find film and processing in India, Pakistan, Iran and

maybe then Iraq, Syria and Jordan, and ways to post negatives back home. As you might imagine, it could be a bit

of a headache! I was fine once I got to Nepal, having cycled a kilo of film over the Himalayas since I found a

great little lab that souped my films for me. I think India and Pakistan might be do-able, in terms of labs,

maybe Iran. But the uncertainty is what bothers me. I will be cycling unsupported and it makes sense to be as

self-contained as possible.

 

I do need a digital camera of some description, and much as I love what I can achieve with the Leica and the

Rolleiflex, something is happening that I swore would never take place - I am considering going fully digital

with one body and a couple of lenses, given my wish also to have good quality pictures to upload to the web while

I travel. Here my only problem would be electricity and storage. I will be cycling from now on with a solar

charger, but haven't tried and tested if it is practical to support possibly day-long shooting with a DSLR. I

suppose with a couple of batteries it might be fine. And I would take an external hard disk.

 

In this way I would solve the film problem, always having to decide if it is a 35mm slide or 6x6 BW portrait that

I want in a split second, or a simple 35mm digital capture that I can put on the website for all me friends to

enjoy and I could just shoot lots and lots of hopefully good quality images. I would consider anything

recommended, but imagine a FF DSLR to be the best way. I am mostly interested in environmental portraits to

capture a feeling of the people I meet. I am not massive on landscapes, but they are also nice. I am not sure

if I could face selling my film equipment, given its quality, but I would have to, to afford a D700 or 5D. Then,

if the one body got lost, I might regret it.

 

So if you were me, what would you do? I am going mad, since once I am on my bike in India that's it, no more

chopping and changing! I gotta shoot with what I have come rain or shine! It is really a question of film and

processing, I think, along with weight concerns and convenience, given that when you cycle 40 Kilos of weight

around, it had better pay its way!

 

If anyone is interested, they can see something of what I got with the Samsung on my website, which is a bit

rudimentary, but is linked to Picasa Web Albums, it is www.dariusrideshome.com

 

Many thanks to anyones opinion!

 

Darius

[sattler123]

If I were in your shoes I would get something like a Canon G10, a couple of batteries, an extrenal hard drive that allows you to download your pictures (maybe even without a computer) and a solar charger. You minimize weight and still get pretty good image quality (not like a DSLR, but pretty close).

 

Good luck on your trip - you are certainly more courageous than I am!

[darius_thompson1]

Thanks Juergen,

 

I will definitely consider the G10, if it could make good enlargements for showing pictures it could be a perfect compromise, if I would leave either the Leica or the Rolleiflex at home. then if I can find film, excellent, and if not still get good digital captures.

 

I just have no idea about the digital world, having been a staunch film user since I started photographing.

 

Cheers!

[Ian Taylor]

I would take the Rollei myself.

Along with a G10 that would be a great duo.

[sattler123]

Darius,

 

here is a link to Canon's G10 website. As you can see it boosts almost 15MP which will be more than sufficient for large prints and it has image stabilization which should come handy. I use the G9 myself (the previous model) and I love that camera esp. when I don't want to carry around my DSLR. The G10 sells here in the US for less than $500 - which is a very good value.

[darius_thompson1]

Indeed, Juergen, that is great value for such a well spoken of camera.

 

I am already having a look at the website. But I am wondering, are all those pixels so useful if the sensor is still quite small, as I think it might be? I would love to be able to shoot under low-light conditions for sure.

 

Ian, I certainly agree about the Rolleiflex, but it is only then a question of making sure I can get enough 6x6 film for my needs, in the countries across which I will cycle.

 

How about 220 film? I never realised it might be an option. WIll it fit in the Rollei, I wonder?

 

Darius.

[mightypir]

don't know about the other countries but you should not have any problems with C41`film in 35mm in Pakistan,

buying or having it processed. You can find E6 fuji and kodak at some of the better shops in the bigger cities

but it is quite expensive and less easy to get and process.

 

120/220 seems to have pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur in Pakistan so don't count on getting any here.

My MAT 124G has been sitting in the mothballs for the last few years as I have not been able to find 120 film.

 

On the other hand the digital revolution has been embraced fully and you will be able to get memory cards,

cameras etc that you need and there is a big market for used items as well (at least in the larger cities). I

second the suggestion for the G10, or even a A series Canon compact...pair with a portable HDD device and you

should have a very good package. You can burn CDs at internet cafes and send back to home via Fed Ex etc.

 

Good Luck!

 

Good luck!!!

[sattler123]

Darius,

 

the G10 is supposed to have better noise capability than the G9 because of a newer and better processor, despite having more pixels. I regularly shoot my G9 at ISO800 and it looks good enough for printing, as long as you learn to expose properly - that's true for all digital cameras, including DSLRs. The trick is to expose to the right of the histogram (the highlights) as much as possible without actually clipping any of the highlights. The nice thing is that the G9 and the G10 will preview the histogram BEFORE you take the shot - all you have to do is adjust the exposure accordingly and you will minimize any noise there is. Here is a link to a very good article explaining much better what I am trying to say.

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml

 

Attached is a picture I took with the G9 at a local musem here at ISO800 - as you can see, the noise is being kept to the minimum.<div></div>

[Ian Taylor]

You should be able to find film along the way. I would pack a dozen or so rolls and just use the shots sparingly when you know you have an awesome portrait op. In my experience the sitter can be more into it when you have a serious hunk of hardware. I shot a lot of 120 in Cambodia and the stuff blows away anything I did with 35mm.

<p>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2445513570_59dff11303.jpg?v=0">

<p>

<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/37231728_7ba9384703.jpg?v=0">

<p>

<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/45/132549532_6a23af9461.jpg?v=0">

[arie_vandervelden1]

Darius, you're concerned about going digital, storage and power.<P>

 

Storage. This is where digital really shines. You can fit an amazing amount of photos on a 8Gb CF card that weighs

next to nothing. Some years ago, over the course of two months I carried about 50 rolls of slide film up half a dozen

scree piles in the Everest area. They were heavy. CF cards weigh a lot less. CF cards are also almost

indestructible. I've never tried submerging a CF card, but put a few USB flash drives through the washing machine.

No data loss. Woudn't want to do that with film.<P>

 

Backup. I'd be hesitant to buy a hard drive, copy data onto that, and then recycle the CF card. Hard drives are

fragile and heavy. I'd buy a bunch of CF cards and I'd leave the data on them until you get home. You could back up

onto DVD when the opportunity presents, and mail those back home.<P>

 

Power. Indeed this could be a problem at times. Extra batteries are heavy. You can save power by turning off the

display and using the viewfinder only, and only reviewing/editing/tossing misses when you're at a power source.<P>

 

Gear. There's always a tradeoff between weight and performance/image quality. Something like Canon G10 sure

looks attractive because of its weight. Last year I spent 2 months backpacking in central America. Gear: Canon

400D, Tamron 17-50/2.8, Tamron 90/2.8 macro. Light, sharp, and versatile. This gear held up well despite being

battered in my pack, hot humid jungle, windy beaches etc. Since then I've bought an 85/1.8, and next trip like this

I'd bring it instead of the macro lens.<P>

 

Have fun on your trip. Sounds like an awesome adventure.<P>

<IMG SRC="http://photos.photosig.com/photos/85/54/1905485-a6754416702502c8.jpg"><P>

looking for a match

[david-m]

I have cycle toured extensively over the last 15 years (All over Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, USA, etc etc) and

always taken two Leica M6s and loads of slide film. I carried the film with me (sometimes for 6 months) and kind of

limited myself a bit when I was running low on film. I always guess I use about 2 or 3 rolls a week as there are often a

few days here or there with just nothing too exciting to photograph, and then a few days of something amazing. I carry

the the bodies with a 28 and and 90 lens in the handlebar bag. Never had any problems with the cameras or leaving the

film undeveloped for SIX months (truly).

 

BUT... I shoot digitally for work (portraits/lifestyle/products) and so this past few months I have been trying to decide

how to shoot digitally for the next long bike trip (November for a couple of months). Having done tons and tons of

research I think I would advise you get TWO Nikon D60 bodies, one standard fast prime lens and one medium wide-tele

zoom. These are not expensive cameras. Store one body in a rear pannier, well padded just for emergencies. The

camera is light and produces excellent files. These will not be as good as the Leica film if properly scanned (IMHO) but

very close, and without the hassle of developing/printing/scanning/storage. Learn to shoot RAW files, and store

everything on a huge load of SD cards (which cost next to nothing).

 

The files from the D60 will be superior to the Canon G9/10 as there is a much larger sensor, and the Nikon is pretty

small and light. The 2 Nikon bodies will weigh about the same as one Leica body.

 

Yu can also shoot RAW and basic Jpg at the same time so as to upload stuff to your website on the road without having

to convert the RAW files. I have carried a compact digital camera for years (for fun shots) and never had a problem with

finding power to recharge the batteries. They last for a few hundred shots, and if you have a spare body, then you

automatically have a spare battery, which you keep charged.

 

Leave the rolleiflex and Leica at home (sad) and buy lots of memory cards.

 

Have a great cycle.

 

David

[darius_thompson1]

Thanks David, that's really helpful. And to everyone who gave me ideas!

 

David, your idea sounds great, simple and practical. But as you know it is not an easy decision to make! I had a look at your photos on your website just now and the quality of the BW and slide photos taken with the M6 is really good. Along with portraits, the sort of environmental portraits you take are very much what I like to try to do.

 

There are a couple of things I wonder about, since I am pretty non-digitally minded. Maybe you could help me. I shoot mostly with 35mm and 50, as I said, so I would wish to find a suitable equivalent. I am used to the M2 finder and f2 available indoors in both 35 and 50. Your mention of 90mm has got me thinking about using my 90/2.8, but that will make things mroe complicated!

 

First, if I go down the DX road, I assume I would need a 24mm, as a prime equivalent to say a 37mm in 135. I find 35mm excellent for travel, perhaps 37mm is a very small difference, but I wonder how much narrower the angle of view might be. Or perhaps I could use a 35mm prime as a 53 and the zoom for everything else?

 

Then I suppose as a zoom, a 17-50 (Tamron, I think) or a cheap 18-55 Nikon. What would you take?

 

How would the depth of field compare with the Leica lenses?

 

And also the viewfinder. I will surely go and have a look at a D60 to see how the magnification is. I find small tunnel-like viewfinders difficult to deal with, I can imagine a full frame FX viewfinder to be very useable, but then I need to sell my violin and I can't do that!

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Darius

[david-m]

These are difficult questions!

 

The D60 has a small viewfinder and is a bit tunnel like (a huge difference to the Leica) but I think you could get used to it

on a long trip (given the obvious advantages of digital).

 

You are going to miss the f2 aperture, but this is compensated for by the easy adjustments to iso (up to 800 or 1600 at a

push). But you will miss the selective DOF that f2 gives (swings and roundabouts).

 

I would look into a decent but light zoom like the 16-85 NIkon (24 to 127 equivalent) to keep on one body. Save the other

body as a spare. Maybe take a 50.1.8 as a cheap (like £70) low light helper lens (and as a spare lens).

 

These are all tough decisions, but I am guessing that as a cyclist there are other important parts to your trip (like the actual pedalling, The

Mountains, finding water, food, good camping spots, bloody traffic etc etc) and so photography is only one part. The D60

route is well worth thinking about, but there are other ideas that I'm sure youu have thought about or others have

suggested.

 

BTW, what is your route going to be? And where did you see my website (out of interest)

 

David<div></div>

[darius_thompson1]

Thanks David,

 

FYI, I saw your website listed in your photo.net profile. I wish my website was something a little more

presentable. But if the pictures are good, I suppose it isn't so important right now. You can see the sort of

stuff I was getting with a PS digital on dariusrideshome.com there are Picasa web albums linked to each picture,

but I still have to sort it out a bit!

 

You are indeed right that I am not solely shooting during the trip. I hope I can make a good collection of

photos along the way, and had in mind a portrait series in 120 format. It is a nice idea, but I need simplicity

and good digital quality, seeing how much digital I shot from Tibet and Nepal. I hope I can update the website

and people will enjoy seeing me make my way through asia minor.

 

I am a classical violinist in actual fact, so I will be taking my cheap violin as I wish to learn some new styles

along the way, in India and Iran and obviously later in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. It will be an important

part of the trip, playing with other musicians and recording some stuff. It adds a good 4 kilos on the bike, but

I have met a few people happily pedalling long distance with 60 or more. I will try in any case and a violin can

break the ice pretty well, I have found!

 

About the route itself, then. I started this trip last winter, but realised when in Nepal that I needed to go

home and prepare better. I had been teaching English in Lhasa for 5 months when I decided it would be better to

ride home rather than fly. I had a load of gear sent from the UK, which I refined (decent frame) in KTM. I

cycled with a friend to Nepal and that has been the entire cycle trip so far. I flew back to Europe, since I

have Iranian family from my Mum's side and met them for the first time in the US this summer. Now I hope I have

a few contacts in Iran and I can go and find some more 'lost' family.

 

I will go to Kathmandu in November and stay a month or so at the most before I start riding through India,

Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. I may throw in Syria and Jordan and the 'holy land', before heading back to Europe.

That is the rough idea anyway! I think that I will plenty of good shooting opportunities, but it is a good year

at least, hence my apprehension about gear. But as you see, photos are only a part. I wish to camp wild outside

of the population centres, and enjoy cycling!

 

The zoom lens is a good suggestion, cheers for that! I was also wondering about getting two primes, but could

get used to zoom convenience I suppose. I realise that a pair of D40s or D60s make best sense economically. I

need to get some in my hands to really see about the viewfinder and so on, but maybe a D90 with .94x

magnification might be better, though more expensive? Then I imagine it would not share batteries with a D60,

the possible back-up body. Maybe magnification is not such a big deal in the end.

 

Still, if I could get hold of film, and scan well later on, I would have thought that a body of film work might

stand out in this digital world as more interesting. But the best camera is the one you have with you, they say.

It is a big decision and I need to make it in the next 3 weeks. The photography, I would say is the most

important element for me, since I hope it might lead somewhere in terms of work later on, or showing pictures

somehow, even just for the sake of it.

 

Thanks again, you've been very helpful!

 

Darius