South America & A Backpack Worth More Than A Small Car.

[richard_barry6]

<p>So I'm planning to head to South America early next year with a buddy of mine and am yet to consolidate a firm itinerary, yet places that will certainly fall onto the list include Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, (most likely) Argentina and Mexico in Central/North America. It is highly probable that other countries will be added to this list.<br>

As a young Australian who intends to rove around this string of developing countries with a 5D MkII and associated paraphernalia in tow, I can't help but question the security of such in primarily abject poverty.<br>

I wanted to perhaps gain some insight from those who have travelled there already with such equipment and how they went about it. Obviously I will get travel insurance but I can also foresee swift replacement of equipment not being the easiest of tasks over there. My sister is over there currently and she was mugged a week and a half into her trip, thus I'm not liking my odds, especially with that all too enticing Lowepro emblazoned across my pack.<br>

I'm not being pessimistic, moreover a realist. I've been considering taking my 40D but at the end of the day I can't see it making a huge difference given that all the other deluxe equipment would remain the same. Clearly I'd love to be able to whip my camera out at will and snap away at the beautiful surroundings and people the continent offers but the plethora of negative stories I've heard from friends who have already been there regarding safety and robbery compel me to reconsider how I go about this.</p>

<p>Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Richard </p>

[tom_burke3]

<p>My daughter did a similar trip (though mainly concentrating on the more southerly South American countries) a few years ago. She just took a small Canon compact, probably an A series. I'll speak to her when I can (she's at Glastonbury festival right now) and ask her if she can offer any comments on your questions; she may remember stories from people she met on her travels. She was staying in hostels, and I got a strong feeling that she took anything of value with her at all times as there was nowhere secure in the hostels.</p>

<p>In the meantime, here's a <a href="http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/JudeBurke/">link to a blog</a> she did while she was traveling.</p>

[gerald_harris]

<p>Hi Richard,<br>

Earlier this year I spent two weeks in Colombia with the aim of photographing the Barranquilla Carnival. Admittedly I spent most of my time with friends and felt safe but they were always concerned about me if ever I ventured out alone.<br>

I took one 5D body and two lenses plus a G12 and a laptop. For street photography I mainly used the G12 as it is discreet but during the carnival procession I used the 5D with the 24-105mm lens. For indoor and portrait work I brought out the 85mm 1.2 EF<br>

I carried all my stuff in one bag, save for the big camera and the 85mm lens which was attached to my belt in a pouch. I also packed a small canvas satchel as a day bag. There, I was able to carry drink and a small amount of food plus the large camera and lens. In the leg pocket my cargo pants I concealed the G12. I took clothes that were mainly grey or black so I could blend easily in the crowd. I did all I could NOT to look like a photographer.<br>

I sympathise with your fears of robbery and theft. I had the same fears before I left in February this year. But I believe if you are with people who know the areas that are potentially hazardous and you are discreet, then you should stay out of trouble. I returned home after visiting New Orleans, Los Angeles, Xiamen in China and Beijing unharmed, with all my equipment intact, countless stories and hundreds of memorable photographs. I hope you have the same good fortune.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>I wouldn't do any trip of this nature without a backup that I could use in event of theft or malfunction. Suggest a compact that you could most times leave in a hotel room -or better yet, a safe- rather than carry it around all the time when you're operating from a fixed base for a few days. Not much point taking a second dslr body if you end up having the lenses stolen.</p>

<p>Be vigilant on travel insurance. Most such policies have strict limits for single items and "sets" that may fall well short of the cost of replacing a 5DMk2 and lenses. You might be better off with an extension to your home/property insurance policy. But whatever, read the full t&c carefully and look for</p>

<ul>

<li>Item and set limits</li>

<li>Excess/deductible</li>

<li>Perils not covered</li>

<li>Perils not covered at certain times of day!</li>

</ul>

<p>Do not assume that the specific photo-equipment insurance you see promoted is good value, or that it will offer more realistic cover and terms. <br>

You are right to consider security issues. Whilst most trips to those parts of the world are trouble free, no-one ever got robbed by a country but by individuals and whilst I've travelled round Mexico easily enough I'm not prepared to vouch for all 110 million ( or whatever) of them. That said, you will be surprised by acts of kindness and overt honesty more times than you are under threat. There is little you can do to make yourself look like a native and you will inevitably be drawn to areas of countries that carry more danger than the 5* hotels. Just behave positively and don't make yourself look like a victim. I'd imagine that a lot of people in the countries you're visiting will not be familiar with Lowepro and might not be specifically interested in your camera- I doubt whether too many people in a favella have a 5DMk2 high up their priority list. But an obvious foreigner with a big bag and probably a fat wallet who also looks a bit lost , clueless or afraid, and not very purposeful is making himself a more attractive target. </p>

[starvy]

<p>Richard,<br>

What exactly are you planning to do with the pictures? If it is for displaying on the web and to go in your personal photo album the 5D might be an overkill. Why burden yourself with so much weight? On the other hand, if you are not showing off your big cameras in local bars or in dingy alleyways of dubious neighborhoods after dark, perhaps that weight is not so much an issue or the security aspect. Of course, insure your gear. My advice would be that unless you are on a pro assignment, take the smaller camera, enjoy the sights and spend less time looking through the viewfinder.</p>

[zigzag]

<p>I was in Argentina, Peru, Equador, Brazil, Galapagos, Chile last June for 2.5 months backpacking with my 5D, 16-35mm, 70-200mm, 24-70mm, tripod. I travelled around by bus mostly, we stayed in backpackers but always had a private room. I removed any obvious labels from my bag and sometimes at night I took out just a G-11. I was warned by the police on at least 4 occassions not to flash my camera about in public. This happened in Cuba too. My backpack was the Lowepro that only has zips on the inside ( you have to take it off to open it.) I often wandered around with my 5DII inside my jacket and was very aware of flashing it around.<br>

On the high plains of Bolivia and the salt flats near Uyuni I was very glad to have my 'good' gear for a once in a lifetime opportunity.<br>

I did not get mugged, held up at knifepoint, stared at, threatened, or even feel endangered. YMMV. <br /> I would take the 5DII et all if I went again. The whole shebang was heavy and I often carried it around all day because I didn't want to leave it back at the accommodation. Probably the only thing we lost was my wife's gold ring which went missing while in a safe in Rio.<br /> It can be a dangerous area. I wanted to take photos and the need to be vigilant probably affected my creativity but I was taking Gigabytes of photos every day, this was of more interest to me than knowing that my shiny camera was safely tucked up in Brisbane. On my whole 8 month tour I did lose a lens hood (at Oktoberfest in Munich) but that was because I took my 5DII with me promising myself I would not be drinking (at Oktoberfest) - there is no cure for stupidity.</p>

[zigzag]

<p>Here's what I carried around for the 8 months (photo for insurance purposes.) I didnt use the PWs more than once. <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4665224892_e3dacd0d3d_m.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="189" /><br>

We weren't out clubbing much at night (too knackered) and I was never in a dorm room. Either of those two things would I think increase your chances of being randomly robbed by a large factor - same as they would if you were backpacking around Australia.</p>

[tudor_apmadoc]

<p>If you plan on getting photography equipment insurance, make sure you read the fine print first. For example, the insurance offered through this site has some important exclusions</p>

<p>"Theft and mysterious disappearance claims are covered<br />as long as there are signs of forced entry."</p>

<p>That means if your equipment is stolen on the street at gunpoint - you're not covered</p>

<p>Also - carry your gear in a backpack / daypack that doesn't SCREAM photo gear. I have a basic black Lowpro MicroTrek 200, and I pulled the logo off the pack.</p>

[tim_eastman]

<p>A Crumpler Bucket makes a very nice insert to hold your gear inside a less conspicuous pack. It may not be as convenient, but I am taking mine to Italy as I did not want to walk around with my flashy Mountainsmith camera pack. I'll have to do some hiking to use it!</p>

[mattb1]

Well, I did a three-week stay in Peru a few years ago. Yes security is a big concern, but mainly in the big cities and

tourist spots. My approach was to keep the gear out of sight as much as possible, and as inconspicuous as possible.

So a regular day backpack is what I selected. Then, keep you hands on the bag and/or equipment at all times and be

aware of you surroundings. Thieves may engage you in conversation to set you up, so be aware. Some people may

engage you in conversation just to practice English, so don't be too untrusting. You will meet a lot of locals that are

good people. I had great encounters with farmers in the country side.

 

It worked pretty well. Until the last day, went out to some of the tourist markets in Lima and had my bag stolen when I

was in a shop looking at trinkets, set the bag down and it was gone in seconds. I think it was a guy that had been

talking to me a little earlier, but the bottom line is that I let my gaurd down for a minute. Lost a Fuji 690, a rebel and a point and shoot. All my film and all my digital images were

back at the hotel, so that was a little bit of good luck. The Fuji was very hard to replace, but the other two were

cheap.

 

Have fun, the 5D II would be an excellent camera to take on the trip. You may want to have several CF cards and try

to upload files to the cloud as much as you can. A camera can be replaced, the images, memories and yourself

can not be.

[PuppyDigs]

<p>I carried my gear without incident in Europe, Asia, Canada and South America. Didn't seem much different than USA cities as far as theft was concerned. Use common sense: keep gear in hand or on body, don't leave in hotel, be watchful and don't flash you goodies around dangerous areas or people. The only place I actually had to run to escape an attempted robbery was Seattle...</p>

[richard_barry6]

<p>Thanks Tom. There's some great photos that your daughter took over there. I think we'll be in a combination of hostels and hotels, although the idea of perpetually having gear on my person is not very enticing given that the night life will definitely constitute a large portion of the trip :)<br>

Gerald, I'm yet to use a G12 but upon quick appraisal it looks like quite a good investment- and seemingly inconspicuous! <br>

Thanks for the advice David. I will make sure to be vigilant with the travel insurance. I presumed that they'd be eager to swindle you when given the chance... the scum! I'm not one to be easily intimidated and will definitely try to compose myself accordingly, although as demonstrated heretofore in my life, as a bloke in his mid-twenties I don't always have to go looking for trouble; it does a pretty good job at finding me :D<br>

Cheers for the feedback Starvy. I will certainly consider the less burdening option.<br>

What an amazing trip Glen. I think I could handle losing a lens hood at Oktoberfest. But you make a valid point about having your camera and it not being back home. I think I'd be abounding in remorse were I not to have my good gear over there. I have the same bag as you but I'm sure with a knife to my throat or similar I'd probably show them how to open the damned thing...haha. What were the backpackers like in terms of security? If need be could you leave your gear there at night? Do they have a safe?<br>

Thanks Tudor. I just might even do some logo removal myself. Cheers Tim, I'll have to google a crumpler bucket but the name does sound intriguing. <br>

Matt, great advice. I thought it would of been outside of the bigger cities and tourist spots that trouble would arise. I intend to take an external hard drive and back up all my photos/film to that and guard it with my life.<br>

Thanks puppy face. I though hotels would be quite a good fort to leave one's gear in.</p>

<p>Thanks again everybody! </p>

[Member69643]

<p>Wow. Why not pick up an AE-1 and 20 rolls of Reala? For about a hundred and fifty USD you'd have as good a camera and not have to worry. </p>

[zack_zoll]

<p>Wolfeye makes a good point. Unless you're going to carry gear that screams 'old and worthless' to your average thief, downgrading isn't going to do anything. People steal Rebels all the time; your 40D isn't going to attract any less attention than your 5D, so there's no sense in not taking the 5D.</p>

<p>This is the sort of thing that makes me very glad that I mainly shoot film. Every time I use my Hasselblad or Yashicamat people always comment on what a, 'cool, old camera,' it is. It attracts a lot of attention, but people never say, 'Wow, that looks expensive.'</p>

[richard_barry6]

<p>I quite like the idea of shooting Sth America on film. My only reservation is my lack of access to a dark room/post-production. Although I guess high resolution scanning could facilitate this. The only reason I'd take the 40D would be because I could handle that being taken. But that's a flimsy idea per se as my lenses etc would also probably be farewelled. </p>

[Member69643]

<p>I'd not worry about developing the film until you got back. Or if you wanted to, mail it back home or to a friend. </p>

<p>The only caveat there is to please be sure you test the camera before leaving and bring a couple spare batteries, for the AE-1 in particular. You could also go really old-school and get a mechanical camera like a Canon F-1. Depends on how comfortable you are shooting without a meter in case the F-1's meter battery went dead and you didn't have a spare, but that's essentially forgetting to bring a spare battery and I'd rather bring an AE-1 AND a couple spares. The only difference then is that with a dead battery, you can still shoot with the F-1. With the AE-1 and a dead battery all you have is a brick.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>As far as I'm concerned, carrying all my equipment every minute of the day is enough to wreck the trip and I don't do it. I leave stuff in hotel rooms - my backup stuff/reserve system all the time, My tripod much of the time, all my stuff when I'm out for dinner etc. Admittedly I don't stay in hostels, I keep my bags locked to discourage casual browsing, and I use the safe if there is one. </p>

<p>Neither do I believe that taking relatively cheap equipment will provide a material disincentive to a potential thief. Much of the time an opportunist thief won't know what he's stolen till he's got it. Most thieves in any case won't understand the hierarchy of sub brands within the Canon portfolio or the real worth of what they are stealing. For many of them a big camera will be a big camera, period. From a traveller's perspective, being without a Rebel or a 20D is just as bad as being without a 5D mk2 if you're depending on it to take pictures. </p>

<p>Neither do I see any advantages in shooting on film on a long trip. The volume of film itself becomes an issue, as does the prospect of running short. You lose the ability to see what you've got and gain the requirement to scan , have scanned, or project everything you do. </p>

[savas_kyprianides]

Leave the gear at home and buy postcards while you are there.

[Member69643]

<p>An inexpensive film camera means you're out $75 if it gets stolen. I think that's pretty relevant. And it'll capture images as well as the 5D. Film can be sent home, as I said, so your load gets lighter and lighter. And as far as I know, film *can* still be purchased in lots of stores throughout the world. But even if that were not true, and you only had 20 rolls, that's still over SEVEN HUNDRED images. </p>

<p>Frankly, if you need more images than that, why bother going on vacation at all? The only thing you'll remember is what things looked like on your LCD. Been there, done that. I recall spending half an hour trying to get a really nice photo of waves crashing on the beach. I have several hundred digital images of that scene. Never look at 'em. But the photos of my baby girl playing on the beach? Priceless, and I only took a few of them.</p>