Take an RB on vacation?

[danny_wong2]

<p>There is one point that nobody has brought up: how will the spouse deal with one bringing the full kit?<br>

When my son was no quite two we had a chance for a RV trip from Vancouver up the Rockies to Banff Jasper and then back via the Okanagan Valley. I brough my son, all his supplies and my 500CM with four lenses WLF, two backs and a spotmetre. <br>

After day two all that stayed in the Pelican case for sake of family peace.</p>

[zack_zoll]

<p>As Danny brought up, I think there are two very important questions to ask yourself.<br>

1) Is your spouse okay with you spending lots of time during the vacation taking pictures? I'm not married, but I am fortunate enough that most of them women I've dated in my life were very understanding of this. I've dated those that were not though, and like Danny said - the camera got left in the car an awful lot.</p>

<p>2) Is the RB integral to the sort of pictures you take? I know that a 6x7 negative is better quality than a 35mm, but I'm not talking about the technicalities; does the RB give you something that over cameras do not artisically? If not, are you making 11x14 or larger prints? If not, leave it at home.</p>

<p>If I'm travelling somewhere, I never bring my 4x5 - I bring the Hassy or the Yashicamat. I find that outside the studio, the 4x5 doesn't give me anything that is personally relevant to me, the way <em>I</em> shoot. I even find that the Hassy doesn't give me very much that the Yasichamat doesn't with available light either (I usually shoot around f/8-f/16 with a tripod), but I often bring it instead, since with a WLF and an 80mm lens it's only slightly bigger than the 'Mat. But if I'm going to be packing light and walking around a lot, especially during the day, I almost always use the 'Mat.</p>

<p>Then again, I've made some great late-night photos with 35mm and a plain-ol' 50mm lens, so you don't always need big negs.</p>

<p>So I guess you could read my answer either way. If you need it and the wife and kiddo are patient with you, bring it. If you don't need it, then don't bring it.</p>

 

[bjcarlton]

<p>Just a thought -- last time I flew into Mexico, I recall reading on the customs form that someone carrying more than one camera would be considered a commercial photographer and would have to pay some ridiculous fee. They also had a limit on the amount of film you could bring in. I ended up having someone else carry my backup camera through customs, and my cameras happened to be digital, so the film limitation wasn't an issue. Don't know if the body limitation is still true, but you may want to find out before you pack a whole lot of gear.</p>

[rob_piontek]

<p>I would suggest a TLR as a nice compromise. I like to bring a TLR and a P&S and feel this works out really well.</p>

[frank_major]

<p>~Barry - WOW!!! If that's true its ridiculous! Such an idiotic definition of a "commercial" photographer is strictly another way to gouge tourists.</p>

<p>Honestly, if that is true.... Mexico as a destination? Yea, *never*.</p>

[denniswms]

<p>I do not have the Mamiya- worked with it for a month but it was not intuitive enough for me so I bought the Pentax67, which is - but the 67 goes everywhere and sometimes I take a second body.</p>

<p>Unless you accept snapshots for what they are- which I cannot- what you shoot is what you shoot and that is what goes with you if you are going to take photographs. The aspect ratio of 67- not to mention the film originals- is simply not replicable with a small camera.</p>

<p>I am not going to settle for less than what I believe is the best tool for taking my shots. If that requires a bit of planning or inconvenience so be it. Take the RB for the massive ruins and leave the 2 year old with the grandparents! Second honeymoon.</p>

[mervyn_wilmington]

<p>So Dennis Williams can't accept snapshots?</p>

<p>Of course, it depends on what you define a snapshot to be. If it is something taken quickly, intuitively, I'll go along with that. As I said in an earlier posting, I have RBSD and Hasselblad outfits, and a D700. For what it is worth, I also have a Rollei 3.5f, a Rolleicord, a Yashicamat, and a Minolta Autocord. I also have a couple of decent digi compacts. I've taken very pleasing 'snapshots' with the latter that I would certainly not have obtained with any of the medium format cameras, and might not with the D700.<br>

Every time you press the shutter - assuming everything is in order with your equipment - you will get a photograph. However, you might well not get a picture.</p>

<p>In the UK, the BBC runs an annual photographic contest. There are thousands upon thousands of entries, many technically superb. The twelve judged the best make-up the calendar for the following year.</p>

<p>A couple of years ago, the 'very best' winning entry showed sheep struggling through the snow. OK, it wasn't critically sharp, but it was every inch outstanding. It was taken with a digi compact. It wasn't just a photograph: it was a picture. Even if someone had struggled to the location with an RBSD, I doubt they would have caught that moment.</p>

<p>By all means cart RBSDs and Hasselblads around. You will certainly get some fine images, but you probably miss many pictures. As I said before, it is horses for courses.</p>

[robert gordon]

Are you paying for your chiropracter to accompany you?

[ondebanks]

<blockquote>

 

<p>Ray: Your girls are dolls. Nice shot. Alan.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Thanks, Alan!</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Speaking as someone who hauled a medium format system with 4-6 lenses (and sometimes a Mamiya 7 as well) wherever I went in the world for a dozen years with and without my family, and who has photographed fairly extensively in Yucatan---</p>

<p>You may well have a great vacation in Cancun and along that coast, including Tulum. But this isn't a destination that offers a large amount of serious photography. Tulum is not, IMO anyway, the most evocative of the Mayan sites, and to see the places in Yucatan that do offer fascinating photo opportunities you'd need to get away from the coastal resorts. Unless you're just planning to use Cancun as an entry point and drive to the towns and villages inland, I'd suggest that you think of this trip as a vacation and not as an important photo trip. That way, the question of what to take resolves itself- particularly in the context that you're thinking of emasculating the RB system anyway to manage its weight and bulk. </p>

<p> </p>

[colin_dullaghan]

<p>David, thanks for your insight. (Oh, and Ray, Alan's absolutely right -- cute girls; great shot.) It's funny you should mention that about Tulum... I just got an email from Yucatreks saying we may not be able to go on that particular excursion anyway, since the place we're staying is about an hour north of their Playa del Carmen home base. </p>

<p>You've clearly got a lot of experience exploring the area; if there's anyplace else you'd suggest we check out, I'm all ears. Inland, it sounds like, is the way to go.</p>

<p>Also had to mention -- just got back from the grounds of the local art museum, where I hiked around with the RB, prism, grip, family and all, and had a blast. Though I did bring along a pocket digicam for, yes, snapshots, and may well have gotten better results with that than I did with the Mamiya. Time to wait for the film to be processed (I'm learning B/W processing myself at home, but this was color) and find out.</p>

[kparratt]

<p>I do agree with Michael and others on the weight thing, although am still listening to your ...</p>

<blockquote>

<p>but I just love shooting with the Mamiya</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You do talk about stripping it down to basics .. good. That will make a big difference. Take the 65 and exploit it's potential. It's not worth buying alternative cameras to save a few ounces.<br>

Many moons ago I travelled to Australia as a lone parent with 3 yo son. The weight of the Hasselblad was not the problem, but being preoccupied with my son was. An opportunist was watching the devoted dad, and slipped the neatly packed Lowepro out from under my feet whilst ... ( blahh .. it still hurts to remember ) Ahh well, the camera was off the plane and gone whilst I was dressing the lad and tidying up our cabin luggage. Unless I'm actually using it, any camera bag is now carried inside a cheapo shopping bag. The Manfotto is harder to disguise.</p>

<p>My son is soon 18 and taller than me now. He can have the Hasselblad around his neck, put me in the Billingham, and take care of both dad and camera ;-)</p>

[jason]

<p>Last trip to South Africa, via Schipol, Amsterdam from Toronto was pure compact digital. 8 Memory cards, extra batteries in case, a few in carry-on. Sheer joy!<br>

No of the "Sir,please stand to side!, Sir, are these yours? Sir, the film is going thru the X-Rays..Sir, You should get digital!" Yup! none of that..<br>

Truth! I missed my Medium Format when I did shoot..<br>

Take a basic box, one lens. Film. 120 film not as easily found anymore except large centers.<br>

PS. On way back carried my Canon Ae-1p,50mm and 35~105 zoom,28mm and tele-extender, dedicated flash,15 rolls of film. No problems at any security.. One comment!<br>

"Nice to see a film camera!"</p><div></div>

[david_henderson]

<p>The nearest place to Cancun I know I can get good photographs is the small city of Valladolid and the route north to Rio Lagartos on the north coast. The small towns of Calotmul and Espesita were productive as I recall. Thats too far for a self-drive day trip IMO. There may be other places nearer to Cancun that I've not visited, but that's the nearest I know. Its likely that you can get a coach day trip to Chichen Itza from Cancun- it is a pretty fast and quiet road and even a day trip should get you several hours there. Chichen Itza is busy (so is Tulum) but its miles better than Tulum.</p><div></div>