Off to New Zealand - what to take?!

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rob13

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Rob
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I have a dilemma in that I'm going on a trip of a lifetime to NZ, but have to limit myself due to weight on what I take.

I have the following:
Canon 40D
Canon 15-85mm
Sigma 10-20mm
Canon 70-300mm
Canon 50mm F1.8

430EXII & Diffusers
Grip

RedSnapper Tripod (Excellent but heavy)
Hama Tripod (Cheap but light)

Ive got a Lowepro Slingshot 200AW bag but also a smaller LP Altus120


Im tempted to just take the 15-85mm and the 10-20mm, possibly the flash and Hama Tripod and leave the rest at home. I plan on taking a rucksack anyway, so i'm leaning towards taking the little Altus and just carrying anything else in a normal rucksack.

Any thoughts?
 
I am so jealous!
I am hoping to go next year to shoot landscapes / seascapes, I am looking at taking filters which I don't see on your list?
I plan on taking a nikon D90 with a Tokina 12-24, 18-200 Nikkor a nifty fifty and lightweight manfrotto tripod.
I intend to take a set of nd grad filters which I don't have just yet.I have a lowepro camera bag/rucksack which this lot fits in nicely and will go as hand baggage.
Any thoughts about the weight have not even entered my head. After all what does a man need, a pair of revolving underpants, a couple of t shirts, trainers and a pair of jeans!
 
Rob, the answer depends on what you want to shoot and what your shooting style is.

I visited the south island back in Nov-Dec 2007 and took a 30D and 40D with 10-22, 17-55, 50/1.8 and 100-400. I also took a 580EX but no tripod. The 10-22 and 100-400 got by far the most use, for landscapes and wildlife respectively. The 17-55 was handy on a few occasions, not least for the faster aperture and IS when indoors or shooting people, and it could have taken over from the 10-22 for several of my landscape shots. I didn't use the 50/1.8 at all. I only used the flash a few times as well, and that could have been left at home if weight was a concern.

In your position, trying to keep the weight down, I'd forget the grip, the tripods, the flash and the 50/1.8. Unless you have no interest in wildlife I really think you need to include the long lens. If you can take both zooms you'll have your bases well covered. If you can take only one then the choice depends on whether you favour landscapes exclusively or want to shoot indoors, people and more general scenes and subjects.

But really you need to decide what you want to shoot and how you want to shoot it.

BTW, be prepared for dust, and lots of it. If you visit the south island you can bet that gravel tracks will feature strongly and you will encounter many sections of road under repair, with the tarmac missing and loose gravel as a temporary surface. Our car got filthy inside and out within a fortnight. Be sure you have suitable bits and bobs for cleaning the camera inside and out. Look at the dust on the dash just two weeks into our three week visit. The car was spotless when we picked it up....

20071204_164348_0709_LR.jpg
 
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Ahh dust.....well I havent got UV protectors on any of the kit. I'll be using hoods and I've just picked up a LCW ND500 77mm so look forward to trying that. I've also got a Polariser for the 15-85mm.

I really want some great landscape shots, but also want to take the usual holiday shots so hence the requirement for a good walkabout. The 10mm will give me that extra range for the landscapes. As for wildlife, I'm no bird watcher, and cant think of much else I'll need a decent range for?
 
If your prime reason for going to NZ is to shoot the scenery then leave the 70-300 behind. And unless you have unsteady hands then you can manage without the tripod. I doubt that you will use a flash either.

You picture storage plans are? And a backup to that storage?
 
MisterE said:
And unless you have unsteady hands then you can manage without the tripod.
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An ND500 filter is going to need a tripod, or at least a bean bag.

As for wildlife, apart from penguins and albatross I think the big draw will probably be seals and their pups.
 
tdodd said:
An ND500 filter is going to need a tripod, or at least a bean bag.

As for wildlife, apart from penguins and albatross I think the big draw will probably be seals and their pups.
Click to expand...

Yes. I didn't see the filter appear in a later post.
 
I am also off to NZ in Jan, and I will be taking an Sigma 18-50mm F2.8, an ultra wide and a Canon G11. Filter wise I am only taking a Polariser. I was considering on taking a tripod, as we are stopping via HK. But I am unsure if I want to take the extra weight for the sake of a few long exposure night shots. I might just take a gorilla pod.
 
I went to Australia earlier this year and was in a similar predicament.

I took my camera rucksack as hand luggage containing:

50D
24-105
10-20
50mm
430 Flash
Laptop
Chargers, extra batteries, filters etc.

My 70-200 was wrapped in a pair of jeans in the middle of a suitcase, and I bought a carbon tripod that also went in the suitcase. I needed the tripod as we were spending time in the mountains, I needed the lenses for various stuff (we were also attending a wedding).

Just pack it well and you should be fine. I also purchased a cheap cabin sized suitcase and put my rucksack inside it, so I didn't have to carry it around the airport - it was over the weight scale but most don't check...

Steve
 
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rob13 said:
Ahh dust.....well I havent got UV protectors on any of the kit. I'll be using hoods...
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Yeah...with that amount of dust, that'll work fine... :lol: :cuckoo:

For a 'trip of a lifetime' I'd take everything in the camera-bag sans tripods (I almost never use them), leave all the underwear, clothes, toiletries etc behind, travel with what you stand up in plus a toothbrush in your pocket and buy everything else when you get there.
Wear it during the trip then dump it at the airport on your return.
 
Arkady said:
Yeah...with that amount of dust, that'll work fine... :lol: :cuckoo:

For a 'trip of a lifetime' I'd take everything in the camera-bag sans tripods (I almost never use them), leave all the underwear, clothes, toiletries etc behind, travel with what you stand up in plus a toothbrush in your pocket and buy everything else when you get there.
Wear it during the trip then dump it at the airport on your return.
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Spoken like a true male photographer

You, sir, are marvellous
 
NikonSimon said:
Spoken like a true male photographer

You, sir, are marvellous
Click to expand...

:thumbs:

1pr pants = 4 days use (front-back; inside out then front-back again...seemples) if you don't play with yourself too much on the flight over...wear baggy cargo-pants to let the air circulate and shove extra stuff in the pockets.

Local drug-store-type shops in the airport usually stock cheapo underwear.
 
Jelster said:
Just pack it well and you should be fine. I also purchased a cheap cabin sized suitcase and put my rucksack inside it, so I didn't have to carry it around the airport - it was over the weight scale but most don't check...

Steve
Click to expand...

Don't rely on the weight not being checked - I had my camera bag weighed (for the first time) this year and had to take a couple of lenses out of the bag and put them in my coat pockets until we were out of sight of the check in desk.

Everything non-valuable/fragile (chargers, leads etc) was already in the hold luggage and no way was anything fragile or valuable going in there too.

Remember Murphy's law - if you leave a piece of kit behind, you'll wish you had taken it with you.
 
My sister lives in NZ (Rotorua) - you WILL need a wiiiiiiiide lens for the landscapes; they are something else.
 
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