Travel photography equipment advice wanted.

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tophee

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Chris
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Hi Guys,

Look at this my first post ;-)

Anyway, I am about to take an extended trip (End of October) starting in India (6 months) and then planning to head eastwards ending up at some point in NZ anywhere between a year or two later. My plan is lots of photos and I am trying to work out what extras I need. Planning to travel light and fairly economically.

I shoot a Canon 70D and have several lenses: Canon 18 - 75 USM, Canon 50mm, Sigma 10 - 20 mm. I think I need a light tripod an ND filter and a decent zoom. Unfortunately money is an object so have to do this reasonably economically. Can't spend £££££.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what I need in my camera bag?

Thanks in advance

Chris
 
Zoom lens such as 28-300 mm is probably best bet, if you do not want to keep changing lenses or take prime lens such as 24 mm and 50 mm.

thanks
 
For travel, a superzoom and a fast normal/wide-normal prime. On a crop body I would be looking for a lens with 18mm or less at its widest - 28mm isn't wide enough.

If you want to travel light then I wouldn't bother with the UWA - the number of times I've lugged a heavy FF version around and never used it.
 
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To minimise your weight I'd say get something like the EF-S 18-200 it's not a world beating lens by any stretch but it will get you the images you want with minimal lens change. You could probably go away with just this one lens and not be disappointed. But I'd be tempted to take your existing 10-20mm just in case, and the 50mm for when you need something faster (it's light, it's not going to be a burden)
 
Thanks for your input guys. I am thinking of taking all my lenses including the wide angle. I used it a lot when in HK last.
I made a slight mistake my general lens is Canon EFS 17-85mm (I was going from memory).
I'll always take my 50mm as it is light and awesome.

For the UWA I was thinking of getting a screw in ND filter, though not sure which one. I very undecided about the tripod. I think I need one. I know I could get away without, but in years to come those photos I've had to bin because they've got camera shake.

I was thinking of either the MeFoto Roadtrip, or Manfrotto BeFree, though the smaller Manfrotto Compact Action might be worth considering as it is very small. I am concerned that my camera is getting close to the maximum weight this tripod can hold. The quoted maximum weight is 1.5 kg and when I weighed my camera and lend it was 1.32 kg.

As for the telephoto... I don't think I can spring for the 28-300mm lens. I wish I could afford it.... Canon's 70-300mm look pretty good at a more reasonable price.

Thanks guys for quick replies.
 
I've got a few bodies and a lot of lenses.

I'm off travelling later this year and decided to leave the DSLR(s) at home and bought a Sony RX100 which I'm frankly blown away by! Together with a little GorillaPod, that's all I'm going to need :)

I didn't need the weight of the DSLR and lenses.
 
The only downside of the RX100 route [I've got a mark 1 and love it!] is the depth of field it produces. Great for landscapes, but if you're into soft bokeh you'll want to stick with the DSLR. Having said which my D800 spends a lot of time at home now. It's such a capable little camera for the size and weight and subsequently you'd only need a very lightweight tripod.
 
Deckard said:
The only downside of the RX100 route [I've got a mark 1 and love it!] is the depth of field it produces. Great for landscapes, but if you're into soft bokeh you'll want to stick with the DSLR. Having said which my D800 spends a lot of time at home now. It's such a capable little camera for the size and weight and subsequently you'd only need a very lightweight tripod.
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Yeah that's always going to be the case, especially against a FF body but at 28mm and f/1.8 it produces lovely shallow dof! My only issue with it is at a max shutter speed of 1/2000 sometimes if it's really bright you can't use it, even at 80 ISO!
 
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I take your point that a small compact wold indeed be a lighter way of doing things. We are planning to be away for a significant amount of time, so I either take what I've got and use it or sell it because it'll just sit in storage for at least a year possibly longer.
 
tophee said:
I take your point that a small compact wold indeed be a lighter way of doing things. We are planning to be away for a significant amount of time, so I either take what I've got and use it or sell it because it'll just sit in storage for at least a year possibly longer.
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Good point, definitely take it all then :)
 
Thanks :)

Yes, the weight will be a pain. I just loaded up my camera bag with all I have (including laptop and chargers) as I'm away for the weekend. Hopefully lugging all this around will build my muscles.

So any thoughts on light(ish) tripods?

I am erring towards the MeFoto because of the hook on the bottom (to hang my bag off for stability), but it is either thebackpacker version or the road trip version.
 
Not lots and lots the sub £200 mark would be nice. Nearer £100 would be even nicer. I'm trying to balance not spending too much money but getting somethign that can be lugged around the world, cope with a few knocks and still hold my camera steady.
 
Always the dilemma with tripods; light, sturdy and cheap - generally you can have only two of the three!
 
Yes. Think I'm looking at either the two MeFoto tripods or perhaps the Manfotto BeFree one.
 
I just bought the Manfrotto Compact Action at the weekend, very pleased, build quality exceeds my expectations, nice to use and don't have any worries about my heavy DSLR's on it, all magnesium bodies. Been using it on 2 and 3 leg extensions mostly, but has a 4th. section if needed. Have a play around with one at Curry's £50, bargain I thought.
 
Rather than a tripod, how about a Pod (a beanbag with a tripod screw on the top)? There's always something to rest it on, even if it means getting down to ground level and it can be used for long exposures (I've used mine for up to 5 minutes with no visible shake [film rangefinder for star trails]). Can be transported empty then filled with sand, beans, gravel, whatever!
 
Stick with what you have, it's what you know, depends which 50mm but I'd possibly leave that out as it's covered by the 18-75
Canon 70D Canon 18 - 75 USM,
Canon 50mm,
Sigma 10 - 20 mm

I doubt you'll need more than a 200mm, so for lightness I'd recommend the 70-200 F4, great lens, really good quality images and light. However, think about the types of images you take and if you really need it. Most of the time travelling I'm either using an ultra wide or my 24-105 on a 5dmk3 full frame, so more or less the same as your 18-75.

This year I bought a manfrotto befree and am very happy with it.

Get a decent backpack and a way to lock it,
 
Take a look for 2nd hand redged (I think they went bust but very good lightweight travel tripods) also look for 2nd hand 3 legged thing tripods again very compact and light, I have manfrotto 190cxpro4 and although light it's not as compact as the ones I've mentioned and I feel the newer manfrotto range do not seem so light anymore?
 
I'm sure @BillN_33 purchased one of these and was really impressed
Redged TSC-427K Travel Tripod Carbon Kit, The 425k is even more compact
 
@tophee
Re. the MeFoto tripods: they're virtually identical to the XSource tripods available on Amazon which are about £80 (only obvious difference i can see is the tripod bag and colour dye of the aluminium), my XSource has a camo draw-string style.
Likely built in the same factory and just a rebrand, same as alot of manufactured goods originating from China. Fly fishing reels are another example, pay £300 for a 'brand' and pay £40 for an literally identical re-brand, it's laughable what marketting can acheive these days!
Just thought I'd let you know :)
 
Hi guys,
Thanks for the input. Given me much more to think about. I like the sound of the Pod.
The 50mm is saying as its only the nifty 50. Hardly any weight and the image quality is amazing.
Mmm, perhaps you're right Chris... It could well be the same factory. I will have to compare.

Byker, Thanks for your input. Very helpful. Though the 50mm is saying as its only the nifty 50. Hardly any weight and I think the image quality is amazing.
 
One of the advantages the Pod has over conventional supports is that you're allowed to use them where tripods may be banned!

http://www.thepod.ca/ (Link to the manufacturer's site rather than a UK supplier - I would always suggest having a play before parting with the cash for things like this.)
 
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Hi,

Apologies for slow reply. Been away for a few days. While I was away I had a chance to use the Tameron 16-300mm. I thought it was quite good, but not overwhelemed by it. What do other people out there think?
 
I've got crash plan as my online backup and I'm taking usb3 hard drive.
 
Online backup may be problematic with many large image files and slow connections. It's never been very successful when I've tried it from hotels. Even those that are not out in the sticks!
 
Yes, I agree with hotel wifi speeds being slow. I have had minimal success of this .
 
I'll chuck in my 2p I had a Manfrotto BeFree & while it was light I didn't find it particularly stable, but as with everything there is a compromise. Is it better than no tripod at all? Definitely!
 
I'd be tempted to just take a wide prime (say 20-24mm) and your 50. The number of times I've taken my 70-200 abroad and never used it you wouldn't believe. Zooms are also heavy. Just my 2p worth.
 
Hi... Think tanks bags can have a built in lock loop to stop the sneak thief. Are you taking a case or back pack? I love my 3 legged thing tripod and it also gives me a monopod with a wee bit of fiddling. I just returned from a month in Oz staying with brother and friends. I wouldn't leave your DSLR at home but a decent compact might be an alternative on some days when you don't want the heavy kit. Plenty of threads about those.. Everybody seems to have a different favourite... I won't buy one without a viewfinder as I took the EOS M to a warm place with an adapter and found I couldn't see a damn thing! Bon voyage!
 
I would look at a canon 55-250is its light cheapish and scores well in the iq stakes. the 70-200f4 is also a very good lens but its does cost more
 
in italy i often used my 10-20 on my a77ii, and a sigma dp2 28mm (40mm equiv) or film camera :)

a longer focal length is quite nice in the mountains

a 1.8 prime is nice for low light, i took a 35mm for my sony
 
I think I'm erring towards the mefoto backpack tripod. Partly due to the hook to hang a bag off for stability. I've a backpack for my camera, its a manfrotto one which is not super secure as the zips are not lockable.
Due to some sand in my general lens, I'm thinking about a short zoom, such as canon''s 18-135mm which I've heard good things about.
 
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