Helium filled lenses....

[Cadwell]

OK. I took delivery of a rather nice Lowepro backback yesterday. Loaded the camera and lenses into it plus other essentials. Then as a trial I added to the "detachable day pack" all the other things I need to survive a days motor-racing in the UK. Bottle of water, flask of coffee, fleeces, wooly hat, waterproofs, sun-block (I'm an optimist :roll: ), sunglasses and some chocolate (catering is sometimes marginal). Attached the monopod to the outside.

Now by this point I am feeling really happy. Everything has fitted into the bag... only one bag to carry! :) Admitedly if I turn round the people three rows back have to duck... but this is good! :D :D

So.... the moment of truth! I strap the thing to my back, stand up and promptly topple over backwards :shock: :shock: ;)

Now, does anyone have any decent tips for making this lot lighter? Can I have my lenses helium filled? Is it possible to drill out parts of the 10D? I'm not getting any younger here..... ;)

[chris.bailey]

Sound much like the Lowepro Nature Trekker I bought to carry stuff on hols (10D HandyCam S50, chargers etc etc). Like you by the time I loaded it up there is no way it would go in an overhead locker on the plane AND they do a bigger sack than that again. WHY? My conclusion was that it should have been four foot longer and have wheels on it.

[garethhhhh]

Hey why don't you just get a hovercraft :mrgreen: you could stick all your gear in there.

Just think of the advantages! Parking in muddy racetrack carparks wont be a problem (you'll never get stuck! :D ) & as an added bonus you could leave everyone you pass sprayed with mudd, grass, dust, gravel, small rocks, some rotten tomatoes you accidentaly sent flying through the 1000hp fan on the back..... the list goes on! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[Scottes]

How about a LowePro DonkeyTrekker? It's a stubborn bag, but carries a lot.

[Belmondo]

Photography 101 by Belmondo.

When you pack your camera, set it at its slowest shutter speed, and set all the lenses at their maximum aperture (smallst number). That combination makes everything lighter.

[IanD]

How about a LowePro DonkeyTrekker? It's a stubborn bag, but carries a lot.
You of course realize that I hold an international patent on the above mentioned "Carrying system for photographic equipment related to the placement of said system on a small to medium sized beast of burden" and that all payment must be sent to the patent holder? No checks, cash only please :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

[IanD]

Photography 101 by Belmondo.

When you pack your camera, set it at its slowest shutter speed, and set all the lenses at their maximum aperture (smallst number). That combination makes everything lighter.
I like this idea. Going to try it as soon as I follow Scotts idea about putting my lenses on my 10D with the big end facing the subject :lol:

[chris.bailey]

Photography 101 by Belmondo.

When you pack your camera, set it at its slowest shutter speed, and set all the lenses at their maximum aperture (smallst number). That combination makes everything lighter.

What I really love about logging on to this forum during my lunch break is that I can be assured of a pearl of photography wisdom that one would not find in the text books.

[KennyG]

OK. I took delivery of a rather nice Lowepro backback yesterday. Loaded the camera and lenses into it plus other essentials. Then as a a trial I added to the "detachable day pack" all the other things I need to survive a days motor-racing in the UK. Bottle of water, flask of coffee, fleeces, wooly hat, waterproofs, sun-block (I'm an optimist :roll: ), sunglasses and some chocolate (catering is sometimes marginal). Attached the monopod to the outside.

I feel your pain having been there and done that.

Wear the woolly hat, fleeces and waterproofs, you know its going to be cold and its bound to rain. Drink the coffee, you need all the caffine you can get to face the day. Water is only useful for diluting your whiskey when you get back home. That's most of the excess weight either consumed or nicely spread out.

Your camera and one lens should be ready for action and not in the back pack. CF cards and spare batteries should be in your pocket for quick access. You have now got rid of the day pack and a lot of the contents. I am sure with a bit of "do I really need that" you could eliminate some other bits and pieces.

So, we are left with a bar of chocolate, sunblock, maybe an extra lens and a monopod. See, its easy to lighten the load when you try.

[CoolToolGuy]

Now, does anyone have any decent tips for making this lot lighter? Can I have my lenses helium filled? Is it possible to drill out parts of the 10D? I'm not getting any younger here..... ;)

I'm not sure about lighter,but you may be able to distribute some of it better by adding one of the belts by Lowepro or Tamrac. You can configure the belt with various pouches that can hold your photographic stuff and/or your water, food, etc. and still keep the camera in the backpack :wink:

I tried something like this several years ago using a military belt (in the USA I think they're known as the ALICE system), and there are lots of options for pouches of different sizes and configurations. :roll:

Hope this helps.

Have Fun
Rick 8)

[BearSummer]

Isn't this beast of burden usually called a photgraphic assistant?

Best regards

BearSummer

[Leighow]

Now, does anyone have any decent tips for making this lot lighter? Can I have my lenses helium filled? Is it possible to drill out parts of the 10D? I'm not getting any younger here..... ;)

I'm not sure about lighter, but you may be able to distribute some of it better by adding one of the belts by Lowepro or Tamrac.

Have Fun
Rick 8)

And it could get heavier.
I assume that the midges are not out yet and that will there may be time for some wild life -- no blind will be required. Invite me to come along and I willl carry the heavy stuff in my big, padded, belted nylon back pack. We Canadian's jog 3 kms every morning with this stuff, just to be ready for such missions. Impossible?

PS:
Get a pait of fleece lined jeans.

[PacAce]

So, we are left with a bar of chocolate, sunblock, maybe an extra lens and a monopod. See, its easy to lighten the load when you try.

And, of course, you can do even better by eating the chocolate and puttig on hte sunblock BEFORE you leave the house. With these taken care of ahead of time, there's no need to carry or worry about them at the tracks. :D

And the extra lenses...now, come on, when have you ever used the extra lenses that you brought along just in case? So leave those at home 'cuz you'll be asking yourself why you ever brought them along in the first place. So that only leave the monopod to go into your backpack! :)

Now, isn't that a little more manageable? ??? :mrgreen: :lol:

But if you still find yourself falling backwards, just extend the monopod and use it as a support.

[iwatkins]

I say forget the camera gear altogether.

Put on your waterproofs and fleece, drink the coffee and the eat the choc before you leave home. Also put the sunblock on before leaving.

When you get trackside, just stand there with your eyes closed but occasionally just quickly open and shut your eyes again while making a small clicking noise.

Everyone will think you are great fun, espcially the guys with white coats who come to pick you up in their padded van.

:twisted:

Cheers

Ian

[Cadwell]

:D Some excellent suggestions, guys! My absolute favourite has to be the hovercraft :twisted: that's gotta be one up on those silly little motorised scooters they use round the paddocks :D

The donkey has merit but there's not much grazing at some circuits :? so that could be a problem. Oh, and I have a feeling the royalties would be crippling :cry: plus I need to be able to shoot the front of the cars as well as the rear view :P

As for "diluting whiskey" all I can say is "sacrilege" :shock: ;)

[Cadwell]

I say forget the camera gear altogether.

Put on your waterproofs and fleece, drink the coffee and the eat the choc before you leave home. Also put the sunblock on before leaving.

When you get trackside, just stand there with your eyes closed but occasionally just quickly open and shut your eyes again while making a small clicking noise.

Everyone will think you are great fun, espcially the guys with white coats who come to pick you up in their padded van.

:twisted:

Cheers

Ian

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[G3]

I feel your pain (sort of). I have the Lowepro Trekker also. By the time I get it packed with 2 bodies, 5 or 6 lenses, cable releases, filters, cf cards, spare batteries, toolkit, lens cleaning stuff, flashes, lens hoods, etc., my wife can barely carry it. Not to mention that I have a hard time holding it up while she straps it on. Then she tends to lag way behind and gripe a lot. You would think I wasn't carrying the tripod, listening to her. It's like she doesn't understand that I need at least one hand free to frame potential shots and slap at bugs. She acts like it's unreasonable for her to have to carry the drink cooler and folding chairs, too. After only 5 miles or so, she starts up...nag,nag,nag...

[mr_clean001]

G3 - ROFLMAO!!! That creates such the mental image.

[chris.bailey]

I feel your pain (sort of). I have the Lowepro Trekker also. By the time I get it packed with 2 bodies, 5 or 6 lenses, cable releases, filters, cf cards, spare batteries, toolkit, lens cleaning stuff, flashes, lens hoods, etc., my wife can barely carry it. Not to mention that I have a hard time holding it up while she straps it on. Then she tends to lag way behind and gripe a lot. You would think I wasn't carrying the tripod, listening to her. It's like she doesn't understand that I need at least one hand free to frame potential shots and slap at bugs. She acts like it's unreasonable for her to have to carry the drink cooler and folding chairs, too. After only 5 miles or so, she starts up...nag,nag,nag...

Unbelievable. Wives are not built like they used to be :lol:

[LiquidMantis]

As for "diluting whiskey" all I can say is "sacrilege" :shock: ;)

I'm glad I'm not the only one that winced at that. He'd best stay away from my Oban!

[robertwgross]

I have a Lowepro backpack also, and I got it fitted with helium-filled side pockets. It works great until you get to the bushes and trees. But seriously...

Try carrying your stuff on a three- to five-day backpacking trip. Besides your camera gear, you have all of your camping gear and food.

In 1991, I hiked up Mauna Loa (the volcano in Hawaii) to shoot the total solar eclipse. My total load came up to 67 pounds.

Kids, don't do this at home! It is only for trained professionals.

---Bob Gross---

[IanD]

I'm really suprised that no one came up the the ultimate solution to Cadwells problem. I have spent a long time with pen and paper coming up with this.
Keep the clothing (probably wouldn't fit me) and the sun block. Share the coffee and chocolate with the folks next door. The monopod might come in handy for beating off squirrels.
Take everything else and pack it up and send it to me.
You will find the backpack to be very light now.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

[Scottes]

The donkey has merit but there's not much grazing at some circuits so that could be a problem. Oh, and I have a feeling the royalties would be crippling plus I need to be able to shoot the front of the cars as well as the rear view

ROFL

I have the Lowepro Trekker also....my wife can barely carry it.

ROFLMAO

Keep the clothing (probably wouldn't fit me)...

Oh, please, please stop. My co-workers can't take any more of my guffaws - they're throwing things over the walls.

[IanD]

Oh, please, please stop. My co-workers can't take any more of my guffaws - they're throwing things over the walls.
I thought that you were supposed to be working :?: :?: :?: :wink:

[Scottes]

I thought that you were supposed to be working :?: :?: :?: :wink:

My work often consists of waiting for something to run. So every 5 minutes I have to wait 30 seconds.

Sometimes it takes me an hour to post a single message, but I manage.

[karusel]

Well, Cadwell, it's either the lens are too heavy, or you're too weak. You surely can get some great light compact lens, but then don't nag about quality. Oooooor, you can commit some serious crime, so you go to jail and finally find some time to lift weights to bulk up, yup, just like in the movies. Here I have a fine example of a subject, that finds it easy to carry (and run and jump, and jump while running) about 12 pieces of L glass, primes and two sixpacks of beer in a tightly packed fancy backpack.



http://freeweb.siol.net/avenger/hulk_f.jpg


:mrgreen:

[MediaMagic]

How about a LowePro DonkeyTrekker? It's a stubborn bag, but carries a lot.

And then there's the Donkey Otee version. It works extremely well except in areas like Sweden where it pauses to do battle with the windmills.

[IanD]

Cadwell,
You are going to love me for finding this for you. The answer to your quest for east transportation of your gear.
No need to heap on words of praise, a simple stout will do :lol:
http://www.pbase.com/image/26632243.jpg

[karusel]

What's that, a spaceship, a robotic lawn mower or a radio controlled model hovercraft?

[Cadwell]

Cadwell,
You are going to love me for finding this for you. The answer to your quest for east transportation of your gear.
No need to heap on words of praise, a simple stout will do :lol:
http://www.pbase.com/image/26632243.jpg

Oh wow! That is so cool! 8) Where can I get one of those? It's even the right colour - I can stencil a little prancing horse on there no trouble at all! :D :D

*edit* Just found a distributor. $15,000USD :D

[IanD]

What's that, a spaceship, a robotic lawn mower or a radio controlled model hovercraft?
It is a personal hovercraft. I was watching Discovery Channel this morning and they were doing a piece about it. It is so wickedly cool :!:
Very light, goes like the hammers of he**, and is expensive :cry:
You just stand on it and squeeze the throttle lever and away you go!
I want one almost as bad as I want more "L" glass. Come to think of it, this is the "L" glass of personal transportation systems :lol:

[Cadwell]

What's that, a spaceship, a robotic lawn mower or a radio controlled model hovercraft?
It is a personal hovercraft. I was watching Discovery Channel this morning and they were doing a piece about it. It is so wickedly cool :!:
Very light, goes like the hammers of he**, and is expensive :cry:
You just stand on it and squeeze the throttle lever and away you go!
I want one almost as bad as I want more "L" glass. Come to think of it, this is the "L" glass of personal transportation systems :lol:

Read all about it http://www.arbortech.com.au/airboard/.

[karusel]

Those are lame... anti-gravity skates are way cooler :mrgreen:


Wow. :shock: I'm amazed... how should I comment that... the future is now? I'm not sure I need one, but I'm more and more sure that I want one. :D