Critique my travel setup please (SE Asia)!

Hi all,

In January I am heading off to SE Asia - my girlfriend and I are taking 8 months to travel to pretty much everywhere in that region! We always travel light, and I've done a number of 1-2 week-long backpacking trips, but never anything like 8 months....so I'm looking on advice for gear sooner rather than later


I did 10 weeks once with my digital setup through Ireland, and the weight and pain-in-the-ass that it was made me vow to never do that again. Have since used film when traveling, no if's and's or but's about it. Girlfriend has a very nice digital P&S for when we need to have instant review, or I need to check an exposure.

The gear:

Nikon FM2n
Nikkor 20mm f/3.5 AI-S
Nikkor35mm f/1.4 AI-S
Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 AI-S
52mm circular polarizer
52mm 3-stop ND
Slik sprint pro 2 tripod
10 rolls Portra 400, 10 rolls Portra 160 (to start, I'm a very conservative shooter, a roll a day would be CRRRRAAAAZY for me). Will buy more film as we go.

Total weight: ~3kg

The considerations:

1) I'm thinking of picking up a 300mm f/4.5 AI-S since there are going to be some amazing wildlife opportunities...it adds 1kg to the weight, and a lot more size, but I think I might regret not having a focal length like that. Anyone with experience in the region have an idea on how crucial 300mm is?

2) Film. There is going to be a lot of film in my backpack after a few months. Is it risky to mail it home at regular intervals? Or should I look at getting it developed there? Any input on that matter would be super.


Other thoughts are very welcome too of course

Getting a P&S Superzoom will be lots better than your film setup if you really worry about the weight.

Happy travelling...

Ditching the tripod would drop your camera-related weight by a third. How about a smaller C-clamp for stability? Or just buying or renting a tripod if you're somewhere that really demands it? And tripods are bulky too.

May I ask you,, why aren't you taking one of your DSLRs?

If it's only about the weight, your 7D with a couple of spare CF cards would probably weigh less than a SLR with a heap of film.. Then you have the added concern of your posted film reaching its destination.

I'd seriously consider taking one of your DSLRs.

x_tan wrote in post #13206382
Getting a P&S Superzoom will be lots better than your film setup if you really worry about the weight.

Happy travelling...

I have considered it, but I doubt I am going to get the same sort of images with a P&S superzoom as opposed to my 35 f/1.4 and 105 f/2.5 on 35mm. Yes reach may be sacrificed, but that's what binoculars and memories are for!

mercaptan wrote in post #13206588
Ditching the tripod would drop your camera-related weight by a third. How about a smaller C-clamp for stability? Or just buying or renting a tripod if you're somewhere that really demands it? And tripods are bulky too.

Have thought about that, but the Sprint Pro II is so small and light I would hate to need it and not have it...doesn't take up any space because it straps to the outside of my pack nicely.

yogestee wrote in post #13207644
May I ask you,, why aren't you taking one of your DSLRs?

If it's only about the weight, your 7D with a couple of spare CF cards would probably weigh less than a SLR with a heap of film.. Then you have the added concern of your posted film reaching its destination.

I'd seriously consider taking one of your DSLRs.

Not just about the weight. 7D with equivalent lenses to my 35mm setup would weigh quite a bit more. But also I don't like carrying around $$$$ of fancy gear with me...my entire film setup cost less than $1000 ($500 without the 35 f/1.4), is quite used looking, and won't attract any attention whatsoever. And it can take a ton of abuse (has already) through snow, rain, and sand, and I know it will handle whatever I can throw at it. 7D not so much...it is well built but I don't trust electronics THAT much to not fail when I need them most. I've recently checked the postal services and they are trackable, reliable, and inexpensive for small packets (10 rolls film = $10 for 2/3 week service from most places).


Thanks for suggestions everyone.

sheawyatt wrote in post #13208981
Not just about the weight. 7D with equivalent lenses to my 35mm setup would weigh quite a bit more. But also I don't like carrying around $$$$ of fancy gear with me...my entire film setup cost less than $1000 ($500 without the 35 f/1.4), is quite used looking, and won't attract any attention whatsoever. And it can take a ton of abuse (has already) through snow, rain, and sand, and I know it will handle whatever I can throw at it. 7D not so much...it is well built but I don't trust electronics THAT much to not fail when I need them most. I've recently checked the postal services and they are trackable, reliable, and inexpensive for small packets (10 rolls film = $10 for 2/3 week service from most places).

So you've bought all this nice camera gear and you're going to keep it locked away in you house/apartment?

And you have this underlying paranoia that someone is going to steal your gear. Is this because you are travelling to a foreign country (Asia)?

As lovely as your Nikon FM2 is (I still have a Nikon FE2) you are making a rod for your own back taking it instead of one of your DSLRs.

Personally, unless you develop your own films from scratch, I don't think any point to shoot film.
The reason I suggest Superzoom P&S, as IQ is not worse than those prints from supermarket film developed anyway.
Otherwise, with your current DSLR collection, I'll take 7D + 10-22 for weight saving.
We're going to miss some shoots, even you carry all your current lenses, right?
For me, I carry 5D2 + 28-300L for travel most time. So, I don't miss much

yogestee wrote in post #13210835
So you've bought all this nice camera gear and you're going to keep it locked away in you house/apartment?

And you have this underlying paranoia that someone is going to steal your gear. Is this because you are travelling to a foreign country (Asia)?

As lovely as your Nikon FM2 is (I still have a Nikon FE2) you are making a rod for your own back taking it instead of one of your DSLRs.

1) My gear normally spends most of its time out in the mud and rain, so it'll enjoy some time off. Also unless I'm doing any serious wildlife/landscape photography, I often shoot film anyway.

2) Not wanting to attract attention doesn't mean a fear of having gear stolen. Where I live people make a big deal if I pull out a dSLR with big white lens attached, or even a smaller black lens. I am a shy person and don't like attention.

3) Since you mentioned it though, theft is something that has crossed my mind. Off the top of my head I have several close friends who have had in the past year a) digital cameras stolen while in South America b) backpacks slashed in Asia c) passports stolen in Europe. I generally trust people, but also don't want provoke any incident, regardless of where I'm traveling.


Thank you for playing devil's advocate though, I actually have seriously considered taking one of the dSLR's, so one crazy idea I just had: what if I took my 5Dc and used my Nikon lenses? The small size of the nikkors is what their main attraction is, and ease of manual focus. Having to take the 5D would add about 400g weight (3 batteries & charger + CF cards) vs the FM2 and film, which I could probably handle. I've got one adapter already, and $50 for 2 more is pennies in the grand scheme of things.

x_tan wrote in post #13210919
Personally, unless you develop your own films from scratch, I don't think any point to shoot film.
The reason I suggest Superzoom P&S, as IQ is not worse than those prints from supermarket film developed anyway.
Otherwise, with your current DSLR collection, I'll take 7D + 10-22 for weight saving.
We're going to miss some shoots, even you carry all your current lenses, right?
For me, I carry 5D2 + 28-300L for travel most time. So, I don't miss much

I develop my own B&W, and get C-41 processed at a lab but I scan and print myself – I've got some lovely 18"x12" on my wall from negatives that are difficult to tell weren't from digital.

As you are very active during your overseas trips, you should get a Canon PowerShot D10.

sheawyatt wrote in post #13210976
1) My gear normally spends most of its time out in the mud and rain, so it'll enjoy some time off. Also unless I'm doing any serious wildlife/landscape photography, I often shoot film anyway.

2) Not wanting to attract attention doesn't mean a fear of having gear stolen. Where I live people make a big deal if I pull out a dSLR with big white lens attached, or even a smaller black lens. I am a shy person and don't like attention.

3) Since you mentioned it though, theft is something that has crossed my mind. Off the top of my head I have several close friends who have had in the past year a) digital cameras stolen while in South America b) backpacks slashed in Asia c) passports stolen in Europe. I generally trust people, but also don't want provoke any incident, regardless of where I'm traveling.

Believe me, travelling in these parts you won't get any attention. Theft can happen in any parts of the world, even in your own neighbourhood.

Using film will limit our photo ops. Where a DSLR shines is in low light compared to film.

yogestee wrote in post #13211036
Believe me, travelling in these parts you won't get any attention. Theft can happen in any parts of the world, even in your own neighbourhood.

Using film will limit our photo ops. Where a DSLR shines is in low light compared to film.

Hmmm... I see you live in Laos, so you probably have more experience than other people I've talked to about traveling in SE Asia. This is a pretty important trip for me, so I'm going to give it more thought about what photo compromises I make. Maybe I can just convince my gf to carry all of our traveling stuff, while I just carry cameras and promise to make her look good in the photos

sheawyatt wrote in post #13211243
Hmmm... I see you live in Laos, so you probably have more experience than other people I've talked to about traveling in SE Asia. This is a pretty important trip for me, so I'm going to give it more thought about what photo compromises I make. Maybe I can just convince my gf to carry all of our traveling stuff, while I just carry cameras and promise to make her look good in the photos

To be honest, you don't need heap of gear to get the shots.

I usually travel light. My 50D with grip, Tamron 17-50m /2.8, Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 and a fast prime,,something like my EF 50mm f/1.4,, plus my G11..I pack this into my Lowepro SlingShot 200AW which fits nicely into the over head compartments of an aircraft.

If I'm specifically going for photography I take more gear like my 135L and/or my EF 85mm f/1.8..This all still fits into my Lowepro SlingShot.