Peru and equipment choices

I'm out of the desert and off to Peru with extensions to Bolivia and Chile in a couple of weeks. My camera gear is getting a little out of control now. I've got the digital side of things figured out but I'm trying to decide if it will be worth it to bring the Hasselblad and a ton of black and white film for landscape and street shots. Any advice or sane reasoning for bringing more heavy equipment?

Digital gear: 50D, 5DII, 17mm TS, 8mm fish, 24-70, 70-200, tripod and extra bits.

If I bring the film stuff, it will be the Hassy, a 50mm, 100mm, a few rolls of film and a light meter.

I even feel embarrassed wanting to bring all this. I have a serious photography problem. I know I've come to the right place.

So I feel your pain and wish I could give you a bunch of reasons to bring the film gear, but honestly I ditched film and wouldn't bother.

Unless... you have a small/lightish film camera that doesn't need any sort of battery power. That might be worth bringing as a backup. I'm guessing the Hassy doesn't fit that category.

The digital list is very close to what I'd bring, I'd probably add the 50 1.4 (1.8 in your case) coz it's so light (and extenders for the TS-E, extension tubes and a flash). And maybe the macro. And......yes, well I have a similar problem.

MF B&W film for large-print landscapes can look awesome, but unless it is a primary focus is it really worth it? I guess only you can answer that. I know I'm happy with digital converted to B&W, but I've seen enough prints to know it's not the same.

Which parts of Peru are you going to be visiting and what sort of things are you going to be doing?

Not entirely sure at the moment. Machu Picchu and the Nazca lines for sure. Cajamarca, Lima, Lake Titicaca. I'm interested in landscapes and street photography which I know Peru has in droves. JH, for someone from Peru I'm interested to hear what you think. I have to carry all this stuff. That doesn't bother me as much as taking it and not using it.

EJ, I've heard a few opinions on ditching the MF film side of things; most saying to leave it at home. On the other hand, the resolution and quality of good film is hard to beat. Hasselblads aren't exactly discreet though.

Sounds like a great trip! You're right there is endless street and landscape photography, and if this the sort of trip you're only likely to do once then I'd say it's worth bringing what you need to get the sorts of photos you want.

I can't advise you what to bring, but a few things to bear in mind:

- Rainy season is getting underway, especially in the mountains. This year it's started earlier than normal, which the locals reckon is due to the effect of La Niña. It's not raining everyday at the moment, but we're getting very heavy showers most days.

- There is a widespread belief, especially amongst the Quechua people in the mountains, that taking a photo of someone steals their soul. This belief mysteriously vanishes if you offer them a couple of Peruvian Soles (US$1) or buy something from them, but I've had real difficulty getting people to do anything but scowl directly at the camera, and they don't generally tolerate you taking much time to get the shot you want! In some of the touristy places there are ladies dressed in traditional costumes who you can again pay to take a photo of, but they tend to not be around so much when it's raining (understandably!).

- I'd be a little bit concerned about carrying too much kit because of security. There's no need to be paranoid, and we've never had a problem here, but there are plenty of stories about tourists being robbed, especially in the cities. Lima is like any other big city, and as you're as you're careful you should be ok, but your list above is a lot of kit to lose if you do get robbed! The other thing to be careful of is taxis, especially in Lima and Arequipa. Ask your hotels for names of reputable companies and if possible get them o call a taxi for you rather than getting one off the street.

- Finally, most people who visit Cusco/Machu Picchu/Lake Titicaca are affected by the altitude (Cusco is at 3400m and Lake Titicaca a bit higher). Again it's nothing to worry about, but it's worth thinking about whether you want to be carrying a lot of stuff when normal walking is going to be harder anyway. Machu Picchu is slightly lower (2400m) but is a big site with lots of stairs to climb etc. I wouldn't fancy doing it carrying too much kit!

Sorry I can't be more specific but hope that helps for Peru - I can't comment on Bolivia and Chile. Any questions let me know and I'll do what I can to answer them, otherwise have a great trip!

James

JH, check your pm's

Youngback wrote in post #16413148
Not entirely sure at the moment. Machu Picchu and the Nazca lines for sure. Cajamarca, Lima, Lake Titicaca. I'm interested in landscapes and street photography which I know Peru has in droves. JH, for someone from Peru I'm interested to hear what you think. I have to carry all this stuff. That doesn't bother me as much as taking it and not using it.

EJ, I've heard a few opinions on ditching the MF film side of things; most saying to leave it at home. On the other hand, the resolution and quality of good film is hard to beat. Hasselblads aren't exactly discreet though.

When I was in Peru, we did Cuzco, and a bunch of other villages and ruins in between there and Machu Picchu. I was using a 12-24mm or 17-40mm on one body, and something along the lines of a 24-70 or 100-400mm depending on conditions on the other.
So I guess given your gear, I'd have one body swapping 8mm and 17mm, and the other swapping 24-70mm vs. 70-200mm.

I don't shoot film at all anymore, so the MF stuff is out of my league, but frankly I can't imagine lugging it all around.

P.S. I packed the tiny tripod just for the sunrise at Machu Picchu.
It ended up being a bit of a disappointment, in that when the sun finally gets over the mountains, it is FAR after "sunrise" and we had totally clear sky.... but you got to try!

City shots in the old sectors and markets are fantastic. You'll take about 300 shots just of doors!
I did not come across any problem with taking photos of people, but I'm shy myself about people photography and not a bold in your face shooter. I did a lot of people shooting with the wonderful 135L in crowds (think your 70-200mm, but damn if it isn't huge and white!) during parades etc. (I think there were parades every weekend!)There are lots of people in Cuzco that want you to take their photo for 1 sole (about .17c last I checked)
And again, in the open air markets etc, people are not at all hesitant of photographers.

As for Altitude, we did not go to the lake, but spent 3 weeks with Cuzco as base camp,... and it is high.
we played around with the altitude pills, but frankly the local "tea" is the best remedy, just be sure not to drink any after 2:00pm or so unless you like to stay up all night!
For me in Cuzco, it was really tough in the beginning, but I was acclimatized to the point of lugging all my gear up the hill to the ruins at the top of the city by week two with no problem. You do just do everything slower though.

Also, if you start in Cuzco, before Machu Picchu as we did, then Machu Picchu is not even remotely an issue. It's MUCH lower altitude.