What to take to Malaysia/Singapore?

(not sure if this is the best section of the forum for this topic)

But im going on holiday to Malaysia and Singapore late July for a bit more than 2 weeks.

Im not sure what I should take with me. This is the plan, my new wife (first and only too) and I are heading to Langkawi Island for 3 nights. Its a very laid back, quite place that has tons of landscape oppurtunities. Then fly over to Singapore city for a few nights too, then fly to Penang (Malaysia) for a few nights. Penang is also an island, but more hustle and bustle than Langkawi and then finally to Kuala Lumpur.

Im not planning on taking my mpe-65 because it will require way too much time and effort to use it. Neither will I take the mt-24EX because the 580EX will do.
I have a Lowepro Computrekker AW that nicely fits all of my gear (listed in my sig). Should I upgrade the bag to something else? Should I also take my 7 Million dollar home Crumpler? In case I dont feel like lugging around the whole suit of stuff. I could also take my Lowepro topload 70 AW to carry the camera and the 2 of my shorter lenses. Im planning on picking up a lightweight tripod from manfrotto because my 055proB is nice and sturdy but pretty heavy too. Ill prolly take my digital remote and polarizer too.
Im not sure if I want to take my huge sattelite pro laptop, so maybe the 20GB Epson.

I guess im looking for hints, tips and suggestions from fellow travellers.

Tough question...it really depends on what you wish to photograph during your trip to the various countries. It sounds like you've got a lot planned out and it may be a bit of a rushed affair. That's not to say that you won't get any worthwhile photos, but vacations are simply supposed to be relaxed, aren't they?

While I would have recommended just a standard zoom and a telephoto zoom for photographing in Singapore, it seems like you're a prime user, and just about every lens looks like an attractive choice!

If you are going to spend time at the zoo for example, you'll need a long telephoto. An effective focal length exceeding 300mm is definitely preferred and I often found myself going more tele than that. At the botanical gardens there's plenty of macro opportunities, which I guess really interests you.

A standard zoom is particularly useful for street scenes and may net you some candids. If you can get a short telephoto, it'll also cover some abstracts. Night photography is something you'd probably want to pursue in Singapore. The cityscape scenes are usually stunning, especially to tourists.

Looking at your setup, I'd probably take:

-17-40mmL: this is your staple for street scenes and walkaround on your 1DII. It will naturally also do landscapes/ cityscapes and architecture.
-TS-E 24mmL: take this if you are really into architectural photography. I have no experience with tilt shift lenses, but I am sure they will do much more than just buildings.
-35L: walkaround lens to supplement the 17-40mm in low light, or for shooting the streets hand-held at night
-85L: candids, abstracts
-Sigma 150mm: macro, candids, abstracts, compressed landscape
-580ex: variety of uses. If you place a partially inflated white plastic bag over a hotshoe-mounted flash, it may also work as a great diffuser for macro subjects.

Do take along your remote shutter release as well. A tripod will naturally help, but if you don't mind searching for stable surfaces, you can take a bean bag along instead.

That's pretty much your entire setup I guess. The difficulty here is that virtually any lens will find some use in Singapore (and for that matter, anywhere else in the world). It may be worthwhile to consider what you really want to photograph. For example, if you're really into natural light stuff, want to shoot handheld, don't want to attempt macro in Singapore and you're comfortable with it, even a 1DII plus a 35L will do it. But for the trip of a lifetime, it's better to be prepared with more gear than lament not having a lens when you need it.

Might be worth taking plenty of silica gel sachets for your camera bag - excess humidity may possibly cause fungus growth on your lenses. When I visited. it was very humid around June time (even in KL, let alone the islands).

Make sure you take night-time pics of chinatown in KL and share!

I envy you, wish I was going again

fWord, wow thanka for the very generous post. I agree with you on two things. One, its better to be prepared with the lenses than get pissed that I left the prime (most significant lens not prime type of lens - pun not intended) at home. Second, I could also pretty much make do with the 1dmkII and 35 L and possibly 17-40 L for landscapes. My love for primes dictate that I take them all. I unfortunately do not photograph enough to justify buying say a 24-70 and 70-200. The dual latter combination would be ideal had I not been a hardcore prime fan.

I did refrain from mentioning my photograhic insists to read opinions at first, but now ill just say. I love landscapes and night photography. I checked out the 055MGpro (same as your and coincidentally my tripod) today. Its the same as ours but weighs 400 grams less. and is 15cm shorter when collapsed. On paper, it doesnt sound like a big deal, but sitting them side by side today, the magnesium fibre is certainly more compact looking with the head attached. Im considering getting one if I can locally sell my current 055pro. In any case, ill definitely be taking a tripod along for night and landscape shots.
Ill also be taking plenty of shots of my wife, I want to and also kinda have to since she is in love with the quality of images that are produced from the 135 L and 85 L. Plus she loves to pose
I will definitely also look for candid, abstract and street photogrpahy oppurtunities.

I am not prepared to take tele images, apparently, because I do not own any tele zooms right now (owned the bigma twice! loved it ! will prolly end up with a 100-300 f/4 or 120-300 f/2.8). Though I am contemplating picking up a sigma 1.4x TC for the sigma 150mm which will turn it into a a very short tele of ~210mm. I will definitely enjoy macros at the botanical gardens.

I guess im now wondering about when we go out in the evening. I do not want to lug all my gear around, so maybe ill take the toploader 70 AW for the 35 and 85 L.

I guess im wondering how you guys packed all the stuff. My lowpreo computrekker will definitely be on my back, so the toploader could go in the suit case (checked luggage) a long with the tripod and head. Ugh thats going to be rather heavy on the back though, how much will that be around? 10KG? Haha

fWord, I hate the idea of visiting a country twice! Not that I think I wont like Malaysia or SG but theres so much of the world to see !!! I want to see the majority of MY and SG and I know there will be a bunch of annoyed MY who do not consider Penang, Langkawi and KL the majority of MY but thats all I have time and resources for and those places attracted me. So, yeah the the trip sounds rushed but the Islands and SG, according to multiple people and online forums suggest spending no more than 5 days unless you really like it and wanna stay.

BehibehixWhere to get silica gels from?

While I've never heard of the 055MGPro before, it's probably worth going for, assuming it maintains the same functionality and flexibility as the 055Pro. The latter is one solid tripod, as you must also have realized. And its terribly heavy. I have yet to get a tripod strap for mine, but it's definitely the next thing on the list. It's going to be impossible to carry a tripod with one hand and try to frame/ scout for photos with a 1-series camera in the other hand.

Prime lenses are nice in themselves...the large maximum apertures are very attractive. But if I wanted to go photographing in Singapore and needed a zoom travel setup, I'd probably settle for something like a 24-105mm, 100-400mm (although a Sigma 120-300mm is currently what I dream to have) and a tele macro lens.

Nevertheless it's still quite a lump to carry on your bag, especially with that tripod. Watch out for the carry-on luggage limits for the airplane. That's the thing that will endanger your equipment first.

Singapore is an interesting place, as many would tell you. Some creative photographers have been photographing there for years and have yet to successfully capture its essence. I was living there for most my life, and while I find some places beginning to get rather bland now, there are still the little off-shore islands such as Pulau Ubin where I can go to for photography. The 'village' lifestyle here is of considerable interest to me.

Have you visited the following website:

www.visitsingapore.com

Great to look into it if you want to see what's in store for you.

If you need silica gel, just about any store would sell it. They are easily available at Carrefour, a large departmental store. Humidity is a good point to ponder over, but it's hard to manage. Even if you take along ziploc bags and place your equipment inside together with sachets of silica gel, that dessicant will lose its effectiveness fairly quickly because of the extreme humidity.

I'm guessing that you'll be staying in an air-conditioned place. And if that's the case, simply remove the equipment from your bag, take off the lens caps and place it in a well-ventilated area. Avoid direct sunlight, but your equipment should not be in a pitch dark place either. If you use your equipment frequently outdoors, there's hardly anything to worry about for just a short trip.