Author Topic: My plans for this year (Read 4028 times)

chris667 · « **on:** January 19, 2018, 03:08:21 PM »

Hello everyone.

Since moving off my boat and buying a house, I have become more and more sedentary and less outdoorsy, which has affected my wellbeing. My weight has crawled up, and I have been bogged down by all the minutiae of owning a house. My best friend died too, and another good friend just before Christmas. It's made me think about what I'm doing with the time I have left.

When I was a teenager, I read a book about the pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela and was fascinated. This September, I will be travelling to from Ferrol and walking the Camino Ingles. My first hiking proper in about ten years.

I've started training already. There will of course be film photographs, but I can't decide what camera to take them on!

I might go ultralight and just take my Rollei 35b. But would I miss an SLR? My Spotmatic is a great old friend and the most versatile, or perhaps a Zenith, as they are so... unfussy. Both of those are heavy though! There's also the Vivitar Wide & Slim, which is splendid but I suspect a bit too limited for September daylight. I could pick up another Olympus XA, but they're a bit fragile.

Whatever, I'm definitely just using one lens. It will be a longish wideangle, probably a Mir-1B.

Have any of you done hikes of a week or more with a camera? What did you take? I walk with a stick, so that's a monopod.

02Pilot · « **Reply #1 on:** January 19, 2018, 03:19:29 PM »

I do a fair bit of day hiking, but not the longer sort of trip you're planning (at least not yet - I harbor delusions, err, I mean dreams, of hiking the length of Hadrian's Wall one of these years). That said, I will still offer an opinion. First and foremost, you want a camera with which you are thoroughly familiar and comfortable. Nobody wants to be messing with equipment on a trip, hiking or otherwise - it's an unwelcome distraction. Size and weight matter too, of course, but an extra pound or two is not going to make or break you. Ideally, you find something that fits all of these, but if not, go with the one you're comfortable with.

As a minimalist travel example, I shot Berlin last year with just a Leica IIIc and a collapsible Elmar 50/3.5. Small, light, fits in a pocket, and I can operate it in my sleep.

Francois · « **Reply #2 on:** January 19, 2018, 03:28:10 PM »

The road to Compostela is a long one, so I believe that the weight should be your main concern.
I did see a documentary on the Camino a few years ago and what struck me was the inventiveness of one of the walkers. A heavy backpack is always hard on the body, so he had made a sort of buggy using two tubes and a kids scooter wheel at one end and it was attached to a belt that was on the hips. He would attach his backpack to the frame to save the weight. Pretty ingenious and so simple, just two sticks and a wheel...

charles binns · « **Reply #3 on:** January 19, 2018, 04:37:41 PM »

I have done plenty of long distance hikes as well as bike rides and actually did the Camino Finisterre about 5 years ago - the pilgrim routes originally ended in Finisterre not Santiago de Compostella. As Francois alluded, weight is the key. You will end up resenting every gram of unnecessary weight so think long and hard as to what you really need to take. You don't need alot of lenses for landscapes so always go ultralight.

These days I take a holga and a Fuji X100F and nothing else. Twenty years ago I did the Corsican High Route carrying a Mamiya C330 and a heavy steel tripod and almost killed myself doing it.

And don't make a buggy. People will throw stones at you.

Bryan · « **Reply #4 on:** January 19, 2018, 04:50:04 PM »

If you're worried about the Olympus XA being fragile bring two, they weigh next to nothing. On a hike like that the weight is going to be very important. I have hauled heavy cameras on hikes and definitely regretted it.

chris667 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 19, 2018, 06:09:36 PM »

Interesting!

I think you're right about the weight, Charles. And the buggy! I used to have a bike trailer when I lived on the boat instead of a wheelbarrow. It would actually shock you how useless a bike trailer is on a towpath.

o2Pilot, I agree about the familiarity of the camera. Without wishing to sound like bigheaded, they are all cameras I'm familiar with.

I need to get the scales out.

02Pilot · « **Reply #6 on:** January 19, 2018, 06:20:43 PM »

All things being equal then, I'd take the Rollei. The Triotar has a lot of character, and the camera is tiny and simple.

chris667 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 19, 2018, 06:42:31 PM »

It is. The only thing it can't do is close-ups.

Actually, I have a Ricoh 35 ZF which is great. I wonder if I could get some close-up filters for it? I need to go and experiment.

cs1 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 19, 2018, 06:59:53 PM »

The Ricoh seems very similar to my Olympus 35RC. I hiked quite a bit with the Oly (maybe not as extensively as you will on the Camino) but the weight and size of the Ricoh should be ok in my eyes even for extensive hikes. However, if you don't want to risk out of focus images, I'd reconsider taking a zone focus camera. If you have a rangefinder, I'd take that.

astrobeck · « **Reply #9 on:** January 19, 2018, 08:31:15 PM »

oh gosh, how exciting!

I struggle with what to take and leave behind every time I go on a road trip and usually wind up packing more than I need and using an old stand by like my original Holga and a disposable, or the Ansco pix panorama that I've taken the mask out of so it shoots full frame and not the dinky crop.
On a recent week long trip to California I only packed the Vivitar wide and slim, which is uber thin and light, but uber plastic as you know.

But that's car camping and not trekking or hiking mode like you will be doing.

I think the weight is the key to what to take along.
Light and reliable.
Anxious to hear and see what you decide....
Happy trails!

Francois · « **Reply #10 on:** January 19, 2018, 09:21:58 PM »

And don't forget the ever essential cellulose sponge and a hat.
The hat is almost mandatory and the sponge gets soaked in the fountain and put under the hat to keep the head cool.

I know the buggy would bug some people, but if you have a tendency to get back aches like I do, it's a potential saver.

KevinAllan · « **Reply #11 on:** January 19, 2018, 10:50:07 PM »

Thinking about what I would use from my own camera collection, I'd probably go for an Olympus 35RC (https://kevinthephotographer.wordpress.com/2016/02/14/olympus-35rc/) - only marginally bigger than an XA but more robust. Or maybe take two, as I have two, one for colour and one for B&W.

If I thought I could manage a little more weight, I'd take my Fujifilm GA645Zi, for the larger negs.

KevinAllan · « **Reply #12 on:** January 19, 2018, 11:00:33 PM »

Quote from: 02Pilot on January 19, 2018, 03:19:29 PM

I harbor delusions, err, I mean dreams, of hiking the length of Hadrian's Wall one of these years).

Sorry for stretching the topic somewhat, but .. I live and work near the eastern end of Hadrians Wall. Walking the whole length isn't really the best walking experience you could have in Britain as it gets very urban (not urban exciting, just urban boring) in the eastern part. I often see poor souls trudging along the side of the dual carriageway that is now Scotswood Road in Newcastle, wearing and carrying full backpacking kit, and wondering if this can really be part of the Hadrians Wall National Trail or if they are hopelessly lost.

The best parts of the wall are in the middle and could be walked in two days.

02Pilot · « **Reply #13 on:** January 19, 2018, 11:52:42 PM »

Quote from: KevinAllan on January 19, 2018, 11:00:33 PM

Quote from: 02Pilot on January 19, 2018, 03:19:29 PM
I harbor delusions, err, I mean dreams, of hiking the length of Hadrian's Wall one of these years).
Sorry for stretching the topic somewhat, but .. I live and work near the eastern end of Hadrians Wall. Walking the whole length isn't really the best walking experience you could have in Britain as it gets very urban (not urban exciting, just urban boring) in the eastern part. I often see poor souls trudging along the side of the dual carriageway that is now Scotswood Road in Newcastle, wearing and carrying full backpacking kit, and wondering if this can really be part of the Hadrians Wall National Trail or if they are hopelessly lost.

The best parts of the wall are in the middle and could be walked in two days.

Good to know. I have family in Manchester, so I could plan it as part of a trip rather than the whole thing. From where to where would you say are the "best parts?"

charles binns · « **Reply #14 on:** January 20, 2018, 09:07:22 AM »

Quote from: 02Pilot on January 19, 2018, 11:52:42 PM

Quote from: KevinAllan on January 19, 2018, 11:00:33 PM
Quote from: 02Pilot on January 19, 2018, 03:19:29 PM
I harbor delusions, err, I mean dreams, of hiking the length of Hadrian's Wall one of these years).
Sorry for stretching the topic somewhat, but .. I live and work near the eastern end of Hadrians Wall. Walking the whole length isn't really the best walking experience you could have in Britain as it gets very urban (not urban exciting, just urban boring) in the eastern part. I often see poor souls trudging along the side of the dual carriageway that is now Scotswood Road in Newcastle, wearing and carrying full backpacking kit, and wondering if this can really be part of the Hadrians Wall National Trail or if they are hopelessly lost.

The best parts of the wall are in the middle and could be walked in two days.

I wanted to go up to Hadrians wall for years to take infra red shots so that's good to know.

Good to know. I have family in Manchester, so I could plan it as part of a trip rather than the whole thing. From where to where would you say are the "best parts?"

chris667 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 21, 2018, 09:10:08 PM »

Interesting. I weighed all of the possibles, apart from the Ricoh which I left at work. This is each camera without film/

Yes, I like doing things like this in my own time.

Yashica Lynx-14.... 932g
Zenit 3m w/industar-50... 688g
Zenit B w/MIR-1B... 900g
Olympus XA... 227g
Rollei 35B... 295g
Spotmatic II w/MIR-1B... 829g
Vivitar wide & slim... 69g

The Vivitar has earned a place, whatever. It's got a beautiful lens. I am surprised that my lightest SLR with lens would be Russian, though.

Are any there any SLRs that much lighter? I would like it to be all-mechanical and reliable, still.

EarlJam · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2018, 10:04:46 PM »

The Olympus OM-1 with 50/1.8, and Pentax MX with 50/1.7, both weigh in at 680g; bodies are in the 480 to 500g range. If memory serves, those were the lightest of the classic, all metal, all mechanical 35mm SLRs. Both manufacturers' 35mm and 28mm lenses are quite small, as well. My go-to travel kit for many years was an MX body with 28/2.8, 50/1.7, and 100/2.8. By comparison, the Leica M body with 35 and 50mm Summicrons, and 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit M, is a bit more compact but somewhat heavier than the Pentax kit.

-- Forgot the Pentax 40mm/2.8 "pancake" lens. It weighs 110g; 605g with body. Olympus also made a 40mm/2.0, 140g.

Francois · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2018, 10:10:32 PM »

Those that use batteries are often very reliable too.
You can't get much lighter than the Canon Rebel series. The bodies are pretty reliable (though you don't want to open the battery door too often) and can use any Canon EOS lens.

The Rebel G with the 28-80 kit lens weighs in at 628g including neck strap, protection filter and lens cap.
It's going to be a bit more with the lithium cells but not much.

I wonder how much the Pentax PZ series weighs? They have a mirror instead of a pentaprism.

KevinAllan · « **Reply #18 on:** January 22, 2018, 07:50:39 AM »

Quote from: 02Pilot on January 19, 2018, 11:52:42 PM

Quote from: KevinAllan on January 19, 2018, 11:00:33 PM
Quote from: 02Pilot on January 19, 2018, 03:19:29 PM
I harbor delusions, err, I mean dreams, of hiking the length of Hadrian's Wall one of these years).
Sorry for stretching the topic somewhat, but .. I live and work near the eastern end of Hadrians Wall. Walking the whole length isn't really the best walking experience you could have in Britain as it gets very urban (not urban exciting, just urban boring) in the eastern part. I often see poor souls trudging along the side of the dual carriageway that is now Scotswood Road in Newcastle, wearing and carrying full backpacking kit, and wondering if this can really be part of the Hadrians Wall National Trail or if they are hopelessly lost.

The best parts of the wall are in the middle and could be walked in two days.

Good to know. I have family in Manchester, so I could plan it as part of a trip rather than the whole thing. From where to where would you say are the "best parts?"

Between Chollerford in the East and Greenhead in the West

chris667 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 23, 2018, 02:11:57 PM »

Quote from: EarlJam on January 21, 2018, 10:04:46 PM

The Olympus OM-1 with 50/1.8, and Pentax MX with 50/1.7, both weigh in at 680g; bodies are in the 480 to 500g range. If memory serves, those were the lightest of the classic, all metal, all mechanical 35mm SLRs. Both manufacturers' 35mm and 28mm lenses are quite small, as well. My go-to travel kit for many years was an MX body with 28/2.8, 50/1.7, and 100/2.8. By comparison, the Leica M body with 35 and 50mm Summicrons, and 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit M, is a bit more compact but somewhat heavier than the Pentax kit.

-- Forgot the Pentax 40mm/2.8 "pancake" lens. It weighs 110g; 605g with body. Olympus also made a 40mm/2.0, 140g.

Isn't it interesting that the Zenit 3M with standard lens is almost the same weight as an OM1? I would never have guessed that!

The Zenit is nicer looking though.

02Pilot · « **Reply #20 on:** January 23, 2018, 02:46:12 PM »

The aluminum lenses on Soviet cameras offset a good bit of the weight of the rather agricultural bodies.

chris667 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 13, 2018, 08:05:56 AM »

And we have a winner!

A tiny, tiny Yashica 72e. Not as light as the Rollei. But half frame, and with a fab little lens!

cs1 · « **Reply #22 on:** February 14, 2018, 06:47:40 AM »

Good choice. Many frames per film to reduce the amount of rolls to take, pretty compact. And I have a thing for Yashicas from that era (I own an Electro 35 GSN which is just lovely) so it's a bonus that you take a Yashica.

Faintandfuzzy · « **Reply #23 on:** February 14, 2018, 11:11:28 PM »

I love my Rollei 35s. I'd be feeding it a lot of film on a trip like this. I'll have to read up on it...but you sound energized Chris....and that is half the battle.

johnha · « **Reply #24 on:** February 22, 2018, 04:23:41 PM »

Quote from: Francois on January 21, 2018, 10:10:32 PM

I wonder how much the Pentax PZ series weighs? They have a mirror instead of a pentaprism.

Hi Francois, I think you're referring to some of the MZ (ZX in the USA) range - IIRC all the Z/PZ cameras had prisms - but all require batteries.

I don't know much about how the trip is likely to work, but I'd be tempted to take two cameras - a small/lightweight P&S you can carry in a pocket and an SLR with 2 or 3 lenses.

In my case I'd be looking to take Pentax K mount gear, using M series lenses (lighter than many M42s), either an MX or K1000 (later versions with the plastic top & bottom plates are lighter than the originals) - but I doubt this saves much weight over a Spotmatic.

There were some plastic bodied SLRs from Cosina (branded Vivitar etc), at least some of these were mechanical - the V3000 apparently weighs in at 390g and takes Pentax K lenses.

John.

Francois · « **Reply #25 on:** February 22, 2018, 08:53:17 PM »

Personally, I think you'd still be better off with just a P&S.
I think the best thing you can do is pack a bag like you plan to and take it for a walk of similar length around your city. Now add to the equation trails that are not always flat and the number of days the trip will last, how little sleep you potentially will get, the heat exhaustion and you'll quickly figure out if bringing so much gear is really a good idea.

I've seen many documentaries on the camino and one thing that always struck me were the callused feet and multiple wounds, the pilgrims who had to abandon because their bodies didn't want to go for another step, the fellow walkers who carried another person's bag and the others who helped a fellow walker stumble his way to the next stop, and so on...
Don't underestimate el camino. It's a long and grueling road.

johnha · « **Reply #26 on:** February 23, 2018, 12:58:22 AM »

Quote from: Francois on February 22, 2018, 08:53:17 PM

Personally, I think you'd still be better off with just a P&S.

Way back when, I backpacked around Europe for a month (by train). The only camera I took was a Praktica Sport MD - basically a focus free P&S with 35mm lens, built in flash and using 2x AA batteries. Such cameras are workable for most travel needs, there's only portraits and isolating detail that really aren't doable.

A P&S works well if you're out for the evening and don't want to carry a bigger camera but there is something to be said for a robust SLR you can sling over your shoulder without having to worry about it (my favourite 'casual' SLR is a beaten up K1000). If security is a concern, something that looks like an old school chrome SLR is unlikely to attract too much attention.

Another option may be one of the '90s zoom compacts - my 'rough & tough' option is a Pentax WR90Zoom (38-90 fairly fast zoom, flash and weatherproof). It goes in a largish pocket but needs 2x lithium batteries, it's tough enough to sling over your shoulder and has survived being drowned in beer more times than I can remember.

John.

chris667 · « **Reply #27 on:** February 23, 2018, 10:21:05 AM »

It's not self-supporting. I don't have to carry sleeping gear, I'll be in hotels at the end of the day (my days of communal sleeping are long gone!). I could even have most of my kit transferred between hotels. Is this cheating? Who cares?

I totally get the idea of not carrying much weight. But photography is one of my things. So, I'm taking:

The Vivitar Wide & Slim
The Yashica 72e with some closeup lenses, and if that doesn't work out as I hope it will
An SLR.

There's also going to be some sort of monocular for wildlife spotting. When I hike, I usually carry my old Zeiss Jena binoculars, but you have to draw the line somewhere!

I have a walking stick with a monopod end. It's been interesting, not so much for steadying the camera but more for getting it into unusual positions!

Francois · « **Reply #28 on:** February 23, 2018, 01:43:43 PM »

Have you thought about bringing a point & shoot that has a long soon like a Pentax espio?
They are light and quite capable little machines.

chris667 · « **Reply #29 on:** February 26, 2018, 08:26:34 AM »

I threw one of those out recently!

They are alright, but I dislike the way you have to disable the flash after you switch on.

Francois · « **Reply #30 on:** February 26, 2018, 02:55:08 PM »

That's a problem with most point & shoots. So far, the smallest ones I have that don't have this problem are the Canon sureshot series, the ones that have the rotary switch on the back. They coupled the power switch with the mode selection switch in a way that when you power it on selecting no flash is painless. Not all models have this feature but quite a few have it.

chris667 · « **Reply #31 on:** February 26, 2018, 04:46:12 PM »

Yes. I have a canon Snappy, I think. It is really well designed for a basic camera.

johnha · « **Reply #32 on:** February 27, 2018, 04:50:54 PM »

Quote from: chris667 on February 23, 2018, 10:21:05 AM

There's also going to be some sort of monocular for wildlife spotting. When I hike, I usually carry my old Zeiss Jena binoculars, but you have to draw the line somewhere!

You can get monocular convertors for camera lenses, typically providing focal length divided by 10 magnification - which may allow you to double up a telephoto lens (perhaps not as convenient as a monocular but should work). I have an angled Kenco Lenz2sScope for Pentax K and it works quite well.