walk me through my travel setup for london?

[Isaiahfortythirtyone]

i am gg to london and manchester in june for one week...yea..only one week. it's short i know, but nevertheless i wanna take some pics there.

i have

1) canon 350D
2) tokina 19-35mm
3) tamron 28-75
4) canon 50/1.8
5) slik tripod 330DX with 486rc2 head

would any of you guys bring everything? ill take my tripod along for sure. but i have 2nd thots abt packing all three lenses in. im gg walk alot and i havent tried lugging ard so much eqpt before for long periods.

another option is to pick up a 2nd hand sigma 18-125mm and bring along the 50/1.8. how does that sound? then i'll sell it after coming back.

i apologise if this has been discussed to death. just wanna hear some views on this issue. tahnks guys

 

[zaxh81]

1) canon 350D
2) tokina 19-35mm
4) canon 50/1.8

i will bring these if i were you.Save for the tripod.

 

[justarius]

Tripod is a good idea. Lots of beautiful night scenes to take in london. Actually, all your equipment isn't alot... I would bring the whole lot if I were you, but leave selective lens and tripod in the hotel room depending on my itineary for the day.

 

[kcuf2]

Tripod is a good idea. Lots of beautiful night scenes to take in london. Actually, all your equipment isn't alot... I would bring the whole lot if I were you, but leave selective lens and tripod in the hotel room depending on my itineary for the day.

er..if night shots, how to leave the tripod at hotel? isnt it a necessity?

 

[Klose]

Skip the tripod, get a monopod instead and shoot at iso 1600 handheld

 

[Isaiahfortythirtyone]

wah bring all ar? but it overlaps the 50mm lens then. hmm:think:

 

[csisfun]

wah bring all ar? but it overlaps the 50mm lens then. hmm:think:

Never leave the 50mm at home!

 

[Isaiahfortythirtyone]

haha im in a dilemma man. i agree...the 50mm is da best. but i like my other two lenses too...argh....:bsmilie:

 

[ywh]

Bring what you have listed. I would not bring a monopod as it's not really much use if you intend to use a tripod. A monopod is useless for the longer shutter speeds and it varies with the focal length used. Use a tripod and ISO 200 and you should be getting great image quality. No point in using ISO 1600....unless you want arty farty cityscapes...

 

[shojibake]

I say forget the tripod, do iso1600 and enjoy the rest of the time you have. Unless you've got time to spare.

 

[zaxh81]

carrying the tripod around the whole day is really a hassle (well,at least to me)
Based on previous experiences.
I would just buy a table tripod if i really need to use one.

It makes alot of different carrying the tripod for the whole day and without.

 

[justarius]

No need to bring tripod around the whole day what... I said depending upon your itineary... daytime leave tripod at hotel, at night then bring out again for night shoot.... Anyway, a monopod is next to useless for your night shoot (which is the principal reason I would bring a tripod anyway.)

It all depends on whether you want the picture bad enough to put up with the hassle. During my trip to the US, I knew that I would be in Washington during 4th of July, and I knew that I die die want to get firework shots of the Capitol; so I lugged my 3+kg tripod around for 10days for that one evening of photo shoot.

 

[ywh]

If your main purpose is get some great images, bring the tripod. A Slik 330 is manageable for most ppl. When I travel alone, the Gitzo 1325 comes along. If with the family, it comes along too but stays in the hotel till I find some free time to get out myself.

Why go to a place and shoot at an undesirable ISO and return to play with NR programs?

If you're a snap shooter or going for street stuff, fair enough, the tripod stays (in the hotel) but if you want to do longer exposures with light trails, a substantial tripod has to be used. A tabletop tripod will not be flexible or stable enough unless you're talking about the Leitz.

 

[Isaiahfortythirtyone]

thanks guys. i've decided that i will

1) bring my tripod and leave in my cousin's house, where im staying at

2) bring eveyrthing if i can squeeze. im uisng an Offtrail 2. i don't intend ot bring any of the side pockets. i wanna go light

3) not bring a flash because i don't think i will need one that often. if i do, the pop up will be enough.

really appreciate all help so far. seems like no one is in favour of buying the sigma 18-125 temporarily. haha.

 

[honda]

i will seriously think about bringing just one walkaround lens only.
http://singaporephoto.blogspot.com

 

[chriszzz]

thanks guys. i've decided that i will
2) bring eveyrthing if i can squeeze. im uisng an Offtrail 2. i don't intend ot bring any of the side pockets. i wanna go light

Isn't this a bit contradictory ? You want to travel light, and yet you will squeeze everything you can into your bag, and still have a tripod ? What is your definition of travelling light ?

I suggest you consider carefully what exactly you need ( as opposed to your ideal set of equipment that you WANT to bring), and more importantly, what you can live without. To me, travel is not about capturing 100% of the photo ops. It's just enjoying yourself, seeing new things, and catching *some* good photos, and being able to walk away from some shots that you cannot get, but still etch them in your memory. Personally, I feel it is far more important to enjoy your trip without boggnig yourself down with kilograms of equipment, which leaves you dead tired halfway through the day.

Most of the time, you can't afford to waste 1 hour or so going back to the house or hotel to get your tripod for use at night, which means you will need to carry it with you the whole day, adding to your load.

When I first travelled (to Australia), I brought 3 lens, 1 SLR + Vertical grip, 1 compact camera as backup, 1 medium tripod, and loads of film. Did I enjoy the trip ? Yes, except for the hassle. Did I actually need all that stuff ? No. Would I have enjoyed it even more if I were not encumbered with all that equipment ? Definitely.

Every trip, I learn from it and bring less for the next trip, or finding lighter substitues, travelling lighter and free-er. I've never looked back. On my most recent trip, I just brought a KM A200, and a mini tripod. My next trip, (to Europe in 2 weeks time), I will only bring a Ricoh R4 (150g) and the mini tripod ( 400g ), cutting my photo equipment weight down to around 1kg for everything, including digital wallet (250g), chargers, etc. My entire luggage will weight in at around 5-6kg, far less than what most people pack just for their carry on !

In your case, I would suggest a single walkaround lens of 28-135 (35mm equiv) or so, your DSLR, and a lightweight tripod. Yes, a lightweight tripod is not as stable as a heavy one, but its a lot lighter and easier on you. Total weight : 1.5kg or so, less than the weight of a full sized tripod.

I've travelled extensively, and my conclusion is when you truly travel light, you'll never regret it, you see more, move faster, and enjoy your trip more. Buy postcards or download images from the internet for those photo-ops that you had to give up, and just enjoy the view.

 

[honda]

I had the same experience. When i first went overseas tour i brought slr and 2 lenses. The next trip slr and 1 lens. Many years and many trips later i still stick with 1 body and 1 lens. In fact for more than 10 years i only use a slr and 50mm lens. Travel light is the best advice i can give.
http://singaporephoto.blogspot.com

 

[buddy]

he's prob left, but 350d and the 19-35 plus the tripod sounds good.

 

[midicity]

he's prob left, but 350d and the 19-35 plus the tripod sounds good.

If I only take 1 body and lens, I will take my 350D and my Sigma 18-50 f2.8

 

[AReality]

If I only take 1 body and lens, I will take my 350D and my Sigma 18-50 f2.8

Why not sell your
2) tokina 19-35mm
3) tamron 28-75
and get a 18-50 f/2.8 range sigma/canon lens?
Unless U want to go 1.3x or 1.0x crop soon, those r better lenses.

Then just bring the 50mm f/1.8 along also.