Yunnan - Suggestion of eqpt to bring


Ha Ha Lim

New Member
May 10, 2010
33
0
0
Punggol Field
Hi all, leaving this Sunday, 2nd time to Yunnan - Kunming, Dali, Lichiang and Shangri-la.
For safety and weight issue cant make up mind what eqpt is practical to bring.
Should it be expensive camera body with cheaper lens or cheaper body with expensive lens.
Gear are Canon 5D Mk2,500D, 28~70 f2.8, 70~200 f4, teleconverters 1.4 & 2x, sigma 15mm fisheye, Canon 17~40 f4, EFS 18-55 IS (with ND4, Cir PL filter), EFS 55~250 IS, 50f1.8, monopod. Suggestions appreciated.
 

Hi all, leaving this Sunday, 2nd time to Yunnan - Kunming, Dali, Lichiang and Shangri-la.
For safety and weight issue cant make up mind what eqpt is practical to bring.
Should it be expensive camera body with cheaper lens or cheaper body with expensive lens.
Gear are Canon 5D Mk2,500D, 28~70 f2.8, 70~200 f4, teleconverters 1.4 & 2x, sigma 15mm fisheye, Canon 17~40 f4, EFS 18-55 IS (with ND4, Cir PL filter), EFS 55~250 IS, 50f1.8, monopod. Suggestions appreciated.

Are you going there for a photography holiday or a free and easy holiday?

If u are there mainly to take pictures, bring your 5dmk2 and your L lenses + teleconverters.

If u are there for a free and easy trip, it is best to travel light. Assuming that you are not willing to sacrifice IQ, you might want to bring your 500D + 18-55 + 70-200 or 500D + 28-70 + 55-250 IS. Really really light, just 500D + 18-55 + 50 f1.8
 

Thks for the good advise, bro. Yes, just there free & easy - check out biz to do, tour new places and some photos for magazine all roll into one. Last trip almost died carrying all the load. Cant find a donkey to help carry. Pack the 5D, the f2.8, 15mm fisheye, 70/200, the 2 teleconverters, spare batt, accessories and found it so heavy as beside this, a personal suitcase of personal effects to lug along. Also concern about lost of equipment. will take your advise of 500D. IQ can be reasonable too.
 

Thks for the good advise, bro. Yes, just there free & easy - check out biz to do, tour new places and some photos for magazine all roll into one. Last trip almost died carrying all the load. Cant find a donkey to help carry. Pack the 5D, the f2.8, 15mm fisheye, 70/200, the 2 teleconverters, spare batt, accessories and found it so heavy as beside this, a personal suitcase of personal effects to lug along. Also concern about lost of equipment. will take your advise of 500D. IQ can be reasonable too.

500d plus some good glass is definitely a good combo in terms of IQ. Just make sure that u bring only what u really need, so that u don't r not a slave to your equipment when u r supposed to be having fun. Have a great trip
 

I'd go with a 2 camera setup.

5Dmk2 + 17-40
500D + 70-200
Bring 50/1.8 and if have space, the 15mm FE

I'll skip the teleconverters, your long lens is f/4, so no point also.
I'd prefer tripod.
 

I'd go with a 2 camera setup.

5Dmk2 + 17-40
500D + 70-200
Bring 50/1.8 and if have space, the 15mm FE

I'll skip the teleconverters, your long lens is f/4, so no point also.
I'd prefer tripod.

Very good suggestion :thumbsup:

Signs of a seasoned travel photographer :)

To TS : By having two camera setup, you don't have to keep changing lenses AND also there is some sort of backup in case you run into some problem with one of your cameras.

I'd also recommend that you pack in a PnS if you have one.
 

October is rainy season in Yunnan area from what I read ... so may want to bring some protection

I will be going to both Lijiang and Zhongdian (Shangri-la) in November. But I managed to arrange tour to bring me around to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Leaping Tiger Gorge and Baishui Terrace. Don't plan to do a lot of tracking since I will only be there for 4 days. May not have acclimatized to the thin air.

Please share how your lenses work out! I plan to bring only my 24-105 but have not decided to bring 70-200 f4 or f2.8. I heard the stars at night are amazing especially up at Shangri-la. So will be taking my tripod along.

Where will you be putting up?
 

Very good suggestion :thumbsup:

Signs of a seasoned travel photographer :)

To TS : By having two camera setup, you don't have to keep changing lenses AND also there is some sort of backup in case you run into some problem with one of your cameras.

I'd also recommend that you pack in a PnS if you have one.
LOL!! i'm still a n00b..

.
 

October is rainy season in Yunnan area from what I read ... so may want to bring some protection

I will be going to both Lijiang and Zhongdian (Shangri-la) in November. But I managed to arrange tour to bring me around to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Leaping Tiger Gorge and Baishui Terrace. Don't plan to do a lot of tracking since I will only be there for 4 days. May not have acclimatized to the thin air.

Please share how your lenses work out! I plan to bring only my 24-105 but have not decided to bring 70-200 f4 or f2.8. I heard the stars at night are amazing especially up at Shangri-la. So will be taking my tripod along.

Where will you be putting up?
Hey, if u have time, go to Feilaisi, 2 days north of Zhongdian (by road).
Can get to see Kawagebo.
 

hey, i just returned last week from yunnan... i backpacked there for two weeks... go see Mei Li Xue Shan.. it's definitely worth it if the weather is good... here's how to get there...

from Shangrila, you take a bus to De Qin... the bus runs only once every three days, so you have to get your ticket as soon as you arrive in Shangrila... the road is very bad and it's a tough 10-hour journey, but its a very picturesque journey... try to sit on the left hand side of the bus if you wanna take photos of the beautiful gorges and snow mountains from the bus...

when u reach Deqin, take a taxi (RMB30) to Fei Lai Si... the HI hostel there is brand new and the boss and lady boss are very friendly people (from Beijing), highly recommended place to stay... only RMB40 per bed per night... from Fei Lai Si, you can get a great view of Mei Li Xue Shan...

There will be more than a couple of people in Fei Lai Si going to the foot of Mei Li Xue Shan, so you can join them to book a minivan or 4WD (RMB150) to go down to Xi Dang village together... ask the Feli Lai Si hostel boss to help if needed...

from Xi Dang village, walk 5 to 6 hours to get to Yu Beng village... you will trek through a beautiful forest (like in Avatar!) and over a mountain ridge (3700m attitude) and see a glacier of Meili Li...

I stayed in Yu Beng for 3 days... the first day we went to Shen Pu, the holy waterfall... it's about 3 hours one-way... beside the waterfall is a glacier... bring your slippers to change at the waterfall and go around the waterfall like the Tibetans do...

second day, we went to Bing Hu, the glacier lake... get a Tibetan guide to show the way... it's about 4 hours one way... it's uphill climb most of the way to an attitude of 3900m...

the third day, we went around a mountain ridge to walk along Lan Cang Jiang to Ni Nong village then to Xi Dang village... from there, book a 4WD to return to Fei Lai Si...a Tibetan guide is necessary for the trekking... the guide fee is about RMB50 per person... it's a 10-hour trek through the awesome gorge, one of the most beautiful in China and surely more beautiful than Tiger Leaping Gorge...

here are suggestions for other parts of Yunnan...

Kunming:
Shi Lin is a must-go. Take a train or bus there. The trip will take the whole day.

Dali:
Take a taxi from the Dali Old Town to Gan Tong cable car (RMB20). Ride the cable car up Cang Shan (one way cable car is RMB50) and walk up the Cang Shan Gorge. Then walk 3 hours to the Cang Shan Cable Car station and take the chair lift down. You get to see Er Hai and Dali county.

Lijiang:
Nothing much in Lijiang. The Snow Dragon Mountain cable car is not operational until November, so need not bother to go Snow Dragon Mountain. there isn't much snow in Snow Dragon anymore.


Shangrila:
Go to Ge Dan Song Zan Lin Si in the evening (after 6pm) and you may be able to avoid paying the admission tix (RMB80) because the guard knocks off at 6pm. A lot of construction work there now to build a new monastry. Go behind The main monastry to see the while stupa with lots of jing1 fan1 (tibetan flags).

Bai Shui Tai is not bad also. It's 3-hour bus journey one-way, so it will take the whole day... the Bai Shui Tai area is very small only, 2 hours are more than enough...

have a good trip! Zha Xi Te Le! (it means "greetings" in Tibetan language)
 

Hi askaboutlife, your info to deqin from shangrila is very precious for me.

i will be going deqin to see Mt Kawagebo too!!
Hope i do not miss the bus!!

I saw your photos.

- what was your shuttle speed for the night shot for Mt Kawagebo?
- i saw a photo with the trekkers. They do not wear as thick as i expected.
is it not that cold?

hey, i just returned last week from yunnan... i backpacked there for two weeks... go see Mei Li Xue Shan.. it's definitely worth it if the weather is good... here's how to get there...

from Shangrila, you take a bus to De Qin... the bus runs only once every three days, so you have to get your ticket as soon as you arrive in Shangrila... the road is very bad and it's a tough 10-hour journey, but its a very picturesque journey... try to sit on the left hand side of the bus if you wanna take photos of the beautiful gorges and snow mountains from the bus...

when u reach Deqin, take a taxi (RMB30) to Fei Lai Si... the HI hostel there is brand new and the boss and lady boss are very friendly people (from Beijing), highly recommended place to stay... only RMB40 per bed per night... from Fei Lai Si, you can get a great view of Mei Li Xue Shan...

There will be more than a couple of people in Fei Lai Si going to the foot of Mei Li Xue Shan, so you can join them to book a minivan or 4WD (RMB150) to go down to Xi Dang village together... ask the Feli Lai Si hostel boss to help if needed...

from Xi Dang village, walk 5 to 6 hours to get to Yu Beng village... you will trek through a beautiful forest (like in Avatar!) and over a mountain ridge (3700m attitude) and see a glacier of Meili Li...

I stayed in Yu Beng for 3 days... the first day we went to Shen Pu, the holy waterfall... it's about 3 hours one-way... beside the waterfall is a glacier... bring your slippers to change at the waterfall and go around the waterfall like the Tibetans do...

second day, we went to Bing Hu, the glacier lake... get a Tibetan guide to show the way... it's about 4 hours one way... it's uphill climb most of the way to an attitude of 3900m...

the third day, we went around a mountain ridge to walk along Lan Cang Jiang to Ni Nong village then to Xi Dang village... from there, book a 4WD to return to Fei Lai Si...a Tibetan guide is necessary for the trekking... the guide fee is about RMB50 per person... it's a 10-hour trek through the awesome gorge, one of the most beautiful in China and surely more beautiful than Tiger Leaping Gorge...

here are suggestions for other parts of Yunnan...

Kunming:
Shi Lin is a must-go. Take a train or bus there. The trip will take the whole day.

Dali:
Take a taxi from the Dali Old Town to Gan Tong cable car (RMB20). Ride the cable car up Cang Shan (one way cable car is RMB50) and walk up the Cang Shan Gorge. Then walk 3 hours to the Cang Shan Cable Car station and take the chair lift down. You get to see Er Hai and Dali county.

Lijiang:
Nothing much in Lijiang. The Snow Dragon Mountain cable car is not operational until November, so need not bother to go Snow Dragon Mountain. there isn't much snow in Snow Dragon anymore.


Shangrila:
Go to Ge Dan Song Zan Lin Si in the evening (after 6pm) and you may be able to avoid paying the admission tix (RMB80) because the guard knocks off at 6pm. A lot of construction work there now to build a new monastry. Go behind The main monastry to see the while stupa with lots of jing1 fan1 (tibetan flags).

Bai Shui Tai is not bad also. It's 3-hour bus journey one-way, so it will take the whole day... the Bai Shui Tai area is very small only, 2 hours are more than enough...

have a good trip! Zha Xi Te Le! (it means "greetings" in Tibetan language)
a
 

Last edited:
i'm glad that you find the info useful... :)

i just used a simple cannon compact camera, not a DSLR :embrass:
for the nite photos, i could just set the ISO (1600) and the exposure time (15 secs).

i went there in september, so the weather is not as cold.... in daytime, if sunny, is about 20 deg celcius... it will be colder if it is a cloudy day... the UV is very strong, so always wear long sleeve and don a hat... for trekking, just wear a long-sleeve t-shirt and a waterproof jacket... you will perspire a lot, so dun wear too thick clothing...

for night, it will be around 10 deg celcius or lower... to stay out in the open for night photography, wear more layers and a hooded jacket to keep the head warm...

i think now it will be colder... you can either bring warm clothing there or you can buy at Lijiang or Shangrila... there are several outdoor equipment shops there... a double-layer waterproof jacket costs about SGD50-100 only... prices in Lijiang are generally cheaper than in Shangrila...

try to make friends with the PRC chinese backpackers... along the way from Shangrila to Mei Li Xue Shan, I met 6 PRC Chinese backpackers also going the same way as I... so we formed a group and moved together... I was very lucky that we cliqued very well... the trekking was tough and long, and we encouraged one another to keep going on... we shared food and helped one another take photos... they are also interested to find out more about singapore...

Zha Xi Te Le!
 

here's a Google earth image of the hiking trails in Mei Li Xue Shan...



here is another interesting Google earth image and the corresponding photo of the real lansdscape of Lan Cang Jiang Gorge...