rationale for body and lens selection

[raytoei]

i am making a trip to a somewhat dangerous country (again), last year I brought the Olympus 35SP.

this year, my thinking is (a) main body is the Leica CL 40mm lens, (b) backup body is the Olympus XA with built-in 35mm lens.

the thinking is that it is light weight, and easy to carry. Also i won't cry too much it is gets lost or confiscated.

having said that, i thought about not bringing (a) and (b) and just bring my TLR with slow film (iso 100) and a light meter.

What camera bodies have you brought overseas for a trip and what was your rationale ?

raytoei

 

[kaxdd]

I brought my Bessa R4M with Voigtlander 21mm F4 Color Skopar and Canon 35mm F2 to Warsaw, Poland last August. As the R4M comes with in-built meter, it saves me the trouble of having to bring along an additional attachment accessory. Since I shoot more 21mm and 35mm, the R4M suits my shooting requirement.

 

[anerjee]

Why not your M4 or M9? Leica cameras are discreet, right?

For me, nothing beats the XA.

 

[jyasin]

Hi Felix, while in Iran in October, I ended up using only my GRD and TLR, even though I brought along my M, as nothing was discreet enough for the streets of Iran. The TLR was used for landscapes, and GRD was for quick street shots. So for my recent Turkey trip where I went trekking/camping, I left my M at home and just brought the other two cameras, taking weight into consideration, and also because the GRD was good enough for street-shooting, well, for me at least.

Safe travels!

 

[NazgulKing]

CV 15/4.5 - For the extreme wide shots (and for mounting on my Ricoh GXR for walkaround landscapes)

CZ 25/2.8 - For landscape shots. Not too wide, not too narrow.

CZ 35/2 or CV 35/1.2 - For general walkaround

CZ 50/1.5 - For general walkaround, and for a bit more distance from subject.

Anything else is often for specialty shots.

 

[alex36]

My main consideration if traveling to relatively insecure places would be to be as low profile as possible. I would also take into account the local environment, customs, sensitivities and culture, especially towards photography. I think the CL would be a very good choice especially with the 40mm, and maybe a small 28mm.

Have a safe and fruitful trip !

 

[Shahrie]

You might want to consider gaffer taping you cameras especially the logos to add to the discreetness. But pls do get those more expensive gaffer tapes like the 3M brand so it can be removed easily after ur trip. And do not tape the leather parts on the cameras.

For my short trips to jb, i just use a Rollei 35S and my iphone lightmeter app for streets.