Hi everybody, When I travel really light, and always with me anyway, a Yashica T5 (or, recent purchase, a Ricoh GR1), usually loaded with B&W film. Both great for street photography (the T5 with its waist level finder is particularly useful).
A light travel kit is: MX, M 50/1.7 (or 1.4 when I plan to do available light); M 28/3.5 (or f/2); M 135/3.5 (or M 100/2.8). This is for really general photography, when I don't have any idea in advance and taking pictures is not the main goal (usually I have those in the backpack when moving around Naples). When I plan something in advance, and have a better knowledge of the things I'm going to shoot, the combinations can become too many... A photographic backpack (lowepro orion trekker) in these situations takes the place of the general use one. Usually the short tele is sobstituted by either the M 80-200/4.5 or by the A 70-210/4 (the M usually in dangerous environments...). When I have concerns about the safety of the gear, I use a beaten MX or one of the two worst looking LX (it depends if I feel the need of autoexposure or not), along with the oldest M lenses (see below for more). For a more planned travel kit there is usually room for a MZ-3 or MZ-5n, with 28-70/4. A nice small kit for trekking on the mountains is M 28/3.5; M 50/4 macro and M 200/4. When I'm in the mood of bringing more weight the choice is: MZ-3 or, often, Z-1p, FA 20-35/4, M 50/4 macro and A 70-210/4 (or, instead of the latter two, the Vivitar Series 1 105/2.5 macro), Sigma AF 400/5.6 (really useful starting from f/9, but surprisingly light) and the AF 280T + AFW1 diffuser. A heavy kit (tested recently) is the 645n with 75mm, 45mm (mine is the 67 one), 120/4 macro and 200/4 (also for the 67) plus MZ-3 and Sigma 400/5.6 (with adapters to use the 645 and 67 lenses on the MZ too). For the occasional wedding I use a 645 (with 55/2.8 most of the time) and a MZ-5n (sometimes the Z-1p, but the 645 alone is too heavy already and the MZ with grip has the advantage of using AA batteries like the 645 and the flashes...) with FA 50/1.4, FA* 85/1.4 and often the FA 20-35/4, which is surprisingly good wide open at almost all the focal lenghts. The 645 loaded with Portra 400 NC and the MZ with Portra 160 NC. The last wedding I shot I had two assistant photographers with Nikon equipment (F801 and F4) so I decide to use an FE with 32/2 and 85/2 and liked a lot the results. I used the Pentax 6x7 too for some of groups. When I have to shoot at conferences etc. the choice is usually the MZ-5n and 85/1.4 plus a M 28/2, along with an AF400 FTZ. The 6x7 is mostly used for indoor architecture (in which case the 45/4 is almost always on) and for scenics. When I'm doing architecture sometimes I have to choice among the pentax gear (A 15/3.5) and the Nikon gear (Schneider-Kreuznach 28/2.8 PC, one of my favorite lenses), but often I bring both. I still have to find a K mount ring for the Schneider... When I shoot at theatre, performances, rehearsals etc., I usually chose the Nikon F-70 (very silent - expecially the rewind) or the F2 (a wonderful brick) with 85/1.8 or 85/2 and 50/1.4. Now I have a Leica M-4P for that purpose. There's only the MZ-5n in my Pentax line-up that is silent enough, but unfortunately its rewind is not... Portraits are done with what I feel useful at the moment (usually LX with 85/1.4, but many times 6x7 and 200/4 as well). Frenzy environments (like rave parties, rock concerts etc.) require a sort of Weegee tecnique, so the choice is always a manual camera (Super-A sometimes, but often LX+winder), a wide angle (I have a Cosinon 28/2 that behaves quite well) stopped down enough but not too much, a flash (on the Super-A the AF280T, on the LX a Sunpak 383) and a reasonably slow speed. It's a sort of paparazzi tecnique, but works well. A sort of throw away equipment is a beaten camera with a Vivitar 28-85/2.8-3.8 varifocal or, but on another league and not that disposable, a Z-20 with a Sigma 28-70/2.8-4 (quite good, although a bit prone to flare like all Sigma lenses of that era). I find that I feel more comfortable with my worst looking LX (with shaped grip A, very nice grip) in such situations than with any other camera I own. The reportage is where I prefer the LX over all the rest, with 20/4, a 24mm or 28mm, a 35/2 or the almost unavoidable (for me) 50mm, the 100/2.8 and a 200/4 (sometimes I chose the M 35-70/2.8-3.5 but it is quite slow to focus, and a M135/3.5 instead of the 100 and 200), although the M-4P (equipped with a 40/2) is gaining esteem... Ciao, Gianfranco ===== __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com
