On May 3, 2015, at 12:22 AM, Daniel J. Matyola <[email protected]> wrote:
> I need some advice. > > > What do you folks think is essential for a once-in -a-lifetime trip like this? > > Dan Matyola > http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola What I try to do is to think about the trip I am about to take. Not in macro “once-in-a-lifetime…” terms, but in specific detail. What will I see, what will I do. And most importantly, once I am back home, a month later, what shots will I likely regret not having taken? [Pardon the mangled syntax.] So for my recent Argentina/Antarctica trip, I knew that the must-have shots were penguins in the Southern portions of the trip, graffiti and street scenes in Buenos Aires, and shots of Iguazu Falls to replicate and improve on what I had done there in 1969. So I took a minimal set of lenses that would achieve those goals, added a 1.4x teleconverter as a fudge-factor on the long end, and a P&S as a back-up. If I were doing your trip, I think the first thing I would focus on would be the Wall; what do I know about it? What images that others have taken stand out in my mind? If I have 1-2 minutes in the midst of a crowd at a small viewing platform in dusty windy conditions where there is no way I would change lenses, what one lens do I want to have to get the one shot I need to have to make the trip worthwhile? I would not consider your 100 macro. To make macro worthwhile you need a tripod and time, neither of which seems likely. I might take the 35 macro though as the single lens to be on the camera for wandering city streets at night. A nice compact lens which also gives you the “macro” feature if you find a new species of flower previously unknown to man that just has to be recorded. I think my minimalist APS-C kit for your trip would be 21/3.2, 35/2.8, 50-135/2.8, 1.4x telextender, and WG-3 for backup. But the other thing to consider is to NOT “schlep a lot of baggage.” For a trip like that I wouldn’t take more than a 22’’ roller carryon, plus camera backpack or shoulder bag. Give serious thought to minimizing your clothing load. Travel light, don’t let the issue of too much stuff become a literal and metaphorical drag on your trip. stan -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
