Sorry this reply is rather late - I could receive and read the PDML while in Oslo, but could not post (or send any email) for various reasons....
>Let's suppose you were preparing for an anthropological field trip to >Greece. Besides observations and interviews you'd also like to do some >photo-documentation (people, houses, interiors, decorations, landscapes) >but travel really light at the same time. You're taking an LX and a tripod. >The question is what lenses would you take. 1) a "classic" set of old >primes (24/2.8; 50/ 1.4 M; 85/2.0 M and maybe 135/3.5 M) or 2) the one zoom >you own (35-105/3.5 A) or 3) some other combination from the previous? >Flash or winder? If I'm travelling light I would not take a tripod at all. I haven't had one while travelling in Norway recently, and I didn't miss it. In fact when visiting the Kon-Tiki museum, I photographed Thor Heyerdhal's boat (sorry about the atrocious spelling Jostein ;-) using the LX and Tokina 17mm, and boy was it dark in there. I went to floor level, popped the FA-1 off and used the exposed focussing screen to compose, resting the camera on the floor and against a railing so that it was tilting backwards, looking up at the Kon-Tiki. Stopped down to f/8 or so and braced the camera. The exposure was in the order of 3 or 4 seconds, and the LX comes into it's own! The fact that I had in my backpack a table-top tripod (bendy-leg type) is of no concern. The fact that I completely forgot it was there, is. The words 'memory' and 'none' spring to mind... Actually I do not believe that there is such a thing as 'travelling light'. I think that you travel with the amount of gear that you think you will need. At least, I do. For my Oslo trip, I had LX body + drive 17mm 28-70 2.6 70-200 2.8 AF280T Rangefinder + 40mm I used everything. The lens I used least was the 70-200. The lens I used most was the 28-70, and usually at either 28 or at 70, so in my case would I have been better off taking a 28 and my beloved 85mm? I think not. The 28-70 is (for me) a good focal range and the Tokina (which I have) is a good performer. The camera I used most was the LX. The rangefinder got a good look-in doing some street stuff in Oslo (the outdoor city-centre 'Earth From the Sky' exhibition is superb...and free!). I only used the AF280T on a mountainous train-ride as fill flash shooting kid's faces as we rode (some presents for my host, Jostein) - I suspected there would be such an occasion and hence the only reason I brought the flash. I actually didn't have the flash with me when visiting the Kon-Tiki or I would have used it there also. But then, if I didn't think I would have been shooting those indoor train passengers, I may not have brought the flash. As it was, all the kit went in a LowePro along with a PowerBook plus various bits - and *that* is a fair weight. But for photo-touring, the Mac stayed put. Again, I think I took with me what I thought I would use, and it did get used. In your case, you are asking is it better to go with the zoom or the primes. I would say take the primes. The zoom is less weight, but the primes will beat it for quality IMO. 35-105 at f/3.5? How can you focus with that? 24 and 85 are a great match. I wouldn't bother with the 135mm - just move a bit closer with the 85! While in Norway I had a chance to use Jostein's FA 20 f/2.8 which was a great joy. I was not impressed with the build quality, but the image looked fantastic in the finder. It will beat my Tokina 17 (old-style) readily, and 17 is little improvement on 20. I would consider such a lens, although I would prefer the A 20mm perhaps for a sturdier feel in the construction? Sorry this turned out to be so long. The lights of the city are spread out before me, a twinkling carpet on a hot summer's eve. It's late and I'm last to bed. It seemed a good time to sit and write, especially as the Perseids are not playing ball with us tonight (13th August). I need to find out who to write to complain to about this - perhaps the Norwegian Museum of Stars (well they have a museum for everything else, so why not... :-) Hope you have a good trip and go with your gut instinct! Cheers, Cotty _______________________________________________________ Personal email traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] MacAds traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out the UK Macintosh ads http://www.macads.co.uk - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
