Honeymooning in Hawaii - what films and cameras to pack

[DBP]

I'm ten days from my wedding and beginning to think about packing for the honeymoon. We'll be flying to Honolulu for a couple of days, then spending a week on Maui. So I am looking for advice on what kind of film to pack and whether to pack an SLR or RF. I have 15mm to 135mm lenses in LTM, and a pretty broad range of prime Nikkors plus a few decent zooms. I will probably pack a Nikonos v kit and a Horizon 202 for specialized photos. The big questions are what kind of light I can expect in places I would want to shoot, and whether I am likely to need long lenses.

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

I reckon that as it is your honeymoon, you need to set the bar high early, therefore take all your cameras, all your lenses, and all the film you can manage. Then you will be set for the rest of your married life.

 

[Two23]

First, I'd suggest you give wife about 95% of your attention. You aren't single any more. Second, as someone who has been to Hawaii five or six times (including honeymoon,) I'd suggest not taking piles of gear. The one thing you do NOT want to be without is a polarizer. Light is often harsh during the day, and not as warm as you're probably used to (but I live in the north.)


Kent in SD

 

[lxdude]

I reckon that as it is your honeymoon, you need to set the bar high early, therefore take all your cameras, all your lenses, and all the film you can manage. Then you will be set for the rest of your married life.

Which will probably be measured in days.

 

[Curt]

I suggest you give 100% of your time to your wife.

 

[alohakeith]

I'm ten days from my wedding and beginning to think about packing for the honeymoon. We'll be flying to Honolulu for a couple of days, then spending a week on Maui. So I am looking for advice on what kind of film to pack and whether to pack an SLR or RF. I have 15mm to 135mm lenses in LTM, and a pretty broad range of prime Nikkors plus a few decent zooms. I will probably pack a Nikonos v kit and a Horizon 202 for specialized photos. The big questions are what kind of light I can expect in places I would want to shoot, and whether I am likely to need long lenses.

Expect BRIGHT light in Hawaii. I would leave the long lenses at home. Wide angle will serve you better for the landscape shots. I'd opt for an SLR over a rangefinder. If you happen to need any film or camera equipment in Honolulu, go to Hawaii Photo Rental in the Kaimuki neighborhood of Honolulu. It's 10-15 minutes away from Waikiki.

Any questions about Hawaii, feel free to send me a private message. I'll do my best to provide answers.

 

[MattKing]

Buy postcards - it is your honeymoon!

A Nikonos is probably a good idea as well.

 

[faustotesta]

Involve your wife in pictures. So you'll give her 100% of your attention

 

[thegman]

My first trip to Hawaii, I shot a lot of Velvia, was pretty happy with the results. I used an RF, but I did not own an SLR at the time. If I did, I likely would have used it, if you're climbing hills, walking beaches etc. I'd just take the sturdiest and perhaps least expensive camera.

 

[Rick A]

I suggest you give 100% of your time to your wife.

I absolutly concur, if you expect the union to endure.

 

[markbarendt]

http://www.ecamerafilms.com/product_p/fwp100.htm

 

[removed-user-1]

I've never been to Hawaii so I can't advise you about shooting there.

In general, I would not bring a lot of gear. On most trips with my wife, I bring a 35mm SLR and a couple lenses (wide, normal, and a tele if I think I'll need it), and she brings one 35mm SLR and a standard zoom. We also pack one 35mm point and shoot, usually an Olympus Stylus 100. We're both into photography so there's no argument about bringing cameras, but we agree on not bringing a ton of stuff. I buy film at my destination if possible. One time we went to the beach and I brought practically everything, Mamiya RB67, several Nikons (digital and film), all the lenses I owned, the works. Almost all of it stayed in the bags the whole week, taking up space in our tiny B&B room. I ended up shooting one roll with the RB67 and a few with the F100. After that experience, I've tried to keep the gear to a minimum.

One more thing - I do pack a light tripod whenever I travel.

 

[bdial]

KISS

 

[lxdude]

KISS

Good advice for a honeymoon.

 

[Hatchetman]

My best shots were 28mm lens, polarizer, and Velvia 50.

 

[Bob Carnie]

I would expect the only real light you will expect to get if you take your gear is the laser light from your wife's eyes as you attempt to take pictures.

my 2cents is take no equipment and have the time of your life, unless of course she is a photographer as well and dragging her own equipment.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I would expect the only real light you will expect to get if you take your gear is the laser light from your wife's eyes as you attempt to take pictures.

my 2cents is take no equipment and have the time of your life, unless of course she is a photographer as well and dragging her own equipment.

Agree with Bob, 99%.

Bring something really simple, like a Yashica T4. Point. And. Shoot. I can tell you from personal experience that focusing too much on photography while your wife is around, will quickly kill the joy - for her! Choose your time to photograph very very wisely. Include her in as many of the photographs as possible, if she doesn't mind. Really. It's your honeymoon, after all. A memory of your first adventure together as a married couple.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Well, I took my 4x5 to Maui last yr, but pre-negotiated with my wife about it. I took exactly one color shot on Ektar, and paid for it dearly by having to spend most of the next day window-shopping in Lahaina. But it was exactly the one shot I wanted. And since we were staying right on the shore
beside beautiful lava formations, I did sneak in one black and white shot too while my wife was napping. Our honeymoon twenty years before was in Kauai, and I took the 4x5 then too, shot it very
very conservatively, just when my new bride herself was in the mood to shoot the Nikon. We're going back to Kauai this coming Spring, probably again with the 4X5, which I'll use only a few times,
but make each shot count.

 

[removed account4]

Agree with Bob, 99%.

Bring something really simple, like a Yashica T4. Point. And. Shoot. I can tell you from personal experience that focusing too much on photography while your wife is around, will quickly kill the joy - for her! Choose your time to photograph very very wisely. Include her in as many of the photographs as possible, if she doesn't mind. Really. It's your honeymoon, after all. A memory of your first adventure together as a married couple.

i couldn't agree with more !

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

As has already been said, keep it SIMPLE! Just one camera, one lens, and let it be an adjunct to your activities together, not the focus! Don't be an idiot and ruin the honeymoon by giving your camera more attention than your wife. You'll have the rest of your life together to take photo vacations alone or together; there is only one honeymoon per marriage. Don't start out your marriage by showing your wife you actually care more about something else than her.

 

[DREW WILEY]

To clarify things a bit ... about half the LF shots I did take on my honeymoon were of my wife, or
landscape in context with key memories. Some of those shots mean quite a bit to both of us now, and are truly worth framing. I really pity all these young couples nowadays who hire some bozo with a DLSR at best, so they can get the shots on the web for their friends and family ASAP, but sacrifice both quality and image permanence in the process. But lots of pictures of just whatever would be a bad foot to get off on.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

To clarify things a bit ... about half the LF shots I did take on my honeymoon were of my wife, or
landscape in context with key memories. Some of those shots mean quite a bit to both of us now, and are truly worth framing. I really pity all these young couples nowadays who hire some bozo with a DLSR at best, so they can get the shots on the web for their friends and family ASAP, but sacrifice both quality and image permanence in the process. But lots of pictures of just whatever would be a bad foot to get off on.

Drew,

I realize this is only one person's experience, but a good friend of mine hired their wedding photographer based on how much they liked the results. There were two photographers, each with two DSLRs. They shot 3,600 pictures of the wedding, and then they took three months to edit it all to get it ready for web upload. Let's not forget about the book and the prints. Those took even longer.
I was there with a Mamiya 645 and a 150mm lens, shot three rolls of Delta 3200, and had a print of the main part of the ceremony ready for them the next day, a nice 11x14 in a 16x20 mat. Which of all the prints they got from their wedding do you think they display in their home? That's right, the amateur film shooter got display rights...
I think digital can be a formidable tool, if used right.

But back on topic. I hope that OP has a wonderful trip, relaxing and adventurous, a lasting memory as a start to their new lifestyle. Photography can be very important, and I do agree with Drew that a few memorable, well made photographs can be of tremendous value later on in life; that's a very good point. But please focus on your wife, make it HER best time of her life as well. She will be thankful to you.

 

[DREW WILEY]

3600 shots? Isn't that kinda like throwing darts at a board blindfolded, and hoping a few of them hit
the right spot? Ha! My own wedding pictures were 50% done by myself, and 50% by my older pro
photog brother. The smallest camera we used was 6x7. Normally he did wedding photog with a 4x5
Linhof Technika. I prefer an 8x10. I have gotten a few wedding jobs - generally some collector insisting I do the printing myself. Never more than a dozen shots, and charged per print, just like the
fine art business in general. Nuthin' like a 14" dagor and an 8x10 neg. Got one of those on the living
room wall - a 16X20 of my wife snatch developed in glycin and triple toned. The thing glows, and not in the sense of a computer screen!

 

[DBP]

I reckon that as it is your honeymoon, you need to set the bar high early, therefore take all your cameras, all your lenses, and all the film you can manage. Then you will be set for the rest of your married life.

I'd have to charter a separate plane.

 

[DBP]

I should point out that she will almost certainly be using my D70, which she adopted fairly early on. On our first real trip she took more photos than I did.