Is medium format worth it for travel photography?

[rayonline_nz]

These situations, you just need to try it out and go by experience. At the end of the day you can leave the big stuff in your hotel and use the lighter stuff, maybe use the heavier stuff strategically at certain times.

Yes, what type of trip is it, are you with others, is it just sightseeing etc ... are you using public transportation and outside all day.

One time I took my dSLR, my Nikon F100 (slide film), my Nikon Fm2n (b/w film). When we went out in the evenings for meals I just took my phone, other times I just took the Fm2n with the 50mm and only took the dSLR and the F100 for night scene ie peak lookouts. But in hindsight I should had just took the dSLR. Slide film was too less dynamic range at night time I found out. I also think that for me a premium compact would had been nice for walk about esp when I had just the 50mm with the Fm2n. So I wasn't even using the interchangeable lens feature.

For me on a trip one can do serious photog but I still want some holiday time as well. I've carried only a SLR in the past, I don't have a compact, looking for one soon. I also carry a tripod all day morning to night cos I use public transportation etc. I think for me is maybe I go back and get my larger camera and tripod and rest of day the little camera when the light is less pleasing. I've pretty much found myself going from A to B to C etc ... get up for a sunrise, eat breakie outside, visit a museum or something, have lunch, visit something else find another shooting spot, eat dinner earlier, get to my spot and stand there for 45mins shoot and then head home. So I don't really experience the place. I couldn't really go into a mall much or markets cos I just had too much equipment.

 

[Sirius Glass]

This is only my opinion:
If you enjoy shooting it, then it is worth it. It's not as flexible as far as lens choice and exposures and more work to carry, but if you love it, that does not matter.
For me, I would of considered it 20 years ago but these days I would never travel with a film camera, for hundreds of reasons than make more sense.
If you decide on MF, I hope you own a top notch film scanner and live close to a professional photofinisher you can trust.

Gee I do not have a scanner. Is that OK? I use an enlarger instead. I hope that that is alright with you.

 

[Down Under]

+1 for rayonline_nz. Some really good advice there.

Four questions we should have asked the OP from the beginning...

Where are you going and for how long?
How do you intend to travel?
What are your interests in photographing and traveling in Asia?
Is your gear properly insured for this trip?

Not to be snoopy, but to help us with useful advice re what gear to take and how to pack it and carry it.

As I wrote earlier in this thread, I'm in Southeast Asia, with three cameras - two Nikon DSLRs and one MF film. As I travel by public transport (express buses for long distance travel and motorcycles for local trips) and shoot largely architecture, later today I will pack up my D90 kit, one Nikon lens and the Rolleicord with two containers of 120 film, to be taken home by a traveling friend who has kindly offered to shoulder this load for me.

My decision is largely influenced by two tourists I spoke to in Kuching, Sarawak last week, who told me they had their camera bags stolen. One had his custom camera bag 'lifted' from a bus and the other from his hotel room in a small town. The latter said the local police were sympathetic but more keen to know if he had insurance, when he told them yes they lost interest and advised him to make a claim.

I plan to be on the road for two to three months and just now three cameras and two containers of film are too much for me to deal with. The D700 and three lenses will suit me fine and let me photograph everything I want without having to shoulder a heavy load of gear. I could have done my photography just as well with the D90, but since I have the D700 with its FX capability with me, I decided it was more suited to my travels and photography.

It's good to be prepared for everything you'll see and want to shoot during your trip, but not so good to have to lug the gear around with you. Less is better. Yes, you can always leave excess equipment in your hotel room - but it can also be stolen.

 

[Sirius Glass]

It all depends on which equipment you are take, why are taking that equipment, what do you plan to do with the photographs.

 

[narsuitus]

...I thought you medium-format-shooting guys would have a better insight on this especially for travel photography, which would include street and scenery both.

When I need to travel with a camera that is a compromise between a 4x5 inch large format camera and 35mm small format camera, I carry a 6x7cm medium format with a normal lens for street shooting and/or a 6x9cmm medium format with wide lens for scenery.



Fuji Medium Format Rangefinders by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[papagene]

When I need to travel with a camera that is a compromise between a 4x5 inch large format camera and 35mm small format camera, I carry a 6x7cm medium format with a normal lens for street shooting and/or a 6x9cmm medium format with wide lens for scenery.



Fuji Medium Format Rangefinders by Narsuitus, on Flickr

My travel companions also.

 

[chipphoto]

You can't go wrong with Mamiya 7 and 3 lenses. I have traveled all over with this kit and results are very good. This is also not too heavy to carry and can yield excellent quality prints.

 

[macfred]

My travel companions also.

Same here !
If I like to go with less weight : FUJI GA645W + FUJI GA645
Ultralight : Rolleiflex 3.5F

 

[Sirius Glass]

You can't go wrong with Mamiya 7 and 3 lenses. I have traveled all over with this kit and results are very good. This is also not too heavy to carry and can yield excellent quality prints.

Actually you can do much better with a Hasselblad and three lenses. Jes' sayin'

 

[moto-uno]

Now them's fightin' words , çuz you know I own a Mamiya 7 with 3 lens that can whup your three lens Peter

 

[Sirius Glass]

Now them's fightin' words , çuz you know I own a Mamiya 7 with 3 lens that can whup your three lens Peter

Oh you have a 38mm lens like the Hasselblad 903 SWC and a 500mm lens like mine?

 

[moto-uno]

^ Better , the 50mm and 150mm and I can quickly focus both of them ( which I understand is one of the treats of the 903 SW & 38mm ) , but hey ,
who shoots both those extremes ? BTW , I've never seen a 500mm lens on a 903 sw . Peter

 

[etn]

^ Better , the 50mm and 150mm and I can quickly focus both of them ( which I understand is one of the treats of the 903 SW & 38mm ) , but hey ,
who shoots both those extremes ? BTW , I've never seen a 500mm lens on a 903 sw . Peter

No no no. The SWC / 903 is the quickest to focus of them all. I like to describe it as the "fastest autofocus camera ever". In fact, depth of field is so immense, you don't even need to focus. It's the perfect point-and-shoot!

 

[Craig75]

so its reduced to who has the best camera? utterly weak

 

[destroya]

for travel it doesn't get much better than a mamiya 6/7 or one of the fuji 645 rangefinders.

 

[Sirius Glass]

No no no. The SWC / 903 is the quickest to focus of them all. I like to describe it as the "fastest autofocus camera ever". In fact, depth of field is so immense, you don't even need to focus. It's the perfect point-and-shoot!

My least used before I got the 500mm lens is the 150mm since I do not take portraits. The 500mm lens is only used for photographing wildlife and is sometimes used with the 2XE extender and a tripod. Hardly a set up to sightseeing. On the other hand the price for the 500mm from KEH was just too good to pass up.

 

[moto-uno]

^^^ We're just having fun , of course everything I have is the best (even if it's clearly not) , Peter

 

[Craig75]

^^^ We're just having fun , of course everything I have is the best (even if it's clearly not) , Peter

I dont know. That's my ultimate travel camera. Absolute beast. That's the one camera I'd love to see back again.

 

[moto-uno]

Hi Craig , I'm kinda curious which camera you're referring to above ? I've looked back in this thread and must've
missed the camera you'd like to see back ? Peter

 

[Sirius Glass]

Hi Craig , I'm kinda curious which camera you're referring to above ? I've looked back in this thread and must've
missed the camera you'd like to see back ? Peter

Look at the last series of posts and you will see that he must be referring to the Hasselblad, except for the part about being a beast.

 

[Craig75]

Hi Craig , I'm kinda curious which camera you're referring to above ? I've looked back in this thread and must've
missed the camera you'd like to see back ? Peter

Mamiya 7 - I always thought that was most perfectly thought out medium format rangefinder travel camera. If someone could reimagine it - strip out the electronics - made it pure manual with indesructo body like those old nikon 35mms then your ready to do business in any environment.

 

[moto-uno]

^^ , I think we're both possibly hopeless ! Love it .
^ Be careful with those remarks or I'll send you pics of my Mamiya 7 kit and get you making me offers .
Peter

 

[Svenedin]

I was out for a hike with the dog last week. Here are 2 pictures, both negative scans, of the same scene (from a slightly different elevation). One is 6x7 and the other 35mm. Not completely fair because they are different films. I wasn't out to take comparison shots but I did want some colour and some monochrome. The colour is Ektar 100, the monochrome is Ilford XP2 Super.

Farthing Downs Autumn #2

• Svenedin
• Nov 2, 2017

A walk with the dog last Friday. Winter Kale in the fields. The tower of Nether-on-the-Hill...

Farthing Downs #4 (XP2)

• Svenedin
• Nov 2, 2017
• 2

Almost the same picture as #1 but 6x7 rather than 35mm and XP2 not Colour Negative. Unable to...

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I was out for a hike with the dog last week. Here are 2 pictures, both negative scans, of the same scene (from a slightly different elevation). One is 6x7 and the other 35mm. Not completely fair because they are different films. I wasn't out to take comparison shots but I did want some colour and some monochrome. The colour is Ektar 100, the monochrome is Ilford XP2 Super.

Farthing Downs Autumn #2

• Svenedin
• Nov 2, 2017

A walk with the dog last Friday. Winter Kale in the fields. The tower of Nether-on-the-Hill...

Farthing Downs #4 (XP2)

• Svenedin
• Nov 2, 2017
• 2

Almost the same picture as #1 but 6x7 rather than 35mm and XP2 not Colour Negative. Unable to...

Which is which? Having been web-sized, they're hard to tell apart. I'm assuming the 35mm one is the color one from the aspect ratio, but I could have that backwards and you just cropped both.

 

[etn]

:

Look at the last series of posts and you will see that he must be referring to the Hasselblad, except for the part about being a beast.

not everyone on this forum is a die-hard Hasselblad fan like you and me...