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South East Asia

gr82bart

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Hi Folks,

I'm planning a trip to South East Asia early next year. Preliminary itinerary, with the predetermined photographic destinations, so far will be:
  • Singapore - Raffles Hotel
  • Indonesia - Borobudur, Prambanan, Dieng Steppes, Ujung Kulon, Kelimutu
  • Malyasia - Petronas Towers
  • Thailand - Pulai Perhentian, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai
  • Cambodia - Angkor Wat
  • Vietnam - My Son Hindu Sanctuary, Hoi An, Ha Long Bay, Hué
  • South Korea - Haeinsa Temple, Mount T'oham, Ch'angdokkung Palace, Hwaseong Fortress
China requires a trip on its own. I also have a trip planned for Eastern Europe. Plus if Tsuyoshi plans a trip to Japan next fall, I'd like to go along on that trip too.

In terms of gear, I'm not sure yet. When I traveled before, I took my Nikon F4e. I might do that again, but I have been thinking about my Hassey.

Regards, Art.
 
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Art- I'll totally contradict Ron here - take the biggest camera you feel comfortable with. There will be a few places you can't use the Hassy, like the Royal Palace compound in Bangkok, but most places you can as long as you can handhold it. I got some good stuff with the 35mm kit when I went to Thailand and Cambodia, but there are a lot of shots I wish I had had the 4x5 or now the 5x7 for.
 
Scott;

As you know, I've used both 35 and 4x5 there and I cannot disagree with you on the superb quality of the 4x5, but the HEAT there can be overpowering especially when carrying a 4x5.

I was beat every time I carried a 4x5, but I made it through the day with 35.

Just my take.

Each one to his own.

PE
 
Last time I was in Singapore (quite a few years ago), I heard Raffles was moving to a new location and the Long Bar would be no more.

Ha Long Bay in Vietnam is a beautiful location.

I'm with Ron on the 4X5. The heat and humidity are too much for me to lug around a LF camera and tripod. If I had an MF I'd probably take it though. Some of the locations you're going to are not as bad as others.
 
I still drink my gin and tonic with a dash of bitters. I learned that from the RAF and RAAF guys we worked with over there.

People here are surprised when you ask for it that way.

PE
 
I took the 5x7 with me to Iguazu Falls, in the Amazon rainforest. It was fairly manageable. Then again, I've got a Canham, which is pretty lightweight. I was lugging 6 lenses, the Canham, a dozen film holders, my meter, darkcloth, and tripod with me in a backpack-type bag

I understand what you mean, I got the dickens taken out of me lugging just the 35mm gear around in Cambodia, and I was there at a cooler, drier time of year... If you're already going to suffer from the climate, why not make the suffering worthwhile?
 
I spent a year in Thailand taking pictures with a Rollei TLR, Nikons, and various MF rangefinders, though I didn't often have more than one at a time. You get used to the heat.
If you must choose one, I'd take the camera you are most comfortable with. Getting film will probably be somewhat easier with 35 than 120, unless you're planning on carrying it all.
 
Art, how big are you going to enlarge your pictures? If you know the answer then you will know what kind of gear to carry

Have fun with your trip.

Alex W.
 
Art,
Carry the biggest camera that you can handle. You can always make small photographs from large negatives. The opposite is not true.

The other recommendation that I would poffer at the risk of being called a heretic is to consider shooting a large MP SLR. Make enlarged negatives and print your work to Pt-pd. I say this after having spent almost six months abroad and dealing with film developing and proofing on the run.
 
I took a small 35mm kit with me when I lived in Laos for 7 months and for the 3 weeks I spent in Vietnam and 1 week at Siem Reap (Angkor Wat area) and sometimes I really wish I had have taken a bigger rig but I was backpacking through Vietnam so weight was a big concern.

What time of year are you planning on going? That can have a huge impact on the heat/humidity in some of those areas. Rainy season will have a lot of humidity and you might have to worry about fungus (pack some silica gel packs in your gear bags). But the bigger thing you'll probably find is that the heat is a lot tougher in the rainy season due to the high humidity. Dry season will be hot but low humidity which makes it a lot more bearable, but watch out for the very end of the dry season when it gets extremely hot (it was routinely in the 40's when I was in Cambodia at the very end of the dry season).

Depending on how you're planning to travel also factor in carrying a lot of water. While in Cambodia I had a motorcycle guide and I would usually buy 2-3L of water in the morning and drink those by noon before buying another 2-3L for the afternoon, that's a lot of extra weight to carry which was why as much as I wish I had some bigger negs I'm also realistic that I probably couldn't have handled the extra weight in that heat.

Do spend some time in the Siem Reap area, Angkor Wat itself is incredible but there's so many other cool temples to see in the area and some of them are a lot less touristy. Ta Prohm is nearby and well worth seeing the overgrown temples but for even more of that go to Beng Mealea (sp?) it's a long ride out and it's outside the Angkor Wat pass area (but you have to pay for a pass to get in when you get there, it was pretty cheap though), it's extremely overgrown and hasn't been cleared out as much as Ta Prohm is and there were hardly any tourists there when I went, well worth the trip.
 
My first thought was how long is this trip? You have a very ambitious itinerary.

I'm assuming at least four weeks, preferably longer. Remember you effectively lose two days in travel time each way just getting from NA to SE Asia and back.

Since I only shoot 35 and MF - if it were my choice it would probably be one of each. I'd probably also slip in the D-70 since it can share lenses with my Nikon film gear.

As to larger formats, as bdial mentioned, you need to consider film availability - as well as storage of exposed film for an extended period.

BTW: there is a rather depressing article in today's NY Times about the despoilation of Vietnam's coastal environment as a result of rapid development and industrialization. So see it while you can!
 
copake_ham said:
BTW: there is a rather depressing article in today's NY Times about the despoilation of Vietnam's coastal environment as a result of rapid development and industrialization. So see it while you can!
Click to expand...

It's spooky going out to Ha Long Bay, as you get closer to the bay you can see all the mountains are being mined away to make cement to put up more hotels for the area, completely ignoring that it's the mountains that make it a beautiful area. Fortunately, the islands in the bay are a UNESCO site so that should keep them from being destroyed (or more so at least) but the mainland area is going to be completely flat in the few years from the look of things.
 
Take what you feel comfortable shooting. For travel where I'm going to be in cities mainly and I'm not going mainly for photography, I usually take my Bronica S2a and between 1 and 5 lenses, and I think of it as my light and flexible snapshot camera, compared to LF. For a short trip to a European city with narrow streets, say, I might just bring a 50mm lens for 6x6. For a longer stay, maybe 50-80-135 or 50-100-200. If I'll have a little more time to shoot and tour around then maybe 40-50-80-135-300. If I'll be able to do some landscape work with a tripod, but want the option of going handheld, then I'll bring the 4x5" Tech V kit.

35mm I save for the birds, with a 600/4.5 of course.
 

Ha! We gave Art all the possible combinations and technically he never asked a question. Just thought that was funny.
 
i spend 6 months or so every year in SE Asia. i would say definitely plan to hit Bagan in Myanmar. one of the greatest places (and country) to photograph. (http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=449064) (http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=425544) i thought it was better than angkor wat for sure.

as for gear. i took my 35mm kit. my RB67 3 lenses and 3 backs, and my pinhole cameras. lots and lots of film. i bought a nice tripod in BKK for about $100 to help save on packing it from the US. i leave it at a friends place so i never have to carry a tripod overseas:)

check out airasia.com for great deals on airline tickets. you can get in and out of myanmar for $100! fly domestically in thailand for like $30 per flight!

bring the hassy for sure! you can buy and process 120 film BKK, chaingmai, yangon, and HCMC. E6 processing is like 2.5$ (even for 220!) at the photo store in asia hotel near the MBK shopping center. in cahiang mai photo bug is great. they are on chaiyapoom rd near the tai pei gate....tell them eddie sent you.

enjoy. how long and when are you going?

eddie
 
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