Travelling with Fuji GA645 or Bessa R2A?

lovely_sausages · Jan 12, 2015

Hi all, I've been lurking this site for the better part of the past 4 years. I joined last year and this is officially my first thread here. I first want to take a moment to thank APUG for this indispensible outlet, and to all you users for sharing your wealth of knowledge and opinions.

So, on to the meat and potatoes. I'm traveling to Asia for four months come mid February. I'll be backpacking throughout Thailand, Malaysia, and Myanmar; for the most part I will be in Thailand as I'm studying the cuisine via various friends and contacts throughout the country, and will be staying with families in rural communities half the time, and be in urban centers (mainly Bangkok and Chiang Mai) the other half.

Here is my conundrum, and it is driving me nuts. What camera to take? My GA645 or Bessa R2A with 35 cron, 50 cron and 90 tele-emarit? Both have pros and cons ie. built in flash on the Fuji, various focal lengths on the Bessa, faster shutter speeds on the Bessa, Larger negatives with the Fuji, quicker street shooting with the Bessa, yadayadayada this is driving me nuts. I could theoretically take both but I don't want to be burdened with too much gear, thus potentially confusing myself, and having to purchase film in two different formats as well.

So APUGers, what would you do if in my situation? What would you bring? I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter. Also could just bring my M4 and shoot the whole trip old school in black and white. Sigh....

Mike Bates · Jan 12, 2015

In my book, the biggest negative I can easily carry trumps all other considerations.

darkosaric · Jan 12, 2015

It is very simple: up to now which camera gave you more 'keepers'? Take that one.

anfenglin · Jan 12, 2015

You have to remember, you need to bring the film back with you. Do you want to take a lot of rolls of 120 back and forth or 135? Do you really really need the 90mm? When backpacking, I would really try to keep the bulk, weight, and complexity down. Do you want to shoot more landscape or street scenes or people? I'd take the Fuji for landscape, the Bessa or M4 for anything else. Just use a good slide film and you're good to go. You could take the M4 for that as well. I'd skip b&w film, those countries tend to have very vivid colors, comes with the moisture.
Just my five cents (or two?).
cheers

trythis · Jan 12, 2015

By yourself? If so, multi lens kit is fine, with family; then you want point and shoot.
Also consider batteries and camera function. If you bring the bessa and the body fails can you get another body compatible with the lenses,? If the GA645 fails, can you find another medium format to replace it since that is the film you have. with 135 film, finding a replacement in the even of failure or theft, will be easy, even if its a cheap point and shoot.

Oren Grad · Jan 12, 2015

If photography is going to be an important part of the experience for you, I wouldn't rely on a single camera. Certainly not on a GA645, which is heavily dependent on vulnerable, out-of-production electronic components (specialty circuit boards, ribbon cables) and can no longer always be repaired even in major markets like the US and Japan, let alone off the beaten path in SE Asia.

For myself, I'd look for an affordable second M-mount body, then take that with the R2A plus the 35 and 50. That, with lots of film, will still fit in a smallish bag. YMMV if your focal length preferences are different from mine.

EDIT: Oops, my bad. I missed your last sentence about having an M4. So you're all set: M4, R2A, 35, 50. Go, and enjoy!

lovely_sausages · Jan 12, 2015

anfenglin said:
You have to remember, you need to bring the film back with you. Do you want to take a lot of rolls of 120 back and forth or 135? Do you really really need the 90mm? When backpacking, I would really try to keep the bulk, weight, and complexity down. Do you want to shoot more landscape or street scenes or people? I'd take the Fuji for landscape, the Bessa or M4 for anything else. Just use a good slide film and you're good to go. You could take the M4 for that as well. I'd skip b&w film, those countries tend to have very vivid colors, comes with the moisture.
Just my five cents (or two?).
cheers

Obviously the difference between carrying 120 or 135 back and forth comes down to size, but the difference is really not that great, so I think that that is perhaps a moot point. I will be doing a mix of both landscape and street/people, and was planning on shooting colour negative as opposed to slide. I actually have no experience with chromes, as I am predominantly a b&w shooter, but will shoot ektar and portra when the mood strikes. Why slide? with the meterless m4 it will be tougher to get usable results. I'm fairly adept at metering by eye but for chromes... I don't know.

lovely_sausages · Jan 12, 2015

trythis said:
By yourself? If so, multi lens kit is fine, with family; then you want point and shoot.
Also consider batteries and camera function. If you bring the bessa and the body fails can you get another body compatible with the lenses,? If the GA645 fails, can you find another medium format to replace it since that is the film you have. with 135 film, finding a replacement in the even of failure or theft, will be easy, even if its a cheap point and shoot.

I will be traveling by myself for some of the time and girlfriend will be joining me halfway through the trip. I don't mind being confined to one focal length - 35mm is my go to and what I shoot 90% of the time; thats what I get with the FUJI (well, 38mm equivalent, close enough)

anfenglin · Jan 12, 2015

Oh right, I didn't know that the M4 is meterless. Then color neg is your choice, chromes want to be exposed properly. 1 stop off and the colors and/or saturation is not ideal, you want ideal for the price of slide film. I shot my semester in Beijing on color neg in an old Seagull SLR without a meter, almost all of them turned out fine.

ToddB · Jan 12, 2015

Tough call..

That's is a tough call. You could also strip down the kit for your Bessa and take one solid lens, and... take your Fuji too. I might be taking a trip to Greece with the family this summer. So I'm already trying to figure out what to take.

Todd

trythis · Jan 12, 2015

How does your gal feel about standing about focusing, lens swaps and taking meter readings? If she has little interest or tolerance for your hobby take less out with you when you are together. Make sure you enjoy her more than the camera.
I recommend you find the strobist blog guys videos on the Lynda web site about being a travelling photographer and watch a couple of them. You can watch Lynda stuff for free for a week or two. One great piece of advice from the movies is to go out for a day without a camera.

I think I would take the bessa with the smallest lens. Leave the rest at home. You'll have an awesome trip.

lovely_sausages · Jan 12, 2015

ToddB said:
That's is a tough call. You could also strip down the kit for your Bessa and take one solid lens, and... take your Fuji too. I might be taking a trip to Greece with the family this summer. So I'm already trying to figure out what to take.

Todd

Yeah ... forgot to mention that an olympus stylus epic will be joining me as well. Fuji, m4 + 35 cron, and oly epic. Shooting 4 months with only the 35mm focal length.

lovely_sausages · Jan 12, 2015

trythis said:
How does your gal feel about standing about focusing, lens swaps and taking meter readings? If she has little interest or tolerance for your hobby take less out with you when you are together. Make sure you enjoy her more than the camera.
I recommend you find the strobist blog guys videos on the Lynda web site about being a travelling photographer and watch a couple of them. You can watch Lynda stuff for free for a week or two. One great piece of advice from the movies is to go out for a day without a camera.

I think I would take the bessa with the smallest lens. Leave the rest at home. You'll have an awesome trip.

Yes I've thought about this too. This is where the advantages of the p&s shine above all else. But, as far as robustness goes, you can't beat the m4. If the electronics on either the bessa or the fuji fail then I'm stuffed. I need to just make up my mind.

trythis · Jan 12, 2015

The epic doesn't count. Its fits in almost any pocket. Only issue there are the batteries.

Ko.Fe. · Jan 12, 2015

M4 or Bessa with 35mm lens. And Oly for backup.

lovely_sausages · Jan 12, 2015

trythis said:
How does your gal feel about standing about focusing, lens swaps and taking meter readings? If she has little interest or tolerance for your hobby take less out with you when you are together. Make sure you enjoy her more than the camera.
I recommend you find the strobist blog guys videos on the Lynda web site about being a travelling photographer and watch a couple of them. You can watch Lynda stuff for free for a week or two. One great piece of advice from the movies is to go out for a day without a camera.

I think I would take the bessa with the smallest lens. Leave the rest at home. You'll have an awesome trip.

I will definitely be enjoying her more than the camera - that being said she has a vested interest in this decision as well. She's grown accustomed to a bit of camera fiddling over the years and she wants the best out of this trip photographically as we are spitting the cost of film and developing.

RattyMouse · Jan 12, 2015

What an awesome trip. You will be able to produce a staggering number of great shots.

I'd say take the GA645, for its awesome IQ. If the camera should fail on you, you can easily buy another one off ebay from Hong Kong or Japan, and the shipping time will be mere days.

Getting film will be the bigger challenge I suspect.

RattyMouse · Jan 12, 2015

duplicate post.

Colin Corneau · Jan 12, 2015

I love questions like these, because I love photography and I love travelling. The two together, I love the most.

Main consideration is what you shoot the most and what you love to do the most. If it's street-type shooting then a small rangefinder and a pair of lenses will be a good choice.
If you shoot a bit slower and generally make your best images on larger negs, well...hello Fuji.

Not sure I'd take more than 2 lenses if you go the 35mm option -- a 35mm for general shooting and 90 for portraits or landscapes. Best to go light and let any weight be taken up with film...always pack more than you think you'll need!

philosli · Jan 12, 2015

I've a GA645 and a 35mm system. If I were you, I'll take the GA plus a 135 body and one fast lens for indoor/low light shooting. In your case I'll choose the 50mm so I'll have a lens of a different perspective than GA's 35mm-equivalent lens.

GA645's min. aperture is F4, so it's not very useful indoors/low light unless you carry your tripod and/or a flash. I only use its built pop-up flash in emergency or fill-in during daylight.

Pioneer · Jan 12, 2015

The Fuji is a very tough act to beat. It works for scenics, landscapes and daytime portrait work. It even works pretty well for street scenes. Batteries are very easy to pack and I wouldn't worry about the electronics. Face it, the photographs you get from the Fuji will be far better than anything you can get from the Bessa. Pack lots of slide film, you will not regret it.

If you think you will need a longer or faster lens bring the Bessa. If you do bring it, pack the 90 and a fast 50. But the flash on the Fuji is not that bad and does quite well for indoor situations and outdoor low light up close. Lay a white handkerchief over the flash to diffuse and reduce the harshness of the light. If one layer isn't enough, fold it in two. Practice with it before you go and I think you will be surprised what it is capable of using a bit of ingenuity. Of course there may be areas where flash is not permitted but using solid support is also an option.

Definitely pack the Oly since it does not take much room and makes a good backup.

macfred · Jan 13, 2015

Pioneer said:
The Fuji is a very tough act to beat. It works for scenics, landscapes and daytime portrait work. It even works pretty well for street scenes. Batteries are very easy to pack and I wouldn't worry about the electronics. Face it, the photographs you get from the Fuji will be far better than anything you can get from the Bessa. Pack lots of slide film, you will not regret it ...

+1 Another vote for the FUJI GA645 !

Pioneer said:
But the flash on the Fuji is not that bad and does quite well for indoor situations and outdoor low light up close. Lay a white handkerchief over the flash to diffuse and reduce the harshness of the light ...

I do this very often - this one was made with the FUJIs pop-up flash and a white paper bag as a bouncer ...

lovely_sausages · Jan 13, 2015

Thank you to everyone who has replied to this thread so far; I didn't expect such a quick response rate! Your opinions are all valued and noted, believe me. The general consensus around here seems to be to bring both the Fuji 645 and an M system camera, which is kind of what I'm leaning towards at the moment. Girlfriend seems to agree with you all that this is the best choice/contingency plan. I think the M4 might be coming along with a new VC meter II attached to the top of it as opposed to the Bessa.. all mechanical is a bonus if I get stuck out in a tropical downpour, which, from previous experiences, is bloody well likely to happen on more than one occasion! It looks like I'll be taking more gear than I originally thought, but as many of you have pointed out and which I already knew for myself, one is always faced with a variety of conditions and shooting situationuges which tend to favour one over the other, so its best to be prepared. Plus, its not like I'll be lugging around some xbox huge dslr with a massive piece of glass permanently attached to it - all this kit is still fairly lightweight(but heavy hitting). Good thing I've a hefty stash of 135 in the freezer so now to order up some more 120. Hmm... to shoot negs or chromes...

lovely_sausages · Jan 13, 2015

And by all means, If anyone would still like to weigh in, please feel free. All opinions are valued...

lovely_sausages · Jan 13, 2015

Pioneer said:
...the flash on the Fuji is not that bad and does quite well for indoor situations and outdoor low light up close. Lay a white handkerchief over the flash to diffuse and reduce the harshness of the light. If one layer isn't enough, fold it in two. Practice with it before you go and I think you will be surprised what it is capable of using a bit of ingenuity. Of course there may be areas where flash is not permitted but using solid support is also an option.

Neato trick with the handkerchief; I do this with my little olympus point and shoot, but with a piece of tissue taped carefully over the flash. Its a bit harsh, that one!

Travelling with Fuji GA645 or Bessa R2A?

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