Trekking in Nepal - Camera choices.

[ChrisC]

Afternoon folks.

A good friend and myself have finally gotten around to booking our flights to Nepal later on this year with the intentions of trekking up to the Everest Base Camp with a side trip up to Gokyo Ri.

We've both done a fair but of trekking around NZ, but I've never really taken the opportunity to do some serious (as serious as you can do while trekking) photography around here, but I intend to use this once in a lifetime opportunity to at least try and take some real keepers.

Now the questions on what sort of gear I should take. I would ideally like something in medium format, as with 35mm I can never get myself to slow down and compose carefully, thus end up burning through frames like a press photographer. We'll be walking for circa 3 weeks, so it can't be bulky either. And as for budget, this trip will be a treat for getting through my first year of university, so as a student I'm poor and limiting myself to $800-1,000USD.

So far I've thought of using a compact digital P&S for all my capturing memory shots, and getting myself a bgn grade Hasselblad 500C or CM with just an 80mm lens from KEH for all the serious stuff. But I'm also open to other suggestions, and if anyone's done this trek or something similar and has suggestions on good gear to take, my ears (well...eyes) are wide open.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[waileong]

Less is more as there's lots of mountains. Tripod is necesary for landscapes. Polarizer, UV filters mandatory.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I'd think seriously about one of those fuji 645 rangefinders, either the one with the normal lens or the one with the wide, although the wide one doesn't collapse. If you don't mind a bit more bulk, and are willing to spend a little more money, go for one of the fuji 6x9 rangefinders. I think the GSW 690 would be the ticket, as it is a wide-angle on 6x9, so you'll have nice big negatives to work from, but I'd check their sales history on Ebay to see what they're going for- they've been moving upwards lately.

 

[bdial]

If you are only going to have one lens and back, a Rollei TLR might be a better choice than a Hasselblad for 6x6. The optics are just as good, depending on model, and the camera is far less complex, and lighter, though the overall size is about the same.
OTH, it would be hard to go wrong with a Fuji or Mamiya MF rangfinder, pictures I've seen from a Mamiya 6 are stunningly sharp.

 

[HerrBremerhaven]

I know someone who went through Nepal recently. One trick was he carried a Polaroid instant camera. That way he was able to give out a photo to those a little less reluctant to let him take more photos. If you can manage it in your pack, and don't mind carrying the film, then this might be a good idea for you. Obviously, carry another camera on which you take even more photos.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography

 

[ChrisC]

I know someone who went through Nepal recently. One trick was he carried a Polaroid instant camera. That way he was able to give out a photo to those a little less reluctant to let him take more photos. If you can manage it in your pack, and don't mind carrying the film, then this might be a good idea for you. Obviously, carry another camera on which you take even more photos.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography

There was a TV series here called Intrepid Journeys, and one of the episodes was on a New Zealand rugby player, Anton Oliver, who did the Annapurna curcit in Nepal. He had a Polaroid camera with him and did the very same thing. It was heart warming to see just how much the local people appreciated such a small but meaningful gift, so I had the intentions of doing the same thing if I can fit my Polaroid in with me.



The Fuji Rangefinder is also something I'd forgotten about until I made this thread. Even the 670's are going for a pretty good price at the moment and are probably even more appealing to a 'Blad at the moment. But I'll keep looking into things. I don't mind limiting myself to one lens as I've only really got normal lenses for my cameras (except 35mm) so see things that way anyway.

 

[copake_ham]

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

A Kodak Retina 135 and Kodachrome was good enough for Sir Edmund. What more do you need?

 

[ooze]

I also do a lot of trekking in mountains. In medium format, I have a Hasselblad501, Rolleiflex TLR and Bronica RF645, but it's always the Bronica rangefinder with the 65 and 45mm lenses that I take along for extended trekking. So, personally, I would go for a rangefinder: Mamiya or Bronica.
Cheers, omar