Your LF system pack weight

davetravis · May 18, 2008

I'm curious what you landscape photographers are carrying on your backs.
What did you do to reduce weight?
DT

sun of sand · May 18, 2008

I carry the actual Pelican case with a shoulder strap. Weight probably in 20-25 lb range. Tripod weighs 9. backpack to hold film holders
35lbs easy
I used to carry a backpack with 35mm gear as well but I find it's impossible to shoot both.
I'm young.
The pelican case is cumbersome but keeping everything in a backpack it's too easy for me to just keep moving along ..especially in the cold.
To save weight I used to take out the 210JML and 90 4.5 and stick wit the 150

Now if wanting to be speedy in the winter I really like to go out with one lens -tiny 158 cooke- and keep the camera on the tripod with a beanie stretched over it to protect some
Total weight there is maybe 18 lbs inc. holders

climbabout · May 18, 2008

carry weight

8x10 deardorff, 4 lenses, 6 holders, meter, filters, gitzo tripod, in an osprey waypoint pack - 47lbs.
Tim

Pinholemaster · May 18, 2008

I don't carry my 8x10 Canham, lenses, film holders and tripod. I roll them in a used, bought on eBay, 3-wheel jogging stroller. With full suspension, it goes anywhere I can push it.

I have no idea what it weighs.

phaedrus · May 18, 2008

davetravis said:
I'm curious what you landscape photographers are carrying on your backs.
What did you do to reduce weight?
DT

Kelty backpack with 4x5 field camera, 4 lenses, 2 QuickChange holders, 3 QuickChange cartridges, umbrella, rain jacket, accessories plus one other camera: 22 kg. If the weather's fair, I leave the rain jacket, if the wind is low, the umbrella, if the way's short, one holder and two cartridges stay at home.
Tripod on the shoulder or slung over it with a broad strap like a rifle is another 3 kg.
Alternatively, I take a Calumet C-1 in an unpadded LightWare shoulder bag (the ground glass IS padded!) with Fuji 450 C lens mounted, two film holders in back pocket, accessories: 20 kg. Schneider Super Angulon 165 mm and perhaps a p&s in a Lowe Pro bag slung over the other shoulder: 3 kg. Tripod as before.
General weight saving tip #1: I never use a dark cloth, but a black T-shirt, with the 4x5 the neck goes on the film back, with the 8x10 the waist.
General weight saving tips #2 and 3: Eat less, go cycling.

ROL · May 18, 2008

5X7 Canham, Pentax ZVI Meter, (3 - 6 Filters in wallet, depending on time of year, conditions) - all in Lowepro Omni Pack for organization. 6 holders in California Innovations insulated lunch pack (a non-standard use), 3 lenses (Schneider 110, Fuji 180, Nikon 300) - all in zippered neoprene pouches, Black Jacket. All of the above into the main zippered compartment of an Osprey Eclipse 42. Gitzo Mountaineer tripod with Acratech Head in one side ski carrier, folding umbrella/waterbottle in the other. Windbreaker, pants, hat gloves, headlamp, compass, lunch in top pockets. About 30 - 35 pounds. For multiple overnight carrys, only components with overnight gear in large backpack with tripod in ski/bottle carrier.

PS. Reduce Weight = Large Format????????????

keithwms · May 18, 2008

Mamiya 6.

Okay but seriously, I have a 1903 wooden 5x7 field camera that ways next to nothing, it is scary light. It's actualy a problem if there is wind. At yosemite last year there were some times that I wished I had my rb- no bellows camera would have been suitable for the wind. But that's why I took a mamiya 6

Apart from that... convertible lenses are a cherished friend of may a landscaper. And if you do 4x5, quickloads and readyloads can save you lots of weight on the whole.

Nick Zentena · May 19, 2008

I guess my 8x10 with tripod and pack is into the 20 lbs range.

810FCL is fairly light [less then 9lbs I think]

My 300mm are fairly heavy so I tend to leave them at home. How I ended up with the three heaviest 300mm in history is beyond me. But my other lenses tend to be fairly light. For 8x10 I could manage with the 210mm Fuji and the 450mm Fuji.

For smaller formats I've got a few very light lenses. But 5x7 is only slightly less heavy then my 8x10/4x10. So the main gain is the lenses and lighter film holders.

david b · May 19, 2008

Lowepro Mini Trekker
Chamonix 4x5
Schneider 110SS
Schneider 210 APO Symmar
Pentax Digital Spotmeter
Fuji quick load holder
20 sheets Fuji Acros quick load film

Not very heavy

Vaughn · May 19, 2008

8x10 pack -- about 45 lbs plus another 15 for the pod/head. (4 lenses, 6 or so holders)

Vaughn

Struan Gray · May 19, 2008

4x5, 4 lenses, 36 sheets of film, plus bad weather and bivvi gear: 40 lbs or so.

I used to regard 60 lbs as a standard backpacking weight for anything "serious", so although I feel the 40 on my back, it doesn't stop me getting to where I want to go.

Early Riser · May 19, 2008

Having just had my gear weighed at the airport I can tell you exactly how much they weigh. The back pack is 45 pounds (20 kilos) the shoulder bag which contains the film and my laptop weighs another 23 pounds. Thats the air travel weight. Once in the field I combine and edit the contents and the back pack ends up weighing about 50 pounds and the shoulder bag is sometimes left behind in a safe place, if it can't be then it all comes with me in the field ( my hikes are getting shorter and shorter) The tripod, a gitzo 1500 series CF and an RRS ball head adds another 9.

I am keenly aware that carrying around all this mass influences my photography so I am considering a trip in which I only bring a lighter weight , smaller format system and seeing how the increased portability and speed in visually acquiring and framing an image alters my work. I also think the less intuitive nature of setting up a view camera and viewing the world upside makes me shoot larger scenes at the expense of the smaller ones. Still there's something about a bigger neg....

Jimmy Peguet · May 19, 2008

To reduce weight, easy : 8x10" Explorer, one not-too-heavy lens, 2-3 holders and the usual stuff, spotmeter, filters, darkcloth... Tripod carried by hand. With a light camera, I can use an Arca B1.

The Photobackpacker backpack weights about 10.5 kg in 8x10" with 2 holders, a bit more than 11 kg with 3 holders, without tripod. The 8x10" F64 bag was about 1.5 kg lighter, but the new Kelty is much more comfortable.

Tom Hoskinson · May 19, 2008

davetravis said:
I'm curious what you landscape photographers are carrying on your backs.
What did you do to reduce weight?
DT

This subject has been "around the block" several times at APUG

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

Here is my personal 8x10 kit:

Gregory G Pack 2.875 lb.
Pentax Spotmeter 1.1 lb.
300mm Apo Germinar lens in Copal Shutter 0.8 lb
110mm SA XLS lens 1.4 lb.
150mm SA XLS lens 2 lb
8x10 filmholder 1.3 lb
8x10 filmholder 1.3 lb
8x10 filmholder 1.3 lb
8x10 filmholder 1.3 lb
Blackjacket 0.4 lb.
Wehman 8x10 Field Camera 8.7 lb.
Gitzo Carbon Composite Tripod , Arca Swiss BallHead & Tripod bag 6 lb.
Total Weight 28.475 lb
minus 150mm lens 26.475 lb.
minus 110mm lens 25.075 lb.
__________________
Tom Hoskinson (73 yrs old and counting)
__________________
Tom Hoskinson

If I need to to reduce my pack weight, I leave some lenses at home. I also have the option of taking fewer or smaller film holders and a changing bag.

I also have a 4x5 Back and a 5x7 back for my Wehman.

Monophoto · May 19, 2008

LowePro Nature Trekker backpack -
Zone VI Lightweight
210mm f5.6 Caltar (Rodenstock)
90mm f8 Caltar (Schenider)
(7) holders
CD case with Cokin filters
Cokin filter holder
Plastic loupe
Adorama digital spotmeter
Tiiltall tripod
Dark cloth
miscellaneous small stuff

Totals about 26 pounds when I first put it on; feels like about 50 three hours later

2F/2F · May 19, 2008

I have never bothered to figure an exact weight for just the photo gear, but my usual weight for the staying alive gear plus the large format photo gear, plus a small format camera and a few lenses: about 60 lbs. It was more than that before I discovered Quickloads. Keep in mind it's a Sinar F1, which is not as light as some folding field cameras, and when I bother to go to all this trouble, I usually am staying away from "civilization" for a decent amount of time, although I may not cover all that much ground distance wise. If it is a day or two-day trip, it can of course be much lighter. Lenses are usually two of the following: 90, 121, 210, 240, 360. Usually the 121 and the 210, which I convert every now and then. This estimate is not very helpful, but I do know from experience the absolute best way to reduce weight: Fuji Quickloads. If you shoot something beside 4x5 you are SOL though. Also, if you are a fan of Polaroid Type 55 (which I am not, but I have tried several times for camping), you can pull them from the holder without developing. When I switched to Quickloads for color, the weight went down significantly. I do not camp enough to make it worth my while to switch to Fuji film for b/w, though, so I still shoot Ilford and Efke in holders. It is a heavy pack, but it has not become a burden yet. The average soldier's pack is heavier, although new technology makes things lighter all the time. Maybe in some years I will move to a better camera for this, but for now it is still worth it.

Robert Hall · May 19, 2008

I figure I am pretty much foolish for carrying so much gear around. I find I use my 355 g-claron, my 600 Nikon, and my 150 Schneider on the Canham 8x10 most of the time. So I purchased a Kelty backpack from Bruce and as an aside, the best damn backpack I have _ever_ worn, this has reduced my pack weight by almost 30%. Then carrying less glass had dropped it another 10lbs. I am looking for a smaller tripod, carbon fiber, and I usually carry between 6 to 10 film holders. I know I have cut 20lbs off my pack weight just this past week. So after this little trip to the Grand Canyon, I will be better in the know how this has changed things.

You really need to check out these new backpacks... www.photobackpacker.com (no promotional fees were paid )

David A. Goldfarb · May 19, 2008

To reduce weight, I carry a large format camera around.

Oh, the pack you mean? I've usually got about 25-35 lbs of stuff, depending on what configuration and format I'm using, but I've figured out how to reduce my 8x10" kit to about 18 lbs, if I want to go really light with the big camera. I use the 8x10" Gowland with a 12" rail for wide to normal lenses, a little Linhof Report tripod with no head and the camera's tripod block mounted directly to the tripod, Busch Vademecum set, Gossen Digisix, 3x3" gel filters and clip-on holder with barndoor shade, small notebook, 8x10" Original Black Jacket, and three wooden filmholders, all in a knapsack for laptop computers. If I think I'll be doing something that involves tilting the camera, I can add a 1 lb. Acratech Ballhead. This handles a lot of landscape and architecture situations. If I plan to use longer lenses or shoot closeups, though, I move to a larger tripod.

Bruce Watson · May 19, 2008

I use an Osprey Eclipse 42 pack (surely out of production by now) which weighs about 1.36 Kg. In this I carry a Toho FC-45x, five lenses chosen for small size and weight (the heaviest is a 110mm SS-XL that I can't bear to leave at home) in Gnass lens cases (2 of the "short" ones). Usually 8 standard film holders in ziplocks, a readyload holder, and 10 sheets of ready load film, Pentax digital spot meter, glasses, loupe, filters, etc.

All that, plus some nylon rope, a first aid kit, and up to 4 liters of water get me up to around 17.25 Kg. That's the maximum I carry and I've only done this a few times. Usually I'll trim it out some based on where I am and get it down to around 16 Kg.

Just don't forget the water. Ain't nothing sap your ability to photograph quite like thirst -- it's amazing how it will effect your judgment. And remember, every sip you take lightens your load so don't be afraid to take that drink when you need it. Bringing the water back to camp at night isn't doing you any good.

Your LF system pack weight

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