[lithedreamer]

So I got a free ticket at the last minute to go to Burning Man and I need to decide what gear I'm going to bring. My K-30, 360FGZII, 16-50 and 50-135 are all weather-sealed. I also have the Three Princesses but I'm concerned about dust, so they probably won't be joining me. I have a light tripod and light stand. I really like shooting with off-camera flash, but I'm not sure whether my Cactus transmitters (2 x V6) will weather the playa.

Then there's accessories: batteries, SD cards, sensor cleaning kit, lens pen, etc. Has anyone else been to Burning Man? I've reviewed the Photographer's guide, but it's far from a complete record. My photo club also has a star tracker I may be able to borrow.

[mattb123]

That sounds like a fun problem to solve!

As long as you have secure/sealed storage, why not bring anything you might need?

If it were me I'd go with those two sealed lenses for the majority of the time but I'd bring a few primes in case it's not as dusty as some years and a shot may call for it. I'd want a fisheye and maybe the DA15
If it is really dusty you would ideally want two bodies so you never have to change lenses there but if that isn't possible maybe in a sealed up car would work. Store your stuff in sealed bags or Tupperware when not in use.

Have fun!

[pres589]

To really blend in with the burners, shouldn't you just have a K1000, a fast 50, and maybe a 3rd party 24mm for wide stuff?

[MJSfoto1956]

So I got a free ticket at the last minute to go to Burning Man and I need to decide what gear I'm going to bring. My K-30, 360FGZII, 16-50 and 50-135 are all weather-sealed. I also have the Three Princesses but I'm concerned about dust, so they probably won't be joining me. I have a light tripod and light stand. I really like shooting with off-camera flash, but I'm not sure whether my Cactus transmitters (2 x V6) will weather the playa.

Then there's accessories: batteries, SD cards, sensor cleaning kit, lens pen, etc. Has anyone else been to Burning Man? I've reviewed the Photographer's guide, but it's far from a complete record. My photo club also has a star tracker I may be able to borrow.

bring sunscreen! :P

M

[bobbotron]

To really blend in with the burners, shouldn't you just have a K1000, a fast 50, and maybe a 3rd party 24mm for wide stuff?

This story checks out. You could run some slow speed film too - middle of the desert there'll be a ton of sun. Ektar 100, RPX 25 or Pan F+ 50?

[pres589]

Purposefully 3rd party with the 24, too, you don't want to look like you can't think outside the box a little. And maybe a monopod. That's it, no flashes, just keep it simple.

[mike.hiran]

Bring some colored gels for the flashes!!!

[Biff]

Given the opportunity and conditions I would strongly echo and recommend a second body. Never change lenses. As I'm sure you know, you can pick up a used K-5 or K30 at a good price, and you'll protect the cameras and lenses from the risk of changing lenses, and have a second body if one fails.

If you don't want to do that then I'd just take the body and 16-50.

[AquaDome]

K-30 and 18-55 WR should be sufficient. Lots of batteries and SD cards.
I would expect there to be lots of stuff going on at night.

[amoringello]

The DA* 16-50 may have issues "breathing" in super fine dust and moisture when zoomed over a period of time. (although moisture is probably not an issue out there :-) )

The DA* 50-135 won't have nearly the issues of the 16-50. It is internally zooming so there is no air suction through the barrel like there is with most other zooms. I've shot events in pouring rain for eight hours with this lens with no issues. Every other lens I have allows in moisture to varying degrees.

As mentioned, avoid swapping lenses if possible. If you can handle carrying two bodies, I'd take the 16-50 on one and the 50-135 on the other.

It might not be a bad idea to put a sock or bag around the barrel of the 16-50 as a first level of protection against the dust. (Although I am honestly guessing on that one and have no experience handling dust. I don't know how well either of those will really help). Super fine dust has to be more difficult to keep out than rain.
Any idea how people handle shooting the "color runs". I do know that dust ruins a lot of equipment.

Beyond that, lots of batteries and/or a good solar charger?

[eddaytona]

First of all, welcome home. You'll find out very soon what that means. Always happy to help out a Birgin.
The number one thing about Burning Man and cameras is the dust. It will get into everything. No matter what. If you are anal about your gear, or have some really expensive stuff you obsess over, forget it. Leave it home. Only bring what you are prepared to have ruined. Really. There is a haze of dust that never goes away even if the winds are calm, and that never happens.
This will be my 5th Burn. I take my K-5 with the 18-55 WR kit lens and 50-200 WR and a tripod, or better, a monopod. I bring my other gear too but have found that I don't use it much.
I also bring a Canon S120 pocket camera. This camera lives inside a zip lock bag in a pocket The K-5 kit has done really well for the past three trips. The Canon is OK, but it has the retractable zoom and eventually the dust will gum it up. I've been through three such cameras over time.
The advice about not changing lenses (much) is spot on. If you do, make sure the camera is upside down and you are not outside. Hopefully you'll do that in an RV.
You will find that daytime Burning Man is very different from nighttime Burning Man. I use my K-5 during the day and the Canon at night. This is because at night I want to move and dance and don't want to lug an DSLR around.
You want to bring extra charged up batteries. You are completely on your own at Burning Man. Finding power to recharge can be a problem.
Bring a number of memory cards. I lost a camera my first year and while losing it was a drag, what really mattered was what was on the card. Now I use a new card every other day. Memory cards are cheap memories are not.
Put your contact info on everything (including cameras and gear). Lost and found is awesome and if you label something they will return it to you if someone turns it in. Your first shot on every card should be of your contact info.
Look up Trey Ratcliff on Google. He is one of the preeminent Burner photographers and his site has good advice. He has done a photo walk every Tuesday evening for a number of years. Don't know if he will do one this year. Unfortunately, I have other commitments during that time but would love to go once. If he is doing it, go.
Always ask permission if you are taking photos of folks in close proximity. It's polite and the culture of the event.
Read the Survival Guide that comes with a ticket. The Black Rock Desert is trying to kill you. Really. No joke.
Finally, one of the 10 principles of Burning Man is "Immediacy." This may be a once on a life time experience and you really do not want to miss a transformative moment while you are busy with your camera gear.
Have a great Burn!

[eddaytona]

So... Did you go? How did you do? I found the Trey Ratcliff photo walk by accident. He held it on Wednesday this year. Started out between Center Camp and the Space Whale. Epic burn as usual. Temple burn was emotional and white hot. I volunteered at Playa info and a guy came in to report his missing Sony a7s and a bunch of lenses. He found it later but it bummed his burn for a while.
Let us know about your experience.

[lithedreamer]

Sorry for the delay in response!

I ended up getting sick part of the way through the week, but it was still a really powerful experience. I got to meet up with Trey for the photo walk and even gave him some spare SD cards for his gear. I'm still working through my photos in Lightroom, but the experiences that really stuck with me weren't ones I was able to capture: snuggling under 'soup flavoured blankets' in deep playa with camp mates; watching oceans of fire dance across the ceiling of an art installation; feeling the hurt and pain that people left in the temple, and sticking with a large group as we navigated a dust storm on the way to the Man burning.

[pepperberry farm]

was this you?


https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/09/this-is-your-well-our-camera-at-burning-man/

[eddaytona]

Sorry for the delay in response!

I ended up getting sick part of the way through the week, but it was still a really powerful experience. I got to meet up with Trey for the photo walk and even gave him some spare SD cards for his gear. I'm still working through my photos in Lightroom, but the experiences that really stuck with me weren't ones I was able to capture: snuggling under 'soup flavoured blankets' in deep playa with camp mates; watching oceans of fire dance across the ceiling of an art installation; feeling the hurt and pain that people left in the temple, and sticking with a large group as we navigated a dust storm on the way to the Man burning.

Hi Dreamer
So happy you had your mind blown at the Burn.Sorry about getting sick but it sounds like you had the burn you needed if not the one you wanted as they say. Attached find a photo that I took of Trey's photo walk. A total accident. Just happened to be in the back when he turned around, looked at me, and asked that I take a photo of the group. I was picking my wife up from volunteering at the coffee shop at the time so couldn't stay. Maybe you are in this photo? I throw up a bunch of photos of our camp (Black Hole Literary Society) as a gift to campers as soon as possible. Here is our 2016 album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eddaytona/albums/72157670545557174
Hope to see yours when you are ready.
Dusty Hugs
Ed

---------- Post added 09-16-16 at 06:07 PM ----------

was this you?


https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/09/this-is-your-well-our-camera-at-burning-man/

Naw, mine looked like that but as it is a K-5 on it's 4th Burn, I only needed to clean the sensor. It just keeps on going with no problems at all.