[nickthetasmaniac]

Hi everyone,

At the end of this year I'll be traveling in India for a month. I'm a 3rd year architecture student and this is essentially a uni trip; half being a study tour, looking at traditional, colonial, Modernist and modern architecture, the other half being a social housing project, working on architectural interventions in the slums.

The major assessment component is a mixed-media journal; made up of still photography, video, audio and sketch, which will be presented as a slide-show/movie night/gallery on return.

Basically, I'd just like advice on what to take? I've never travelled for this long with kit, and definitely not in this kind of environment...

I plan to shoot film and digital on a K-7 (shooting video as well) and MX, and these are the lenses available to me:

DA Ltd 35mm
DA* 16-50
DA* 50-135

Pentax-M 50/f1.7
Auto-Chinon 45/f2.8 (pancake)

I'm unsure about taking both DA*'s due to size, but don't really want to buy a super-zoom... I'm also looking at buying a wide-angle for the MX, but not sure if I should get something standard, ie. M 28/f2.8, or look at an ultra-wide (Vivitar 17/f3.5 or similar).

We'll be staying in decent hotels, so security isn't a huge issue, but we're traveling every day, so weight is...

Any advice? Also, can anyone recommend a good, affordable film? I'm after something that will help capture the color of India.

thanks

[lithos]

Trannies, my son.

Chrome! Reversal!

Slide, if you will. I'd say Ektachrome. Allright, so that's about twenty bucks a roll. If not, don't get Kodak's consumer slide film; get Fuji's Sensia (Fuji's got much better consumer film.)

Really, for place like India you need the solidity of slide. Neg just doesn't cut it; slide'll look like the tones in the photo were sculpted from blocks of acrylic (trust me, it's a good thing - the look, not that simile I used to describe it.) If you must, get a decent neg film - Portra or Reala.

And don't take the Chinon. The only reason I can think of having it when you're trying to save weight is novelty value. It's focal length's too close to that of the 50mm, so you're essentially wasting a lens "slot". And there's no way in any hell you care to choose from that it's got better IQ than the M f1.7. Plus, the M mightn't be a pancake, but it's definitely no bigger than a short stack.

No, I wouldn't bother with a super zoom for anything half-important, either. Those're aimed at people who think that lens release button's only there for qualified camera technicians.

You're doing architecture, and you don't have an ultrawide...? Get something at least 24mm in film.

And for the love of god, don't carry it all around in some ultra-specialised and ultra-obvious specific photo bag. If you can, put you gear in pelican cases, and then shove it in the oldest, roughest backpack you can find.

[nickthetasmaniac]

Thanks for the reply (informative and amusing).

I know, it's a disgrace I don't have a proper ultra-wide... My (poor) excuse is that I'm putting off buying one for digital until Pentax release something sealed. I bushwalk a lot and 80% of my photography is landscape in shitty Tasmanian weather, so sealing is a must.

That said, I think a manual wide angle (somewhere between 17mm - 24mm) will be my one lens purchase for this trip. I'm happy to restrict my ultra-wide to film

Thanks for the advice on film; everyone has said slide is the way to go so i guess that's the way i'll go.

Any thoughts on the DA 35mm? I simply love this lens, but we'll be on the move a lot so zooms will be much more practical, and i'm not sure I can justify taking three digi lenses...

[lithos]

Thanks for the reply (informative and amusing).

I seek to inform and amuse. Getting the ratio right's a bastard, though.

Any thoughts on the DA 35mm? I simply love this lens, but we'll be on the move a lot so zooms will be much more practical, and i'm not sure I can justify taking three digi lenses...

Dunno...you gonna be doing a lot of macro? I can't imagine you'd be wanting to photograph the Taj Mahal at 1:1 reproduction.

You could probably replace the Chinon with the DA 35; for practical purposes, they're about the same size, right?

Still, you NEED something on the wide end. Tokina's got an AF full-frame 19-35mm f3.5-4.5 out that's meant to be not awful stopped down: Madsens has it for $417. You can whack it on your digi, too. There's a similarly-ranged Tamron there that's a stop faster for $961 as well.

Remember, cropping a too-wide photo's a lot easier than doing a panorama.

At any rate, have a scallop pie for me before you go. No, really, you'll have to - I'm allergic to shellfish.

[krypticide]

The DA*s will be handy for the dust and dirt. I hear India is pretty dirty...and can be quite humid, depending on where you go.

[johnmflores]

I just came back from 3 weeks in Italy. I have a minor in Architecture (many moons ago), so a lot of my subjects where buildings and such. I had the K20d, 10-17 fisheye zoom and 3 Limited primes - 21, 35, and 70. It worked out well - the 21 and 70 primes got the most use capturing facades and architectural details, followed closely by the 35. The 10-17 rarely came out, but helped in a pinch - 10 fishy when I was playing and 15-17 rectilinear when I was more serious.

Were I to do it again, I'd strongly consider just bringing the 16-50/2.8 and the 70 or slightly longer prime. A longer prime would have to fast though - the 70 was just fast enough to take interior details of the Vatican @ 1600 ISO. And the 16 would be wide enough for 90% of my wide needs (I'd stitch panoramas for the other 10%). And with just those two lenses, I might not even need a camera bag - just a couple of lens wraps and some padding at the bottom of a messenger bag. I'm going to Poland in Oct on a motorcycle assignment and am seriously considering this combination, unless LBA takes over and I spring for a DA* 50-135/2.8...

Hope this helps.

[Kerrowdown]

I ought to mention here some essential kit not yet discussed.............................

A supply of stomach bug cures, as you wont photogragh a thing when confined to the small room.

[nickthetasmaniac]

I ought to mention here some essential kit not yet discussed.............................

A supply of stomach bug cures, as you wont photogragh a thing when confined to the small room.

hmmm i start an immunisation program in a couple of weeks

[StevenVH]

What's the point of shooting film? Is it required for some strange reason?
If you eliminate the film gear (and expense) you'll have room and $$ for a complete kit.
I'd take the DA* zooms because they cover practically all possible situations and add an ultrawide (DA 14, 15 or 12-24). Since I have them and prefer MF and the IQ of fixed lenses, when practical, I'd fill my pockets with with a couple small, prime lenses. To the DA*/ultrawide kit I'd at least add a fast fifty and a fast tele (70/77ltd or even an A 100/2.8)
for the IQ and low-light abilities.
Also I'd consider a cheap backup body (Km/K200D) just in case.

GL

[StevenVH]

Oh yeah, I travel for work (just spent 3 months working with a couple Tasmaniacs actually) and we ship gear worldwide and work in a variety of environmental and social climates. Needless to say maybe, but a serious shipping case(s) is essential and, as lithos says, non-descript camera bags are highly recommended.

cheers

[nickthetasmaniac]

What's the point of shooting film? Is it required for some strange reason?
I like it... No other reason at all
If you eliminate the film gear (and expense) you'll have room and $$ for a complete kit.
I already have the film gear (except for a wide-angle) so there isn't much additional expense, and an MX and a couple of 'M' primes hardly take up any room.
I'd take the DA* zooms because they cover practically all possible situations and add an ultrawide (DA 14, 15 or 12-24). Since I have them and prefer MF and the IQ of fixed lenses, when practical, I'd fill my pockets with with a couple small, prime lenses.
I've been seriously considering both the DA 12-24 and DA 15 Ltd. If i do get one of them, I'll probably take that, the DA 35mm and the DA* 50-135, and leave the 16-50 at home. The majority of my shooting with the 16-50 is between 16mm and 30mm, so something like the 12-24 would probably be more useful.
To the DA*/ultrawide kit I'd at least add a fast fifty and a fast tele (70/77ltd or even an A 100/2.8) for the IQ and low-light abilities.
Also I'd consider a cheap backup body (Km/K200D) just in case.

GL

Regardless of the India trip, a wide-angle would be great for the photography I do, so I can justify spending the money. On the other hand, I don't do much portraiture and already have a macro lens (admittedly a short one) so while it would be great having the 70/77 Ltd and 100/f2.8, they aren't priorities at the moment.

At the moment this is what I'm thinking:

Digital, with the K-7;
DA* 16-50 and DA* 50-135
or
DA 12-24/DA 15 Ltd (either or), DA 35mm Ltd and DA* 50-135

Film;
MX, 28/f2.8 and 50/f1.7

Thanks for the advice on camera bags. Quite a few people have mentioned that now so I think I'll probably make sure everything's nicely padded and go without...

[madhurvyas]

If you are interested in wild life get one 300mm also.
in India you can shoot everything you can think of, High peaks, beaches, wild life, culture, palace, architecture, nature, landscapes. people, desert, deltas &....... many more.
If you come to India come prepared with whatever you can get, you can make use of every lens you have.