Hello everyone!

 

I am going to study abroad in about a year and before my semester and after, I am planning to travel through SouthEast Asia (Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, maybe Japan will be a part of the tour aswell).

 

I am beginning to save up - and I am prioritising camera gear but which kind of gear should I buy?

The plans is that I want to keep taking pictures afterwards on my travels, because I hope to travel when I am finished with my engineering education as a part of the job.

 

I have two thoughts atm:

1:

Canon 5d Mark iii (because the Mark IV is coming this year the price on the iii will be lower next year or this fall).

Canon 24-70 2.8L II USM

and a 50 mm prime of some sort, maybe the Canon 50mm 1.4 USM.

 

^^ That should be okay I think for the street, landscape, structural and maybe some atmosphere pictures - and ofc some standard sitting in the restaurant eating weird food kinda pictures. :)

 

2:

Some kind of light Canon with interchangeable lenses (mirrorless or whatever).

 

^^ For the lightweight and easy transport value. Have no idea which kind of gear though.

 

My old camera house broke - so I have some L lenses lying around without a functional house so that is yet another reason for the DSLR thought.

 

I want some great pictures obviously and I know that the equipment is like 10% of a good photo.

What would you recommend for great quality pictures for a traveling where the nature and atmosphere is unbelievable but also for the standard restaurant, school, friends at the park situations?

 

EDIT::: Good low light noise handling would be an asset I believe to be covered all around...

 

Thanks for your responses guys :) Hopefully there is another published photo coming from this trip :D

 

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Hi Kenneth

 

I recommend taking a Sony A7r II Will give you the best quality and it is small.

 

Regarding lenses is all up to what kind of images you shoot. I tend to go for fixed focal length for minimum size but the system has great zooms. btw if you worry about quality, both Fabs and I, sold all our Leica equipment (M240s & Monochroms) when the A7 II came out. We didn't think the A7r was any better but the ... II all of them, better all around.

 

Regarding lenses, we did use the Leica lenses for a while but started seeing the Sony/Zeiss bing as good. I can recommend all the Sony Zeiss with the exception of the 24-70 f/ 4.0 .. it is not a sharp lens, we had one and went back right away. Since, a new 24-70 f 2.8 has come out and it is superb, have one and like it. btw this is not a Sony/Zeiss but a Sony G.

 

The other lenses we use, believe all are Zeiss except the 28mm being a Sony which not exceptional but can't complain with the price. 55 1.8, 35 2.8, 16-35 4.0 and will be getting the new Batis 18 2.8 They also have some Zeiss manual focus lenses which we don't have any.

 

Regarding the bodies, will be either the A7 II or A7r II The A7s II or even the plain s (identical except does not record internal 4k and a few other features) has the same quality. The one we gave up the Leicas for was the A7 II, also have the A7 r II which is better, 42MP vs 24MP and better performing in low light.

 

For the price difference, it is a tough decision, almost twice the price but slightly better. You best bet before spending a penny is to rent one. Keep it for a week and then decide what you want to do. Seeing is believing. Can't imagine towing around a Dslr. Oh, almost forgot, with the Metabones adapter Mk IV you can use your Canon Lenses with full exif data recording, functions etc. The lenses are just bigger/bulkier for the most part. Only have one Canon lens 24 tilt/shit. For renting can use Lens Rentals.

 

If you were wondering about negative points for the Sony, there is one and a big one. Repair !!! We had one of the A7 II go down in Iceland, Fabs fell in the water at the beach, got caught with a fave ! Huge one came in and soaked her, she was fine but not the camera (nothing unusual) weather sealing would not have help. Went to Sony and it has been a few months.

 

Apparently (close to 100% certain) Sony does no do the repairs, is sent to a center to do for them. My answer to this problem .... with the A7 II you can afford to have a spare and even replace if needed. He have thousands of images without a problem other than the dunking in freezing salt water.

 

Anything else will be glad to answer ... btw regarding ISO, we don't even clean until after 3200 and will not hesitate to go as high as 64,000 for keepers if there is no choice, will need noise reduction and the image can't be overall very dark, mainly shadows !

 

al

Moderator

Hi Kenneth,

 

I'll write about you choice #1 only. Some may say that this choice is too bulky but I did take many street and travel pictures with a similar setup, maybe in safer places. I have exactly the same lens as my main lens in general but I actually regret that I did not buy Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM for that purpose. Yes, it's not 2.8 (and I do use it for portraits) and not as wide-angled (for those sweeping panoramas) but having extra zoom for the only telephoto lens you plan on your travels might be more important. But, of course, depends on your priorities.

 

Anna

Hi Kenneth,

I have traveled to SE Asia a few times and always traveled light. In the cities you can expect cramped conditions for street photography.

For street photography I used an Olympus Stylus Epic clam shell camera loaded with Kodak T-Max 100 or T-Max 400. It is very small, has a very goo 35/2.8 lens and fast to use and will not be noticed. There are other similar cameras that would fit the bill. I did not have any issues getting film hand checked at airports in Asia.

For all other photos(including from taxis, pedicabs and cyclos) I used a Canon T2i and Canon 60D with a Canon 17-40mmL/4, 50mm Macro/2.5(great sharp lens), 50mm/1.8 and 35mm/2. That is all the gear I took.

I never carried it all at the same time. I would only take what I needed for that days shooting and leave the rest in my hotel where it could not be easily seen. I never had anything stolen.

I have had cameras and billfolds returned to me that I left behind in hotels.

YOU WILL REGRET TAKING TOO MUCH GEAR INTO THE HEAT OF SE ASIA.

Good luck!

Al

 

Hi Kenneth

 

I know mine may be a contrary opinion, but I have travelled across most of those countries several times, mostly arranging trips around my work schedule in the region. I did different trips with different equipment, sometimes a shirt-pocket sized Canon compact, sometimes a Nikon D90 and only one lens, and sometimes a D800 with a pretty complete collection of lenses. If this is a long trip in a lot of different environments I suggest that you want to be prepared for all your photo opportunities, especially if this may be a once in a lifetime trip. Just because you bring a lot of stuff with you does not mean that you have to carry everything on every outing!

 

I think that just about any recent vintage camera with good high ISO performance would be satisfactory - whatever is your favorite camera - but I would also suggest a very good quality shirt-pocket or jacket-pocket compact for those times when you don't want to carry anything you have to fuss with. I think that would be your best option for street photos too. If you are comfortable with just your phone in those situations, fine, but I always preferred more control and the ability to shoot raw.

 

I think your lens selection is more important than your camera brand. Of course, the faster the better, but for me trading off aperture for weight was a good trade-off in most circumstances. You can save a lot of weight going f4 instead of faster. For me, the backbone of my most useful kit was a decent quality 24-120 f4 zoom. That one lens covered most photo opportunities I ran into, and it was fast enough. My second priority was wide. 24 was frustratingly not wide enough especially for indoor scenes, and I found my 16-35 f4 was wide enough for just about anything. Not always as fast as I wanted but much lighter than a decent fast lens in the same range. My third priority was a small fast prime for night shots and really low light. I chose a 50mm 1.8, but you may want a 35mm or an f1.4 lens - whatever you think would fit your shooting preferences. If you still feel you can carry more, you will find a light weight variable aperture longer zoom (like 70-300) to be a very welcome addition to your kit. On top of all that, a tripod is very nice to have especially for night shooting. I used a Joby for a while, but finally sucked it up and brought along a very light Sirui that fit into my small backpack with the ball head mounted. Everything I carried fit in a single small daypack, including batteries, chargers, cards, and a remote release, and I could carry it all on the plane.

 

For me the most important thing is to have satisfactory gear for nearly any outing, whether it is hiking through the countryside, exploring the temples, or seeing the cities in low light. Most of the hotels I stayed in had safes and I would just leave behind anything I felt I didn't need for an outing. I carried a flash on a couple of trips but hardly ever used it, so it wasn't worth the weight and space it took up especially with batteries and the charger. I just made do with the pop-up flash when I needed fill. You may make a different decision depending on what you want to shoot.

 

So, to recap, my suggestion would be to bring to Asia the most complete kit that matches your shooting style and that fits in a single carry-on/backpack, and for any given outing just bring the kit you need for that particular outing.

 

Whatever you bring, it should be a fabulous trip.

 

Paul C

Wuaw that is some great responses ! :) And fast !

 

Alfred Forns:

I see what you are getting at here and the Sony A7 looks nice... I think I have to go to a shop and feel how much weight difference the 5Diii and the A7 have - because I believe if I go with that kind of camera, it is still too big for my pocket so I have to have it around my neck no matter what :) Thanks for the very detailed answer :)

 

Anna Golitsyna:

I was actually thinking about the 24-105mm F4L but is it sharp enough? Haven't tried it... I was thinking about having the 24-70mm and a 70-200mm, but again that would increase the weight for specific trips.

 

Al Pakulat:

Analog film shooting isn't exactly my style :) Though it has its charms.

 

"YOU WILL REGRET TAKING TOO MUCH GEAR INTO THE HEAT OF SE ASIA"

^^ I am worried about this aswell ...

 

Paul Cunningham:

Thanks for the very detailed advice. You are talking about a small backpack - how small did you use? :)

 

A little daypack I got at LL Bean. It's called a "Stowaway". They don't make the same one any more, but they (and others) make a similar one. It folds up into it's own side pocket, but it's just as easy to roll it up and stick it in a bigger bag if you want. No partitions, no back padding, almost no weight. Good enough for the purpose I used it for. Believe it or not, it holds my 4 lens kit, my camera and my tripod - with room left over for batteries, a polarizer and a few smaller items. I seldom carried everything when I was out hiking around, though, and when I was photographing, I kept the camera out rather than in the backpack, so I had room for a raincoat - a necessary item. Worked out well for me

My long travels to USA, Southeast Asia, Australia, NZ and South America were all in the "film days" with Minolta XG-M and 35-70mm and 75-200mm zooms. Today, I would take my Nikon D750 (comparably small and light) with 16-35mm f/4, 50mm f/1.8 and the 70-200mm f/4, all put into a Lowepro Slingshot 100 (today it's the 102 I think). This small bag requires to leave the 70-200 zoom on the body when not shooting, so the models one or two sizes bigger would add some comfort.

Well thanks for all of the help guys..

 

I open up this thread again because my question is connected to my original post.

Let us say that I am going with option #1 and I have a 70-200 F4L - and a Sigma 35/1.4 art instead of the 50/1.4 - would you go 24-105 or 24-70 ?

 

The reason why I think I am going for the #1 is that the only Mirrorless I think is interesting is the Sony A7r II, and the whole platform change is going to be too expensive.

I know that prime lenses are less expensive, sharper, lighter and smaller, but I think you will regret being restricted to 50 mm. I would suggest that a quality zoom in the 24-70 mm range is a better choice.

 

Norm

 

Hey Norman :)

 

Thanks for the reply. I am going with the 70-200 F4L and the 35/1.4 art anyway. I just need the 24-x lens, and I can't figure out which of the lenses I should go for. 24-70 or 24-105.

 

I like the range of the 24-105, but the f2.8 on the 24-70 is soo freaking delish together with the insane sharpness... Would you still recommend the 24-70 over the 24-105 ?

 

Regards

Kenneth

All lenses are compromises. Zoom lens are bigger compromises than prime, and the longer the zoom, the bigger the compromise. I carried both a 24-70 and 70-200 with me this summer and used the 24-70 about 90% of the time. I would love a great 24-105 but haven't found one I like. I think next summer I will carry the 24-70 and a high end 1.4x telephoto extender.

Looking at the compatibility chart the 1.4x extension apparently is not compatible with the 24-70.

 

Okay .. What is it that you do not like about the 24-105?

 

Kenneth ...

 

As I said earlier all lenses are compromises. I am willing to accept the higher cost, higher weight (size), lower zoom range for a faster, sharper lens. You have lots of time and I would suggest you rent or borrow one and test it out. If it fits your needs, then it's is the right lens for you. I will be the first to admit that carrying around two big, heavy lenses is a pain!

 

Thanks again Norman :)

 

I will try it all out :)