The M8 Goes to Belize and Guatemala!

[Double Negative]

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From the 26th of December 2009 to the 4th of January this year, the wife and I went to Belize and Guatemala for ten days... I took the M8 and a couple of lenses:

 

4/18 Distagon ZM

2,8/25 Biogon ZM

1,2/35 Nokton

1,5/50 Sonnar ZM

2,8/90 Elmarit-M

 

Starting in New York, connecting in Charlotte, then in Belize City and finally off to Ambergris Caye for five days. This time was spent mostly relaxing, eating and drinking. Not necessarily in that order... Then the next four days up in the Cayo district, inland, in the jungle. One day was spent trekking into Guatemala to see the ruins of Tik'al. This part of the trip was constant activity and the options were limitless. On the last day, on the way back to the airport we stopped at the Belize Zoo. The flight back to the states was a horror show, especially at Atlanta, GA. NEVER again. Direct flight via Newark/Belize City only in the future for us.

 

The M8 and all the lenses held up perfectly. From hot, salty, windy conditions at the beach to the cooler, humid and relatively still air of the jungle. Even a few brief rain showers throughout. The M8 was mostly naked over my shoulder with whatever lens I had mounted. It survived many a blurry evening racing along in an open golf cart on heavily speed-bumped and potholed roads. Trekking to, around, into and on top of Maya ruins. Never once did I have an issue with any of the gear. Once I got home I wiped everything down, and it looks just fine.

 

I used the 2,8/25 Biogon ZM the most. It's easily my favorite lens. Stopped down to f/5.6 on average at ISO 160 - it was in the sweet spot and offered tremendous DoF. Unfortunately, most of the time I was rushed in taking pictures since I wasn't alone and often part of a small tour group (4-6 people). Requiring nothing more than a small bump on the focus or exposure, it was essentially a P&S. The images of this combo are breathtaking... Ridiculously sharp. I love this lens. Many photos might appear oversharpened; in fact I applied very little USM after resizing (60/0.3/0). The sheer amount of textures and contrast are well represented! I anticipate making many large prints.

 

Next up, is the 1,2/35 Nokton. This lens is a bit large for an "out and about" lens, but at night - and even during the day - delivers great photos. Really makes shooting the M8 at lower ISOs when the lighting drops easy enough, to keep noise down. I used it at Cahal Pech when I could spend a little more time for those "arty shots" and evenings in Ambergris Caye.

 

As for the rest of the lenses, I used the 1,5/50 Sonnar ZM at the Belize Zoo, though in retrospect I might have used the 2,8/90 Elmarit-M more next time. I used the latter and the 4/18 Distagon only rarely when the situation called for them. I could have done without, honestly.

 

I brought along a Canon G9 as a backup and for those macro/tele/flash shots. I only used it inside of Barton Creek Cave. Naturally, like an idiot - I forgot to change settings and dragged the shutter. So much for automation, right?

 

I've posted about 265 photos (so far) and can be seen in my Belize and Guatemala gallery. Here's a teaser:

 

[GarethC]

A great trip, I wernt to Tikal and Ambergris Caye about 20 years ago and remember it fondly, my hotel on Ambergris Caye was $10 Belize, I thnk about $5 US at the time.

 

I have to ask, did you manage to get out of AC into the humidity of the jungle and have a fogged up lens? I tried dryin gclothes in the non AC hotel at Tikal and they stayed wet for 2 days

 

Great shots, pity the sky didn't co-operate in Tikal. Loved the vibrant Belize shots.

[Double Negative]

A great trip, I wernt to Tikal and Ambergris Caye about 20 years ago and remember it fondly, my hotel on Ambergris Caye was $10 Belize, I thnk about $5 US at the time.

 

I have to ask, did you manage to get out of AC into the humidity of the jungle and have a fogged up lens? I tried dryin gclothes in the non AC hotel at Tikal and they stayed wet for 2 days

 

Great shots, pity the sky didn't co-operate in Tikal. Loved the vibrant Belize shots.

 

Ahh, much has changed since then! The population and size of San Pedro essentially tripled in that time. While the exchange rate is still $1USD -> $2BD, things have gotten a little more expensive since Belize is coming up on the radar a lot more these days. Still though, very economical - especially inland.

 

Quite honestly, I never used the A/C except on Ambergris Caye on the really sunny days, even at night. With the sea breeze whipping, it was very comfortable. Even up in the jungle, I never fired up the A/C - just an oscillating fan. I did feel like I was damp the whole time I was there, heh.

 

I never did anything special to protect the M8 or lenses, other than cover it up during one particularly heavy rain shower. It did get rained on a good bit at times though. Never missed a beat, nothing fogged and I never even cleaned a lens. Just wiped the windows occasionally (mostly from my own fingerprints!).

 

Indeed, I wish the skies were a bit bluer this time around, but other than the first few days at Ambergris Caye, the rest of the time it was essentially overcast. A couple of days of serious showers in the evenings. Got lucky at the sites. But it was so bad before our arrival in the mountains that ATM and Barton Creek Cave were closed for two days.

 

I'd do it all over again - and more - in a heartbeat.

 

Thank you for your comments!

[Double Negative]

I forgot to mention... The dynamic range of the M8 was a real pleasure. From the darkest shade areas in the jungle to the whited-out, overcast sky - it's all there. In some tricky, high-contrast shots - a little fiddling during DNG import brought everything right into line. A little recovery, a little fill light - followed by a slight bump in midtones and more S-curving for contrast is all I had to do on even the most extreme shots.