stevefitz Posted June 9, 2010 Share #1 Posted June 9, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm climbing Kilimanjaro in early August and have been designated group photographer...Just wondering if anyone on here has done it or something similar and how the Leica held up. It's about -20 at the summit and we are doing it over 8 days....So battery life to consider, which lense's to take, which Filters etc and probably a few other pitfalls I haven't thought off. I also have a Nixon D700 but think I'll leave this at home but don't know weather to take my M6. Do I need a tripod?? Thinking of maybe a monopod which can double as a walking stick , but a tripod would be nice for long late night exposures. Any thoughts and advice welcome and much appreciated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 9, 2010 Posted June 9, 2010 Hi stevefitz, Take a look here Kilimanjaro and my M8. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
parigby Posted June 9, 2010 Share #2 Posted June 9, 2010 I can't say l have any personal experience of this sort of thing, but a recent speaker at our camera club who had journeyed to Everest Base Camp ended up having to tape his batteries to his body in an effort to retain the charge in them. Good luck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 9, 2010 Share #3 Posted June 9, 2010 Climbing Kilimanjaro is hard, although you will have porters. Pare the kit down to a minimum. Take plenty of batteries, I'm not sure about recharging facilities in the huts. The cold, depending on the season, should not be too bad, except at night. As a matter of fact the mountain has lost a lot of its snow over the last few years. Just keep a battery in your pocket in case cold puts the one in the camera out of action. Filters - in theory Leica lenses are fully UV protected, but at that altitude - use UV filters and a Polfilter is essential imo. By all means take the M6. It would be madness not to have backup. As a tripod for long exposures take the Leica tabletop one with the smallest RRS ballhead. You can always find something to put it on or against and it can double as a chest tripod. Lighter and more versatile than a real tripod. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trs Posted June 10, 2010 Share #4 Posted June 10, 2010 Most people's M8 seems to be fine. But, mine does not work well at all in extreme cold. It looses battery fast (or it thinks it is loosing it fast). Having the experience of camera broking every time I don't have a backup (twice), I double Jaap's recommendation on taking a M6 for backup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdubois Posted June 10, 2010 Share #5 Posted June 10, 2010 Hi, I'd base my choice on my lens selection. I would very much want to have a lens with a f.o.v. equivalent to a 20mm on 35mm film as well as something in the normal range. Unless things have changed dramatically since 2001, there are no facilities to recharge a camera battery, or anything else, on Killi. I carried a Nikon F-100 with a 35-70 f:2.8 and a N8008s with a 20mm f:2.8 on the summit day. On the lower mountain I carried a bit more gear including a tripod, which I would highly recommend, as you can get some stunning landscapes and camp scenes when the sun is low. It is both windy and dusty on the upper mountain. Were I climbing her today, to avoid changing lenses, I'd take both of my M8 bodies with a 15mm on one and a 35mm on the other and all of the batteries I could afford. I might also consider a solar charger. I read a post somewhere about a Brunton 14 working well. While the M8 kit is more attractive from a weight and size perspective, If I only had one body and lens I'd probably take the D-700 with a wide zoom. The camera and pro lenses are weather sealed, the batteries last forever and the sensor cleaning may be a godsend. Regardless of which system I chose as my main camera, on a trip like that, a backup of some kind is for me a must. Best of luck on the climb and do post some shots when you get back. Regards, Bob . i Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstotler Posted June 10, 2010 Share #6 Posted June 10, 2010 As others have mentioned, based on the temperature of -20, your batteries will not last long and the M8 will become "chilled" quickly, which is very problematic. Here's a bit more detail on that from my direct experience: The M8 won't be damaged by the cold, but when the whole camera gets chilled at low temperatures, when you press the shutter button the rear red light will just blink at you and the M8 won't fire. Even when you put warm batteries in it. (Sometimes it will shoot off one image or two with the new battery, but then you're back to getting the blinking light.) When the camera warms up, it works fine. I shot repeatedly this past winter in temps just slightly warmer than you describe (between 10 and 0 degrees F, -12 to -17 C, *without* wind chill) and I recommend you keep the M8 next to your body and expose it to the cold *only* when shooting. Gaffer-taping a chemical handwarmer to the bottom plate of the camera to keep it warm is a must if you're going to have it exposed to the cold for any length of time. I did not do this personally, but in another thread last year this solution was reported to work well. You'd be doing this to keep the camera body/frame from chilling down. So, I guess my advice would be: (1) Keep the M8 near your body for warmth. Remove only for a shot or two then return it. (2) Use chemical handwarmers taped to the camera when planning to shoot with the M8 for any extended period of time (15 to 20 mins) to keep it from chilling down. You should probably take the M6 as a backup, also, but consult with Leica service to see if it should have cold-weather service performed on it before you leave. (I assume they still do this work.) I believe they remove lubricants from the camera so the camera doesn't freeze. Cheers--and enjoy your adventure! Will Here are two helpful threads regarding the cold: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/34334-m8-extreme-cold-weather.html http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/75837-m8-cold-weather.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dent Posted June 10, 2010 Share #7 Posted June 10, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello all! Within the last few years I was lucky to do several extended outdoor trips. First a two months tour into remote Nepal (carrying the D3). Second a two-months camping trip through Europe including high alpine regions (carrying the M8, M7) and recently a two months camping trip through New Zealand (again with the D3). In between some alpine adventures mostly packing the D3. Comparing the two systems as they work for me under adverse conditions: D3 (in this thread as substitude for a pro level SLR) - a no-brainer. Never had ANY issue with this machine. You just don´t have to care about it, just shoot. Battery lasting for more than two weeks, cold, hot, 6000+m altitude, permanent moisture, Your favourite supermarket plastic bag as only protection, falls, shocks, rain, handheld shots in near darkness, handheld HDR, fast, responsive like a race horse, spot on exposures, nice files. The perfect thing for expedition-like travelling. 5kg alltogether though. M8 - fun to use and all the nice things covered in detail on this forum, but NOT to be trusted as only camera on an extensive high altitude expedition. Battery power gets quickly critical under cold conditions. I had several shutter faults over 3500m. No weather sealing but still the kept up working after 2 months tent moisture and plenty of rain (still won´t trust it). Small form factor nice for climbing. Camera system as always kept in supermarket bags. Alltogether some but not much lighter than the Nikon system. I still like the option to just pack the M and two lenses to travel light on day trips from base camp. Also consider that many moments of dynamic camp life or on climbs want to be captured quickly and on the run. For me the M8 ist just to slow for this. You need LOTS and lots and lots of experiance (thousands of frames) actively shooting rangefinders or you better forget about capturing that decisive moment within action or dynamic social scenes. Yes I know: “zone focus” and “guestimate exposure with your guts” and all that.... Look through the galleries shot by us keen Leica M amateurs. Find much action there? Just pack the pro DSLR on this trip and be safe and happy. Jochen portfolio Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym911 Posted June 10, 2010 Share #8 Posted June 10, 2010 Agree with Dent My last trekking -climbing trip was much more fun with a 5D and 24-105 zoom then the previous one with M and several lenses. Mainly due to the AF speed for 'daily life' within the group and the 'no lens changes'. best andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 11, 2010 Share #9 Posted June 11, 2010 What I can simply emphasize is that in such environments one (expecially with a "official" assignement) MUST have a sane film backup camera; should I go to Kili... my old M4 with 35+90 would be surely in my bag (with a pair of rolls, of course). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 11, 2010 Share #10 Posted June 11, 2010 Look through the galleries shot by us keen Leica M amateurs. Find much action there? portfolio Umm- actually - yes.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redridge Posted June 12, 2010 Share #11 Posted June 12, 2010 The wife and I trekked Kili in 2001, it still had the glaciers back then..... The M8 will be fine before the summit. But on the last day, you will try to trekk up at 11:00pm and try to summit before full sunrise. On the summit, I would bring the DSLR (d700 is a good choice). The trekk up is hard and you need to muster every bit of energy. It is very cold up there and you will be wearing gloves..... Im not sure, but this might be an issue with focusing the M. With the DSLR you can keep the gloves on and will be easier for you to keep moving..... you will be very tired, but once you reach Gilmans Point.... it will be relatively flat as you trekk the last hour for the highest point, Uhuru (though I checked youtube and Uhuru was totally dry.... no ice).... you can relax and snap away at this point. An M8 for nice casual shots for the first 7 days..... on the summit, take the DSLR. If I had to bring one camera for this trip..... the M would be nice but this is a once in a lifetime thing.... I would bring a full frame DSLR with the 14-24 f2.8 and a small 50mm 1.4 AFS. The high ISO performance of the d700 would be sweet, so no tripod/monopod needed. If you can bring both cameras, that would be great.... Good luck. Something to think about on the way up...... the mountain chooses who is gonna summit.... Marathon runners in my group, didnt make it... but yet me and my wife made it and we are def not marathon runners.... altittude effects people differently. Take it slow and be humble... patience will pay off. BTW: If you have time for a safari, bring a 70-200 with a 1.7x coupler. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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