What to take to India

[Deliberate1]

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Friends, my wife and I will be touring India in April for three weeks. It is our first time in that part of the world. I have travelled fairly extensively in the Middle East and have always shlepped about 25 pounds of Rollei 6008i MF gear. That gets left home this time.

I will be taking my new M9. Lens stable incldes the 50mm Summicron and 90mm Elmarit M. I am looking for a 35mm lens to round out the kit. All of this will fit nicely in my Lowe Slingshot 102 bag. I have extensively used the larger version of this bag which I dearly love. It has a single, diagonal strap which permits the bag to sit as a conventional backpack. To access the contents, you swing the bag around to the front. It sits horizontally across your chest. Both hands are then free to unzip and grab what you need. This smallest of the Slingshot system is still big enough for the M9 body with the 50mm or 35mm mounted and the 90mm segregated.

I will pick up a backup battery and am considering a mono pod vs. full size tripod.

I would particularly appreciate suggestions for image storage management. I thought I would bring several small cards, 8gb or less. Rather than transfering the images and then reusing the card, I would just leave the images on them and move to a fresh card. But I would like to have a portable hard drive to dump all the images onto for redundency. Suggestions for a small, reliable device would be appreciated.

I look forward to any addtional suggestion, particularly from those that have made this journey before. It will be hot -80's to 90's. Dusty - I am not sure.

I am so looking forward to leaving the Rollei beast at home, all with the knowledge that the images from the M9 will be of equal quality without the investment of sweat equity.

Many thanks in advance.

David

 

PS: Are there any particular courtesies for picture taking in this part of the world? The camera should respect.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

Congratulations on your trip. I'm already jealous. I too, have the slingshot. It's an excellent bag. I even manage to get an iPad in the as well at a pinch.

 

For storage devices you have choices. For portability then a media storage device is a good choice. I use the Hyperdrive for iPad. It's fast small and simple to use. I also copy "keepers" to my iPad. You could put in a SSD instead of a regular drive for increased durability, but I haven't had a regular drive fail yet on my travels. Another alternative is a netbook. The advantage is that it does double duty for emails, web browsing etc. personally, they've always frustrated me with the compromised keyboards and slow processors. Plus I tend to not want to be carrying a computer with me when I travel. I only really take the iPad for books, magazines and movies when I travel and it doubles up as my "laptop". A step up from a netbook would be a MacBook Air. This would be close to ideal as a traveling laptop.

 

If one of your traveling companions has a computer you could just take a portable hard drive and a card reader.

 

For the tripod/monopod, have a look at the newer tripods that allow a leg to be removed and used as a monopod. I recently picked up a Suiri carbon fibre model and it's perfect for travel with the M9. Most of the time I just have the monopod with me but can have a tripod for night shooting etc.

 

Gordon

[Olsen]

My wife and I are going on a cruise in January/February 2012 from Southampton to Singapore. We will be visiting three places in India. This time there will not be any time for dedicated bird photography, my usual past time. So, I will not bring my Canon 1Ds III, but my M9 with two lenses: WATE and 35 mm 2,0 Cron. Or possibly only the Cron. I will bring an extra battery and an Epson P5000 for backup. I have a 32GB card that, most likely, will be enough storage capacity for the whole trip. Small and simple.

 

Each of us will have a suitcase and a small 'Bergans' for city tours, - and as hand luggage on the flight back home. I have several and have not decided yet on which one to bring along.

[viramati]

All I would is that I wouldn't rely just on a 32gb card. I would to prefer to have 3-4 8gb as if the 32 gb gets lost or stolen or get corrupted then you have lost everything. I treat the smaller cards a bit like film you can fill them up and then store them somewhere safe

[Dannybuoy]

Forget what gear to take. Pack some imodium... ;-)

[StephenPatterson]

I will pick up a backup battery and am considering a mono pod vs. full size tripod.

 

For a trip to India I agree you need more than 1 battery, but I think you should definitely consider buying a 2nd battery charger to take with you. While these chargers are fairly reliable they do occasionally fail, and unlike SD cards you cannot easily pick up a spare Leica Battery Charger in India.

 

My choice would not be a mono pod, but a full size tripod (room permitting), or a table top size tripod which could either be free standing or used for stability against a wall. Or of course you can always just go "au natural".

 

Sounds like an amazing adventure awaits!!!! I look forward to seeing your photos.

 

Stephen

[Deliberate1]

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Thanks all for the suggestions. I have been looking on Newegg for portable hard drives. It is amazing how much storage fits into such a small device for so little. Several small cards for direct storage. Extra battery and may be the extra charger. All good. And maybe a little room for the Imodium - perish the thought.

David

[Jeff S]

I use and like the Colorspace UDMA .

 

Here is an old LL review.

 

Jeff

[NZDavid]

Several cards store an amazing amount of images -- several hundred films worth! But portable HDs are very small and light.

 

Check you have the right plugs and adaptors: Electricity around the world: everything about plugs, sockets, voltages, converters, etc.

 

Camera bag sounds good. Walking around I just use a leather waist pouch with a couple of extra lenses (and a cleaning cloth and mini notebook) and main camera around my neck.

 

I always try to travel light. Some of my favorite bags at Red Oxx - Quality Soft Sided Luggage for your Spirit of Adventure.

 

And do see Stephen's tripod thread with loads of advice on this perennial question: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/customer-forum/208797-help-please-tripod-recommendations.html

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello David,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

A 35 a 50 & a 90 make for a very versatile outfit. You might even consider leaving the 50 @ home because w/ a little thought a 35 & a 90 can be used in a manner that overlaps a substantial portion of what a 50 is traditionally used for. Sometimes the freeedom of having less & using your abilities to improvise & adapt gives you more.

 

I would agree w/ Stephen's 2d choice of tripods. A small solid table tripod w/ non-marking slippered feet, large ball head & cable release is a very compact & yet still versatile addition. You can take it mostly everwhere w/ very little bother. Inside a doorway, against a tree, a wall, a rock, etc, or even on a table. It provides a solid base. As it does against or on a car w/ the engine turned off. You will be pleasantly surprised @ how a little thought on your part will discover a large heretofore unnoticed bounty of places to position it. Against my chest it gives me 2 stops.

 

It is sometimes permitted where full sized tripods & monopods are not. It can make a picture possible where flash is not permitted or is not desirable.

 

Always remember: Dust is your enemy.

 

Back in the day when there used to be this stuff called film some photographers would take a lot of smaller rolls of film instead of fewer longer rolls. The reasoning was: If something happened to 1 of the shorter rolls that still left a lot of the others w/ valuable pictures. If instead there were a smaller # of longer exposure rolls & something happened to 1 of them that could mean the loss of a substantial portion of everything that had been done. This may also be a relevant consideration when using digital.

 

Enjoy your trip. The 2 of you will remember it forever. May it be the next step in your ever expanding & ever happier World.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[Deliberate1]

I use and like the Colorspace UDMA .

 

Here

is an old LL review.

 

Jeff

 

That is very cool. First on my list for storage device. Thanks

[Olsen]

All I would is that I wouldn't rely just on a 32gb card. I would to prefer to have 3-4 8gb as if the 32 gb gets lost or stolen or get corrupted then you have lost everything. I treat the smaller cards a bit like film you can fill them up and then store them somewhere safe

 

David,

 

That is a good point. The 32GB card has the capacity to store all the pictures I might take. Even more. I have the Epson P5000 as back up, but will bring along a few 8GB cards as technical backups..

[mwilliamsphotography]

I'd never do a trip of a lifetime without a back-up camera to a M9. A Sony NEX5 or 5N with a M mount adapter would do the trick ... get it with their little 16mm pancake lens and you have a nice W/A @ about a 24mm FOV.

 

This is tiny and so is the charger for it ... is light weight and takes up very little space. Wife's purse makes a nice home for it : -)

 

Cards: this is an on-going debate as to capacity. Many cards or a couple larger ones? The analogy to film isn't exactly the same ... you couldn't run Rescue Pro software on film. When I travel or am shooting something that can't be repeated, I shoot to a 16 gig card, download to LR at night and select the option to back-it-up to a separate hard-drive.

 

My suggestion for a hard-drive is the Lacie Rugged Mini ... 3.4" X 5.3" x 0.75". 500GB, 5400RPM for $89 ... or 7200RPM for $129. This drive takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

 

Have a GREAT trip!

 

-Marc

[vanhulsenbeek]

Forget what gear to take. Pack some imodium... ;-)

 

Rather not; let nature take its course. But do pack some ORS, Oral Rehydration Salts, and use in accordance with the insert. Plus: never drink water that did not come from a closed bottle.

 

For storage: an Macbook Air, or a small Win netbook, plus one or two small usb harddrives is the way to go. Then you can also send some pics home, whenever there is wifi; and that is everywhere!

[lanetomlane]

I would think again about the 32gig card. Personally I only use 2 and 4gig (lots of them) in case the card fails or I lose one. That way I don't lose all my images. Just a thought.

Whatever you decide, enjoy the trip. I'm going to India on the 3 Jan but unfortunately for business.

______________________

Regards, Tom

[Deliberate1]

Friends, thanks for all the good suggestions.and well-wishes. I hope to get at least a couple images worthy of posting.

David

[algrove]

Maybe it was mentioned, but also consider an SSD backup which can be put into a thin holder like the ones that OWC markets for them, they call "pocket sized". I have an 480 SSD in one of these enclosures that weighs just 4.7 oz. and measures 1/2" thick and 3"W x5.25"L.

 

I do also like the idea of some extra thumb drives. I try to keep the original images on my SD cards when at all possible and then also copy to two, yes 2, external backup drives. I get the 1TB drives since that suffices for very long trips or trips that get the juices flowing excessively.

 

Lately, I use one TB drive and an SSD drive for backup redundancy. I have mentioned in the past that there is a unit out there that creates RAID1 backups in one portable device, called the CRU-Dataport.

[algrove]

Rather not; let nature take its course. But do pack some ORS, Oral Rehydration Salts, and use in accordance with the insert. Plus: never drink water that did not come from a closed bottle.

 

For storage: an Macbook Air, or a small Win netbook, plus one or two small usb harddrives is the way to go. Then you can also send some pics home, whenever there is wifi; and that is everywhere!

 

The "closed bottle" comment reminds me of a story a friend who regularly travels to Mexico told me. He went down for breakfast at his hotel very early one morning and after a while, when no one appeared to take his order, he walked to the back service area. There he saw a guy refilling Evian bottles and then using an aluminum sealing machine to make the bottles appear new and never opened. From that time forward he only drinks beer from bottles in Mexico. Beer for breakfast turns me off though.

[swamiji]

Rather not; let nature take its course. But do pack some ORS, Oral Rehydration Salts, and use in accordance with the insert. Plus: never drink water that did not come from a closed bottle.

 

For storage: an Macbook Air, or a small Win netbook, plus one or two small usb harddrives is the way to go. Then you can also send some pics home, whenever there is wifi; and that is everywhere!

 

Frankly for your first trip, skip the Imodium, go straight for the Ciprofloxacin or take enough money for a hospital stay. The normal precautions are not enough. You can buy bottled water everywhere, but that does not guarantee it's good water. After you drink, crush the bottle immediately. Recycling water bottles is a big business there, they refill and sell again, except the water is not clean. Oral Rehydrations Salts, is only good after you have killed the bacteria.

 

Remember when you brush your teeth, rinse your mouth AND wash your toothbrush in bottled water. Before you eat wash your hands in bottled water... Assuming you are eating with your hands, also wash anything that goes in your mouth with bottled water. Only eat food that is freshly cooked, if it has been sitting for a bit, pass. No thin skinned fruit like apples, grapes, etc. Oranges, bananas, etc. are ok.

 

Go very light, many small SD cards. Less to be stolen. Go as inconspicuous as possible. Travel on the minimal side.

 

Considering your kit, if you pick up a 35mm, get a Summilux, you need something for very low light shoots. The Cron and Elmarit are good for day. It will balance out for day and night distance and close. Skip the tripod, use surrounding support (i.e.: walls, cars)

 

In April, weather in the North is getting very hot, so plan accordingly, I have not been to the south so I cannot advise.

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Hallo,

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[Deliberate1]

Remember when you brush your teeth, rinse your mouth AND wash your toothbrush in bottled water. Before you eat wash your hands in bottled water...

.

 

Reminds me of a "close call" I had in Egypt a few years ago. I fastidiously used only bottled water from the hotel in Giza. We went through gallons a day. Traveling in the desert in June will do that to you. One afternoon I figured I would do a short work out in the resort gym. After several sets I lost track of where I was and went over to the water cooler and tossed down a couple big glasses of water. None of the "fireworks" I was expecting happened.

 

Your simple is better advice is well-taken. I plan to takes several 4 Gb cards. And I just bought an iosafe 500Gb drive. I figure it will hold over 14,000 uncompressed images. It is more robust than the typical drive as well. New Egg had it for $79 after a $50 rebate. Newegg.com - ioSafe Rugged Portable 500GB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive with 1 Year DRS PA50500U1YROther sites had it for upwards of $250. Hopefully, this drive plus multiple cards will provide a sufficient amount of storage and redundency. I still have a film shooters mentality formed by single shot 4x5 sheets and small exposure MF rolls.

David