leicanet Posted August 27, 2012 Share #1 Â Posted August 27, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am going to Cuba next November to celebrate my fiftieth birthday, along with my best friend. We will be in Cuba for a month, spending time mainly in Habana and staying in private accommodations rather than hotels, but we are also planning to travel around the island a little by car. I will be taking either my M9+50 Summilux or my MP+lens (I am still torn between film or digital for this special trip). I would really appreciate some piece of advice, tips or stories from others who have travelled to Cuba with their Leica Ms, but above all I am concerned whether the place is safe enough when out and about with this type/expensive camera kit. Just to add that I am a pretty experienced traveller (La Paz, Lima, Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Asuncion, to name a few South American places I have visited in the recent past always carrying along a Leica M+one or two lens kit) but I have a feeling that things in Cuba are somehow different... Thanks for your input. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 27, 2012 Posted August 27, 2012 Hi leicanet, Take a look here Traveling to Cuba with my M9/MP, safe/unsafe?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Ecar Posted August 27, 2012 Share #2 Â Posted August 27, 2012 As long as you don't do anything silly, Cuba is definitely safer than some of the places you mentioned - and that most other countries in the world (including US and Europe). Enjoy your trip: it's a photographer's paradise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWC Doppel Posted August 27, 2012 Share #3 Â Posted August 27, 2012 Great news, I'm hoping to go next year, any additional advice much appreciated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
magosak Posted August 27, 2012 Share #4 Â Posted August 27, 2012 I've been to Cuba and find it to be safer than some European countries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jev Posted August 27, 2012 Share #5  Posted August 27, 2012 It's extremely safe Some areas in Havana are a bit dodgy, just use common sense and you will be fine    I am going to Cuba next November to celebrate my fiftieth birthday, along with my best friend. We will be in Cuba for a month, spending time mainly in Habana and staying in private accommodations rather than hotels, but we are also planning to travel around the island a little by car. I will be taking either my M9+50 Summilux or my MP+lens (I am still torn between film or digital for this special trip). I would really appreciate some piece of advice, tips or stories from others who have travelled to Cuba with their Leica Ms, but above all I am concerned whether the place is safe enough when out and about with this type/expensive camera kit.Just to add that I am a pretty experienced traveller (La Paz, Lima, Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Asuncion, to name a few South American places I have visited in the recent past always carrying along a Leica M+one or two lens kit) but I have a feeling that things in Cuba are somehow different... Thanks for your input. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblitz Posted August 27, 2012 Share #6 Â Posted August 27, 2012 Speaking Spanish should help you understand where it's dodgy and not. Take film and digital. I did in Spain and glad I had both. Two lenses at a time and two different interpretations of place Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjames9142 Posted August 28, 2012 Share #7 Â Posted August 28, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Much more dangerous to drive. Getting out of Havana to the West is quite a trick. There are no road signs, and the autopista to the East, which easy to find, is a lousy unmarked road. You pay a lot more than anywhere else to rent a car. Kids will probably steal the insignia -- it happens to me every time: you will be insured but have to go to a police station to make a theft report, which can be interesting. You never leave the radio in the car. Raw meat. I usually get Cuban friends to drive for mel Parts of Centro can be a little but dodgy at night, but there are a lot of Cubans who will warn you. Thieves are a small minority. Naples has 80, families living off petty theft. It is all relative. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjames9142 Posted August 28, 2012 Share #8 Â Posted August 28, 2012 Just reread the original post. Given that there are no labs on the island, film cameras are not greatly sought after. And M9s don't look like much, either. I never have a bag or anything. It is not a dangerous place, though not as safe as it was. Also small time cheating everywhere, but that is merely irritating. Eating well is a challenge. Don't get me going on that. Geoffrey James Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted August 28, 2012 Share #9 Â Posted August 28, 2012 Much more dangerous to drive. Getting out of Havana to the West is quite a trick. There are no road signs, and the autopista to the East, which easy to find, is a lousy unmarked road. You pay a lot more than anywhere else to rent a car. [... snip excellent experienced advice ...] Â Do you think a GPS navigation device would be helpful? I know that most roads are not marked, but if one can locate himself using a GPS guided map it might help. No? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 28, 2012 Share #10 Â Posted August 28, 2012 You're worried more about your cameras safety than your own?? Â If I was concerned about taking my camera some place, maybe I shouldn't be going there at all. Just a thought. Â I doubt that Capa asked the same question! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted August 28, 2012 Share #11 Â Posted August 28, 2012 You're worried more about your cameras safety than your own??! Â Well, this is for a Leica M. It would also probably put the user into a Cuban jail. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjames9142 Posted August 29, 2012 Share #12 Â Posted August 29, 2012 Do you think a GPS navigation device would be helpful? I know that most roads are not marked, but if one can locate himself using a GPS guided map it might help. No? Â GPS doesn't work there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert_M Posted August 29, 2012 Share #13 Â Posted August 29, 2012 GPS doesn't work there. Â How can GPS NOT work there? It is a global satellite based system. All it takes is the satellite network and the device. Now if you tell me the handheld GPS device doesn't have the correct maps, then I understand. But the GPS device will know where it is anywhere in the world. FWIW, I've used a GPS device on remote islands in Antarctica. The satellite network coverage is better over the tropics than over the poles. I will also note that most ocean navigation now relies on this system. I doubt that ships bump into Cuba...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jev Posted August 29, 2012 Share #14  Posted August 29, 2012 GPS doesn't work there.  Year right, you have no idea how GPS works  The thing is that you are not allowed to bring GPS devices there, you might get it confiscated at the border, but that is another story. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawboneslf Posted August 29, 2012 Share #15 Â Posted August 29, 2012 I was there in May and June. Both the camera and myself returned safely. I never felt threatened and the hotel security was excellent.You would be sorry if you didn't take your M9 as Cuba is a photographer's dream. A trip of a lifetime with the best street photography I have ever taken Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecaton Posted August 29, 2012 Share #16 Â Posted August 29, 2012 I was in Havana a year ago and was also torn between M9 and MP. I ended going there with the MP and a NEX 5 with m-adapter as the digital solution. You can't go wrong with any M. Be prepared for streets that are extremely poorly lit in the night. So handheld night street scene shooting with M9 and a f1.4 lens will be a challenge. Havana is a wonderful place, a photographer's dream, people are friendly and safety a non issue. Your travel preparations should include finding out the address and contact details of a foreign consulate or embassy which could be useful in case of emergency. Just be aware of the plenty of unsolicited "tourist guides" who will decide to walk alongside you, going on and on to you, trying to show you around in the neighborhood and then expecting to get payed for their chatter. Either make it very clear to them before they even have a chance to be "helpful" that you are not interested in their "service", or let them walk with you for a few yards, thank them for the job done and give them 1 USD. Take a 28 (or 24) along with the Summilux 50. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
miessli Posted August 29, 2012 Share #17 Â Posted August 29, 2012 i was on cuba in 2005 with my m6 and a three lenses, 24, 50 and 90, it is very save, had absolutly never a bad feeling, i loved havanna, it is a paradies for pix, take your m9 and a 24 and 50 lens with you, enjoy it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongrelnomad Posted August 30, 2012 Share #18 Â Posted August 30, 2012 Cuba's a craphole, but your camera will be safe. They're well up on tech and like most are attracted to the biggest, shiniest things. Your camera won't get noticed at all. Â Have fun. I didn't. Cuba is one of the most depressing places I've ever been. Pretty for photos though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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