Far from a dealer -- what to take

[bencoyote]

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In this kind of trip with trekking, I would take this photo gears:

- one M 240/262 with MATE 28-35-50 (340g and 3 focal lengths) mounted or one prime 28/35/50 of lightest kind to be choosen from other priorities

- one M 10/240/262 with Tele-Elmarit-M 2.8/90 (225g light) plus OUFRO for close-up if needed (usable on MATE also)

- two battery chargers with two more batteries

- twice SD cards as needed, not too huge GB each

 

2 bodies and 2 lenses (not to change lenses) those to be used everyday of that trip, so backups = everyday use

That would be an almost ideal kit. If I had budget and if I could get my hands on an M10 before I left, then I would probably do nearly that.

Does anyone know if the M10 or the M240's batteries have the same pinouts and spacing that in a pinch you could charge one with the other. In other words, with some duct tape and cardboard could you wedge a M10 battery into a M240 charger and have it charge?

An argument for having two cameras that are the same is that the batteries and chargers are the same. The ideal charger from my perspective would take USB-C and had interchangeable plates that adapted to the size and pinouts of the battery. Forget about AC and the various international plugs, I can always get USB somehow. Right now the standard is USB-A but the world is moving to USB-C.

[bencoyote]

Perhaps I think of this a bit differently. 

 

- Am I going on this trip as part of a paid photographic job? If so, carry backup and spares. 

- Am I going on this trip for my own personal portfolio development? If so, carry backup and spares.

- Am I going on vacation to these places and looking to record my trip for posterity? If so, carry as little as possible and enjoy the trip. 

 

In any event, the ultimate backup (and particularly for the third item above) is my iPhone and a couple of charged supplementary battery units. Basic rule of thumb is that if I'm traveling for a specific purpose, do everything I can to ensure that the purpose is fulfilled. If I'm vacationing, well, photos are of secondary importance and if my camera fails for some reason, I spend my time looking at things and recording the trip in my mind and journal rather than carrying double the weight in backup equipment. 

 

"The less I carry, the more I see."

This is somewhere between the first two: It is an unpaid professional job and so it also has a personal portfolio development element. I really like your philosophy though.

[jaapv]

Got that covered. I'm taking a new 13" MBP and a couple of large capacity thumb drives.

 

I did the analysis late January and early February. For this kind of trip, it really comes down to the current MB and the 13" MBP. The 11" MBA really doesn't cut it anymore. In addition to size and weight, two more things you need to consider are the size of storage and power. The newest 11" MBA is several years old now and the processors aren't very power efficient nor does it benefit from the latest advances in storage.

 

The current MB though it has comparatively slow processor does a good enough job on still photos to be useful on location. I haven't done the analysis but I believe that the Intel embedded graphics while not on par with the AMD or NVIDIA GPUs probably is powerful enough on the kind of operations used by Lightroom that it doesn't matter. It also is tiny and has a quite good screen and sips power. When you're charging mostly off of solar panels that you are carrying this matters.

 

I went with the 13" MBP though. Right now there is an anomaly in the market where newish pre-touchbar MBPs especially the high end ones with the GPUs are highly prized on the used market. They have a huge battery and all the ports that many people love vs. only USB-C. The current MBP have a much more power efficient processor and a battery to match but it is only really power efficient when it is doing very little like reading email or browsing the web. However, when you do something like a bunch of video editing or even modify a bunch of stills you can kill the new MBP's battery in as little as 45min. Anyway, I found that I could sell my fairly new MBP 15" with GPU and get more than enough back to get a 13" which with equivalent capability and is barely bigger than the current generation MB. If I wanted 2 personal computers in addition to all the ones for work, then the logic would have favored the MB.

Have a look at the ON1 raw convertor/editor. It seems to me to be ideal for this use - lightning fast library (computerfile based, no catalogues), full and professional editing options,  light CPU load.

[Herr Barnack]

@bencoyote -

 

Given the purpose of your trip to Nepal you should have a second M240 body.  If you were to take a second camera made by another camera maker, you will be saving some money but you will not be saving much in terms of weight and bulk.  A different make of camera will require a second set of accessories and lenses.  JMHO but that makes no sense. 

 

When I traveled to Mongolia, I took my M4-P, 30 rolls of film and two large size Domke film shield film bags as my backup.  It was significantly more weight and bulk than a second M240 would have been.  It was not the ideal back up but it was what I had at the time so I took it. 

 

Another point to consider:  Take a sturdy monopod rather than a tripod.  Monos are so much smaller, lighter and easier to work with.  And they are a lifesaver when you need them.

 

If you can have access to another person's laptop while on the trip, leave yours at home and use theirs to back up your images to a cloud server or to Drop Box.  On your trip, I would take 3-4 batteries for the camera and a back up charger and cord.  As you have observed, if the charger dies, it's a deal breaker.  Chargers are fairly small and light abd carrying a second charger & cord is a small price to pay for the security it will give you.  I would take a bunch of memory cards and keep the images on them rather than formatting them after you upload them to a cloud server or Drop Box.  Memory cards are small and light and will serve as a safety net for your images.  Redundant back up is the key.

 

Lastly, I would not rely on a phone as a backup.  As good as some phones are, there is no comparison to phone images compared to the images that an M240 and M lenses will produce.  If all you ever want to do with your images is look at them on a screen, it's not so much of an issue but if you want to make prints - especially large display prints that you could exhibit or sell - the phone prints will not hold a candle to the M240 prints.

 

Hope the above helps.  JMHO/YMMV/IANAL. 

[jaapv]

 Redundant back up is the key.

 

Hear! Hear!

[ramarren]

...

- Am I going on this trip as part of a paid photographic job? If so, carry backup and spares. 

- Am I going on this trip for my own personal portfolio development? If so, carry backup and spares.

- Am I going on vacation to these places and looking to record my trip for posterity? If so, carry as little as possible and enjoy the trip. 

...

 

This is somewhere between the first two: It is an unpaid professional job and so it also has a personal portfolio development element. I really like your philosophy though.

In which case, for your trip, a spare body with battery, another spare battery, and a spare charger are what I'd add.* Drop the 15mm if the weight and space savings warrant it (probably not for a Heliar model II.

 

* I'd also consider an M film body as long as the additional burden and hassle of managing a dozen rolls of film doesn't get in your way. It's not really "backup", though, because the host of differences in using film capture mean that you inevitably use it differently, shoot differently, and net somewhat different looking photographs.

 

The good news is that M typ 240 cameras have proven to be pretty darn reliable overall such that the likelihood of actually needing to turn to the backup is quite small.

 

On the road, I don't do processing in any large sense. And my experience with SD cards has been such that I simply don't worry about backup ... I just carry enough cards to cover double my expected shooting needs. An iPad Pro 9x7 inch with a Lightning SD Card Adapter is enough to do checking and verification. I'd only carry a laptop if my needs included processing some amount of photographs while traveling for transmission to the net or to my editor.

[Peter Kilmister]

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A man by the name of Levison Wood has made a few long-distance treks; the Himalayas, the length of the Nile, and from Mexico to Colombia. He takes a Leica M240.

Levison lives in London. Maybe you should seek his advice via 'Contact' on his website.  

[AAK]

So what would you guys take for a long trip far from a Leica dealer? I'll be trekking in distant off the beaten path portions of Nepal for a good chunk of this spring doing some documentary photography about how they are recovering after the earthquake. I'll be traveling with just a backpack and so I want to keep my gear weight and volume down.

 

 

 

How far off the beaten path? Will you have access to reliable electricity to recharge? If not, bring a film camera, at least as an option.

[antigallican]

I just read the OP again. It seems like the primary purpose of the trip is photography, in which case I guess it's a case of sacrificing other stuff to make room for photo gear.

 

In this case I would definitely take the M and 2 or 3 lenses and the T as the back up body. If I already had a film M I would take that instead but it's risky buying a new s/h camera unless you have time to thoroughly test it.

 

Yes, having had an M9 fail in Venice after only a hundred or so pictures, I don't think the ideal is to rely on an iPhone or something as a backup if you are going on a photography trip. I was fed up and if I'd paid to go to Nepal I'd have been raging. Take fewer shirts pants and socks but carry a second body to match your lenses, I would say.

[MarkP]

I have the 4./90 Macro-Elmar-M. Great compact travel lens. Exceptional IQ & resolution.

[bencoyote]

How far off the beaten path? Will you have access to reliable electricity to recharge? If not, bring a film camera, at least as an option.

Electricity shouldn't be a problem. I've been testing and refining that for a while. Goal Zero Nomad 20 solar panel combined with a pair of OmniCharge battery packs. That should fill in the gaps between places that have power.

 

Furthermore, some members of our trip evidently will hiring sherpas to carry in solar panels and batteries to leave for the residents and to assist with the recovery efforts. In that sense, trekking is easier than backpacking because there is some infrastructure.

[Steve Ricoh]

Given you're a Leica M man, I'd suggest an analogue M as a back up. You can sell it on afterwards with near neutral cask flow. If the M-P holds good, there will be no scanning and you could sell the unused film on eBay.

[bocaburger]

When I got my first M240 I initially bought a Sony NEX-6 with M adapter on closeout as a backup.  It's a 1.5x crop factor but doesn't suffer from any corner issues like the same-size NEX-7 did.  The camera and batteries are small and light compared to any digital M, and the camera itself is the charger.  Despite the annoyance of an EVF vs range-viewfinder, as an emergency backup it does the job.   That said, once I got the 2nd M240 I haven't touched the Nex since.  If you could swing buying one and selling it after, I think that would be the ideal way to go, as others have said.  If not, a NEX 6 or A6000 is a very small, light backup solution which IMHO I would far prefer over an iphone or any zoom p&S. 

 

As to the lenses, the M240 files from your 50 Summilux will crop to a 90mm FOV very nicely for anything less than wall-sized prints scrutinized from an unnaturally close viewing distance.  A CV 90/3.5 APO-Lanthar in LTM with an M adapter could be found for a very reasonable cost ($300 give or take) and is a stellar lens.  The "thin" Leica 90/2.8 T-E is also excellent (I travel with one), but will cost more and you need to be careful and examine it with a flashlight because some were prone to some kind of damage in the rear lens group.   

So what would you guys take for a long trip far from a Leica dealer? I'll be trekking in distant off the beaten path portions of Nepal for a good chunk of this spring doing some documentary photography about how they are recovering after the earthquake. I'll be traveling with just a backpack and so I want to keep my gear weight and volume down.

I plan to take my:
- M-P,
- Summicron 28mm,
- Summilux 50mm,
- APO-Summicron 90mm (a Macro-Elmar would be a better choice for trips like this but I don't have one and don't have budget for one right now - someday),
- 15mm CV that is given. Of course I'm taking the M charger and a spare battery.
 

[AlanJW]

I had a project in France a couple of years ago, in Normandy but I couldn't find any Leica dealers any closer than Paris, which was 3 hours away.  So not comparable to Tibet -- nor was I trekking.   I had access to a car for carrying gear to location.   But I was still nervous because I am in the US and did not know when I could return.   I had an M(240).  I bought an M-P (240) and sold the M240 after I returned.  I took an extra battery charger, a Macbook air and a portable backup (I think it was Hyperdrive Colorspace).  I would not go without a backup camera (ideally another M240 but your T will serve too) and a backup charger.    If you want to save some weight, there are very light universal battery chargers that can be used.

[sblutter]

I leave tomorrow for the wilds of Tuscany backpacking 2.5 weeks

 

As primarily a 240 50 (Summi ver 3) shooter am also taking 2 compacts:  Voight 35 2.5 pancake & 90 2.8 Tele-Elmarit slim + carbon travel tripod

 

Back-ups:  Sony Rx100-3, mobile & Leica stores in both Bologna & Florence . 

 

Weight is a concern

[ECohen]

I leave tomorrow for the wilds of Tuscany backpacking 2.5 weeks

 

As primarily a 240 50 (Summi ver 3) shooter am also taking 2 compacts:  Voight 35 2.5 pancake & 90 2.8 Tele-Elmarit slim + carbon travel tripod

 

Back-ups:  Sony Rx100-3, mobile & Leica stores in both Bologna & Florence . 

 

Weight is a concern

 

Your post is a prime reason I love the Forum!

 Have Fun- Drink Wine and when you get home post photos.

 

+1 that would be the kit I would take too....... for me weight is always a concern

[jmahto]

Excellent advice by others therefore not much to add. Just wanted to give thumbs up to your lens choice. Mine is almost same (CV 15 II, 28cron ASPH, 50lux ASPH, 90 macro-elmar). For backpacking, I have narrowed down to (CV 15II, 28cron ASPH, 40 summicron-c, 90 macro-elmar) + Nex6 (backup).

 

I have done extensive test and found that:

- at base ISO, same M lens on Nex6, compares favorably with M240 output. If you accept crop factor then it is a very much quality backup.

- 40summicron-C doubles up as stitching lens to give me 50+mp 28mm FOV picture using M240 (stitch 3 vertical 40mm shots to get wide 28mm picture). I have started using it this way to get high MP landscape shots. It is not that slow. I simply shoot ground for marker shots and then take three vertical shots with enough overlap ending with ground shot for marker. Done in no time.

- 90 macro-elmar doubles up as stitching lens to give me 50+mp 60mm FOV using the similar technique above.

 

Having said that, 28mm cron is invaluable to me since it is my primary FOV.

 

Lastly, I will have some way to make sure SD cards are copied and carried safely to guard against loss and theft. I read sometime ago suggestion on shipping the copies back home any time you get a chance during your trip.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[sblutter]

Excellent advice by others therefore not much to add. Just wanted to give thumbs up to your lens choice. Mine is almost same (CV 15 II, 28cron ASPH, 50lux ASPH, 90 macro-elmar). For backpacking, I have narrowed down to (CV 15II, 28cron ASPH, 40 summicron-c, 90 macro-elmar) + Nex6 (backup).

 

I have done extensive test and found that:

- at base ISO, same M lens on Nex6, compares favorably with M240 output. If you accept crop factor then it is a very much quality backup.

- 40summicron-C doubles up as stitching lens to give me 50+mp 28mm FOV picture using M240 (stitch 3 vertical 40mm shots to get wide 28mm picture). I have started using it this way to get high MP landscape shots. It is not that slow. I simply shoot ground for marker shots and then take three vertical shots with enough overlap ending with ground shot for marker. Done in no time.

- 90 macro-elmar doubles up as stitching lens to give me 50+mp 60mm FOV using the similar technique above.

 

Having said that, 28mm cron is invaluable to me since it is my primary FOV.

 

Lastly, I will have some way to make sure SD cards are copied and carried safely to guard against loss and theft. I read sometime ago suggestion on shipping the copies back home any time you get a chance during your trip.

 

Enjoy your trip.

I was back & forth on 40-C.  Great lens & 2.0!

[enboe]

Reviewing your kit, the 90/2.0 is the weight killer.  Your M-P is 24 megapixels, so you have some room to crop depending on how large you wish to print.

 

If I were putting together a kit based upon your on-hand items with minimum additional expenditure, I would recommend:

 

M-P + 28/2.0 + 3 batteries + charger + multiple 32GB cards

M6 + 50/1.4 + 3-4 rolls of film per day, film stored in gallon-sized ziplock bags for minimum bulk.  Split the film half low-ISO, half high-ISO.  Reuse ziplock bags as cheap rain protection for gear.

15 if you really need it, leave the 90/20 at home

 

Another, cheaper option would be to substitute the old Olympus Stylus Epic 35/2.8 model with 3 batteries for the M6.  This $100 solution gives decent images, is weather-proof, and can be handed to a local for a snap or two with no concern.

 

Eric

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[jmahto]

Now a days I am more and more convinced that iPhone (or any other newer smartphones) is much better alternative (to film camera or other cheaper digital) as backup imaging devices. The advantage of multiple bodies is not in backup but in quick shooting with different FL lens. When I am hiking then I don't wait for a long time at any photo opportunity. It is very much like snap snap snap. The focus is to keep moving. In that case two bodies make more sense. If there is a luxury to change lenses during photographic opportunities then one body should suffice with iPhone as backup from purely weight saving perspective. Also carrying only one body allows you to substitute another body with a long lens (180?) that is useful for wildlife.