Travel with Film Only, Film and Digital, or Digital Only?

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

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  Guess we will see what conditions are like next week in northern England.

If it's anything like the last couple of weeks, forget the cameras and bring waders...

Enjoy the walk. It's an interesting trip

[Dr Owl]

Have you considered a Rollei 35?

 

The primary reason I suggest this is that it was the camera Hamish Brown took with him when he became the first to climb all the Munros in Scotland in a single journey, on foot, by bicycle, and by ferry. His account of the journey, "Hamish's Mountain Walk", was second only to Wainwright as feel-good reading in the 1970s for those wished they spent more time on the hills. For those of us who used a Rolleiflex as well, it was doubly good daydream material.

 

The secondary reason, of course, is that -- whether you share my daydreams or not -- the Rollei 35 is probably still the smallest full-frame 35mm camera of all, and has quite superb build quality from Rolleiflex's golden age ... and might therefore be daydream material for a devoted film user!

 

Later,

 

John

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[wattsy]

Have you considered a Rollei 35?

That's a good suggestion IMO though I think the OP has already narrowed the choice to equipment he already owns.

[ktmrider2]

Correct on equipment.  I owned a Rollie 35 back in the 1980's along with Olympus XE, small Leica's and Contax.  For small today, Fuji X70.  In film cameras, small is M2 with 35 f2.8 C-Biogon.  

 

In fact, I would actually like to thin the herd so should sell some Leica R and Leica M equipment.

[Mot]

M6 and 35 & 90. Lightweight , one set of filters, and the lenses fit in my pocket. The lack of instant gratification is more than offset by the results. If I want digital images I just scan the negatives.

[sblitz]

think of getting the leica summicron 40mm and pick up the voigtlander 40mm viewfinder, all you will need and the 90mm for the some of the time long view. if the really want a wide light camera to travel with, consider the fuji645 have one with the 28mm equivalent lens, got the original manual version, photos were great!!!!! plus camera is very light .... nothing like some MF film for scenery.... my two cents  ,,,, 

[plasticman]

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think of getting the leica summicron 40mm....

Well if the 40mm (a great lens) then a Leica CL instead of the M camera.

 

But as Ian said and the OP confirmed, the hike is happening with existing equipment, not some new purchases.

[stray cat]

If 'twere me (and I hope to do that walk and walks like it in the future) I'd be tempted to carry the M5 and just the 35mm lens, plus a generous ration of film (but not too generous). That having been said, including the 90mm (mine is the F2 model which is relatively heavy) is not going to mean the difference between enjoying the hike and not, so in your case why not take it? If digital is not your thing, I'd leave the digital camera behind. You'll presumably have your phone if the need or fancy takes you.

 

The thing is, we as photographers presumably enjoy taking photos as much as we do the other activities we engage in. For me, I don't think I could seriously contemplate doing something like that walk without taking along photo gear that I enjoy using - I'm sure most of us feel the same. So take the camera, take the lenses and the film - we are talking about probably a kilogram - two at most. I think you'd regret not having the relatively small amount of gear you've mentioned more than you'd notice any lightening of your pack.

[wattsy]

St Bees to Robin Hood Bay, West to East is the recommended direction)

 

 

I guess it's preferable to have the rain blown from behind rather than straight into your face for two weeks.  Personally, I would rather suffer the prevailing wind and have the Lake District side as my destination rather than be leaving it behind. 

 

In addition to Paul's suggestions, the C2C also nips across Smardale Gill NNR, a magical place (especially in the summer when the Bloody Cranesbill is in flower and the Scotch Argus flies).

Edited September 18, 2017 by wattsy

[SilentShutter]

Have you considered a Rollei 35?

 

The primary reason I suggest this is that it was the camera Hamish Brown took with him when he became the first to climb all the Munros in Scotland in a single journey, on foot, by bicycle, and by ferry. His account of the journey, "Hamish's Mountain Walk", was second only to Wainwright as feel-good reading in the 1970s for those wished they spent more time on the hills. For those of us who used a Rolleiflex as well, it was doubly good daydream material.

 

The secondary reason, of course, is that -- whether you share my daydreams or not -- the Rollei 35 is probably still the smallest full-frame 35mm camera of all, and has quite superb build quality from Rolleiflex's golden age ... and might therefore be daydream material for a devoted film user!

 

Later,

 

John

 

Cheap and better solution would be the Yashica T4 or T5.

Programmautomatic, Autofocus, build in Flash and the lens

is a Carl Zeiss which comes very close to Leica optics !

[wattsy]

Incidentally, the record for the fastest completion of the C2C is 39½ hours! I'm confident I could walk it in 6/7 days (though I wouldn't choose to) but running it in under 2 is mind boggling.

[tom0511]

I don't post here much but post frequently over on RFF so am just throwing this out there to hear your opinions and/or experience.  I have been taking photos since 1966 and spent a couple years as a professional photographer back in the mid-1970's.  I have owned Leica's starting with a CL from 1975 and owned every film M up to the MP.  Additionally, I had an M9 for a couple years but sold it last year and returned to film. I enjoy Leica's but also realize there are many other great cameras to be enjoyed and used.

 

So, with my background out of the way I am curious as to what people here enjoy traveling with.  I will be leaving Texas in a few days to hike the C to C trail across Northern England.  For those not familiar, it is an 192 mile journey from one coast to another and will take me 15 days.  I have decided to carry a Leica M5 (best meter Leica ever put into a camera) with 35/90 lenses and a Fuji X70 (28mm fixed lens and big sensor).  For the hike, it may only be the X70 due to size but the M5 will be great fun in York.

 

Now, I have hiked the West Highland Way in Scotland and the Portuguese route of the Camino de Santiago in Spain three years ago (90 and 70 miles respectively).  I carried the M9 on that trip but sold it when I realized I actually preferred film. 

 

So, what do you think?

 

I think if you prefer film shoot film. Why mess around with digital? If I prefer film I would bring the M5 and a Contax T2 or a Leica Minilux or a Ricoh GR or Nikon if you prefer 28mm FOV for the small camera.

Edited September 18, 2017 by tom0511

[FrozenInTime]

There will always be diary shots of interest that are worth capturing but not worth the time to scan or printing.

The combo of M5 ( 35/50) and X70 (28 ) sounds like the best of both worlds.

 

I'm fond of combining the 0-series with a Ricoh GR.

Edited September 18, 2017 by FrozenInTime

[ktmrider2]

PaulMac:  Besides the tradition of dipping my boots in the ocean on both sides, one also picks up a pebble from the beach at St Bees and tosses it into the ocean at Robin Hood Bay.  Well, both my wife and daughter have requested pebbles as souvenirs of the walk.  Pebbles are fine but my daughter recently took her fiancee to Alaska and he came back with over 20 pounds of rocks.  Don't get what that is about.

 

Frozen in Time:  We actually had the same thought at the same time.  I was writing this post while you posted about carrying both cameras and why.  I may actually carry both M5 with 35/90 and the X70.  I am having my luggage transported so the X70 is light.  My thoughts on the X70 would be for "snapshots" as an SD card offers thousands.  I prefer using the X70 to the iPhone.  

 

Apparently, there are some very nice "coffee table" books about the C2C which would make a nice souvenir of the walk and the photos will probably be better then mine so a copy of one is on my list of purchases while in England.

 

If anyone knows if York has a place to buy film, how about posting it.  I have two days there as a tourist after the walk.

Edited September 18, 2017 by ktmrider2

[ktmrider2]

Thanks for the travel trips on the C2C and York.  Yes, I am a biker and have seen both videos.  I presently own a BMW GSA and a Kawasaki Versys 650.  My wife rides as well.  Have not made it around the world but have ridden from here on the US/Mexico border to Alaska three times (wife's family is in Anchorage) and I just finished a 5000 mile trip around the north shore of Lake Superior (Bush plane museum in Sault Saint Marie was outstanding).  Am thinking about riding to Panama this winter but all the border crossing in Central America put a damper on my enthusiasm.  But I do ride in Mexico fairly often.

 

Am approaching this walk with a bit of apprehension.  Have done West Highland Way and part of the Camino de Santiago three years ago with my daughter but this trip I will be solo as wife still works and daughter is in med school.  I hope to stay motivated and sure hope to meet other walkers along the route.  Have been told September is a busy time.  I will post here as I go along.  Will be in St Bees 20 Sept.

[honcho]

........

So, with my background out of the way I am curious as to what people here enjoy traveling with. I will be leaving Texas in a few days to hike the C to C trail across Northern England. For those not familiar, it is an 192 mile journey from one coast to another and will take me 15 days. I have decided to carry a Leica M5 (best meter Leica ever put into a camera) with 35/90 lenses and a Fuji X70 (28mm fixed lens and big sensor). For the hike, it may only be the X70 due to size but the M5 will be great fun in York.

 

Now, I have hiked the West Highland Way in Scotland and the Portuguese route of the Camino de Santiago in Spain three years ago (90 and 70 miles respectively). I carried the M9 on that trip but sold it when I realized I actually preferred film.

 

So, what do you think?

I walked the Coast to Coast a few years ago, of all the official UK long distance trails ( I have walked a number of them) it is the best and most varied of all. You will pass through three National Parks but there is a slight regret at leaving the Lake District behind as you cross the M6 at Shap.

 

I assume you will be staying in b&b's or hostels along the way (I always camp) and if you are using a 'pack horse' service and only carrying a daysac whilst walking, it does allow you to take more camera equipment if that's what you want to do. Frankly, my advice is to take as little camera stuff as you can and enjoy the walk without being burdened with cameras and lenses, the majority of which you will not use anyway. You definitely will not need to take two camera bodies!

 

Parts of the walk are quite strenuous and long days and you will not be dawdling along trying to capture the ultimate image, especially if the weather is against you. You'll be wanting to crack on and finish the stage, taking the occasional photograph as you go. The best advice I can give from my own experience as a backpacker who uses film is to keep your photography equipment to the absolute minimum. A Yashica T5 and a few rolls of Ektar are an essential part of my backpacking gear (as a Fujifilm X100F is if I want to take a digital camera) and I have never carried more than one prime lens with any of the cameras I have taken with me on a long distance trail.

 

The Coast to Coast walk should be enjoyed for what it, it is not a photo shoot, but I think you have enough experience as a lng distance walker to understand that.

Edited September 27, 2017 by honcho

[ktmrider2]

After one week hiking I will say the C2C is kicking my rear. The weather the first couple days included lots of rain and 50 mph winds crossing the high passes. Honestly, after a day of walking in that type of environment, one is too exhausted to do much photography. I have been carrying the X70 and honestly have it set on auto and jpeg.

 

One of the things we do not talk about much but is very important in landscape photography is the quality of the light. Having been here 7 days (currently in Kerby Stephen), I can honestly say today is the first day I have seen the sun. The light has been so flat and so grey I have not taken many photos at all. If you looked above the horizon everything is grey. If you looked down it is green and brown. Brown being the color of mud. And walking in the mud just makes everything harder.

 

Now, I think that I am a pretty good photographer but when the quality of the light sucks, there is not a lot you can do. My friends who shoot for NatGeo refer to something called "god light" (sunlight steaming through the clouds). Take a look at landscapes I NatGeo magazine and you will see what I mean. Have not seen any on this trip. And since I have a new destination each day to complete the C2C in a timely manner, I cannot hang around waiting for the light to change.

 

So, it is not a matter of equipment or film versus digital. The X70 is working great and has an APS size sensor in a very small package. If I could change one thing, it would be having a 35 mm fov vice the 28 mm fov.

 

Thanks for all the advice. The Lake District is gorgeous even in the wind and rain but kicked my rear. I am looking forward to flatter terrain from here west and everyone says York is magnificent.

[honcho]

....Thanks for all the advice. The Lake District is gorgeous even in the wind and rain but kicked my rear. I am looking forward to flatter terrain from here west and everyone says York is magnificent.

The only 'flat' part of the C2C is across the Vale of Mowbray, a swathe of farmland that seperates the Yorkshire Dales from the North Yorks Moors.

 

If you think the C2C through The Lakes is tough, try the Pennine Way or the Southwest Coast Path!

[ktmrider2]

Actually, I am looking forward to hiking in the Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico in a couple weeks. Sun is not a rarity there.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[wattsy]

Might dry you out.