Film or Digital for Big Trip this Fall

[ktmrider2]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

OK, I am 70 years old and figure if I don't do this trip soon it will not happen.  I plan on riding a motorcycle from Alaska to Panama, perhaps flying the bike over the Darien Gap to Columbia and then continuing to Tierra del Fuego.  If not TDF, then I will ride back to the US before Xmas so I can be back in Anchorage before the holidays.  Then, ride the bike back next summer.  The Panama Canal is about 2500 miles from the US/Mexico border while Anchorage is 4400 miles from the Rio Grande.  Now photography is not the primary purpose of the trip but I would like to be able to document the trip and maybe I will get lucky enough to get a few good or even great photos along the way.  It will be at least two months from the border to the Canal and perhaps longer if I stop in Guatemala and work on my Spanish.  

I have recently reduced both my digital and film camera inventory so the question is what to take.  In film cameras, I am pretty much down to a mint anniversary M4 with a slew of M mount lenses.  My usual M travel kit is 35mm and 90mm lenses and an incident meter.  My digital inventory includes a Fuji XT4 with primes for 16, 35, 50, 90 field of view or a Ricoh GR3.  And of course my iPhone!

Space on a motorcycle is limited but it is not like I am travel thru the wilderness for months on end.  I am leaning toward the M4 with 35/90 or perhaps 35/135 and my iPhone.  As small as the GR3 is, I don't see much advantage over the iPhone.  On my last foreign trip, I spent a month in Vietnam with the M4 and iPhone and took less than a roll of film primarily due to monsoons and terrible lighting.  I know it will be my decision but input is always interesting.  And I don't have to worry about film and X-rays at airports for this travel.  Thanks!

Edited June 15, 2023 by ktmrider2

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[CSG123]

Sounds like your decision is already clear in your mind.  Good for you for getting after it at 70.

[GFW2-SCUSA]

My concerns would be 1. film takes up space. You would want to take at least a brick or two I would think. 2. the possible damage to the exposed film before processing 3. The inflexibility of ISO with film.  Perhaps the time has come to get a nice M-10 or M-10R! You have a great excuse for a new toy.  Also you might consider picking up a nice used CL which is small, and takes your M lenses. I am seven years older than you and can not imagine doing what you are think of. My sense of adventure is a trip to the grocery store. 

[Ko.Fe.]

GR3 could be reached much quicker on the ride like this. iPhone is awesome for video. And it is space saving. Plus crop modes.

And two GR3 batteries might lasts for entire one way trip. 

I went with GRDIII which has no crop modes and Android for very important trip this winter. Zero regrets of not bringing anything fancy. And film was out of question from get go. 

[lesarn]

Wow. What a great trip. My suggestion would be to bring the GR lll and a couple of extra batteries only. It’s the easiest accessible camera for snap shots. I myself have done a lot of travelling and have the same camera setup as you (grlll + m-a) and the one I mostly grab is the gr. Have a good and safe trip (Arne Norwegian 69😎)

[LocalHero1953]

A big risk will be heat damage to film. The safest option (i.e. the one where you are likely to bring home some usable images) would be digital.

[Jewl]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I just went on a trip to Indonesia and decided to pick my M11 as main digital RF combined with an analog point and shoot (left the MP at home)! In the end it was the right decision as in most of the cases the light was so problematic and I often shoot in subdued light or early evening/at night. Then film is often not providing the desired results! And I really didn't want to limit myself to certain daytimes and scenarios!

This might have worked better in big cities like NYC etc. where artificial light is available everywhere... 

[Alexander-HH]

It seems everyone leans towards digital so far 🤔 I would definitely go with the M4 (35/90) plus iPhone for this trip. Great adventure! 👍

Edited June 15, 2023 by Alexander-HH

[Ouroboros]

M4, your 35 & 90mm lenses and plenty of film.  A classic ride needs a classy camera and lenses.

[Leicaphiliac]

Shoot slide film for colour, or shoot B/W print film and wet print (best options, by far). If you are going to look at your shots on screen or put them on social media then digital. 
 

Film camera haptics are much nicer and there is no messing with cables or charging batteries. Film allows you to be there on your journey (there is no chimping and looking at it as you go). It’s a mental change in how you travel. 

Non-camera suggestion - write a journal by hand. Fill it with ephemera like ticket stubs. 

Colour print film doesn’t seem worth it - but that is just personal.

[TomB_tx]

When we used to travel by tandem bicycle I used a film CL with 40 & 90 C lenses. Carried 3 rolls of film for a 2 week trip and captured what I wanted. Main purpose was to experience the trip and save memories - not to spend so much time on photography. Lens combo worked well.

More recently a study tour Israel / Jordan just carried a super zoom compact.  Was nice to just shoot and not fumble changing lenses in a hurry. One SD card was enough. Likewise main purpose wasn’t photography.

[JoshuaR]

Sounds like an amazing trip! And what an interesting question.

Personally, I would work backwards from your desired outcome(s). What is it you want to produce to commemorate this adventure?

Do you want three or four big prints you can hang on the wall?

Do you want a book of photographs? A kind of chronicle of the Americas? Like something Alec Soth or Robert Frank would do?

Are you making landscapes, or are you photographing people, or both?

How many photos are you hoping to keep? Hundreds? Or just a couple dozen? Or fewer?

If it were me, I'd be hoping to produce a body of work in the vein of William Albert Allard or Sam Abell. Sort of a National Geographic kind of thing. A little retro. It would be a book I'd print for myself, with a title like "The Americas." Maybe it's 60 images. I'd shoot it all on film, using the same film stock for consistency—something easy, like Portra 400. (I'd shoot color to better capture the range of geographies and ecologies.) I'd go with the 35/90. I'd mail the film to a lab periodically and have them develop it and then send it somewhere for safe keeping. I wouldn't worry about missing shots because of poor light, because the issue with this kind of trip is too many images, not too few.

That's how I'd approach it—but you may have a really different set of goals. The main thing (I think) is to work backwards from what you want to make. That (for me) is what makes the difference between a collection of snapshots and a consistent project.

 

[Eclectic Man]

My advice for what it is worth:

Look at your existing photographs.  

Which ones do you and your family and friends like the most?  

What equipment did you use for them?

Take that gear and have fun!

 

The only other thing I would suggest is some sort of camera support like a mini tripod and a remote release for those 'this is me at the equator' type shots.

[ktmrider2]

Ektar 100 would probably be my main film.  Heat damage to film is unlikely since I will be riding during the cooler months.  As I posted earlier, photography is not the main purpose of the trip so can't see more than about 15-20 rolls.  And I would love to get one or two framed photos to hang on the wall.  And yes I do plan on hand writing a journal.  Honestly, I am one of those analog dinosaurs you read about.

I picked up a GR3 back in December and it has become my every day carry camera (replacing my X100f which is for sale).  I am impressed with modern technology but love the classic film cameras.  However, the M4 with 35/90 was heavy and a pain in the ass to carry everywhere for as little use as it received in Vietnam last December.  The GR3 would be a good compromise so I will have to think about it.

Thanks to those who commented on my age.  The trip to TDF has been on my bucket list for years but I am starting to think 9000 miles (one way) on a motorcycle might produce a lot of bragging rights but not be that much fun in reality.  However, the Panama Canal is not that far, the route is paved the whole way and I can be home by Xmas (daughter and son-in-law are visiting Anchorage for New Years 2024).  A big part of the reason for this trip is to get out of Alaska for the winter so a tentative dive trip to the Philippines for a couple months or a trip around the world is being looked at for Jan or so in 2024.

As a side note, I spent 30 days in Xela, Guatemala, during March or April 2015 working on my Spanish.  The school would arrange for its students to visit local attractions a few afternoons per week.  A group of us were touring the local weaving site where Mayan women were making hammocks and other things.  A young lady in our group pulls out a Blad 500C/M to make a few photos, I asked her if she needed a meter reading to which she replied in the affirmative.  I had a X100 and my M2.  She had never used a Leica so I loaned her the M2 for a roll.  Of course she fell in love with Leica's best film camera and when she returned to NYC I got an email a few weeks later showing me her new camera (M2 with a 35).  It is fun to spread the love!

And for anyone seeking a unique destination, Central America during Holy Week (Semana Santa) is amazing and travel/hotels are super cheap.  Twenty hours of solo Spanish training per week plus a home stay is about $1100/month.  Easter is possibly a bigger celebration than Xmas and the parades and ceremonies make for outstanding photos.

Edited June 15, 2023 by ktmrider2

[28framelines]

I would add one more thing: you mentioned your age, so I will ask the question, as it might be on your mind: what do you want to leave behind to your kids/grandkids? 70 is _not_ old, BUT it sounds like this might be “Dad’s/Grandpa’s last big trip on the motorcycle” and I wonder if you would regret not having at least the M4 and a 35mm with some BnW film or something; something tangible to remember it by. Just my 2 cents.

[M9reno]

Take the M4 and film for sure.  Even if it were very hot or very cold, just hypothetically, film survives (Thesiger traveling with his Leica through the desert comes to mind:  http://albabblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/wilfred-thesiger-photographer.html).

[pgh]

Digital has always been more reliable, more convenient and less cumbersome for me while traveling - but you do you. You can back up in internet cafes along the way. With film this is more complicated. Processing on the road is a roll of the dice, almost always. No matter what, there will be a few scenarios where you wish you'd brought something else. You'll need to live with that no matter your choice. For me, I usually just bring my M with a 50mm on it. Sometimes I wish I had my 35, but I work around it. Sometimes I bring it, when the fussing is worth it and I have time to change lenses.

If the aesthetics of a great film image pull you in and you just need a few for your trip, it's a different mindset. 

If your mentality is primarily to document your trip then if I were in your shoes I'd do digital without even thinking twice. I'd swap my GRIII for a GRIIIx though - and leave the Fuji's at home. Then you have the added benefit of something that is obviously different from your iPhone. (and for me a much better general focal length) 

[Mikep996]

"I would add one more thing: you mentioned your age, so I will ask the question, as it might be on your mind: what do you want to leave behind to your kids/grandkids? 70 is _not_ old, BUT it sounds like this might be “Dad’s/Grandpa’s last big trip on the motorcycle” 

I have a good friend who rode his 1973 Norton Commando a few years back, from central Mexico to Tierre del Fuego then up to Deadhorse, AK and back to Mexico.  He was 76 and did the ride solo.   The next year he rode (solo) from central Mexico to the east coast of Canada for a Norton rally, and then back to Mexico.  He is now in his 80's and rides several times a week, typically 120-140 mile day rides in the mountains of central Mexico.

As far as a camera...as suggested, take whatever your experience tells you will be best for the application...it might just be the iPhone!😱

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[aesop]

 

     ...whatever your choice, do not leave your point of origin without a mechanical M + film. Good luck, stay safe and have fun.

[oldwino]

M4, a couple of lenses, a brick of Portra 400, and the Ricoh.