Advice on camera/lens for trekking to Everest Base Camp

[Seba66]

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7 minutes ago, R4p70r said:

For my hikes I use this bag Cosyspeed Camslinger MK III wearing it either around the hip or crossbody.

Nice! I’ve already a Lowepro Trek backpack that allow me to store camera gears and, in a separate compartment, not related photo stuffs. As you said I will have always the camera with me, crossbody, with a PD slide (eventually I will get a capture clip, who knows)

[IkarusJohn]

For long, arduous day’s tramping, I don’t like having a camera around my neck.  The best system I’ve found is a Lowe Pro camera bag(now long gone) with a simple to flap - it was just big enough for an FE2, with 35-85 zoom attached, and the 180/2.8 and film.  It had belt loops on the back, with I threaded through the belt strap of my pack.  The result was my camera and spare lens etc in easy reach at my hip, but not obstructing my walking.

[dpitt]

10 hours ago, Al Brown said:

There is an old 1938 book "Das Bergbild mit der Leica" (Mountain image with a Leica), from page 96 on you have images made with mostly tele Leica lenses for the wonderful "feel" of the old school expeditions.

http://photobib.bonartes.org/tl_files/buecher_scans/F.S.A-3302_Zuehlcke.pdf

On that note. If you want to do this with film, it would make sense to use 2 LTM bodies with LTM lenses (either vintage or new designs). That would probably be the lightest and most compact, high quality gear possible and one of the most reliable ways in these conditions.

[Max365]

Would take with me the Q2 or the M equipped with the 35 mm. And spare batteries. Don't know how your great hiking will be, i can only say that  when hiking or trekking in the Alps (mostly in winter time) personally don't like / have time for changing lenses. Have an amazing experience!

[ktmrider2]

I would not buy extra equipment unless an extra battery. Use what you have.  I did some trekking from Pokara about ten years ago.  My experience in the mountains has been pretty extensive.  I am 71 and have been climbing/trekking since college.

Weight should not be a problem as you will have a porter.  And you could even hire an extra one for dollars per day.  I would take two lenses.  Either a 28 or 35 depending on your preference.  Anything much wider will probably produce disappointing images (those incredible peaks will look really small).  I would leave the 50 at home and either pack a 90 or even 135.  The compression of using a longer lens in the mountains can make a stronger image.  In my case I would use a film Leica as I sold my digital Leica a couple years ago.  I travel a lot and film still works just fine.

If push came to shove and I had to take digital, it would be a Ricoh GR3 or GR3X.  Or my Fuji X-T5 with an equivalent 28-70f2.8 zoom.  The APSC camera does save on weight and size.  

 

 

 

[pgk]

Famous mountain photographer W A Poucher used ltm Leicas with 35/50/90 for much (most/all?) of his mountain photography. He travelled worldwide and although his colour books are dated, his earlier B&W are still a showcase for what can be done with fairly minimalist kit.

For anyone interested: Smith, Roly (2008). A Camera in the Hills: The Life and Work of W.A. Poucher. Frances Lincoln ltd. p. 192. ISBN 9780711228986.

Edited February 3, 2024 by pgk
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[Jeff S]

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12 minutes ago, pgk said:

Famous mountain photographer W A Poucher used ltm Leicas with 35/50/90 for much (most/all?) of his mountain photography. He travelled worldwide and although his colour books are dated, his earlier B&W are still a showcase for what can be done with fairly minimalist kit.

Deleted… link not operable

 

Jeff

Edited February 3, 2024 by Jeff S

[Mr.Prime]

My Nepal experience was many years ago, so all film, but my 2c is,

It’s a truly magical place, don’t spend your time looking through a viewfinder despite being a photographer. As has been said already I’ll add my vote to - Avoid a camera around the neck, wear a camera bag/holster on your hip. Keep it light. And simple. Make a daily (paper) diary of your experience. 

Lighting can be quite extreme, be conscious of dynamic range limitations if digital.  Used Kodachrome 64 and Ilford Pan F and they both struggled with the dynamic range.
A polarising filter can work wonders with deep blue high altitude skies. You’ll be wearing sunshades some of the time if that’s a factor in using a particular viewfinder.

My most used lenses were 28mm/2.8 and a tele-zoom. The 50/1.4 was helpful indoors where flash is too harsh and unwelcome. 
 

If I were to go back, I’d be tempted to use the same camera, a film SLR. And I’d use FP4 as well as colour neg film. For lenses I’d take a 35mm instead of 28mm. And a telephoto prime.

 

 

Edited February 3, 2024 by Mr.Prime

[Herr Barnack]

@Seba66   In reading through this thread, my thoughts keep coming back to the Q2 or Q3.  Why?

Simplicity.

Weather sealing.

Outstanding lens.

Fairly decent battery life between charge ups.

Q2 & Q3 are light in weight compared to some of the alternatives mentioned.

One lens, attached to the body.  No lens changing, no getting snow/ice/debris into the camera body.

The 28mm lens is a good choice for landscape photography and for the confined quarters inside tents.

47mp (Q2) or 60 mp (Q3) sensor size will give you files that you can make huge high resolution prints from.

 

The Q cameras seem nearly perfect for the high altitude environment of Everest base camp and the trekking route that takes you there and back.  JMHO.

 

[Seba66]

@Herr Barnack I subscribe to every single word of yours and in fact that was my original idea when I started planning this trip a few years ago (at that time I was thinking about Q2 of course, not Q3) and I had an M10 (and a Nikon DSLR). But since then I have bought an SL2-S and now I am in a situation in which I cannot justify, first of all to myself, the purchase of a third line of Leica products. So taking a Q3 would mean selling either the M10 or the SL2-S and right now it doesn't seem like the best idea to me... but I keep ruminating over it, and posts like yours don't help me 😅

[ianforber]

3 hours ago, Seba66 said:

@Herr Barnack I subscribe to every single word of yours and in fact that was my original idea when I started planning this trip a few years ago (at that time I was thinking about Q2 of course, not Q3) and I had an M10 (and a Nikon DSLR). But since then I have bought an SL2-S and now I am in a situation in which I cannot justify, first of all to myself, the purchase of a third line of Leica products. So taking a Q3 would mean selling either the M10 or the SL2-S and right now it doesn't seem like the best idea to me... but I keep ruminating over it, and posts like yours don't help me 😅

If you can afford it, why not buy the Q3 and sell it when you return? Except of course, you won’t sell it because you’ll like it too much😂

[Herr Barnack]

5 hours ago, Seba66 said:

@Herr Barnack I subscribe to every single word of yours and in fact that was my original idea when I started planning this trip a few years ago (at that time I was thinking about Q2 of course, not Q3) and I had an M10 (and a Nikon DSLR). But since then I have bought an SL2-S and now I am in a situation in which I cannot justify, first of all to myself, the purchase of a third line of Leica products. So taking a Q3 would mean selling either the M10 or the SL2-S and right now it doesn't seem like the best idea to me... but I keep ruminating over it, and posts like yours don't help me 😅

@Seba66  I'm always happy to help another forum member throw justification of equipment into the nearest dumpster and throw a few more thousand into Leica's coffers - it's the least I can do!  😅

Edited February 6, 2024 by Herr Barnack

[jaques]

for such an amazing and epic location- I would consider packing a small folding 6x9cm medium format film 120 camera. Some of these folders are very small and quite lightweight. An Agfa Isola would be perfect... Shoot like crazy on whatever digital you end up bringing- and then compare the results against medium format film.

Edited February 6, 2024 by jaques

[Seba66]

1 hour ago, Al Brown said:

Do not forget you would need quite some time to go through the learning curve with the Q, so any purchase plan needs to be way in advance.

You’re right, I will leave for EBC trek in May and before of that, in March, I will be traveling two weeks in Philippines. Even if it is a completely different kind of travel (maybe the opposite one) I will test my final gear configuration, which ever it will be, on this trip, so I must decide within a month.

[pgk]

As an old and often forgotten 'rule-of-thumb' tele lenses can be used to make mountains look bigger whilst wide-angles tend to make them look smaller. I'm not sure that I would take a camera with a wide-angle (28mm) lens as my only camera (yes I know that you can crop but .....). I rather like the idea of a lightweight 90mm M lens and personally colud take a 35 & 90 and be happy with a single body. I'd rather add a 21 and spare body and as many fully charged batteries as I felt practical.

[Marc B-C]

I cannot give you any camera advice and apologies for possible negativity. I hope you are getting plenty of time to acclimatise to the elevation. My aunt did this trek several years ago and they lost a young member of the team due to altitude sickness. Apparently the young girl complained of a bad headache to her friend but took it no further before collapsing.

Fitness also has nothing to do with it as Victoria Pendleton (multiple world champion cyclist) had to drop out of the same trip due to suffering. Several members of my triathlon club ( I was a social cycling member only!) also suffered on a trip to Mount Kilimanjaro (5,800m so a little higher than the two Everest base camps (5,300m?)

[Seba66]

3 hours ago, Marc B-C said:

I cannot give you any camera advice and apologies for possible negativity.

@Marc B-C you have nothing to apologize for. I subscribe to your words. Even though I am fairly fit I am aware that this is only part of the game and that I have to take into account the possibility of not being able to complete the trek. In any case, I will follow all the rules for proper acclimatization and also in view of this I try to reduce the weight of my photo kit. Thank you for your reflections

[Seba66]

4 hours ago, pgk said:

As an old and often forgotten 'rule-of-thumb' tele lenses can be used to make mountains look bigger whilst wide-angles tend to make them look smaller. I'm not sure that I would take a camera with a wide-angle (28mm) lens as my only camera (yes I know that you can crop but .....). I rather like the idea of a lightweight 90mm M lens and personally colud take a 35 & 90 and be happy with a single body. I'd rather add a 21 and spare body and as many fully charged batteries as I felt practical.

I agree. And for this reason, not having a 90mm in my kit, a few days ago I bought a good used Voigtlander F/2.8 Color Skopar APO, stimulated by good reviews and its compactness and lightness.

I have received many comments that advised me not to change lenses (and also for this reason many, and myself, think of the Q as the best option), but at the end, for me, to think in the morning which lens I will use that day, according to the program, if I will only do trekking, how hard it will be, if we will visit monasteries or villages etc., is one of the most beautiful parts of the game. Having a camera with a fixed focal lens I find it restrictive, even if I will not intend to change lenses all the way. I think I will keep a fixed one for most of the day, according to the program, unless of irripetibile opportunities.

I don't want to offend anyone, but when I tried the Q2/3 in my hand for a few hours, I didn't feel much different than having an iPhone Pro. Maybe it's my limit and I should have spent more time appreciating the Q. And maybe one day I'll buy it, but it will always be because I'll think of using it at 28mm, the idea of digital zoom can't get hold of me.

As for today I think to carry the 90mm and one among 21-35 or 28-50 couple. And I’m still debating to carry M10 or SL2-S as the body.

[pgk]

25 minutes ago, Seba66 said:

As for today I think to carry the 90mm and one among 21-35 or 28-50 couple. And I’m still debating to carry M10 or SL2-S as the body.

The classic 21/35/90 will cover an awful lot. I've travelled with these three and never found myself thinking that I did not have sufficient equipment to cover what I wanted. Today I'm favouring 21/35/75 although I could happily use a 90 instead of the 75. I suppose the thing that you really need to do is to figure out what you want to take and then decide to be happy with your decision and work within the confines of your choices. This is how I decided to operate a fair time ago and it works surprisingly well and is a very pleasurable way to take photographs.

In the past I had Nikons and Canons with a full range of zooms in a Billigham 550 and when I was freelancing and busy it was the way I had to operate. Today I have a more laid back lifestyle and find that limiting what I use is very fruitful photographically.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[dpitt]

When it comes to ultra wide like the 21mm, I often use stitching when I only have the 35mm or 40mm. Todays PP software makes it very easy to stitch 2 portrait 35mm together, resulting in about 25mm eq. And if need be 3 can be used as a panorama shot. It saves a lens to carry and a switch of lenses on the occasion. As long as there are no moving subjects on the stitch junction of your pictures, you should be OK.

Edited February 7, 2024 by dpitt