(Luxury) Travel check-list

[Hope]

So! I thought I would make a bit of a travel check list and see if you think I have missed anything or would change anything yourself!

This is for a 6-8 week trip to USA and Europe!

EDIT: I will have a hotel room and won't be back-packing

• 7D (I was going to go full frame but haven't!)
• 17-55 F2.8 or 24-105 F4? Or both?
• 10-22mm
• 50mm F1.4
• 2 x 16GB CF
• Charger
• Flash and Diffuser
• Tripod
• Remote release
• Filters (UV, Polariser, ND Kit)
• USB lead
• Microfibre lens cloth
• Laptop/Dropbox/Flickr/Pen Drives (2x16GB)

Feedback appreciated, thank you

 

[rjbell]

How about a empty bag and a credit card, and go shopping in USA!!

Seriously though, you could just take the 24-105 and then buy a new FF camera in the US.

 

[Cagey75]

He may not have the money?

I would take a bunch more CF cards if I were you. Ok, you're going to back up along the way, but I prefer to also leave the images on card, use a fresh one every few days. With cards being so cheap now, no reason not to have more.

 

[Hope]

How about a empty bag and a credit card, and go shopping in USA!!

Seriously though, you could just take the 24-105 and then buy a new FF camera in the US.

I did consider it but I can't seem to find anywhere there that does the 5D at a good price?

He may not have the money?

I would take a bunch more CF cards if I were you. Ok, you're going to back up along the way, but I prefer to also leave the images on card, use a fresh one every few days. With cards being so cheap now, no reason not to have more.

I think I should, I just bought these two extremes at around £40 each and each one should hold around 650 images. Maybe I should go for 32GBs instead? I figured its cheaper to transfer a whole card to a pen drive and my laptop and then format the card?

 

[rjbell]

I don't know how you are travelling but taking some much stuff sounds like a drag to me.

 

[Danny_Two]

So! I thought I would make a bit of a travel check list and see if you think I have missed anything or would change anything yourself!

This is for a 6-8 week trip to USA and Europe!

• 7D (I was going to go full frame but haven't!)
• 17-55 F2.8 or 24-105 F4? Or both?
• 10-22mm
• 50mm F1.4
• 2 x 16GB CF
• Charger
• Flash and Diffuser
• Tripod
• Remote release
• Filters (UV, Polariser, ND Kit)
• USB lead
• Microfibre lens cloth
• Laptop/Dropbox/Flickr/Pen Drives (2x16GB)

Feedback appreciated, thank you

Christ, good luck carrying that lot around.

 

[Mikesphotaes]

Used to take most of my gear on holiday but it can become a wee bit of a pain.

Nowadays, I just take a camera and one lens (your 24-105 F4 would do fine), plenty of cards (just 2 is asking for bother), charger and cleaning pen/cloth.

All in the smallest camera bag that will take the above, mines fits into my carry-on bag.

 

[Hope]

I don't know how you are travelling but taking some much stuff sounds like a drag to me.

I won't have it with me at all times

Christ, good luck carrying that lot around.

What would you chaps take? And what would you ditch?

Used to take most of my gear on holiday but it can become a wee bit of a pain.

Nowadays, I just take a camera and one lens (your 24-105 F4 would do fine), plenty of cards (just 2 is asking for bother), charger and cleaning pen/cloth.

All in the smallest camera bag that will take the above, mines fits into my carry-on bag.

Thanks, I think more cards is a definite must in that case I wanted to take my tripod for long exposures which I hope to do a lot of.

 

[rjbell]

I wanted to take my tripod for long exposures which I hope to do a lot of

Find a wall!

 

[Amp34]

I don't know how you are travelling but taking some much stuff sounds like a drag to me.

Not really much weight there other than the Tripod and Laptop.

OP:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-16G...J0CG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357392788&sr=8-1 ??

Get two more of them for £30? Multiple 16GB cards is my preference. I took two 16GB cards with me to South America when I went for 3 weeks and filled them up (shooting RAW and 1080p video), deleting poor images as I went. Just got another two 16GB cards so now 64GB for my next 3 week trip.

I would take the 24-105 as you have a 10-22 for wide and a 50 f/1.4 for the low light.

Leave your laptop and buy a small tablet. iPad mini or a Nexus 10? Something reasonably cheap that you can use to browse the net and upload occasional pictures (no need for storage as you will have plenty of cards). Takes up lots less space and will reduce the weight of your bag (unless you already have a UX21 or an 11" Air). Other than that it looks fine, just depends on what tripod you have as to whether your kit (with a couple of changes) will be above a few kg.

The tripod is going to be the big question, lugging a heavy one around with you is a pain but getting a good light one can be expensive. Definitely worth taking one even if it isn't a brilliant one (picked because it's light) as any tripod is better than no tripod. A cheap one (with a good head) can at least be extended only partly to make it more stable.

EDIT: Also how many batteries have you got? You need at least one spare...

 

[Hope]

Not really much weight there other than the Tripod and Laptop.

OP:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-16G...J0CG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357392788&sr=8-1 ??

Get two more of them for £30? Multiple 16GB cards is my preference. I took two 16GB cards with me to South America when I went for 3 weeks and filled them up (shooting RAW and 1080p video), deleting poor images as I went. Just got another two 16GB cards so now 64GB for my next 3 week trip.

I would take the 24-105 as you have a 10-22 for wide and a 50 f/1.4 for the low light.

Leave your laptop and buy a small tablet. iPad mini or a Nexus 10? Something reasonably cheap that you can use to browse the net and upload occasional pictures (no need for storage as you will have plenty of cards). Takes up lots less space and will reduce the weight of your bag (unless you already have a UX21 or an 11" Air). Other than that it looks fine, just depends on what tripod you have as to whether your kit (with a couple of changes) will be above a few kg.

Sorry few things I should have mentioned. I am using Compact Flash so a 16GB Extreme is around £40 a card.

Chances are I won't shoot any video.

Also I needed to take my laptop anyway so I am not taking that for the purpose of photography

Thanks for your comments.

 

[Amp34]

Oops... Forgot the 7D is CF...!

I did edit with a couple more points as well, regarding battery and tripod.

 

[freecom2]

2 pin plug adapter?

 

[Hope]

Oops... Forgot the 7D is CF...!

I did edit with a couple more points as well, regarding battery and tripod.

I have a couple of spare batteries but want a genuine Canon spare! May put a WTB up for one or just get one out there LP-E6 are common enough these days

2 pin plug adapter?

Good point, I have a Europe one but wasn't sure if US is a flat 2 pin?

Ahaa! Actually I think I have just the thing Thanks for reminding me

I have one of these that should work for my laptop as well as iPad and Canon charger!

 

[Cagey75]

What are you here? weaklings? I carried more than that to New york for just 5 days. Most of it is just little bits, chargers/cables/batteries/cloths/pen drives ... You're really looking at just one carry on bag here. You could put the laptop and tripod in your main luggage. Not a bother. You know they have places to hold bags now? you don't actually carry the bag all the way around

 

[Amp34]

I think most of us were thinking he was actually travelling rather just taking a quick trip to a hotel the other side of the Atlantic...

When it all has to go on your back and you're wearing it for hours a day it's a little different to dumping your suitcase on a plane, then taxi, then hotel and just having a small daysack when you're wondering around.

 

[Hope]

My tripod is a 3LT Adrian

Weighs 1.7KG and folds down to 42cm.

I opted for this over the Giottos christmas edition Carbon MT8223-50 which weighed only 1.15KG but folded to 56cm and was much bulkier due to the 3 way head

 

[Hope]

You know they have places to hold bags now?

I think they're called hotels

I think most of us were thinking he was actually travelling rather just taking a quick trip to a hotel the other side of the Atlantic...

When it all has to go on your back and you're wearing it for hours a day it's a little different to dumping your suitcase on a plane, then taxi, then hotel and just having a small daysack when you're wondering around.

Fair point Title and original post edited, I won't be backpacking, unfortunately I am too used to comfort and amenities

 

[SpikeK6]

I went tot he usa for 3 weeks last year and did in over 32GB of shots.

I was using 4gb and 8 gb cards, these to me (imo) are better than larger cards, I had a lap top to back up onto as well. 16gb sounds great till it goes wrong and you could potentially loose hundreds and hundreds of pics.

I always shoot raw so when going again I would still be looking at less GB cards but more of.

Have a great time

 

[Cagey75]

Most people, like me, using a D800, are using 32GB cards. We're not worried about them failing, buy the best and the chances are extremely slim of anything going wrong. I never got this, 4GB cards are better ... it means having to swap them about more often. You have to be very unlucky for a card to fail, no matter the capacity.

 

[Hope]

Thanks for the input spike.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=451322

I actually had a thread up regarding card size a few weeks ago because buying 2x16GB cost me a £5 premium over buying 1x32GB. I am not worried about them failing per sé, more thinking about camera theft, accidental damage, etc.

 

[a1ex2001]

Most people, like me, using a D800, are using 32GB cards. We're not worried about them failing, buy the best and the chances are extremely slim of anything going wrong. I never got this, 4GB cards are better ... it means having to swap them about more often. You have to be very unlucky for a card to fail, no matter the capacity.

I go for smaller cards so I can have a fresh one most days, that way when someone robs me for my camera I only loose the insured kit and that days shots not the irreplaceable photos from the amazing location I was at the week before that I will never visit again.

 

[Willid1]

The only thing you haven't mentioned is the attitude of your partner / travelling companions to your photography.

If you are travelling alone, take the lot and anything else you can carry .

If you are not travelling with photographers or very photography tollerant companions then seriously consider taking a high quality compact and nothing else.

6-8 weeks is a long time to be constantly making people wait and detour for your photographic delectation.

My bucket list has a big tour of the USA so I do sympathise

HTH

David

 

[tezmed]

you are gonna wreak after carrying all that around for soo long in sunnier climates.....

i'd be packing clothes, wash gear aswell going for that long.... lol

camera wise your not exactly travelling light as it is, is the aeroplane gonna get off the floor??? lol

 

[Hope]

The only thing you haven't mentioned is the attitude of your partner / travelling companions to your photography.

If you are travelling alone, take the lot and anything else you can carry .

If you are not travelling with photographers or very photography tollerant companions then seriously consider taking a high quality compact and nothing else.

6-8 weeks is a long time to be constantly making people wait and detour for your photographic delectation.

My bucket list has a big tour of the USA so I do sympathise

HTH

David

I will be travelling alone

you are gonna wreak after carrying all that around for soo long in sunnier climates.....

i'd be packing clothes, wash gear aswell going for that long.... lol

camera wise your not exactly travelling light as it is, is the aeroplane gonna get off the floor??? lol

Its a nudist break, clothes need not apply. I never reek, I sweat cologne.

That was a joke btw.

 

[Amp34]

My tripod is a 3LT Adrian

Weighs 1.7KG and folds down to 42cm.

I opted for this over the Giottos christmas edition Carbon MT8223-50 which weighed only 1.15KG but folded to 56cm and was much bulkier due to the 3 way head

It's 1.3kg without the head isn't it? How are you getting on with it? I'm looking for a decent lightweight travel pod at the moment and the Adrian is right at the top of the list.

I think they're called hotels



Fair point Title and original post edited, I won't be backpacking, unfortunately I am too used to comfort and amenities

Haha, gives much fewer issues with weight and size though!

 

[Amp34]

I went tot he usa for 3 weeks last year and did in over 32GB of shots.

I was using 4gb and 8 gb cards, these to me (imo) are better than larger cards, I had a lap top to back up onto as well. 16gb sounds great till it goes wrong and you could potentially loose hundreds and hundreds of pics.

I always shoot raw so when going again I would still be looking at less GB cards but more of.

Have a great time

Then you have the issue of remembering where you put them and which one was which! I find 16GB is good for my camera currently as it fits around 400-500 images on, which to me is just enough to not have to faf too much changing cards, which I'd probably have to do every hundred or so with a 4GB card.

 

[Hope]

Really like Adrian so far Amp!

Company's service has been spot on, went out tonight and it was rock solid on a couple of long exposures, the extra weight isn't noticeable but the compactness and head quality is!

I think 2x16GB will do me fine for now, I think if I needed more I'll buy them out there.

I have been away before with 1x8GB and 1x4GB and not filled them from memory.

 

[Willid1]

I will be travelling alone

"Monty Python voice on"

You're a very very lucky boy!

"Monty Python voice off"

Have a great time, look forward to seeing the photos

David

 

[Jesus Quintana]

On a side note, when I've been to Vegas and Boston, I found memory cards to be quite a bit more expensive than over here. I looked in the cheaper shops as well (Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart) etc. 6-8 weeks doesn't sound good for 2 cards to me. Not having a go btw!

Just a thought.