Poll Camera for a long distance walk

What Camera gear would you walk 550 miles with?

  • Big SLR and lens, tripod, filters, photos are my reason for living

    Votes: 21 33.9%

  • Small SLR and a light lens only, don't want to get too bogged down with gear

    Votes: 32 51.6%

  • Point and Shoot for a occasional snap, the majority being self takes

    Votes: 8 12.9%

  • I wouldn't burden myself with any form of photo gear unless it somehow pulled me up hills

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • Total voters
    62
  • Poll closed .
petebarnes

petebarnes

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Pete
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I've decided to walk the GR10 this summer all being well, it's the route from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean sea, through the Pyrenees. It's 550 miles and about 49,000 metre total ascent, should take about 50 days.

I hope to do a decent amount of landscape work and I'm just interested to see if people were to be doing a similar trip, or have done, what sort of camera gear they would take?

I'm a bit indecisive at the moment, weight being the major concern, I'll probably ask the same question on a walking forum but might get a different consensus!
 
It hardly seems like you have any choice...

tumblr_kra4nxiQkT1qzpwppo1_500.jpg
 
Take the lot I say, thats what I would do, if your having a great experience like that you want the best pictures to remember that you might not get the chance to again, that little extra weight to carry will be worth while in the end.
 
I think you should be asking this of long distance walkers only. And of course it all depends if you are to carry all your own kit.
 
Depends on how heavy your kit is & maybe have to think about how much time you will have to stop and take photos.
you could take somone with you just to carry the kit:lol:
 
Personally, I would be taking my DSLR with a couple of lenses - wideangle and telephoto, a tripod and filters with me.

I haven't done any backpacking recently, last time I did, I just had a point and shoot! But I have been out for long days in the UK with my 40D, 17-85, 70-200, tripod, filters and remote etc. Make sure you have a decent back pack which is adjusted properly to your back, then the weight shouldn't be a problem.
 
11 miles a day, for me I'd reckon laden down that I'd be walking for ~4 hours, that'd give plenty of time to take pictures.

I'd take the big camera, filters, mini tripod and no more than a couple of lenses.

In addition I'd get a folding solar battery charger to trickle feed the camera battery.
 
petebarnes said:
I've decided to walk the GR10 this summer all being well, it's the route from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean sea, through the Pyrenees. It's 550 miles and about 49,000 metre total ascent, should take about 50 days.....
Click to expand...

my nephew did similar - I'll ask him for his gear list

FWIW...50 days - have you calculated how many cards you'll need ?
Craig carried 4GB cards - so not all eggs in one basket i think - and mailed them home each time he descended to a village

he used a system of mailing food packages from the UK to Post offices along the route

I envy you ....... I tented one summer at Chamonix near Mont Blanc and the walking was incredible - and carrying a 35mm film Canon A1..!
 
If it were me, D300s + Grip, all 5 of my EN-EL3e batteries, all 50 of my 2700mAh AA rechargeables, Sigma 10-20mm, 50mm f/1.8D.

I'd really want to take along the 70-200VR too, but I'd debate the value vs the weight. I'd probably take a single SB-600 and leave the SB-900s at home.

I'd take my 4x4GB, 2x8GB and 1x16GB cards with me, and debate purchasing more before I left. :)

I'd probably also consider purchasing the BL-3 and half a dozen EN-EL4a batteries to instead of taking all those mentioned above as the EN-EL4a holds a similar charge to two and a half EN-EL3e batteries (probably around 18-20K actuations between half a dozen fully charged EN-EL4a batteries, before you take into account the effects that cold can have on batteries, so try to keep them packed up warm).
 
richpips said:
11 miles a day, for me I'd reckon laden down that I'd be walking for ~4 hours, that'd give plenty of time to take pictures.

I'd take the big camera, filters, mini tripod and no more than a couple of lenses.

In addition I'd get a folding solar battery charger to trickle feed the camera battery.
Click to expand...

weight is going to be CRITICAL........
on top of tent, bag, food, water, stove +fuel etc you will find the camera will - unfortunately - have to be lightweight

tripods are out - carry a tiny down-filled pillow - use as a bean-bag
everytime you get a bit of kit to do 2 jobs- you win!
 
richpips said:
Why?
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I think...not sure....but
as several stages on his "high" route took him from hut to hut, you cannot buy/carry enough lightweight dehydrated camping type food without descending to a village
 
richpips said:
11 miles a day, for me I'd reckon laden down that I'd be walking for ~4 hours, that'd give plenty of time to take pictures.
Click to expand...


You won't do 11 miles in 4 hours (a) because of the hight gain (b) at altitude (c) in that terrain! (d) Load (backpack) Plus all the 'little' things that will slow you down. See 'Eric Langmuir' guide.
 
Yardbent said:
weight is going to be CRITICAL........
on top of tent, bag, food, water, stove +fuel etc you will find the camera will - unfortunately - have to be lightweight

tripods are out - carry a tiny down-filled pillow - use as a bean-bag
everytime you get a bit of kit to do 2 jobs- you win!
Click to expand...

Weight is indeed critical. I've done a lot of long distance stuff over the years.

My last lightweight trip where I travelled for 10 days I carried a total weight including tent cooking stuff and fresh food plus a small dslr all in at ~9kg max carried weight. I was limited for time, so didn't have the time available to consider it as a serious photographic trip. If I had only to travel for a few hours of the day instead of all of it, and extra 5kg would be no hardship.
 
Yardbent said:
weight is going to be CRITICAL........
on top of tent, bag, food, water, stove +fuel etc you will find the camera will - unfortunately - have to be lightweight

tripods are out - carry a tiny down-filled pillow - use as a bean-bag
everytime you get a bit of kit to do 2 jobs- you win!
Click to expand...

Take a Hydration bag-2ltr. At night, blow it up and use as pillow!
 
Sounds like a bloody great, but extremely arduous adventure Pete... :thumbs:

I'd be sorely tempted just to take my 3G S and D-Lux 4 but I know damn sure I would regret it... as light and convenient as they both are... :D


Probably best with a lighter DSLR though and a limited range of first class glass... :shrug:






:p
 
I'd be tempted my something like the Olympus Pen and a couple of lenses. Small, light, versatile with enough quality you won't be kicking yourself. And don't forget that compeed stuff for blisters. Absolute life saver!
 
wontolla said:
You won't do 11 miles in 4 hours (a) because of the hight gain (b) at altitude (c) in that terrain! (d) Load (backpack) Plus all the 'little' things that will slow you down. See 'Eric Langmuir' guide.
Click to expand...

Using Naismith's rule you walk for 5 hours a day (ignoring the pedantry of Tranters corrections).

Still lots of time to wait for "that shot" and take quality pictures, or rue the fact you took a camera that wasn't quite up to the job.
 
have you considered a proper film slr/ranngefinder fully mechanical (no batteries) film is bulky but light and would work excellently with the mailing system mentioned above (ie you only have one villages worth of film on you).

I have NOT done a lot of walking but am just putting forward a logical way to reduce weight
 
Pete I went on a 500 mile cycle tour round Denmark last year and took my 400D + 17-40 L and Tamron 70-300! I was so undecided what to take and decided to take all the above so I could get a nice shot when needed.

The 70-300 came as I am in to aviation photography and I was staying near Copenhagen airport. I did get some really nice shots as the weather was amazing.

As for the rest. Well I have to say if/when I do it again I will most likely just get a Lumix LX3 or similar sized P&S as the weight really annoyed me after a while.
Another advantage of a small camera is you are far more likely to get it out for a quick snap than if you had a big one.

That walk sounds really cool!

Andy S
 
I personally hate the thought of getting somewhere awesome, and realising that I'd left a load of kit at home. So, I take everything. See my sig for details :D
 
having done a fair bit of hiking (mostly alot in a short period of time, e.g. 30 miles per day for 2 days) - i am about to set off on a similar-ish thing. The 88 temple pilgrimage in japan, all booked to start mid march :), its 700 miles long, but max climb is only 900 metres, with most of the way paved... so i wouldnt have said it was anywhere near as hard as what your doing.
for that il be taking a VERY light wieght tripod, set of lee filters, mamiya 645, with 55mm lens, small light metre, and enough film for 4 shots per day. (as well as a physical challenge, its also a photography challenge, to help me improve, as ive been getting into a rut recently, so i need drastic mesures :P )

basicly... if you ignore all of that.... what i was trying to say was:
good luck :D, hope you have a great time, and i look forward to seeing the photos when you post them up :)
 
Thanks for the votes and ideas guys, I thought we might have a few walkers/cyclists that have done this kind of thing so thanks for your experiences.

I did travel round the world a few years back for a year and did quite a bit of hiking in the Andes so I do know the importance of travelling light but as lots of you have mentioned it would be a shame not to get the absolute best images I could. I don't actually do a great deal of taking photos during a walk, pretty much leaving it for the golden hours, might miss a few sunrises mind ;)

The temple pilgrimage sounds good Nathan, I don't think it'd be the time for me to cross over to film though but that's only because I've never used it.

Think the kit could be similar to what Woodsy suggests (but canon, obviously ;)) but then it throws up: do I take the 16-35 or the 24-70, in the words of highlander, there can be only one!

Thanks again for the thoughts folks, keep em coming, interesting to see one vote for no camera, on TP!?!
 
I'd go for a micro-four-thirds camera, 2 or 3 little lenses, and the small Lee rangefinder filter kit.
 
Historically I've always been the one with an overly stuffed camera bag on any trip. Always wanting to know I've got the kit for any opportunity. Last year I took a trip to Arizona and Utah and went with nothing more than a panny LX2. I can honestly say I've never enjoyed 10 days of photography more.

I appricite it's not a solution for everyone but I found being able to wander without the bulk of bodies, lenses, batteries, filters, a tripod and other gubbibs totally liberating and ultimatley more creative.
 
no rangefinders?!

I would bring my Voigtlander Bessa R2 and/ or my Yashica T4 Zoom.
 
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