Which Camera - Everest Trek

J

jacko198

Messages
47
Name
Jack
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi Folks,

I am off to Nepal in a coupe of months and was wondering if you have any recommendations of a camera kit! Its been a while since I have taken any photos (probably since I had a rather rubbish 300d almost 10 years ago) so need some advice.

Im looking for something that can shoot both stills and half decent video too. Lots of panoramic shots, portraits and I would think I longer lens would probably come in handy! Size is not too much of an issue, although I guess the smaller the better as I will have to carry it to 5600m!

I don't mind having an interchangeable lens or 2, unless anyone can convince me that an all in one will do just as good of a job.

I don't want to spend too much either (the trip is costing too bloody much as it is!) so probably looking for something used, maybe upto around £5/600.

As I say, the last cameras I owned were a 300d and a D50, back when there was probably 4 to choose from, now there seems to be way to many models!

Mirrorless or DSLR? Canon M6 or 760/50D, too many options!

Any help would be appreciated
 
I suggest you look into rugged cameras that can cope with the temperature range when you expect to be there. Lowest temperatures average between -18 to -35 deg C depending which month you're there in so freeze proof seems the approprate minimum standard and then that depends what the manufacturer defines as freezing enough to proof it..

Here's a blog from someone else who did a shoot in similar temps so it might not be a one or two lens alternative but multiple similar focal lengths and the ability to defrost. Then there's battery life and availability. Have a sneaking suspicion that if you're at the upper levels in Nepal then your budget might not not be stretchy enough- have you asked the organisers of the trip what they would recommend?

https://petapixel.com/2012/12/20/fr...ooks-like-when-shooting-in-a-25c-environment/
 
I think you might struggle with the budget for a two lens system. Personally I would take something like a Fuji XE2, 14mm and 18-70mm 2nd hand these might be close to your budget. Batteries would be the weakness as like many mirrorless cameras I only get a couple of hundred shots when its cold. The new XE3 is a little smaller and has a new sensor but it also allows USB charging and this would be a huge bonus as you could charge it from a big USB battery pack or a solar charger.
 
50d is getting on a bit, still a good camera if a bit "noisy" over iso 800. It's no longer supported by Canon so if it goes wrong you may have a lemon.
Matt
 
I've been to the Nepal side and the Tibet side. The Nepal side can be pretty wet and hard work. At altitude in clear weather you have extreme ultra-violet. Your budget is a bit slim. I would travel light with something you can put away securely and easily with loads of cheap batteries. I was in Iceland last winter sleeping in -10c and it kills batteries. (Off to Norway in early March for more of the same.)

At the cheaper end, you could consider a compact like the Sony RX100 Mk3 that is pretty marvellous. My son took one round Cuba for a month and I use it occasionally as a backup. It has excellent optics and does great panoramas, if that's your thing. Personally, with an 18mp+ camera, panoramas are just as good cropped from 4:3. The Sony has a brilliant 20mp sensor.

At the other end I would go for second hand Sony a7r and Zeiss ZM 35 either f2 or f2.8 and a converter mount. You will then have 36mp full frame and stunning optics for not much over £1,000. You could easily sell on your return if you need the cash. A second lens would be the Voightlander 75/f1.8, but I could live just with a 35mm. The ZM from Zeiss are preferable to the Sony FE fit as they are much smaller and should be very easy to sell.

You don't need autofocus. You may benefit from a fast lens for interiors in Kathmandu, Padam or wherever you're going.

The RX100 III is stunning value for it's 20mp 1" sensor and general brilliance, both fast f1.8 and with an built-in ND filter.
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-cybershot-dsc-rx100-m3/13
I would have thought much more preferable over the Canon M6. There is also a little kit you can get to attach a filter on top of the Sony RX100, costs £25.

For my pleasures, I seem to recall using an Olympus OM20 and 35mm. It was 1990. Here's a couple of tasters from Kathmandu and Everest from the north. Note the depth of shadow. Light is the big issue at altitude.

]
24658552337_aa83c6c073_k.jpg


19770549296_fa8e56a783_k.jpg
 
"Rather rubbish D300"? Easy there. There's not much wrong with a D300.
 
For the cold, plan to be able to carry your batteries at least inside of your clothing and sleeping bag for the worst of it. Years ago I spent many a night cuddling the battery pack of my F5 in the Andes. Awoke one morning to find the F5 body covered in 1-2mm of frozen condensation from the inside of the tent. Snapped the batteries back in, brushed off the frost and I was back in action. This was the accommodation....

11450662_08cbd79fcf_b.jpg
 
The key thing on mountain treks is batteries, charging isn’t possible unless you have a usb charger and power pack.

So on one hand a mirrorless is great as it is lightweight but they eat batteries for breakfast lunch and dinner.

DSLRs are much better on batteries but tend to be bigger although nowadays you can get some pretty lightweight ones.

Either way I wouldn’t be too concerned about having a special ‘cold rated’ camera, no one’s camera stopped working at the top of Kilimanjaro where it was -17, you just need to keep a battery in your inside pocket.

As for lenses, a superzoom and fast prime is a great option for this kind of travel. In the mountains wide angle isn’t too much use and you will probably want to isolate areas in landscapes so telephoto is useful and then I stitch panos if I want wider.

So all that said, if I were going to base camp (which I hope to do soon) I would probably take my Olympus EM5 mk2, 14-150 superzoom and a USB battery pack and charger. Lightweight, weatherproof (and supposedly freezeproof) and very versatile.
 
I once did a trek through Ladakh and Zanskar and we did not have access to electricity for over 3 weeks, but pre digital that wasn't an issue. If I was Jacko I'd take film and I prefer the look anyway. I'd speak to the travel company and get some more details - I used to travel with Exodus, who employ professional photographers.
 
The coldest climate I've been in was Kazakhstan where it was in the -20's but my 5D and Panny GF1 shrugged it off and I had no real issues with batteries :D

I now look to take two cameras on holiday, a quality camera with a nice (prime) lens for the best quality and low light use and a smaller camera with a zoom lens for the wider and longer shots in good light.

Two cameras could be a stretch for a top budget of £600 but a FF DSLR or even an A7 could be just about doable and an A7 could be partnered with a cheap manual lens to be within budget.

Other than FF I think I'd take a look at the Sony A6000 or another possibility is a Panasonic GX7. The latter is a good camera but suffers shutter shock with some lenses and as a result they sometimes crop up at bargain prices. Choose a lens that isn't affected by shutter shock and you can have a bargain basement set up that'll give good results and may leave you some money for a decent used compact.
 
Cheers guys, all good options. As I mentioned, coming from using DSLR's years ago, its hard to get my head around how good the mirrorless ones are these days!

The weather shouldn't be too much of an issue as we are going in March/April so should be pretty warm in the daytime and yeah probably quite cold in the night so can keep my batteries in my sleeping bag!

I would love to get something like the A7R, and its a good idea to sell it when I get back (the girlfriend immediately said "NO" when I mentioned the initial price though :() I will see if I can get one cheepish on eBay.

The a6000 looks interesting too.

Are there any DSLR's that immediately spring to mind for that kind of money?
 
jacko198 said:
Cheers guys, all good options. As I mentioned, coming from using DSLR's years ago, its hard to get my head around how good the mirrorless ones are these days!

The weather shouldn't be too much of an issue as we are going in March/April so should be pretty warm in the daytime and yeah probably quite cold in the night so can keep my batteries in my sleeping bag!

I would love to get something like the A7R, and its a good idea to sell it when I get back (the girlfriend immediately said "NO" when I mentioned the initial price though :() I will see if I can get one cheepish on eBay.

The a6000 looks interesting too.

Are there any DSLR's that immediately spring to mind for that kind of money?
Click to expand...

My second digital camera was a Canon 300D and my last Canon DSLR was a 5D. I think that a modern Micro Four Thirds camera will give you better image quality than the 300D which should come as no surprise and the later models will also better the 5D. An APS-C A6000 will only improve on that.

If you want stills and video capability you'll have to keep that in mind when looking at the various DSLR/CSC possibilities.

And a PS. If you're looking at an A7r why not look at the A7. They're probably cheaper.
 
Last edited:
jacko198 said:
Cheers guys, all good options. As I mentioned, coming from using DSLR's years ago, its hard to get my head around how good the mirrorless ones are these days!

The weather shouldn't be too much of an issue as we are going in March/April so should be pretty warm in the daytime and yeah probably quite cold in the night so can keep my batteries in my sleeping bag!

I would love to get something like the A7R, and its a good idea to sell it when I get back (the girlfriend immediately said "NO" when I mentioned the initial price though :() I will see if I can get one cheepish on eBay.

The a6000 looks interesting too.

Are there any DSLR's that immediately spring to mind for that kind of money?
Click to expand...

There is one here for £789 from mpb
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equi...d-sony-compact-system-cameras/sony-alpha-a7r/

Mine cost £700 over two years ago boxed in good condition from LCE and it was only 12 months old. I would phone LCE and ask if they have one. They do good deals, especially for cash.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top