Travel, what gear to take?

[Squire Robert]

I, with my wife, will be touring Vietnam early next year and I would appreciate some advice and comments on what to take.
I must say at the outset it’s not a photographic holiday (vacation) it’s more about sightseeing and sampling the culture, but there will be opportunities for me to take photographs.
Looking at images others have taken in Vietnam I see there is a lot of street photography, some architectural and not many landscapes, is that a correct assumption?
Regarding gear, when we have visited other countries/cities I have taken a backpack with my full frame DSLR, 70x200, 24x70, and 50mm lens, a speed light, Lee filters and a carbon tripod. I have tried to plan for all eventualities and I have had some good images but it’s a heavy load to carry especially when it’s hot and have questioned was it the best choice. My alternative thoughts are to take my Fujifilm X100, the 35mm add on lens, a flash, filters and a mini tripod, much lighter and while the quality of images is good from the X100 the 35mm, 50mm full frame equivalent, rules out and wildlife etc.
My decision on gear is likely to be based on what genre is best to capture the spirit of the country. Has anyone experience of this part of SE Asia and could impart some advice or comments on my dilemma.
Thanks

 

[Ozzie_Traveller]

G'day Robert

I am not a dSLR fella ... I dumped them yrs ago and went for fixed-lens superzoom / bridge cameras for exactly this reason ... we are travelling in the motorhome for 2/3 of each year and weight & space are important at all times

If the small sensor bridge cameras do not suit, then I would concentrate on the Fuji and add a 10x zoom to your kit and only take one lens plus the minimum of other stuff. The -kiss- principle here as you're travelling and don't want / maybe can't / spend too much time worrying about stuff

Hope this is useful
Phil

 

[Mj224]

If you are not too bothered about wild life photos, you really only need a lens that takes general photos. In the Olympus range that would be 12-100mm zoom, but FF that 25-200mm I guess. You have enough power at your 200mm to pick out detail, and possibly wide enough for very general stuff. And I am unsure whether the tripod is necessary.

Personally, I would be interested in birdies etc, a bigger zoom or prime would be in my bag...

Hope you enjoy the trip..

 

[Squire Robert]

G'day Robert

I am not a dSLR fella ... I dumped them yrs ago and went for fixed-lens superzoom / bridge cameras for exactly this reason ... we are travelling in the motorhome for 2/3 of each year and weight & space are important at all times

If the small sensor bridge cameras do not suit, then I would concentrate on the Fuji and add a 10x zoom to your kit and only take one lens plus the minimum of other stuff. The -kiss- principle here as you're travelling and don't want / maybe can't / spend too much time worrying about stuff

Hope this is useful
Phil

Thanks Phil,
The X100 is a fixed lens at 23mm and only has one tele option at 35mm so can’t go any more with that. I might look into bridge cameras as an option.
Cheers Glyn

 

[Squire Robert]

If you are not too bothered about wild life photos, you really only need a lens that takes general photos. In the Olympus range that would be 12-100mm zoom, but FF that 25-200mm I guess. You have enough power at your 200mm to pick out detail, and possibly wide enough for very general stuff. And I am unsure whether the tripod is necessary.

Personally, I would be interested in birdies etc, a bigger zoom or prime would be in my bag...

Hope you enjoy the trip..

thanks Mj,
I see there are some good Canon 24-105 lenses about at a good price, I rarely buy new these days. That along with my 5D would keep the weight down. It’s certainly worth considering. The tripod is for night shots usually but one of the legs can be a monopod so another consideration.
Cheers Glyn

 

[SFTphotography]

thanks Mj,
I see there are some good Canon 24-105 lenses about at a good price, I rarely buy new these days. That along with my 5D would keep the weight down. It’s certainly worth considering. The tripod is for night shots usually but one of the legs can be a monopod so another consideration.
Cheers Glyn

I think you still want IQ - you don't go to the most interesting places on earth and leave behind your good camera.

5d and 24-105 is a fine option.

 

[Snips]

The 24-105mm is my goto lens for holidays - a really good tourist lens.

 

[Squire Robert]

Thanks Snips, I think that is the route i will take.

 

[Keitht]

The 5D(2) in my case, with 24-105, is certainly a good all round combination, but I started to find that heavy as I got older. I still have it, but my holiday kit is now the Canon EOS77D and Sigma 18-200 zoom. I've lost a bit on the wide end but for general work I find it's a good combination.

 

[Mike Singh]

Really think about what images you are likely to take. If you are not going to do dedicated wildlife sessions I’d leave out the long lens. A 24-105 zoom lens is excellent for travel photography. The travel tripod is a good addition. I rarely use filters but will use a ND10 for long exposures if I know those shots are available at the area. Do you really need the speedy lights?

 

[Squire Robert]

The 5D(2) in my case, with 24-105, is certainly a good all round combination, but I started to find that heavy as I got older. I still have it, but my holiday kit is now the Canon EOS77D and Sigma 18-200 zoom. I've lost a bit on the wide end but for general work I find it's a good combination.

Cheers Keith,
I like the idea of a lighter body but I have 8 camera's at the moment, I don't think my wife would be impressed if I bought another!

Thanks....Glyn

 

[Squire Robert]

Really think about what images you are likely to take. If you are not going to do dedicated wildlife sessions I’d leave out the long lens. A 24-105 zoom lens is excellent for travel photography. The travel tripod is a good addition. I rarely use filters but will use a ND10 for long exposures if I know those shots are available at the area. Do you really need the speedy lights?

Thanks for the comments Mike, I can only guess what I will come across but based on past jaunts in Europe and US I think it will be mainly street and buildings. I have seen some images on line and from the travel organisers and that appears to be what most show. We also have a boat trip down the Mekong which may throw up some wildlife, thats made me think just now if baggage allowance permits do I add a 200mm with 2x converter just for that? its always a dilemma.....
Likewise, I don't use filters that much but carry a ND10, NDgrad, and a polariser (Lee 100) if I am out for a day.
Dropping the speed light and pushing ISO or accepting longer exposures with a tripod is a good option.

Thanks....Glyn

 

[Keitht]

I understand your head scratching about what you need, given the variety of locations/situation you will encounter. I can imagine how annoyed I would be if I'd cut back on kit and the missing item was the one required for that once in a lifetime shot.