Your minimalist field photo kit?

[Laurent]

Tachihara 4/5, 2 lenses (120 and 210), 5 holders, lightmeter, loupe and hood.

Tripod if I can't borrow one ;-)

[Robbie Shymanski]

Crown Graphic. Slik 300 DX. SA 90. Cokin filter holder with red & orange filters. 24" cable release. Torpedo level. About 6 to 10 film holders. Change bag. 2 boxes of film (one empty for exposed sheets). Pentax Digital Spotmeter.

Everything but the camera on the tripod fits into a small camera bag I used to use for my 35mm. The Crown stays on the tripod. I consider this my "break-in" kit. It leaves a hand free so I can go through a window or fence and still have a free hand. I use whatever jacket or sweater I'm wearing for a dark cloth.

[Darren H]

I am not sure if I consider my 4x5 kit to have a lightweight option. For me with an Arca-Swiss Discovery it is more the lightweight backpack option, which means using a Photo Trekker rather than the Super Trekker. I could make do with just the 75mm lens, but between the Quickloads and lightmeter, and a few grad filters, plus a tripod-it still aint a minimalist setup.

I have actually come around to using my DSLR for ultralight. Rebel XTi with a small two lens kit and a Feisol Tripod all fit in a Osprey Daylight pack (700 cu in) It is like a Camelback in size and I go hike or bike it for a long time.

I suppose if I wanted a really lightweight 4x5 option, it would be a Tachihara with a Nikon 135 and a Fuji 240A (both take 52mm filters). But it still is at least a shoulder bag to carry.

[David A. Goldfarb]

My small 4x5" kit is the Linhof Tech V with folding hood, 135/5.6 Caltar II-N, 90mm Angulon, 42mm Linhof drop in filter and shade kit, 2 Kinematic holders (10 sheets each), Gossen Digisix, and a small tripod with an Acratech ballhead.

My minimal 8x10" kit is the Gowland 8x10" PocketView with no head and the tripod block attached directly to a little Linhof Report tripod, 12" rail, Busch Vademecum set mounted in a Copal Press #1, 3" gel filters and clip on holder with barndoor shade, 3 wooden holders, Black Jacket, Gossen Digisix.

[Ron Marshall]

Toho 4x5, Nikkor 90 f8, APO Sironar 135 f5.6, Nikkor 200 f8, readyloads, Gitzo 1227, Acratech ballhead.

[BradS]

My walk about minimalist kit is 4x5 Crown Graphic with the stock 135mm Xenar. I'll carry a note book in my pocket, a lightmeter in the other pocket and as many as ten film holders in a soft sided cooler bag.

[Vaughn]

A Calumet branded Gowland Pocket 4X5, w/ a Schneider Angulon 90, and a Schneider Xenar 135...snip

The Calumet Gowland was my set up for years -- with just a 150mm Caltar lens. Lots of backpacking and a 5-month bicycle trip in New Zealand. So, camera, one lens, meter, pod, darkcloth, 6 holders, changing bag, note book (3.25"x4.75" Rite-in-the-Rain), and a few odds and ends (like an spare GG in a film box and a pinhole mounted in a matboard lensboard in case.)

Now there is nothing minimalist about my 8x10 kit.

Vaughn

[ljb0904]

Osaka 4x5 (soon to be Chamonix), 75, 135, 240mm lenses, fuji QL Provia & Velvia, tripod, a polarizer, an 812 filter, a 2GHS & 3GSS grads, + meter, multi-tool, watch, water and a few snack bars.

If I had to choose just one lens it would have to be the 135. But I wouldn't ever do that, I'll always carry the three.

[Darryl Baird]

Wista SP, 65 f/4 Nikkor, 90 f/5.6 Fuji, 135 f/4.5 Zeiss Tessar, 203 f/7.7 Ektar, six holders, Minolta IV meter, 6x7 back, Hakuba carbon tripod, and homemade loupe.

[wfwhitaker]

5x7 Rochester Universal modified to accept Technika lensboards. 3.65 pounds. Slips into a Domke F-802 Reporter's satchel. Two pockets on the outside hold six film holders. One lens. The 8 3/4" Verito is a favorite, but the 240mm Docter Germinar works very nicely, too. The satchel has room for both, a meter and a darkcloth. With a lightweight tripod it takes up less space than many 35mm kits.