What Camera to travel with?

[Toyon]

I agree with those that suggest a Mamiya 7. Fantastic lenses and lightweight. One caveat is that they are relatively tender, and will become misaligned with rough handling. If you are going to go fully digital, stick to Disneyland or other brightly painted vacation spots.

[cyrus]

Try a hand-held LF camera like a Super SPeed Graphic.
Best MF bang for the buck would probably be a TLR like a Yashica 124 which is way cheaper than a Rolleiflex and then there are the folders like a Super Ikonta. They'd have to be CLRd though.

[Michael Wynd]

I've only got one, so my choice is a Tachihara 8x10. Even when flying!!
Mike

[Ivan J. Eberle]

What do you envision for your trip, 30"x40" or larger landscapes as wall art, or just great memories? Ruins call for moves but that demands a tripod. Birds in the jungle call for long lenses and 35mm. Travel and culture calls for super wides and macro. I too might have a hard time deciding if I were in the OP's shoes because I've got everything from 35mm to DSLRs to 4x5.

But without benefit of a tripod, I'm often hard-pressed to use a film camera and improve upon what can so easily be produced handheld with a DSLR by racking up the ISO (satisfactorily to 1600 with my Nikon APS-C sensor). That and the hassle of flying and Xrays or hand-inspection, not to mention the birds (wouldn't want to leave the tele home), would probably have me opting for the D300 if one camera had to do it all, on such an international flying excursion.

Truthfully, though, I'd be scheming how to drive down there and take all of my cameras. Right now I'm most partial to my Pentax 645N and 35mm SMC-A f/3.5, loaded with either Ektar 100 or Astia 100F, as a terrific walking around point and shoot that focuses to a foot and has incredible DOF on hyperfocal distance. Not too much need for a tripod so long as the sun is up, I can preview the pola and the GND filter effects, and the metering is spot-on. Fun camera that I could replace for less than $750 if I crash it into a cliff face or it gets ripped off.

[john biskupski]

On a trip to Panama, my Lowepro Micro Trekker bag carried a Rollei 3.5 TLR with its 75mm lens, and a Hasselblad 903 SWC w/38mm Biogon, spare back and shade. I used a monopod with the SWC. This made a compact lightweight outfit, covering medium to super wide angle focal lengths. The TLR focuses well enough for portraits and other situations where you need focussing accuracy, and the SWC offers all the near-far sharpness you could want, and covers wide-angle interiors. OK, it's all 6x6, but that's the compromise.

I also always take my Leica D-Lux 3 for low light and p&s situations plus short telephoto shots. It's not terribly useful for exposure control, as the lens aperture range doesn't compare well with the MF cameras, so I also carry the tiny Gossen Digisix light meter.

[Tony Karnezis]

Lots of good suggestions. I had a Pentax 67. I loved it on a tripod, but it was heavy for my taste when I traveled (that's why I decided to start shooting LF).

I now use a Mamiya 6--small, quiet and compact (its lenses collapse into the body, unlike the Mamiya 7). I wouldn't call it the best bang for the buck, though.

If you want something relatively inexpensive and you don't mind more deliberate shooting, consider one of the many folders like the Agfa Isolette. http://www.certo6.com/cameras.html

[Bruce A Cahn]

How about a Voightlander Bessa III, a 6x7 rangefinder? I have not used one so I can't recommend it, but am thinking about the possibility of getting one.

[sanking]

How about a Voightlander Bessa III, a 6x7 rangefinder? I have not used one so I can't recommend it, but am thinking about the possibility of getting one.

I am very tempted by the Bessa III as well. But at $2300 it definitely would not be the most bang for the buck for the OP. I believe his best choice would be the Fuji GA645Zi that I mentioned earlier. One can often pick these cameras up on ebay for $500-600, which seems a great bargain to me for an auto focus, auto exposure MF camera with a variable focus length lens.

BTW, Ken Lee suggested the Bessa II, a 6X9 folding rangefinder camera from the 1950s. I own a Bessa II and it is really a fabulous camera for its age but I find it pretty difficult to get optimum results with it hand held. Also, if you don't already have one a used Bessa II is *very* expensive. Even one with a Color Skopar will cost over $700. I also think that one would not find the 105mm lens on 6X9 ideal for the intended work. I have done a lot of this type of photography and have found wide angle lenses the most useful.

Sandy King

[coops]

the Fuji GA645Zi that I mentioned earlier.
Sandy King

This does look like a good choice. Cheers

[tmastran]

I just went through this exercise myself for a trip to Central America in a couple of weeks. I wanted decent resolution from a film camera for landscapes in average light, something fast for those vacation snaps, and importantly something I wouldn't care about too much if it was lost or stolen.

I'm taking my $50 Nettar 6x9 with Ektar 100 and Portra 400 for landscapes, and a 12MP Canon point and shoot, along with a small tripod or monopod. The gear fits in a small Think tank bag.

I've been testing this combo for months and have found I can pretty much do anything (and sometimes more) that I would have used my 4x5 for. I think testing is the key to make sure you get the images you want with any new setup.