In December I will be going to India for 3 weeks through my university. I'm working on getting an itinerary/schedule, however, I do know that we are starting in New Delhi and working our way east and south with stops for sure at the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort in Agra. I've been photographing for nigh on 6 or 7 years now, but I've never done any major traveling and have thus not traveled with any decent amount of equipment. I've wanted to travel outside the states for a long time now and I'm not going to miss this opportunity to visit a place as beautiful and interesting as India.
I've currently got a Nikon d50 (nikkor 50/1.8, tamron 28-70, tamron 70-300) and just recently I picked up a Cambo SC on ebay (180 schneider symmar-s). The d50 takes fine pictures quality-wise, especially with the 50/1.8 which is a wonderful lens. But it doesn't do well in the way of dynamic range that I want for color so I tend to turn most shot monochrome black and white. I've taken a few shots, have 4 film holders in the fridge waiting to be developed, with the SC -- which is actually quite fun to use. Using the GG to compose and focus is such a change from the tiny viewfinder on the nikon. Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to feasible to lug the SC over to India and haul it around with me, the tripod is also fairly bulky and not something I would want to haul around with me.
As a student I don't have much in the way of funds available to buy the equipment I would love to take. But I'm might use some available loan money to pick up something new to me stuff.
I've been thinking about picking up a Mamiya 7ii, though I've never used a rangefinder before, with a wider lens and one of the longer ones for general shots, would mostly probably use bw but I would also like to do some color 120 with it. I've also considered picking up a med-format slr instead, but I've never handled one before and I don't know if they're too bulky/heavy/etc to use for just walking around.
I've also thought about investing in a newer dslr, probably a d700, as I could use it for both black and white and color simultaneously. But investing in new digi stuff makes my head hurt as I'm sure next year some new camera will be out in a year or two that makes it seem like a hunk-of-junk, though I know the d700 takes wonderful pictures, especially compared to my d50. Also, aside from my 50/1.8 the glass I have is so/so and I would want to invest in some decent glass to take with me, no sense in taking a nicer camera and using junk glass.
Now, to 4x5. I know it might be a pain, but I think leaving the 4x5 behind completely would totally cause me remorse, especially as a photography student, though I don't know if they've had 4x5 tagged along on this trip before, but the woman that is heading it up said I'd have time at the larger sights to take pictures with 4x5 if I needed. I'm not too sure about what to do here. Again, getting a nice field camera would be nice, but I don't know if I could find something in my budget, though it seems it would probably be cheaper than investing in new digi equipment.
So, I would like to hear from people with experience in India or just traveling in general. Would a 120 slr be okay or should I try to find a rf like the Mamiya 7? What are your thoughts on using digi instead? Should I try to off my sc and invest in a field camera (I'd prefer one with the most movements available), or should I just trade it for a comparable speed/crown/bush graphic?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
-David
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