Help me choose a camera to hike 2000+ miles

[Greg]

First camera for backpacking was a Nikon Photomic FTN with 28mm f/2.5 Vivitar and 85mm f/1.8 Nikkor. Add in a PB-3 bellows and a small Leica tripod. This was used when I was a student at RIT in the 1970s and would backpack with in the Adirondacks on weekends. The equipment got soaked many times but never failed me. After that got into ultra-light backpacking. Affa Isolette, Olympus XA-4 Macro, and a Gossen Pilot meter. 2 cameras and an exposure meter for going ultralight!!! Sounds a bit crazy but the Isolette was for shooting 120 B&W, the XA-4 for shooting 35mm color, and the Gossen meter was their very small Pilot. The whole outfit took up less cubic inches than the film I carried with me. Everything double bagged mainly for for protection from rain, moisture was never a problem. Next camera used forwhen rock climbing and backpacking was a Nikon FM2 Titan (later replaced by a F3) with MF 20mm f/2.8 and MF 35-105mm. Once backpacked with a Pentax 67II with 45mm and 55-100mm Zoom lenses and a Slik tripod.The Slik Insta-Lok 500 G-FL tripod was a very cheap model (lot of plastic) but also very light. Never failed me and still have it today. Backpacked with the Pentax 67 twice. Second (and last) time I carried the Pentax equipment was an overnighter bushwhacking up a peak in the Massachusetts. Lot of 4th class hiking and the relatively heavy Pentax equipment on my back kept putting me off balance. Presently don't backpack any more, but for hiking carry a FUJI GSW690III and that same old cheap Slik Insta-Lok 500 G-FL tripod.

[giganova]

I'd take a Plaubel Makina 67.

[Drew Wiley]

2000 miles can equate to a lot of grit and weather that I wouldn't personally want a scissor-style RF like a Makina or GF670 subjected to. Nice camera. But I glad I got a 6X9 Texas Leica "beater" that won't make me jump off a bridge if something happens to it. I got one with reasonably low mileage, yet with an immaculate primary lens, for a fraction of the price of a Makina or GF or Mamiya 67 rangefinder.

[John Layton]

Another quite rugged MF rangefinder camera with decent interchangeable lenses would be one of the Koni-Omega series (100 or 200 series as I remember). Have not seen one of these in awhile though - and I imagine that by now parts and repair could be an issue for needed fixes.

[Bob Salomon]

Another quite rugged MF rangefinder camera with decent interchangeable lenses would be one of the Koni-Omega series (100 or 200 series as I remember). Have not seen one of these in awhile though - and I imagine that by now parts and repair could be an issue for needed fixes.

Rugged? No. The ratchet film advance is noisy and can easily be bent. The pin on the back of the lens is also easily bent and then the lens won’t fire.
I used the Koni for weddings and it was no where near as reliable as my Rolleis or Hasselblads.

[gcoates]

How about a lightweight, handheld 3-D printed camera like the Cameradactyl OG (4x5) or the Cameradactyl Homonculus (6x9 roll film)?

[6x6TLL]

I wonder where the OP went? Don't recall seeing a post from him since around the first or second page (of 11...)

You did ask!

[HMG]

Another quite rugged MF rangefinder camera with decent interchangeable lenses would be one of the Koni-Omega series (100 or 200 series as I remember). Have not seen one of these in awhile though - and I imagine that by now parts and repair could be an issue for needed fixes.

I think the Mamiya press cameras would be less failure prone.

[John Layton]

My apologies to the OP...its been years since I've even held a Koni-Omega - and I'd forgotten about its specific weaknesses.

[Bill Burk]

Here’s what I did...

A Polaroid conversion weighs 3 pounds. I went with Littman.
A Grafmatic weighs 1. Buy 3 but bring only 2 of them plus a few extra septums because you will bend some.
That’s 5 pounds.
Add a very lightweight tripod, so you can use some other shutter speed than 300.
Add a changing bag.
You will need a few boxes of film and some empty boxes to put the sheets in.

Remember your partner is carrying half of this weight (not literally but like .. the two of you have a specific amount of weight you can carry between you).

Learn to sew. Get some 1.1 nylon and make bags and wind shirts and other miscellaneous things because anything you buy off the shelf will weigh more.

Sorry it’s upside down but this is from the John Muir Trail. Fish Creek.