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Author Topic: What to pack (4 week hiking)  (Read 2845 times)

NiclasBengtsson

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What to pack (4 week hiking)
« on: June 24, 2010, 04:04:21 pm »

Im going on a 4 week hike in the scandinavian mountainrange. Im bringing a Nikon D300 and a tripod but I'm a little unsure on lenses. On an earlier trips I used the Nikkor 18-200 witch made lens choise easy but I wasn't really pleased with it and sold it.

I have the following lenses to choose from; Nikkor 35/1.8, 50/1.8, 16-85/3.5-5.6VR, 24-70/2.8, 70-300/4.5-5.6VR and the Tokina 11-16/2.8.

My idea is to bring the Tokina 11-16 and the 70-300VR and use a Canon S90 as a backup and to cover the standard zoomrange. The 70-300 on as standard for fast handheld photos while hiking. However the 16-85 is really good and I was thinking 16mm might be enough for landscapes and take that and leave the tokina and the S90 and save a little weight.

It's simply hard to leave all the good stuff back home, any hints in dealing with cameragear separation anxiety
« Last Edit: June 24, 2010, 05:11:46 pm by NiclasBengtsson »
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PeterAit

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What to pack (4 week hiking)
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2010, 06:21:41 pm »

Quote from: NiclasBengtsson
Im going on a 4 week hike in the scandinavian mountainrange. Im bringing a Nikon D300 and a tripod but I'm a little unsure on lenses. On an earlier trips I used the Nikkor 18-200 witch made lens choise easy but I wasn't really pleased with it and sold it.

I have the following lenses to choose from; Nikkor 35/1.8, 50/1.8, 16-85/3.5-5.6VR, 24-70/2.8, 70-300/4.5-5.6VR and the Tokina 11-16/2.8.

My idea is to bring the Tokina 11-16 and the 70-300VR and use a Canon S90 as a backup and to cover the standard zoomrange. The 70-300 on as standard for fast handheld photos while hiking. However the 16-85 is really good and I was thinking 16mm might be enough for landscapes and take that and leave the tokina and the S90 and save a little weight.

It's simply hard to leave all the good stuff back home, any hints in dealing with cameragear separation anxiety

Perhaps you could hire a donkey to carry your gear! But, here's what I would do. The Nikkor 24-70 is a must. The Nikkor 70-300 is the next choice. You are then covered for a large range of focal lengths with high quality. Add the Tokina if you like really wide shots.
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Ken Bennett

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What to pack (4 week hiking)
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2010, 07:38:15 pm »

I would take the wide zoom and the tele zoom, and the 35/1.8. That's pretty close to my standard load at work most days.... (16-35, 50/1.2, 70-200 on Canon 1D series.)
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Plekto

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What to pack (4 week hiking)
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2010, 03:51:51 am »

I'd go for a fast lens with as reasonably a wide range as possible.  Ie - if talking about 35mm cameras, that would be a 24-28mm 2.8 or similar.  Or possibly a fast short-range zoom with similar specs - to make framing quicker. And a macro lens.  Obviously a 24-70mm or so with macro would be the "god" lens here.    

That's really it for scenery and hiking.  Pack as light as possible.   Nimh battery-powered cameras (AA or similar vs a Li-Ion or similar "Pack") are also preferred, because you can pack along a solar battery charger.  Attach it to your backpack.  

http://www.rei.com/product/802088
This is just one of many such devices.  Drape it over the top of your backpack while hiking.  Fold away when not in use.  Under half a pound, total.  *note - this specific one only charges batteries - it generally is useless as a USB power source, despite saying that it can work as such.  They will only be 50-60% charged, but 50-100 pictures is infinitely better than none at all.

Camera, one(24-70+macro) or two lenses with filters on them already, some batteries, and a charger.  3lbs tops.
« Last Edit: June 27, 2010, 03:54:16 am by Plekto »
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ThomasPoeschmann

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What to pack (4 week hiking)
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2010, 07:12:29 pm »

Where do you plan to stay at night? If you stay within huts take what PeterAit suggested. If you stay in your own tent and bring your own food you will end up with the lightest equipment you can carry. 16-85 at f/8 would be fine for me, together with two ND 0.9 grad filters (one hard, one soft). If the filter holder is too heavy bite the rocks and hand-hold them.

You know your camera, you know how much shots are possible with one battery with low display usage and no live view. I would not rely on solar power. I can do 500+ images with one of my batteries, that lasts for one week when shooting landscapes and half a day when taking pictures of animals.

I plan to walk a little bit in scandinavia this year as well, multiple trips, 5 days the longest (walking time only, we will make larger breaks at dusk or dawn for photos). I take a small carbon tripod Manfrotto 443 and RRS BH-40 ballhead weighting 2 kg, a Canon 5DMkII and a 24-105 4.0 (focal length comparable to your 16-85). Besides I carry a light but sturdy tent for 2 persons, food for me and so on.  This is about 20 kg net load, plus the weight of by Bergans. I am used to carry 15 kg every weekend since my usual photo equipment is that heavy. You should make a three day training hike in advance, 20 km every day, to see if you can carry all this.

Will there be other photographers? If not you may miss a lot of good places as you will be there when the light is harsh. If there are no other photographers the crowd usually wants to rest a bit and then move on the hut before the night comes.

When will you be there? In the Kebnekaise/Narvik region in mid-August, for example, sunrise will be at 4am and sunset at 10pm (roughly). That means you could walk from 9am to 6pm and spend the rest of the time waiting for the light, sleeping and so on. But for me 4 hours of sleep every night are not enough... On the other hand sleeping during the day may not be an option as it will become warm.

EDIT: Just seen this, I just decided to go to Norway via bike and car: http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-56452-9.html - you should do the same or take alternate transportation, remember Sven Hörnell landed on the Keb with a plane. Just kidding  
« Last Edit: June 28, 2010, 07:20:50 pm by ThomasPoeschmann »
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