Trekking in Nepal - Which camera would you take?

Fuji XT1

6 (26.1%)

Samsung NX1

1 (4.3%)

Sony A7R

7 (30.4%)

Nikon D810

9 (39.1%)

Total Members Voted: 22

Voting closed: November 09, 2014, 05:41:32 pm

[BernardLanguillier]

Thanks for the links.

It seems I was mistaken, like many others I would think because this myth is widely spread in various documents.

So something like 2.5-3 litters a day seems sufficient then?

Cheers,
Bernard

[Petrus]

Thanks for the links.

It seems I was mistaken, like many others I would think because this myth is widely spread in various documents.

So something like 2.5-3 litters a day seems sufficient then?

Cheers,
Bernard

Like one of the links says, 1 to 1.5 liters EXTRA is usually sufficient to replace the lost fluids. You are supposed to drink the normal amount: i.e. not feel thirsty and keep your pee normal color, and that usually means 1-1.5 liters of extra water intake compared to normal situation. Like I said, it can be soup, tea (the usual drink in Nepal), water, even soft drinks and beer. We need not measure our daily intake at home, there is no more need to do it up there, just to realize that drink in more than normal is, well, normal...

[maddogmurph]

I also have Fujifilm X-T1 and it is an excellent camera, but I have deep distrust of the batteries it uses, they seem to run out of juice quite fast and quit unexpectedly. In Dolpo you will have to survive without recharging maybe for weeks unless you carry good enough solar chargers or a small generator.

Try the: DSTE 1900mAh NP-W126 Battery for Fuji FinePix HS30EXR HS33EXR X-Pro1 XM1 X-T1 batteries, they add about 700MAH
Also operate only in EVF mode, no screen.  And I'll be carrying a 10,000 MAH external battery that weighs 10OZ, which will charge a phone 5 times, or a battery 5 times, in addition to probably 5-7 batteries if I bring the Fuji.  I understand your experience with porters, but I'm a through hiker.  My base weight is typically 6-10lbs including excluding the climbing gear and camera gear.  Most porters can't keep up, and they don't go out for long periods of time.  Solar chargers don't work well if you're walking all day, but they would work on zero days during acclimatization, so it's a consideration.

If you're interested in going light for a change you can check out my gear list:  http://postholer.com/journal/viewGearlist.php?sid=0f9dc45c364148f8c59ad8d0e7e96424&event_id=1293

[maddogmurph]

5l is a bit on the high side, but drinking even 4l isn't easy at first.

My experience with water is that you'll want about 1L for every 5 miles traveled, which varies based upon location.  In the Mohave for example I was doing about 6L per day traveling 20-25 Miles.  In the High Sierra's I was doing 3-4 Liters per day and traveling about 18 miles.  Acclimatization doesn't have to do with water consumption, it has to do with atmospheric pressure. 

I've gotten altitude sickness only once in my life, when I went from zero (sea level), to 11,000, then to 12,500 two days in a row, and attempted a summit.  I made it 500 feet short of 14k before taking a 30 minute nap and turning around due to weather and I knew I needed to shed elevation as fast as possible.  The worst part was the lack of sleep, and gas... it was an experience I'll never forget. Also, never, ever, ever, ever, ever, buy the mountain house "Chicken Jerk" ... I forced myself to eat it because I knew I needed the salt and calories, and nutrients, but oh the horrors.  It was so bad I wanted to die.

[Petrus]

When I hiked in Finland my pack weight was around 4 kg excluding food, for autumn Lapland trips, temperatures hovering around zero C. 800g tents and sleeping bags, titanium stoves, PacLite shell, 2/3 cut sleeping pad etc, the works (I did equipment reviews for outdoor magazines). That was 15 years ago, now I already have one artificial hip joint and other one is going, so no loads for me. In Nepal I do like the Nepalese do: I can afford porters, thus I employ porters, and need not save weight.

If you are going to visit Dolpo and other restricted areas you will not be able to hike at through hiker speeds, as porters and guides can not keep up, like you said.

I'll check the batteries, so far the Fuji originals have not performed very well. With Nikons (D800 & D4) I get at least twice as many shots per charge.

[maddogmurph]

55mm Otus

Bernard, you've got the 24mm 1.4 & 50mm 1.4 for the D810 and $3,000 with an inadequate tripod.  What do you do?  Sell the 24 and get the T/S?  Which long glass do you get?  What tripod do you want to carry?  Do you want a Macro, and will the macro also do portraits?

[Patricia Sheley]

If weight is a serious issue,

I'd take the Sigma DP Merril series (all three of them), with a couple external battery packs to let you shoot enough. I use the Anker battery packs. This would be a lightweight setup with no significant loss in image quality.

How do you go about the connection from xternal Ankers to the Merrills? Thanks

[Petrus]

Trekking in Nepal does not mean landscape only. Here is the album from our 2 month trip in 2009, shot with a couple of P&S: https://picasaweb.google.com/109958612223411682295/Nepal200952DaysOfTrekkingInTheManasluAnnapurnaAndKhumbuRegions

Manaslu, Naar-Pho, Tilicho Tal, ABC, EBC.

[Ajoy Roy]

Trekking in Nepal does not mean landscape only. Here is the album from our 2 month trip in 2009, shot with a couple of P&S: https://picasaweb.google.com/109958612223411682295/Nepal200952DaysOfTrekkingInTheManasluAnnapurnaAndKhumbuRegions

Manaslu, Naar-Pho, Tilicho Tal, ABC, EBC.

Excellent shots.

Yes trekking through villages lends a lot of local action opportunities. That is why I think that a normal zoom : 18-55 for DX or 24-85 for FX is the most useful lens.

[BernardLanguillier]

Trekking in Nepal does not mean landscape only. Here is the album from our 2 month trip in 2009, shot with a couple of P&S: https://picasaweb.google.com/109958612223411682295/Nepal200952DaysOfTrekkingInTheManasluAnnapurnaAndKhumbuRegions

Manaslu, Naar-Pho, Tilicho Tal, ABC, EBC.

Very nice images!

Cheers,
Bernard

[BernardLanguillier]

Bernard, you've got the 24mm 1.4 & 50mm 1.4 for the D810 and $3,000 with an inadequate tripod.  What do you do?  Sell the 24 and get the T/S?  Which long glass do you get?  What tripod do you want to carry?  Do you want a Macro, and will the macro also do portraits?

Hum... tough choices.

- I would probably get the 70-200 f4 VR for distance scenes and portraits. It is light and affordable, very high image quality (it did replace the 70-300 I used in Nepal),
- If you don't stitch, I would leave the 50mm at home and even if you stitch the 70-200 f4 at 70mm will be a good option still and pretty perfect for distance panos without a dedicated pano head (even handheld at day time thanks to the excellent VR),
- Replacing the 24mm f1.4 by the T/S is a possibility, it depends if you are more a PJ style guy (in which case I would keep the 24mm f1.4, it is great to provide isolation and "dynamic" shooting) or a more paused landscape guy, in which case the T/S is superior.

I haven't found tripod height to be that super important in Nepal because you have many open vista, so getting a lot robust tripod that is light may be a good option too. I haven't used it, but this may be one option: http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl/it.A/id.8876/.f

Cheers,
Bernard