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Archive 2017Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
p.1 #1Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
I had some work in India along the coast and was looking for a side trip afterwards for photography. I thought about the Maldives but decided that would be depressing to be the single guy amongst all the honeymooning couples. Sri Lanka also came up but didn’t really move me. A friend suggested I head up to Nepal and do the trek to Everest Base Camp. So I looked into it. I also talked to my contacts at Zeiss and they were, of course, very interested in the 28 Otus going to Nepal.
Getting to the start of the trek in Lukla, Nepal turned out to be quite an adventure due to weather cancellations but my guide, porter and myself eventually got going on the 14 day trek to get as close to Everest as possible. I brought my a7r, a7r2, Otus 28, Zeiss 55/1.8 and Contax 100-300mm. Gitzo 0531 tripod. Lenses were in lowepro cases and the cameras were in lowepro as well. I also brought every battery I owned, a solar charger, rocket blower, two 256gb cards and used LR Mobile on my iphone for basic editing. The real editing was going to have to wait until I got back to Seattle.
I had made it clear at the start that photography was my main goal so we tried as much as we could to be in particular spots at the right light. We were basically hiking 6-12 hours a day to stay on schedule while also adjusting to the altitude. I also realized that shots that possibly weren't ideal on the way out could be redone on the way back possibly with better light. We had amazing weather and reached Kalla Patthar at 5660m, which has a far better view of Everest than EBC.
I filled my 256gb card with 80 meg raw files and several sunset timelapses. Here are a few of the highlights:
Teahouse kitchen in Phakding, our first stop after leaving Lukla
Sunrise in Namche, one of the first major stops on the trail to EBC. This was taken near the town's helipad
Monks blowing a conch shell to welcome the morning in Tengboche
Porters heading up the trail towards Dingboche, our next stop.
Yaks moving up the trail in Dingboche. Listen for their bells...
Toilet means many things in Nepal:
Trailside scenery after leaving Dingboche.
Getting closer to our goal. Pumori on the left and Lhotse on the right
Climbing up to Kalla Patthar for Everest views at sunset. We were planning on also doing sunrise but I was happy with the sunset shots and the morning turned out to be cloudy. About 10 degrees F and 20-30mph winds that afternoon. Putting one foot in front of the other. We learned later that someone passed away from altitude sickness doing a similar route so we were very deliberate in our slow pace.
First views of Everest. This is an Everest to Lhotse to Ama Dablam pano
Ama Dablam closeup
Everest at 300mm
At the saddle of Kalla Patthar, this was the view in the other direction.
Sunset light starts on Everest
After sunset pano as we were heading back down.
I have an equal number of shots on the way down to Lukla. Like I said, it was nice to capture everything again but with different light. I used all the gear I brought except the 10mm. I probably used the 55mm the most followed by the 28mm
Heading back....one last Stupa before Namche (and real espresso!!)
Valley sunrays back to Namche
Ama Dablam in the afternoon light
Child of Namche
Tentative dog
Everest Sunset Timelapse
Edited on Apr 17, 2017 at 07:45 PM · View previous versions
Getting to the start of the trek in Lukla, Nepal turned out to be quite an adventure due to weather cancellations but my guide, porter and myself eventually got going on the 14 day trek to get as close to Everest as possible. I brought my a7r, a7r2, Otus 28, Zeiss 55/1.8 and Contax 100-300mm. Gitzo 0531 tripod. Lenses were in lowepro cases and the cameras were in lowepro as well. I also brought every battery I owned, a solar charger, rocket blower, two 256gb cards and used LR Mobile on my iphone for basic editing. The real editing was going to have to wait until I got back to Seattle.
I had made it clear at the start that photography was my main goal so we tried as much as we could to be in particular spots at the right light. We were basically hiking 6-12 hours a day to stay on schedule while also adjusting to the altitude. I also realized that shots that possibly weren't ideal on the way out could be redone on the way back possibly with better light. We had amazing weather and reached Kalla Patthar at 5660m, which has a far better view of Everest than EBC.
I filled my 256gb card with 80 meg raw files and several sunset timelapses. Here are a few of the highlights:
Teahouse kitchen in Phakding, our first stop after leaving Lukla
Sunrise in Namche, one of the first major stops on the trail to EBC. This was taken near the town's helipad
Monks blowing a conch shell to welcome the morning in Tengboche
Porters heading up the trail towards Dingboche, our next stop.
Yaks moving up the trail in Dingboche. Listen for their bells...
Toilet means many things in Nepal:
Trailside scenery after leaving Dingboche.
Getting closer to our goal. Pumori on the left and Lhotse on the right
Climbing up to Kalla Patthar for Everest views at sunset. We were planning on also doing sunrise but I was happy with the sunset shots and the morning turned out to be cloudy. About 10 degrees F and 20-30mph winds that afternoon. Putting one foot in front of the other. We learned later that someone passed away from altitude sickness doing a similar route so we were very deliberate in our slow pace.
First views of Everest. This is an Everest to Lhotse to Ama Dablam pano
Ama Dablam closeup
Everest at 300mm
At the saddle of Kalla Patthar, this was the view in the other direction.
Sunset light starts on Everest
After sunset pano as we were heading back down.
I have an equal number of shots on the way down to Lukla. Like I said, it was nice to capture everything again but with different light. I used all the gear I brought except the 10mm. I probably used the 55mm the most followed by the 28mm
Heading back....one last Stupa before Namche (and real espresso!!)
Valley sunrays back to Namche
Ama Dablam in the afternoon light
Child of Namche
Tentative dog
Everest Sunset Timelapse
Edited on Apr 17, 2017 at 07:45 PM · View previous versions
Apr 13, 2017 at 10:48 AM
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p.1 #2Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Wow. What a great trip, and great shots.
Apr 13, 2017 at 10:59 AM
p.1 #3Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Thanks! I really enjoyed the workout and the scenery. I still love Mt Rainier and our local peaks but they have new meaning to me now
Apr 13, 2017 at 11:10 AM
p.1 #4Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
How easy was it to charge batteries?
Apr 13, 2017 at 11:42 AM
p.1 #5Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Not too bad. It was mostly sunny which allowed solar charging. Also most of the teahouses would charge your devices and whatever else using their batteries. They used large solar arrays to charge car batteries and then you could tap into that.
Apr 13, 2017 at 11:52 AM
p.1 #6Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Nevermind trying to summit, just getting to see Everest would be worth the trip for sure. Very cool.
Apr 13, 2017 at 12:07 PM
p.1 #7Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Mike - really fantastic images. Tele shots of the big peaks always get me! I'll tell you what, if you put together a guide of your trip/locations, I'd pay for it! We are on the 2 year plan before our trip out there...
Apr 13, 2017 at 12:12 PM
p.1 #8Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Thank you for sharing...loved the blue glaciers wrapping around the peaks and the towns.
Apr 13, 2017 at 01:03 PM
p.1 #11Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Mike thanks for sharing. What a great trip!
Apr 13, 2017 at 01:32 PM
p.1 #12Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
An amazing place and well captured. Great shots!
Apr 13, 2017 at 01:40 PM
p.1 #13Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Great shots Mike ... brings back memories from a similar trip some decades (!) ago ....
Mike
Mike
Apr 13, 2017 at 01:43 PM
p.1 #15Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Just been reading (well audiobook to be honest) 'The Climb' by Anatoli Boukreev, so it's fab to see some pictures of the region. Epic trip 
Apr 13, 2017 at 01:54 PM
p.1 #16Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
I was there in May 95. Nice to see it again. Thanks.
Apr 13, 2017 at 02:06 PM
p.1 #17Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Terrific stuff! Thank you for sharing. How tough did you find the thin air at altitude?
Apr 13, 2017 at 02:29 PM
p.1 #18Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Thanks for sharing your journey, marvellous
Apr 13, 2017 at 03:01 PM
p.1 #19Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Wonderful photos and narrative of an awesome trip! 
DaveF
DaveF
Apr 13, 2017 at 03:03 PM
p.1 #20Everest Base Camp Trek with A7R2 and Otus 28
Good grief, great shots!
Apr 13, 2017 at 03:11 PM