orso wrote:
Hi Rich,
I was born and live in Rome and travelled extensively all over Italy. Before giving my humble contribution, I have been reading the whole thread, in order to understand your approach and the one from others that visit my beautiful Country. I am always curious at the way people from abroad see my Country, but that is entirely another story…
I think you already received very valuable feedbacks, being they towards minimalistic or “bring-everything-for-every-opportunity” strategy.
I myself tend to fit in the second case, especially if I don’t know very well the environment I will be in.
In this case though, as a native, I would advise you to stay as light as possible, both for enjoying the trip and because of the many constraints you may encounter walking extensively with a lot of gear pending from your shoulders (i.e. busses/metro, paved/narrow roads, crowded spaces).
Of course it all depends on where you plan to go and what you want to see/experience.
I definitely would carefully evaluate the tripod topic. Tripod may not be allowed in some places (city centers, monumental areas, churches), especially big/professional ones. Maybe a small one would be more tolerated and surely more inconspicuous. A monopod could be the right trade-off between support/relief for your wrists and weight for your back (it can also double as a deterrent for thieves). I would only carry a tripod for night/long exposures.
As far as lenses go, I would not take the 100-400, if not for wildlife or (very) distant landscape shots (for which haze could be detrimental in any case). In urban areas 100-135mm should be more than adequate. Out of town 180-200 should suffice.
Ultrawides are really a matter of personal tastes. In my experience 21mm is already enough for cathedral/church interiors. IMHO 12mm would be too wide, since the details and decorations would become less visible.
With your equipment list in mind I would take:
Leica WATE
35/1,4 or 40/2
65+135 or 90+180 or 80-200
Hoping this will be useful, please feel free to PM me privately should you need any kind of further information for your unforgettable trip.
Ciao
Claudio
Hi Claudio,
I will review your suggestions, particularly the lenses the more carefully. I am not sure how well I can get along without a tripod for most of my photographs as I can no longer hold the cameras as stable or as long without some issues having shattered both wrists is a car/bicycle accident in 1993.
The larger tripod that I would bring is my Leofoto LS-284C; you can see the image and the specs are included:
The tripod collapses to 17 1/2" and extends alone to only 47.2". I have added a series of Arca Swiss Type QR clamps and plates to some additional parts so that I can quickly add and remove parts. This adds a bit to the tripod but it allows me to adjust what I am using easily and quickly.
The tripod head that I would use with the tripod is the LH-30R ball head:
I am not using the Leofoto plate in the photo. Using the Leofoto Ls-284C tripod with the LH-30R head and the QR plate and clamp only reach a height of about 51". I am only 5' 5" tall and even I find the height a little low, but I could live with that. The head includes panoramic adjustment above the ball.
Additionally for the tripod kit I also have added an Acratech 2" extension along with a Leofoto Leveling bass only to added and used if I believe that I need additional height. I could leave these home though they would not be large to pack.
The tripod with the head, leg covers, QR plates and clamps and better hook weighs 3 lb 12.5 oz.
I also intend to bring my Leofoto table top tripod and a clamp.
I could add my Really Right Stuff monopod or purchase a smaller one and could use a QR clamp to switch the head between the monopod and tripod quickly. But I would also anticipate that I could use the Leofoto tripod as a monopod by just extending the lens.
Re: Photo Equipment for a month long? trip to Italy
orso wrote:
Hi Rich,
I was born and live in Rome and travelled extensively all over Italy. Before giving my humble contribution, I have been reading the whole thread, in order to understand your approach and the one from others that visit my beautiful Country. I am always curious at the way people from abroad see my Country, but that is entirely another story…
I think you already received very valuable feedbacks, being they towards minimalistic or “bring-everything-for-every-opportunity” strategy.
I myself tend to fit in the second case, especially if I don’t know very well the environment I will be in.
In this case though, as a native, I would advise you to stay as light as possible, both for enjoying the trip and because of the many constraints you may encounter walking extensively with a lot of gear pending from your shoulders (i.e. busses/metro, paved/narrow roads, crowded spaces).
Of course it all depends on where you plan to go and what you want to see/experience.
I definitely would carefully evaluate the tripod topic. Tripod may not be allowed in some places (city centers, monumental areas, churches), especially big/professional ones. Maybe a small one would be more tolerated and surely more inconspicuous. A monopod could be the right trade-off between support/relief for your wrists and weight for your back (it can also double as a deterrent for thieves). I would only carry a tripod for night/long exposures.
As far as lenses go, I would not take the 100-400, if not for wildlife or (very) distant landscape shots (for which haze could be detrimental in any case). In urban areas 100-135mm should be more than adequate. Out of town 180-200 should suffice.
Ultrawides are really a matter of personal tastes. In my experience 21mm is already enough for cathedral/church interiors. IMHO 12mm would be too wide, since the details and decorations would become less visible.
With your equipment list in mind I would take:
Leica WATE
35/1,4 or 40/2
65+135 or 90+180 or 80-200
Hoping this will be useful, please feel free to PM me privately should you need any kind of further information for your unforgettable trip.
Ciao
Claudio
Hi Claudio,
Nov 27, 2021 at 12:50 PM
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