Posts for: BB4A
Apr 8, 2017 07:43:43 #
Just my perspective (I may be wrong, I often am), but here's what I do when I travel. I average about 6 international assignments a year, with another 2 or 3 lower 48 flights where I have a shoot or am available for hire opportunities.
1. Unless you are lucky enough to have all the costs & risks built into a contract (unlikely, but possible), you might want to consider travel insurance for your camera gear, just in case anything happens on the trip? Airline "baggage insurance" is generally laughable; while its "free" it generally means you will get pennies back on the gear you lost.
2. Go as light as possible, to "get the job done", as you ALWAYS want to carry your camera gear, NEVER check it. For me, that's an absolute maximum of 2 bodies*, 2 lenses, 2 batteries, charger, double the cards I think I will need, a big thumb drive for backup, and a small cleaning kit, packed in the smallest, cheapest, but functional bag you can find. This doesn't draw attention at foreign airports & is light to carry around.
3. *For the #1 camera body think BLAT (Built Like A Tank). I only use Canon products, and I often now carry just one body, but it's a tough SOB; the 7D Mkii. This keeps my equipment insurance down, and it also means that If I need to borrow an additional lens from buddies while on location, that's generally not a problem (compatible with all EF & EF-S lenses).
4. Think "Gambling in Vegas" for everything that you take with you, if you are struggling with what gear you should leave behind. Mentally kiss goodbye to all the money you have invested in the gear you are traveling with; don't leave home with something that you can't replace through insurance or your own back pocket (if you decide to bear all the risk). Not much sense in saving up for $10-$20K of gear, then having to check half of it at the airport, and not being able to insure that half against loss or damage...
5. For a few bucks, I purchased a little item years ago, that has saved me having to lug tripods, monopods, and other long & bulky paraphernalia around. Here's the link: http://banktech.co.uk/products/bank-stick-adaptor/. This little gizmo converts any standard or extending fishing bankstick into a monopod, and likewise with a fishing tripod. So, anywhere in Europe I'm probably only a few yards from an Angler with a spare bankstick or tripod, if I need to take a slow shot. Or, I can buy one from any fishing tackle shop, for a few bucks, then return it at the end of the trip for a refund.
I hope this advice helps? I'm just about to leave for an assignment; the pic shows what I will be taking with me.
1. Unless you are lucky enough to have all the costs & risks built into a contract (unlikely, but possible), you might want to consider travel insurance for your camera gear, just in case anything happens on the trip? Airline "baggage insurance" is generally laughable; while its "free" it generally means you will get pennies back on the gear you lost.
2. Go as light as possible, to "get the job done", as you ALWAYS want to carry your camera gear, NEVER check it. For me, that's an absolute maximum of 2 bodies*, 2 lenses, 2 batteries, charger, double the cards I think I will need, a big thumb drive for backup, and a small cleaning kit, packed in the smallest, cheapest, but functional bag you can find. This doesn't draw attention at foreign airports & is light to carry around.
3. *For the #1 camera body think BLAT (Built Like A Tank). I only use Canon products, and I often now carry just one body, but it's a tough SOB; the 7D Mkii. This keeps my equipment insurance down, and it also means that If I need to borrow an additional lens from buddies while on location, that's generally not a problem (compatible with all EF & EF-S lenses).
4. Think "Gambling in Vegas" for everything that you take with you, if you are struggling with what gear you should leave behind. Mentally kiss goodbye to all the money you have invested in the gear you are traveling with; don't leave home with something that you can't replace through insurance or your own back pocket (if you decide to bear all the risk). Not much sense in saving up for $10-$20K of gear, then having to check half of it at the airport, and not being able to insure that half against loss or damage...
5. For a few bucks, I purchased a little item years ago, that has saved me having to lug tripods, monopods, and other long & bulky paraphernalia around. Here's the link: http://banktech.co.uk/products/bank-stick-adaptor/. This little gizmo converts any standard or extending fishing bankstick into a monopod, and likewise with a fishing tripod. So, anywhere in Europe I'm probably only a few yards from an Angler with a spare bankstick or tripod, if I need to take a slow shot. Or, I can buy one from any fishing tackle shop, for a few bucks, then return it at the end of the trip for a refund.
I hope this advice helps? I'm just about to leave for an assignment; the pic shows what I will be taking with me.
Apr 7, 2017 12:17:28 #
I'm loving this thread... All sorts of justifications for "upgrades", with none of the guilt, as we are counseling a fellow sufferer, not actually taking the medication ourselves.
So, I'll just pile on with my perspective. I currently own and love the Rebel T6i, and I've also fallen victim to the disease and am about 2,000 shots into my 7D Mkii. These are both excellent cameras, and this is purely my perspective (my distorted view of reality)... I think you would get more satisfaction, longer term, out of keeping your current camera for a while longer and save those dollars for a 7D Mkii.
Top of the range capabilities for a crop-sensor camera, hellaciously fast for those occasions when you need rapid, focused shots, surprisingly superb at low light, and I'm loving the zero post-processing monochrome portraiture I'm achieving with the 7D Mkii. Oh, and the fact that it's built like a battleship, will love all your EF-S lenses and does a great job with EF lenses if you want to trade up a little in the glass department (my new favorite nifty fifty on this body is the f/1.4 50mm USM), is a rather endearing trait that the T6i can't match.
Bottom line - you obviously love your existing camera body and glass format, otherwise you wouldn't be asking this question? Keep enjoying it, and if you want to upgrade to a camera body with additional glass options, save a little longer and watch for those 7D Mkii discounts... That way you can rationalize that you've future proofed your photography for at least another couple of hundred thousand shots, retained your existing camera as a light & comfortable second body, AND given yourself a bunch more creative options to fall in love with.
So, I'll just pile on with my perspective. I currently own and love the Rebel T6i, and I've also fallen victim to the disease and am about 2,000 shots into my 7D Mkii. These are both excellent cameras, and this is purely my perspective (my distorted view of reality)... I think you would get more satisfaction, longer term, out of keeping your current camera for a while longer and save those dollars for a 7D Mkii.
Top of the range capabilities for a crop-sensor camera, hellaciously fast for those occasions when you need rapid, focused shots, surprisingly superb at low light, and I'm loving the zero post-processing monochrome portraiture I'm achieving with the 7D Mkii. Oh, and the fact that it's built like a battleship, will love all your EF-S lenses and does a great job with EF lenses if you want to trade up a little in the glass department (my new favorite nifty fifty on this body is the f/1.4 50mm USM), is a rather endearing trait that the T6i can't match.
Bottom line - you obviously love your existing camera body and glass format, otherwise you wouldn't be asking this question? Keep enjoying it, and if you want to upgrade to a camera body with additional glass options, save a little longer and watch for those 7D Mkii discounts... That way you can rationalize that you've future proofed your photography for at least another couple of hundred thousand shots, retained your existing camera as a light & comfortable second body, AND given yourself a bunch more creative options to fall in love with.