John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

And my new equipment will not fit in my old camera bag. Trying to determine the best bag(s) for carry-on and walk around. All the extra cables, chargers, batteries, memory cards, etc take up more room than the camera, and I don't want to carry them all day. Am thinking about a "nesting" solution. A camera bag that fits inside a carry-on, and then the extra bits can sit in the hotel room in the carry-on while I walk around with only the smaller camera bag with essentials. DOES ANYONE HAVE THE IDEAL SOLUTION?

ALSO: On my last trip to Myanmar, I shot both Raw and JPeg Fine. Other than the obvious problem of memory capacity, are there any in-camera issues that I should know about? I like to have quick access to the JPeg files to see how I am doing, and reserve the Raw for working at home.

Thanks for helping an old guy new to Digital.

Festina Lente Loc: Florida & Missouri

There is NO IDEAL SOLUTION.

But Bhutan is such a target-rich environment for photography, you just can't miss.
I prefer a minimalistic approach for a journey to places like Bhutan (OK, similar -- nothing is quite like Bhutan!)

At most I carry:
Two identical bodies, three lenses (wide angle telephoto, 70-200mm tele, and a 50mm f/1.4 prime) one strobe, lots of 32GB CF chips in a watertight secure holder, ND & circl polarizer filters, a collapsible reflector/diffuser, light travel tripod, radio remote shutter release, 2 spare batteries, and a USB dedicated hard drive (so I can leave my laptop at home). All of that fits in one Tameron Expedition camera bag that I can carry on the plane, and carry on my back.

When walking around, I leave one body, the 50mm lens or the 70-200mm, the strobe, hard drive, spare batteries and CF memory chips in my hotel to lighten the load.

I'm comfortable shooting just RAW and relying on the histograms on my camera's LCD to see if I got what I wanted. I go thru a lot of memory cards and shoot as many angles and settings as I can.

In Bhutan, almost everything seems to be interesting and waiting to be captured in all its vibrant color and mystical history.

I envy you.
Have a blast and don't try to be a pack-ratting boy scout.
Just remember what you would have taken 20 years ago if you had a film camera and consider the rest as potentially excess weight (unless this is a professional assignment, then hire a porter.)

Blanche007 Loc: Waltham, MA

I do a lot of long haul travel. I pack my two cameras (Nikon D7000 and Fuji X100) along with the Nikon lens I use the most and can’t afford to loose (a 17-55 zoom) in a backpack and carry it on all flights in trains/buses/tucktucks…. Everything else goes into my luggage – in heavy duty zip-lock bags (saves space and makes what you’re looking for easy to find). When I am shooting I carry only a spare battery and a memory card - although typically I don't have to use either since I recharge the batteries at night and download the card to a external hard drive with a duplicate copy on a 2nd external drive. I also carry a small notebook. The Nikon with that lens is really heavy and I'm usually in hot places and don't want to carry any extra weight.
If you don’t want to lug around a laptop and want to back up photos take a look at something called PhotoSafe 2. I got in at Band H. It’s small and lightweight and holds a lot.
Only downside is that you can’t actually view the photos you’ve downloaded.

My husband is so jealous that you are going to Bhuthan. He is dying to go there – but has ‘settled’ for Myanmar and Laos instead (I got to pick the destination this time). I would love to know about your trip to Myanmar – any info you are willing to share would be very much appreciated. We are going in January and then plan to spend February and March in South India (with our without power).

Lora

John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

Lora, Myanmar was great last year and we did Laos and Cambodia the year before. Think long and hard about your detailed, in-country itinerary. We flew from Yangon up to the north and spent a few days on a boat, stopping in small villages. The balloon ride over Bagan was beautiful, but difficult photography with the rig I had then. The best is Inle Lake region, with the tribal people, markets, and we enjoyed being the witness to the induction of 10 young boys into the monastery. The bright light and strong shadows were tough. I had my photos up on a website but when Apple cancelled Mobile Me, and iCloud does not support iWeb, I had to take it down. Have not yet selected a new host...
Have fun, but be careful what you eat. Both my wife and I had some difficulties....

rebride

Try Picasa for quick and easy access to RAW. Works just like jpeg. View, export, email, adjust. Simple.
Try it, you just might not want/need to shoot jpeg.

Blanche007 Loc: Waltham, MA

We you traveling on your won or with a guide or with a group?

John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

Solo unico.
Are you from Italy?
I worked there and went to school there .

Blanche007 Loc: Waltham, MA

Italy? In my dreams. No, Boston with lousy typing skills How long did you spend in Myanmar and how long in Laos? We are thinking 2 weeks in Luang Prabang. Our son was there several years ago and really loved it.

Blanche007 Loc: Waltham, MA

Lora showed me your photo. It's a very strong image. Congratulations.

For Bhutan, here is the guide that I was going to use until Lehman Brothers imposed a sense of restraint. He was very highly recommended to us by a personal friend who spent 2 weeks with him. I met him the following year in NYC when he was traveling the world with the Bhutan art exhibit. (It was the first time some of the Bhutanese people traveling with the exhibit had seen an escalator or elevator!) I can confirm our friend's endorsement of him as a very nice person.

Tshewang Nidup
CEO, Bhutan Expeditions,
Post box No. 598,
Thimphu.
Kingdom of Bhutan.
Tel: +975 2 326 266, Fax: +975 2 326 689,
e-mail: tsewangnidup@yahoo.com

Have a great trip.
David (Lora's "strong back/weak mind" equipment porter)