wbauknight wrote:
Wow, had never heard anything about not using a tripod! Thank you for the heads up on that! I will need to be balancing ISO, shutter speed and apiture to control exposure and eliminate movement. I will need to shoot at a higher shutter speed than average because of my shortcomings. This was a very helpful response!
I went up Machu Pichu about 2 years ago with daughter and grand children.
Couple of tips probably already mentioned; altitude sickness can be a biggie so avoid alcohol for a few days, and aclimatise, if possible, on the way.
We took some pills, forget their name but go to a good travel doctor and get advice.
A UHHer gave me very good advice before we went. He's a travel doc with a lot of SA experience. Maybe he'll see your post.
Some warn about thieves etc in Cuzco. We had absolutely no problem and found the locals helpful and fun to talk with (my daughter is bi lingual). Never asked to pay for taking pics and had kids lining up once.
We got to the entry to the 'park' via a mountain bus from Cuzco and no one queried my collapsed tripod that I carried attached to the D7100, 24-70 2.8 lens. Im a lightweight 71 year old with dodgy back and did find my gear (including a large water bottle, recommended) and some snacks for lunch a bit of a 'nuisance'. Especially the climb up to the top watch house (recommended tho).
Just had a bright idea and looked up an earlier post
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-383126-1.htmlYou will find some great advice there. Helped me a lot.
Cheers, have a great holiday.
I found 24-70 ideal for the photos I wanted. Only once I recall wishing for my 70-300 and that was getting a photo of the mountain overlooking Machu Pichu (forget its name).
There are photos on my website under South America, if you want to get some ideas.
Didnt know about any weight limit for bags, some of the tourists on our bus had all their gear as they were back packing. Would have been heaps more than 11 lbs. The tracks around the mountain are very well maintained and we found no need for special shoes or boots. Might have been different if the weather was bad, but my 3 grand children just wore the ordinary shoes they wore everyday. No problem.
Many guides/rangers on the mountain. Some helpful some not so much, but none we met spoke English.
For best pics try and get on the very first bus of the day. The early morning light coming up is stunning. I missed the early bus, but my grandson got some fantastic photos on his phone (wouldcha believe it!).