Like most folks on this site, I have a few backpacks. My go-to pack is the Mindshift 180. But if I need to carry a lot of equipment I use the Tamrac Expedition 7X which will hold all your equipment and perhaps a medium sized dog. Mindshift and their Think Tank cousin really are great packs. They are expensive as heck but well-thought-out. I am not sure a helicopter counts and requiring airline size gear. You are not going to be putting it in an overhead bin. It will be in some stowage compartment. Given that you are going to be up in the wilderness, I suggest bear spray or a 22 caliber pistol. 22s are not effective on bears, but you can shoot your photo leader in the leg and then run.
Have fun.
I have not been there but have been planning a trip there. One thing I did read is that there is a weight limit for luggage for the short hops between countries. Check to see if that pertains to you.
Interesting problem. I would not give them something for free, particularly if they tried to get photos even cheaper than the freebie that you are providing. As I am fond of saying, "next project" meaning move on to something else and forget these folks. It is also possible that because you attached no price to your services, they had no value to the people who were taking advantage of you. In any event, I would not lose a moment's sleep on this one...
Thanks for the info...I may go for the Oly / Pan 100-300 which could reach out quite a bit.
Dear Fellow Hogs:
My wife and I are headed to Machu Picchu and the Amazon in March or April. We are hiking (not taking the train) up to Machu Picchu on the Salkantay Pass which is very high altitude. I carry an Oly 4/3 system and have my kit set up for Machu Picchu. I generally shoot in wide angles in the mountains so will limit my kit to that. (I backpack a bit and am well aware of altitude issues. Will be taking meds, training, hydration, etc. )
In any event, we are headed to the Amazon after the Machu Picchu trek which presents a different set of photographic challenges. I can take my 60 mm macro (for critters and flowers) and I have the Oly 14-150. My question for the Hogs who have been in the Amazon, did you use or wish you had a longer lens? I have the small Oly flash and a larger Oly flash that acts as a slave. I wont carry the heavy gear up Machu Picchu but can arrange to leave it behind at the base until I take it into the Amazon.
Any advice you have will be appreciated. Best regards,
Rick
Greetings. I have canon and oly. On a recent trip to Eastern Europe (carrying only Oly set up) I took time to look at the cameras people were carrying. Canon was by far the most carried system. Perhaps 8 out of 10 people carried a canon. Nikon had perhaps 1 out of 10. I only saw on other Oly and two Fujis. It kind of gave me a complex! If I were going to buy into a system, I think it would be the one that is the most used and supported around the world. The Canon 80d is a great set up and probably had the most availability of equipment (due to people selling used lenses, etc. )
My wife and I take hiking-focused vacations so weight is a factor for me. When I say hike, I mean rather long distances over difficult terrain so carrying a large dslr can start to wear one down over a few days. I switched to the Olympus OMD em5ii and have a love-hate relationship with it. I have a few lenses including the Pro 7-14. The camera has changed, and in fact help me define, my style of shooting. The in-body image stabilization on the Oly cameras is amazing. Where as many photogs try to avoid people in their shots or use filters with long exposures to eliminate them, I seek out people to add motion and a sense of place to my photos. I can do that hand-held with no problem. The Oly pro lenses are spectacular but pricey. I have a very wide and fast prime for use indoors which works "ok" but not great. Learn to use the EVF properly and you will see the wonders of how it can improve your photography. There is also a feature on the camera known as live composite which allows the user to take a photograph (multiples really) over time which only new sources of light being added to the final composite. So, it is possible to have fireworks properly exposed with a cityscape. Something no other camera system can do so far as I know. The camera is water sealed so long as you use sealed lenses.
The hate part is the fact that the batteries are small. The EVF takes up quite a lot of energy even though I keep the rear screen off and have the camera set to auto turn off after about 60 seconds. Carry a few extras and consistently monitor battery strength and you should be ok. The low light capabilities of the m4/3 are not good. One can push the iso up to 1600 or so but the image will become grainy. I know "serious" photographers do not care about built in flash, but when hiking or at a restaurant (and not wanting to take a lot of equipment with me) it is sometimes nice to have a fill-in flash immediately available. The 5ii does not have a built in flash so you have to carry the small flash that goes onto the shoe for fill in. You will have to do some serious study of the menu system. It takes time to learn so do not buy this camera and jump on a plane to your dream vacation the following day.
As with any system, there are trade offs.
Rent a Canon 100/400, and set camera to higher ISOs to get higher higher shutter speeds. Don't forget wide lenses for the beautiful canyons and vistas.
I have a Fuji XP that I purchased from Costco. It goes on fishing trips and stays in my (salt water) tackle box. It works, is inexpensive and seems to hold up under harsh circumstances. Price was such that if it breaks or gets lost, I won't be out much. Picture quality is good.
I check tripods and hiking poles with no problems at all. I also, on occassion, carry a travel tripod in my "carry-on" luggage on planes. On occasion, they TSA folks want to look at it. Not a big deal.
The limiting factor may we'll be optics, but it is feasible that future sensors can shove more pixels into a smaller space. Think how memory storage has increased in capacity whist shrinking in size. I think we've only seen the beginning.
I was in the same situation. I THINK my method works well. My wife and I hike occasionally. We just completed several vacations that include longish distances for hiking (12 miles a day). I carry the Mindshift Rotation backpack which has an integrated fanny-pack in it. The pack holds jackets, etc. It has a pocket for a water bladder which I use frequently. I have an OpTech neck strap and wrist strap that I carry with the kit. But, the best part... OpTech makes straps that can attach the the shoulder straps of a backpack. The OpTech fasteners work for the neck, wrist and shoulder strap so I can use any of the three as I wish. The shoulder strap situation works exceptionally well in that the camera rests against my chest at all times, but I can pull it up to take a shot. Best of all, once we are done hiking, I can use the neck strap to walk around the cities. I can also just use the fanny-pack should I want to carry some camera kit but not the entire backpack. When I get time, I will post a photo of the shoulder strap set up. It works exceptionally well, keeps the camera from swinging around, is flexible and reliable.
Congratulations. Excellent photograph