You visited some nice areas. Beautiful shots. I don’t go to Zion much anymore because of the crowds. You made me rethink my position.

Most of the insurance riders that I looked at would cost me more than replacing the equipment after about 2 years of premiums. Is that still true? I usually just set aside a little money for replacement each month and over time still have the cash for gear when it breaks or gets antiquated.

Oh, I forgot. We enjoy the Musee d Orsay more than any other museum in the world. Go to the top floor Cafe to take the iconic picture through the clock out into Paris. I found the people taking the photographs as fun to capture as the iconic shot. BTW, get a Paris Museum Pass before you go, or make your first stop at a less visited museum in Paris to purchase, to avoid most of the ticket lines.

Sorry that I’m late to the game. My credentials: I have been to Paris too many times to count without a theft so far. Despite precautions, someone will probably get me one of these times. We do love Paris though.

Rick Steve’s has an excellent section on security while traveling in Europe on his website. Study it. I recommend his travel book on France. It’s an excellent guide.

My camera rules in Europe:

My camera bag and strap are security purchases from PacSafe. The straps for the camera and bag have airline cable running within and the bag has wire mesh that prevent slashing and zippers that are security minded.

I wear everything cross body and keep a hand on the camera or bag while walking.

No matter what presents itself to make you unexpectedly stop walking, keep going. Gypsies are notorious for begging and then lifting a wallet if you stop, but many other ruses are used. JUST KEEP WALKING! It’s not rude, it’s savvy.

Keep your gear simple. If you have to stop and futz around you become a target. I leave my heavy D850 at home. In Europe I use a Panasonic G9 with a 12-60 as a walk around, a pancake lens for the street and a fast 25 1.7 for inside churches and museums. Your Leica is it’s cousin, which to me is an excellent choice for travel.

I split up my credit cards and keep my passport and a few credit cards in a neck wallet that i wear to and from the airport just in case my wallet gets lifted. I check the neck wallet into the hotel safe when I arrive. I don’t trust a room safe except to prevent theft by the staff. A credit card wallet goes into my front pocket with my drivers license, a Visa, an Amex and a debit card to get ATM cash.

Lastly, don’t you dare leave a camera at home. Paris is, in my opinion, the best city in the world for photography. If you keep things simple and prepare a little ahead of time, security doesn’t need to dominate your worries. With a few precautions you can instead worry about the light, the camera angle, catching people in action, etc. have a wonderful time.

I use a RF Vello unit.

For me, Peak Design Slide. Quickly adjusts—around the neck or crossbody—depending on the need. For use on my Nikon 800 and 850, very happy.

Altitude is an issue. I believe Bryce has passes at 9000 ft. Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands and Capital Reef are much lower.

Bryce is one of my favorite National Parks for photography, more so than even the Grand or Teton. Mesa Verde is also a magical place. But driving from Bryce to Mesa Verde is a long haul and would take a lot of your trip. Driving to Taos from Salt Lake lends itself better to traveling through Capital Reef and Mesa Verde. There simply are not roads to drive from Bryce across Southern Utah towards the 4 corners area, you have to head through Page Arizona. It’s a beautiful drive, but about takes 11 hours to get Taos from there. That is around 17 hours on the road.

Taken in the Sacred Valley

Peruvian Weaver

(Download)

I use the Nikon 20 mm 1.8 for a wide angle. It is a little less expensive then the 16-35, which I have. Both are sharp. But the 20 mm is much lighter and the 16-35 has significant distortion until 20 mm: I never really liked photos taken at 16 mm. The 20 mm is sharp, weighs next to nothing, is relatively small in the bag, and has minimal distortion. If you are tempted by the older 17-35 f2.8, side by side I chose the 16-35 f4 VR for both cost and sharpness (the VR).

For Dx, the 10-20 or the 18-200. For an fx lens on a dx camera, the 16-35.

Absolutely stay away. Not Abe’s and not in Maine anymore, and not to be trusted.

Buy high quality, used. Despite what you might think, $500 isn’t a lot for a carbon tripod.

Really Right Stuff (USA) and Gitzo (Italy) are leading brands. I own RRS tripods and a Gitzo monopod and both are phenomenal brands. The ability to open the tripod and quickly secure the legs and level the ball head is as important to me as the stability, and both brands shine in this and all other aspects. BTW, I often like using the Gitzo monopod on my Nikon 200-500 over a tripod. My first carbon fiber tripod was a Benro, but I find that you get the quality that you pay for. It still works, but I now need to meticulously screw tight each leg or it will soon sag at one or two joints. It is more difficult to clean after shooting in a dusty or sandy area. Also, their matched ballhead was not as well engineered and occasionally slips after tightening.

A few examples in the backpack genre.

With the body attached to a 600 mm lens:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1315057-REG/vanguard_alta_sky_66_backpack.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1499091-REG/f_stop_m145_70_mountain_series_shinn_expedition.html

Without the body attached:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1505399-REG/lowepro_lp37270_pro_trekker_bp_550.html

When I need to buy a ‘camera bag’, I head to the B&H or Adorama website. I don’t always buy from them, but choosing the features I want is easier with the filter choices that I make in the search. Soft or hard case, backpack or suitcase or over shoulder or messenger style, size, divider type, price range, material, zippers, weight, etc. After narrowing things down I read the reviews, especially the negative ones. I then price shop on line. What works for one person may not be too great for another. The bags sold on the major photography sites like Adorama and BH are well made and from reputable brands.