Leaving stuff behind

[David Kilpatrick]

We are in Turkey, in Antalya - but overworked to an extreme before leaving, and dsitracted (me) by sprained knee making walking difficult. Using a netbook and I HATE WINDOWS and anything as volatile and difficult to work with as this thing! Easier to lose everything than write anything.

Point is, due to the 5 kilo hand baggage limit I left behind many things I needed here. I should have put a 50mm f/1.7 in the case, maybe put a spare body in the hold baggage. I cut it down to the minimum and it is VERY difficult to live with no lens faster than f/3.5 - and I really miss the A550 now after going back to using the A900. Too many shots are just not sharp enough on the A900, the A550 has been perfect in that respect.

And I puzzled for days over which one to take. I should have packed on in the bags. Our camera bag came to 5.5kilo with just A900, A700, 18-250, 12-24, 24-85, 70-300, 16mm, 30mm macro, three spare batteries - and all the extra stuff in the suitcases to cut the weight down.

David

[Dr. Harout]

Food is excellent there, so try not to put on some extra weight.

[redsim74]

and I really miss the A550 now after going back to using the A900. Too many shots are just not sharp enough on the A900, the A550 has been perfect in that respect.
David

Why the lack of sharpness, David?

Is it the narrower DOF, or is the A900 not focussing as well without the use of its 2.8 AF sensor?

[aster]

Welcome David and Shirley!

Hopefully, the sprained knee, the missing camera or the lenses will be of no hinderence and we'll see photos and read about your trip to Antalya soon.

I had no idea the A550 was so precise and fast when compared to the A900.

Enjoy your stay.

Yildiz

[David Kilpatrick]

I have been using the A550 with very good lenses - mainly the 30mm f/2.8 SAM macro. The A900 with 24-85mm is OK but I'm sure some shots are softer than I need. Also, Shirley's A700 seems to work better for hand held exposures like 1/4 (indoors).

But today I have been using the 70-300mm SSM for the first time in a while - it5 really is exceptional for focus speed and quietness compared to any other make, Nikon SW and Canon USM included.

David

[Greg Beetham]

Sounds like DK isn't in a very good mood at the moment. Finagle's law says things go pearshaped in lots of three...hmm didn't take 50mm (1), knee (2), no A550 (3), rotten netbook (4) oops, DK you're in the clear now..oversubscribed, the system owes you a credit of one.
Greg

ps. What's the deal in Antalya..work, pleasure, or a mix?

[bakubo]

Packing for a trip is tough and even harder these days because of all the restrictions on size, weight, and what is allowed in your carry-on bag. If it makes you feel any better though, even with what you have, you are carrying much more than I do.

[Birma]

Looks like you timed your flight just right DK! UK air space has been closed today (no flights in or out) due to volcanic dust in the stratosphere from an eruption in Iceland. They hope it will be clear by tomorrow - the knock on effect on travel may last a few days.

[bossel]

Just have another Raki and a Kebab and wait until it's all over

[braeside]

Hello David,

Hope you are feeling better, at least you are not stuck at an airport due to the volcano eruption.

5Kg is much too tight isn't it? - Did they actually weigh the carry on bags? - I confess to almost always taking more than the weight limit, but stick rigidly to the size limits.

I am now not even taking a computer with me, just a stack of memory cards and a Vosonic hard drive with reader to back them up on. If I get a 13" MacBook Pro I may consider taking that, but my current 10 year old PowerBook G3 which I use for work is no longer much cop for today's digital files. Tried the tiny Asus Netbook, but horrible screen, it is now a dedicated weather station server.

What 16mm lens is it you took? - The fish eye?

My holiday travel kit is A900, Tamron 17-35, Minolta 50/1.7, CZ24-70, 135/1.8 + 1.4X TC for telephoto. I might also pack the 16mm fisheye. I never take the big 70-400G, though agree the smaller 70-300G was nice for those trips in the past.

On some trips I might be tempted to take only the Leica M8 + 4 lenses, that would fit in the cabin allowances. I should really pack it as a backup anyway.

[Mark K]

We are in Turkey, in Antalya - but overworked to an extreme before leaving, and dsitracted (me) by sprained knee making walking difficult. Using a netbook and I HATE WINDOWS and anything as volatile and difficult to work with as this thing! Easier to lose everything than write anything.

Point is, due to the 5 kilo hand baggage limit I left behind many things I needed here. I should have put a 50mm f/1.7 in the case, maybe put a spare body in the hold baggage. I cut it down to the minimum and it is VERY difficult to live with no lens faster than f/3.5 - and I really miss the A550 now after going back to using the A900. Too many shots are just not sharp enough on the A900, the A550 has been perfect in that respect.

And I puzzled for days over which one to take. I should have packed on in the bags. Our camera bag came to 5.5kilo with just A900, A700, 18-250, 12-24, 24-85, 70-300, 16mm, 30mm macro, three spare batteries - and all the extra stuff in the suitcases to cut the weight down.

David

David
I have the same question over and over again. When I was young...I was able to carry all my equipment with weighed well above 50kg. Now my trick is to travel with groups so I can share the weights with others.
What if I have to travel again on my own, taking economic flights with weight restricted to 5kg handcarry and 15kg luggage?
My minimal hand carry included an A850, 24-70/2.8, 70-210/4, 17-35/D and a 50/2.8 macro and a netbook of course. These already weigh approximately 11kg.
The netbook is a sacrifice, small but not much functioning well.

[bakubo]

"He who would travel happily must travel light." —Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1900-1944

[bossel]

At least he had his own plane! And I am sure he wouldn't have stopped just for a cloud of dust!!

[David Kilpatrick]

Well, in the end we seem to have got 5 days extra holiday, and with all the extra time the eMachines 10" Windows XP netbook has proved essential. Without it, we would have been even more cut off from information. I have been able to download and install Picasa 3 to view our RAW-only Alpha files.

The little 30mm has not been used even one single time. Shirley gets such good close-ups with the Sigma 18-250mm OS she has not wanted to swap lenses. I would have been FAR better packing the 50mm f/1.4, as we have had no restrictions on museum photography here (without flash).

I used the old Sigma 16mm fisheye several times. The final time after putting it back in its leather (hard Minolta 50mm) case I dropped it and it bounced 20ft down rocks. No damage at all, the case took the knocks and the lens has few moving parts. I also used the 12-24mm Sigma for some planned shots in Turkish carpet showrooms.

The 70-300mm got a little use. Hardly any. What I needed was a 24-135mm. My 24-85mm was great but the long end too short.

David

[bakubo]

Well, in the end we seem to have got 5 days extra holiday, and with all the extra time the eMachines 10" Windows XP netbook has proved essential. Without it, we would have been even more cut off from information. I have been able to download and install Picasa 3 to view our RAW-only Alpha files.

I bought an 8.9" netbook a couple of years ago and used it in Egypt in December. Very handy since wifi was pretty common. I helped my sister buy a 10.1" netbook last month and she likes it a lot. I plan to get one too soon since the larger screen and especially the larger keyboard makes it much more usable. The overall size and weight is not much more than the 8.9" model so it is worth it. By the way, the free FastStone is what I use to view all my files (raw included). It is small and fast. Doesn't have all the other stuff that Picasa has that I don't care about. I just wanted a good viewer.

I used the old Sigma 16mm fisheye several times. The final time after putting it back in its leather (hard Minolta 50mm) case I dropped it and it bounced 20ft down rocks. No damage at all, the case took the knocks and the lens has few moving parts. I also used the 12-24mm Sigma for some planned shots in Turkish carpet showrooms.

Good news! You dodged a bullet there.

The 70-300mm got a little use. Hardly any. What I needed was a 24-135mm. My 24-85mm was great but the long end too short.

A recent thread I saw elsewhere was talking about the Minolta 28-135mm and Tamron 24-135mm on FF. Seems like lots of people like the Tamron. Don't know if it is good enough for you, but the price is pretty good.