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jamesjr934

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In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM, Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff, with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
 
jamesjr934 said:
In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other
areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my
eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like
to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II,
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM,
Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon
Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many
of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like
to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of
my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff,
with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince
me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some
what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a
micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
Click to expand...
james,
I took a ton of stuff when I went earlier this year:



And here is a link to my japan gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/salim/japan_2004
--
Salim
http://www.pbase.com/salim
 
Hi,

Based on my experience, take wider lenses as opposed to longer if you are going to be in the city itself the whole time. The reason I say this is the only time you see things far off is when you are looking down a major street and that is an excpetion as most streets don't go straight for very long. In other words, getting far enough back from something to place it in context is more of a challenge.

I lived there for 15 year and that was my experice. Depending on the format I was shooting, most of the time I would use a lense of 100mm, 35mm format, or shorter.

But it depends on what you shoot. Of course YMMV.

As was pointed out in another post, you may want gloves for in the Morning and evenings, but in general, Dec. in Tokyo is quite mild and very nice during the day. But it has been known to snow.

I'm sure you will enjoy your trip.

Best,
Spencer
jamesjr934 said:
In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other
areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my
eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like
to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II,
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM,
Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon
Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many
of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like
to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of
my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff,
with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince
me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some
what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a
micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
Click to expand...
 
Salim,

I really enjoyed your pictures! You did a great job of capturing a wide variety of the impressions and experiences I have had in my 2 dozen or so short business trips to Japan in the last decade.

James, my only advice is, if you are going to take all that gear and travel like the natives (i.e. by train and subway) be prepared to be "jostled" a little if you are on those trains during rush hour. I've travelled with a heavy over-stuffed computer bag and its kind of a drag but if I were you I'd tough it out.

Oh, and here's my obligatory shot (an unusually clear day - shot from behind the glass of my 26th floor Sinagawa hotel room)



-John
salim madjd said:
jamesjr934 said:
In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other
areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my
eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like
to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II,
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM,
Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon
Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many
of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like
to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of
my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff,
with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince
me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some
what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a
micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
Click to expand...
james,
I took a ton of stuff when I went earlier this year:



And here is a link to my japan gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/salim/japan_2004
--
Salim
http://www.pbase.com/salim
Click to expand...
 
Hello James.

I agree with everyone so far.

December is cold.

I looked like Salim on my first trip to Japan. ;)

If you are traveling by train or subway during rush hours....good luck! ;)

After going to Japan 6 times myself....Spencer is right...if you are trying to travel lighter, I would take a wider lens instead of a longer one.

When I go to Japan I take the MII, 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8, 550ex and a tripod but I hardly ever use the 70-200. But, if you are willing to carry everything, then you should, because there might be that one shot that needs a just the "right" lens and you will end up kicking yourself if you don't have it.




jamesjr934 said:
In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other
areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my
eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like
to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II,
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM,
Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon
Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many
of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like
to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of
my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff,
with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince
me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some
what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a
micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
Click to expand...
 
I live and work in Osaka, have been here for about 10 years now.

I would say 100% bring your better gear. There is no point to have it if you do not use it. I strongly suggest you get a wider lens though -- the 31mm that your 24-70 will become will leave you disappointed in many cases. I use the 17-40 4L a lot here, perhaps the most of any of my lenses (17-40 4L, 28-70 2.8L, 70-200 2.8L, 180mm Sigma EX HSM Macro, Canon 1.4x II).

If I were you I would bring the 24-70, the 100-400, your 1DM2, 550EX, and add a 17-40 4L. I'd leave the macro lens at home unless you really want to shoot macro here for some reason...

If you can't afford the 17-40 then I suggest selling some of your less-used kit to get the $$$ for it. I really feel that in the city you will use the wide lens more than any other, and also for most indoor shots you take.

If you visit my page (linked below) you will find an email address you can contact me at. If you have any Japan-related questions I will do my best to answer them.

Good luck and enjoy your time here!

Ian
--
Ian Hobday
Osaka, Japan
http://hobday.net/photos
 
You may have taken some great pictures (and by jesus you should have - you walking photography store you) , but my god what a dork you looked.

When photography gets on top of you to that extent it's time to take stock. After all it's just a picture and with all that encumberance I'm suprised if you could snap anything without a half hour set up procedure.

Try walking around a foreign capital with a discreet camera and a single lens and move around to capture fleeting moments.

But hey horses for courses. You don't look as impressive to bystanders that way. (Cough)

Sorry
 
jamesjr934 said:
In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other
areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my
eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like
to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II,
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM,
Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon
Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many
of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like
to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of
my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff,
with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince
me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some
what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a
micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
Click to expand...
--
Frank from Phoenix
Canon1DMk2,MinoltaG500 and lots of typos
digital evolution: Nikon990> OlyE20> Pentax*istD> CanonMK2> ?????
 
Thank you for your suggestions. My reasoning behind the macro lens is when I was in Tokyo in April, there were so many neat and very different flowers and plants that I wanted to get some good macros of. Being that this time is going to be in dead winter, I'm guessing that most if not all will be long gone. :( Is this true? Are there any good macro opportunities in December?

Do you or anybody have any good ideas on selling my DRebel gear at a good price (other than eBay)?

Also I'd like to thank all you for all your great images, very nice work, everybody :)
Ian Hobday said:
I live and work in Osaka, have been here for about 10 years now.

I would say 100% bring your better gear. There is no point to have
it if you do not use it. I strongly suggest you get a wider lens
though -- the 31mm that your 24-70 will become will leave you
disappointed in many cases. I use the 17-40 4L a lot here, perhaps
the most of any of my lenses (17-40 4L, 28-70 2.8L, 70-200 2.8L,
180mm Sigma EX HSM Macro, Canon 1.4x II).

If I were you I would bring the 24-70, the 100-400, your 1DM2,
550EX, and add a 17-40 4L. I'd leave the macro lens at home unless
you really want to shoot macro here for some reason...

If you can't afford the 17-40 then I suggest selling some of your
less-used kit to get the $$$ for it. I really feel that in the
city you will use the wide lens more than any other, and also for
most indoor shots you take.

If you visit my page (linked below) you will find an email address
you can contact me at. If you have any Japan-related questions I
will do my best to answer them.

Good luck and enjoy your time here!

Ian
--
Ian Hobday
Osaka, Japan
http://hobday.net/photos
Click to expand...
 
Frank from AZ said:
jamesjr934 said:
In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other
areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my
eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like
to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II,
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM,
Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon
Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many
of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like
to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of
my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff,
with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince
me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some
what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a
micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
Click to expand...
--
Frank from Phoenix
Canon1DMk2,MinoltaG500 and lots of typos
digital evolution: Nikon990> OlyE20> Pentax*istD> CanonMK2> ?????
Click to expand...
 
Whatever you do, take along the DReb as a back-up body. And you'll probably find that there are days you'd rather use the Reb rather than the MKII, particularly for its much lighter weight. You do a heck of a lot of walking in Japan. Lots of train riding, walking to the train station, lots of walking around town and to various sights. So don't underestimate the impact of weight and gravity on your back and shoulders! Also consider bringing along a nice monopod topped off with a nice compact ballhead. It sets up a lot faster than a tripod, is easier to travel around with, will bear the weight of your equipment, and it's just nice to lean on from time to time.
jamesjr934 said:
In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other
areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my
eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like
to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II,
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM,
Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon
Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many
of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like
to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of
my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff,
with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince
me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some
what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a
micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
Click to expand...
 
Thank you T3 :) I really don't think the body weight’s the big issue; it's the lenses that make the camera so heavy. Good idea about the monopod; I've been thinking about getting one for quite a while now, but don't really know much about monopods. Any suggestions on a good monopod and head combo?
T3 said:
jamesjr934 said:
In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other
areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my
eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like
to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II,
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM,
Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon
Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many
of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like
to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of
my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff,
with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince
me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some
what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a
micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
jamesjr934 said:
Thank you T3 :) I really don't think the body weight’s the big
issue; it's the lenses that make the camera so heavy. Good idea
about the monopod; I've been thinking about getting one for quite a
while now, but don't really know much about monopods. Any
suggestions on a good monopod and head combo?
Click to expand...
It's not just the weight of the body...it's the cumulative weight of everything and the prolonged carrying of that weight over extended periods of time that you should consider. That's why trekkers and hikers consider every ounce that they are going to pack, because that ounce feels different in the morning compared to how it will feel 6 or 7 hours later. At the very least, bring along your DReb and just leave it at the hotel if you don't want to take it out with you. Japanese hotels, and Japan in general, is extremely safe.

As for monopods, I use a Bogen monopod and a Giotto MH-1001 medium ballhead, with Stroboframe Quick Release System. Check out some of the new carbon fiber tripods that are available now. They are extremely light weight, and yet very strong. Something like that would be a joy to travel with.
 
James I strongly recommend you take a 17-40 or a 16-35 wide angel zoom. I have been in Japan many times and found 90% of my shooting was with a wide angle lens. I think you will not be happy with the results you get with the 24-70, you will want a wider lens.
jamesjr934 said:
In December I will be taking a trip to Tokyo Japan among some other
areas, within Japan. I shoot basically anything that catches my
eyes (people, buildings, landscapes, birds, and ext.). I would like
to take all my new gear that includes the Canon EOS 1D Mark II,
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM,
Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 1.4X II Extender, Canon
Speedlite 550EX Flash and Canon MR14EX Macro Ring Lite but as many
of you know this is a extremely heavy getup.

I also own the DRebel, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon EF 28-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. I would like
to leave these behind because they don't have near the quality of
my new stuff, but are much lighter.

Is there anything you would substitute or rid from the new stuff,
with the old to lighten up the load? Please don't try to convince
me to take the DRebel or get something else.

In April I took the DRebel getup minus the 75-300mm and was some
what unhappy with the quality of the images. And really wanted a
micro and telephoto lens. Thus I got all my new gear. :)
Click to expand...
--
**** L.
 
Photographing in Japan I discovered my 17-40 (when I had enough light to handhold) is best, or else it would be the 28-135 for the IS. Sometimes the 17mm on the 1.6x crop wasn't wide enough. It would probably be perfect on the 1.3x sensor.

December - not prime flower time; but along the ocean areas, and down in Osaka area, many plants stay green. Usually you can find people growing winter bulbs. Colorful varieties of ornamental cabbages are grown, and people keep gardens (around Osaka) going all winter long. I assume you are interested in purely ornamental purposes, and not botantical research. Other close-up targets could be the various textured items that are so common - wood, stone, carvings in particular. Intricate artwork on pottery or lanterns. Tourist traps (recommend visit Kamakura) have gift stores full of little things to capture, such as bags of 100 year old coins that can't be used anymore. Oh, and the food, being prepared to such a high art, is even photogenic.

I'm convinced there are few other places in the world that can compare to Japan, wrt photo ops.

Since you have been to Japan before you realize that the Japanese have really got down the idea of travelling lightly . Amazes me how they can live out of one bag.... If the purpose of the trip is primarily photography then I suppose you've got to bring whatever you might use, but all that gear sounds pretty heavy to haul around from train station to train station. It is usually difficult to find a place to sit or a shelf to rest things upon, too, compared to the US. Plus you will want to bring extra memory, and some portable mass storage unit, etc., etc., etc.,
jamesjr934 said:
Thank you for your suggestions. My reasoning behind the macro lens
is when I was in Tokyo in April, there were so many neat and very
different flowers and plants that I wanted to get some good macros
of. Being that this time is going to be in dead winter, I'm
guessing that most if not all will be long gone. :( Is this true?
Are there any good macro opportunities in December?

Do you or anybody have any good ideas on selling my DRebel gear at
a good price (other than eBay)?

Also I'd like to thank all you for all your great images, very nice
work, everybody :)
Click to expand...
 
James,

I guess I am not much help with this -- I buy and sell everything at one small (and great!) camera shop in the Osaka electronics district. I suppose I could come out slightly ahead if I did everything privately, but for me personally, it is not worth the extra hassle.

As for macro opertunities, well, I can always find good macro subjects! But they are not likely to be different from any other city really. I wouldn't expect to see much in the way of flowers in December in Tokyo or Osaka. Okinawa perhaps!! :)

What are your travel plans for when you are here?

Ian
--
Ian Hobday
Osaka, Japan
http://hobday.net/photos
 
I was in Japan (Hiroshima) five years ago. I can't understand this obsession with carrying a lot of undesirable heavy equipment... When I was there I had my EOS 1n with a 50mm 1.4 and a 20-35 3.5/4.0 I was using almost all the time and I can tell you that I took a lot of great shots. I don't like to be very visible to other people while I'm taking photos and I like to enjoy the trip without worrying all the time about my gear... I think that this is the main reason a lot of great photographers like Sebastiao Salgado use a Leica M with just a 28mm or a 35 mm... They don't need three bodies and a lot of heavy tele lenses for getting great pictures!!!

And remember, just as Cartier-Bresson said: "If the shot is not good maybe you weren't close enough" (or something like that). Use your legs.
 
Travelling to Japan at December can be a mixed blaessing. The weather is typically very good - cold but bright so smog and haze is a little lower.

Most photographs tend to be wide, but there are definitely a lot of uses for a long lens, providing you are really looking for subject isolation or maybe shooting architectural details. Certainly City shooting won't need that 100-400, but a 135 might make a nice companion for the 24-70.

You will, as others have suggested, most likely need something wider than the 24-70, and if you do street photography I'd recommend something very compact and fast. Maybe the Sigma 20/1.8 or 15 fisheye? Japan timezone is a little funny so in winter it is usually getting dark about 3-4pm or so for Tokyo, when life really starts, is pretty much sure to be dark!

--
http://public.fotki.com/wibble/public_display/

 
I've been living and shooting in Japan for almost 5 years now and I always find myself gravitating to fast primes and wide angle lenses to capture Tokyo in all its nighttime glory.

There is a lot to see in the daytime as well, but the bright clear skies you get in the winter lead to very challenging lighting conditions. The best shots will be found at night.

There is also the fact that it gets dark very early here in the winter, so try and pick up some fast primes before you get here. (Prices are higher here than you would pay in the U.S.)

My bag of tricks for shooting Tokyo nights is as follows:

50 f/1.4
35 f/2
24 f/2.8

And a 15-30mm or fisheye (Sigma) can also be a lot of fun.

(The 50 and 35 get the most use though...)

Check out my website if you want to get some ideas about where to go when you are here. I would highy suggest you take at least one day and see Kamakura. It is a short train ride from Tokyo, but it is worlds away in time and character. Temples and shrines galore!

--
Jeff Laitila http://www.sushicam.com
 
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