Going to India for 6 months - what to take?

Consider a point and shoot also.

1) You may want a small camera that can have with you wherever you go.
2) You may want to go places where the DSLR will attract too much attention.
3) A backup camera is a good thing.

hi,

Having just returned from central asia (kazakhstan and kyrgystan) and having spent some time in nepal last year, i would recommend taking only the wide angle 12-24, and the kit lens or upgrading the kit lens to something a bit sharper (money dependant). Dont worry about your telephotos unles syou are desperately seeking animal shots but we all know the best animal shots come with the mega bucks invested in glass. You will be shooting culture and people so get in it and forge freindships take photos close up and you'll love the actual versatily of the 12-24. I took the nikon 12-24 to central asia and it baecame my primary lens, landscape, people, markets, self portraits close ups the works. ENjoy and liberate yourself from some gear, act like you are confident with your gear, and you'll have a blast!!!

CHeers

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http://delacy.smugmug.com
NIKON D70
Sigma 70-200 2.8
nikon 18-70 (of Course)

ravichander said:

Equipment gets stolen easily. Never take expensive cameras to
places you do not know about or are traveling alone.

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ravichander said:

Use a P & S camera for most everyday shooting because you can guard
it very easily. Use the Nikon for landscape / nature photography.

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Oh... I travelled a lot... I mean really a lot. spent a long time in many places from northern asia to SE-Asia, including india.

besides that never once something was stolen from me (I'm good at watching over my stuff...) I would never go to india, or any other place for that matter, with a P&S. sorry. I didn't buy into DSLRs and lenses, flash and stuff... didn't invest almost two decades into my photography to go back and use some slow P&S with crappy glass on. besides batteries for P&S die quickly...

A good advice is to get some sort of "incognito" camera bag... something which doesn't right away scream: expensive gear inside.
but really a P&S would be a waste.

I managed to break my old trusty film SLR on the route to india last time ... so I had to get some cheap p&S on the road ... needless to say, no manual controls, no wide angle, nothing.

I basically stopped taking pictures as most of the time I knew that the results will be nowhere near close to what I am expected to get.

and before anyone screams: it's the photographer, not the camera... true as it is.... a 35-70mm slow, small lens, and a small sensor, limited to iso200 if you don't want it too noisy ... an onboard flash which is not worth 5$ and all these things are serious limitations...
not to mention none, or rare & not-friendly, manual controls.

and as soon as you want to get rid of these.... well it's either a GOOD "prosumer" "bridge" camera or a DSLR... and both are attractive to thieves almost the same.

I say travel as light as possible ... the 18-200 seems to be THE deal for your daily travel stuff (mine's on preorder )... take one flash...

get a small manfrotto (the mini things) tripod... had it recently mounted under a 300mm and placed the camera on a board... worked quite well.

whilst it wont replace any "real" tripod... it is small enough to fit in any small pack and still sturdy enough (even if not high) to find tons of use for it.

dg001 said:

Oh... I travelled a lot... I mean really a lot. spent a long time
in many places from northern asia to SE-Asia, including india.
besides that never once something was stolen from me (I'm good at
watching over my stuff...) I would never go to india, or any other
place for that matter, with a P&S. sorry. I didn't buy into DSLRs
and lenses, flash and stuff... didn't invest almost two decades
into my photography to go back and use some slow P&S with crappy
glass on. besides batteries for P&S die quickly...

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Dg001

I agree with most of your points. But a few things Jamie pointed out was that he was on a budget and was going to be traveling a lot. I also assumed that he did not do photography for a living and hence critical photography was not his priority. However careful one is it takes only one careless moment to lose a valuable piece of equipment. I am not saying that India has robbers or thieves at every corner and is a lawless society but unfortunately the majority of the population lives in poverty and the temptation to steal to put food on the table is always present. Not every poor person has an inclination to steal but it is there.

The other thing that attracts thieves is the color of the skin. It is less likely for a thief to approach me since I have the same color as them and also speak the native language but a white colored person who does not speak the local language is considered an easy target. Believe me, I grew up there.

Trains and buses are the main mode of transportation and really give great opportunities for candid photography but is also a double edged sword. This is where there is a greater opportunity for things to get stolen. And nights are the times when it is likely to occur. If one travels by train it is better to befriend a family traveling along who help in keeping your things safe.

I still feel that for everyday use a good Fuji P & S (like F30) with available aperture and shutter adjustments or a Canon S3 or equivalent will be more helpful. Do carry the D70 but use it in situations where you can be sure it will be safe. Losing a valuable camera in a foreign country usually leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

Take Care

ravi

As for carrying gear I would exercise care with where you leave things, always keep them in sight, but walking around you are unlikely to get mugged . I ve walked around large parts of Asia at all times of day , often with the equivalent of a years wages {for a local} in gear and never felt threatened. Small towns at night in India, especially if the power is down can be magical ,with fires in the street , cows wandering around and if you re lucky the odd elephant.Don t let "fear" stop you going out at night.

I ve never had any problems apart from once when a friendly local gave me some of his meal & what i hoped was vegetable tempura ended up being a chilli ! I m a Brit so am used to curry and spicy food but ...This made the back of my eyes hurt...

To sum up, keep an eye on your stuff or it will go . No one is gonna pull a knife . Unless you are very unlucky......

Travel as light as you can , buy or have made any clothing you may need or have forgotten.

What can go wrong with hotels or transport probably will go wrong but that is part of the fun ! I ve been on train journeys that ended up being 6 hours longer than advertised. Elephant on the line that sort of thing !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickevans9/

Your list is good, except for what one person (or more) said about memory.

With my D70, I have a minimum of two, 1-GB W/A (fast) cards, plus a 512 my son gave me for a birthday. However, for a "vacation length" stay (and yours explodes vacation length), you must bring a laptop or other storage device to unload your cards.

For my birthday this May, besides the Nikon 70-200 VR AF-S, my wife also bought me the Epson P-2000 storage/viewer. It has excellent viewing, plus it holds 40 GB of data. They also make an 80GB model for more $. And, it's the size of a large PDA or a thick wallet, opened up.

This Epson has been a lifesaver for me on my first vacation using it, two weeks in Knoxville, TN, where I shot in the Smoky Mtns, Knoxville Zoo, a Nature center, family, etc, shooting mostly NEF and having over 30GB free after my last dump. Regardless of how you do it, you have to be able to dump ALL the pictures you take, for the entire period. The only other way, is to go to a store from time to time, with or without a laptop/viewer, and burn CDs or DVDs to take or mail home.
Be careful, because some stores only burn low resolution of images on CDs.
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MichaelM

Thanks everyone for the replies, i've now got a decent amount of info to start thinking about what gear i should be taking.

I will be staying for the first 5 months in a tibetan buddhist community in Karnataka state, spending the final few weeks travelling around india (i'll probably stick to the south).

So here's the kit i hope to take:

D70
18-70mm
12-24mm
50mm f1.4 (hopefully)
Memory cards
Portable Storage

I'm trying to keep things as light as possible because i am predominantly teaching english, and as such must take the necessary materials for that as well. I like the idea about taking a point and shoot for day to day photography and may take a small coolpix as well.

If i could afford/find an 18-200mm i would soley take that lense as i'm sure its the PERFECT travel lense, and would help keep the weight down, but its too expensive to add to travel costs, so i will have to make do.

Portable storage HDD will allow me to snap away and not worry about how many photos i'll be taking, and to keep it all i was thinking of taking a secure. but non-descript messenger bag which is light enough to carry around day to day, but can be stored in my rucksack when i'm not on the go.

any more suggestions are much appreciated
jamie

Make sure you carry the 3 pin AC adaptor with you. also charge your batteries as much as you can. You might encounter quite a lot of power outtages.

Also, beg/plead/kill for a chance to visit the Tibetiean monastry in Dharamshala, Northern India. Its has a very unique landscape and unlimited photo opp.

have fun!

Vetteran said:

Bring a second body. A D50 or equivalent is fine. You simply
cannot go that far and not have some equipment redundancy. You're
fine on lenses. I've traveled alot, including India, and you
don't want to have to deal with a single body breaking. Put your
money into the body; that's the weak link. Good luck.

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Yes! on a 6-month trip, you certainly absolutely need a 2nd body. A D50 or D200, depending on your budget.

Plenty of cards as well.

Perhaps a monopod.

cleaning kit.

spare batteries.

a P&S for when you don't want to (or can't, or shouldn't) carry the bigger gear.

Jamie

In India the voltage for electricity is 240V, not 110V like USA. Make sure that you have the necessary adaptors for your electrical equipment. Don’t worry if your laptop, charger etc do not have a 110/220-240 switch. The adaptors / step down transformers for the 240-110 conversion are freely available in big cities like Bangalore or Chennai.

Above all enjoy the trip. Drink only bottled water or water that is boiled and cooled.

ravi

Voltage {when you get it !} is the same as UK so no probs there. One of the many Brit legacies,also most Indians if they want to speak to another non local Indian will use English .Very handy !

Plugs tho are a different matter they have if i remember right the rather naff loose and easily pulled out American flat 2 pin design,

The gear I used was a Contax G1 with 45 mm mostky. sometimes 90mm. Small and discreet

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickevans9/

I should have also mentioned the batteries, as did the others, but not only do you have to have the correct charger(s) for the countries you will go through, but, I would think I'd want more batteries than I normally do.

Here in the U.S., I get by very well by bringing my chargers (D70, AA, Epson P2000, telephone, and PDA) plus I have 2 D70 batts, 2 Epson, and 12 MAHA NMh 1200's, with their smart (4batt) charger and their car cord. Since I am indoors some of the time (hotels, family, offices, restaurants on the road, etc., I am confident I can charge up everything. You will not have that confidence level. At $50 a pop, I would buy as many camera batts as you can justify. Also, think about AA's if you have a flash (i have to re-read your summary).

More power to you.
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MichaelM

Dont forget they use a different voltage in India

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240V - 60Hz.
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-Sid-
=====================================================
Siddharda N. Garige
http://www.pbase.com/garige
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and there are some points to take care in yor tour.

1. Climate in india is tropical and humid. I would suggest you to carry a dessicator to store your expensive lens.

2. Please avoid carrying (atleast showing) expensive gadgets in trains specially if you travel by second class. I have experience of being attached by snatchers, so please careful to keep your gadget back close to you.

3. Travel with light gadgets. - D70 with 18-70 should be enough for short trips when you stay there. I WA lens will also be helpful.

4. Be prepared for rain. If you like to go to hill stations, I would definitely suggest a rain wrap for camera. I stayed in Sikkim in Himalay foothills for four years, and I know whether change in unpredictable fashion.

5. In case you happen to travel to desserts of Rajasthan, please be careful of dust problem.

6. Last tips please be careful of the gadgets you are carrying. If possible you can insure them, its suggested that you always keep a sharp eye on your gadgets while travelling.

India has a very colorful and warm culture. I am sure you are going to love my country. Bon voyage.

I will be going back to Calcutta and Chennai, India in September. Please feel free to email me at [email protected] in case you need help.

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Thanks and Regards
Aurobindo

I love photography - I love painting canvas with light

You need to protect your gear. Go to http://www.pacsafe.com and look for one that fits your size... it is a steel mesh bag that you put your back pack into and can cable lock to a pipe or something secure. If the url I gave above is not correct just do a google.
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Pete Biro

... donot know if others already pointed out. Please don not forget to carrd a plug converter. In us the plugs are flat, in india its circular. you can get a converter at 2 dollars in any hardware store.

Its a good idea to carry laptop and do regular backup in CDs/DVDs.

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Thanks and Regards
Aurobindo

I love photography - I love painting canvas with light

Amodium

IM - odium

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickevans9/

Don't bother with a second body. You can buy cameras in India.

Check out this legenday photographer's photos, mostly with 12-24 equivalent on a film body: http://www.magnumphotos.com/c/htm/TreePf_MAG.aspx?Stat=Photographers_Portfolio&E=29YL53UW58W . A friend of mine was once invited to be his apprentice. Fortunate man.

Just take your 12-24 and your 18-70. You don't need a tripod or monopod. Take everything else in your kit besides the other lenses and your camera stands.