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Going to Russia for month, help?

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Matt Todd

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Hey, I'm going to St Petersburg, Russia for a month, and I am now buying a new system. I have two decisions to make...

I am trying to decide over the 10D or the D60... I know the AF system is alot better in the 10D, but what about shutter lag and how fast do they write to cards comparatively (just imagine a 30x 512mb card).

Also, I am probably going to need a Wide Angle lens but can't really decide and can't find anything really great for around $300-$500... Of course I would love an L series lens, but I have yet to find anything in that range (save a 70-200 f4). I think I should probably go with a 20-35 f3.5-4.5 USM for $370, possibly get a pretty cheap 28-105 (II USM Canon for $200,

I could go for a 28-200 f3.5-5.6 USM for $330... Or I could go with a Sigma 24-70 f2.8 EX DF for $380... Fast enough for me to use at night and during the day, and definitely in my range!

The above is just figuring out my wide-angle lense which will be my most used lens... I will be getting that first, this week, but I will be getting another lens later. I have a couple possible configurations... Here they are:

20-35 f3.5-4.5 ($370) & 70-200 f4 ($500) & (possibly for night shots) a 35 f2 ($220) - $1090
or
20 f2.8 ($420) & 70-200 f4 ($500) & 28-105 f3.5-4.5 ($229) - $1150
or
24-70 f2.8 (Sigma $380) & 70-200 f2.8 (Sigma EX HSM $700) - $1080

Those are my three options primarily... What do you think?

Any suggestions for mass storage? Should I get a CD burner that accepts CompactFlash cards? I would have limitless storage for a pretty good price, I think. What do ya'll think?

Thanks for all the help, if any!
God bless,
Matt
 
1. Beware of crime. Be careful. Don't flash too much with your high-end equipment.
2. Don't walk alone after dark with your camera.

3. Check acceptable voltages on electric devices. 10D/D60's charger accepts from 100 to 240V, so you only need to buy a cheap plug adapter (European-> USA... assuming you're in USA, can't see from your profile) in RadioShack. For other 110V only devices, buy a transformer.
4. No. 1 and 2 again.
Matt Todd said:
Hey, I'm going to St Petersburg, Russia for a month, and I am now
buying a new system. I have two decisions to make...

I am trying to decide over the 10D or the D60... I know the AF
system is alot better in the 10D, but what about shutter lag and
how fast do they write to cards comparatively (just imagine a 30x
512mb card).

Also, I am probably going to need a Wide Angle lens but can't
really decide and can't find anything really great for around
$300-$500... Of course I would love an L series lens, but I have
yet to find anything in that range (save a 70-200 f4). I think I
should probably go with a 20-35 f3.5-4.5 USM for $370, possibly get
a pretty cheap 28-105 (II USM Canon for $200,
I could go for a 28-200 f3.5-5.6 USM for $330... Or I could go
with a Sigma 24-70 f2.8 EX DF for $380... Fast enough for me to
use at night and during the day, and definitely in my range!

The above is just figuring out my wide-angle lense which will be my
most used lens... I will be getting that first, this week, but I
will be getting another lens later. I have a couple possible
configurations... Here they are:

20-35 f3.5-4.5 ($370) & 70-200 f4 ($500) & (possibly for night
shots) a 35 f2 ($220) - $1090
or
20 f2.8 ($420) & 70-200 f4 ($500) & 28-105 f3.5-4.5 ($229) - $1150
or
24-70 f2.8 (Sigma $380) & 70-200 f2.8 (Sigma EX HSM $700) - $1080

Those are my three options primarily... What do you think?

Any suggestions for mass storage? Should I get a CD burner that
accepts CompactFlash cards? I would have limitless storage for a
pretty good price, I think. What do ya'll think?

Thanks for all the help, if any!
God bless,
Matt
Click to expand...
--
Mishkin
 
Agree with Mishkin
Take small lens with you.
Sergey
Mishkin said:
Matt Todd said:
Hey, I'm going to St Petersburg, Russia for a month, and I am now
buying a new system. I have two decisions to make...

I am trying to decide over the 10D or the D60... I know the AF
system is alot better in the 10D, but what about shutter lag and
how fast do they write to cards comparatively (just imagine a 30x
512mb card).

Also, I am probably going to need a Wide Angle lens but can't
really decide and can't find anything really great for around
$300-$500... Of course I would love an L series lens, but I have
yet to find anything in that range (save a 70-200 f4). I think I
should probably go with a 20-35 f3.5-4.5 USM for $370, possibly get
a pretty cheap 28-105 (II USM Canon for $200,
I could go for a 28-200 f3.5-5.6 USM for $330... Or I could go
with a Sigma 24-70 f2.8 EX DF for $380... Fast enough for me to
use at night and during the day, and definitely in my range!

The above is just figuring out my wide-angle lense which will be my
most used lens... I will be getting that first, this week, but I
will be getting another lens later. I have a couple possible
configurations... Here they are:

20-35 f3.5-4.5 ($370) & 70-200 f4 ($500) & (possibly for night
shots) a 35 f2 ($220) - $1090
or
20 f2.8 ($420) & 70-200 f4 ($500) & 28-105 f3.5-4.5 ($229) - $1150
or
24-70 f2.8 (Sigma $380) & 70-200 f2.8 (Sigma EX HSM $700) - $1080

Those are my three options primarily... What do you think?

Any suggestions for mass storage? Should I get a CD burner that
accepts CompactFlash cards? I would have limitless storage for a
pretty good price, I think. What do ya'll think?

Thanks for all the help, if any!
God bless,
Matt
Click to expand...
--
Mishkin
Click to expand...
 
Mint condition, used just a few times (went for 16-35L, needed wider angle). As sharp or sharper than 16-35L. Email me if interested.
Matt Todd said:
Hey, I'm going to St Petersburg, Russia for a month, and I am now
buying a new system. I have two decisions to make...

I am trying to decide over the 10D or the D60... I know the AF
system is alot better in the 10D, but what about shutter lag and
how fast do they write to cards comparatively (just imagine a 30x
512mb card).

Also, I am probably going to need a Wide Angle lens but can't
really decide and can't find anything really great for around
$300-$500... Of course I would love an L series lens, but I have
yet to find anything in that range (save a 70-200 f4). I think I
should probably go with a 20-35 f3.5-4.5 USM for $370, possibly get
a pretty cheap 28-105 (II USM Canon for $200,
I could go for a 28-200 f3.5-5.6 USM for $330... Or I could go
with a Sigma 24-70 f2.8 EX DF for $380... Fast enough for me to
use at night and during the day, and definitely in my range!

The above is just figuring out my wide-angle lense which will be my
most used lens... I will be getting that first, this week, but I
will be getting another lens later. I have a couple possible
configurations... Here they are:

20-35 f3.5-4.5 ($370) & 70-200 f4 ($500) & (possibly for night
shots) a 35 f2 ($220) - $1090
or
20 f2.8 ($420) & 70-200 f4 ($500) & 28-105 f3.5-4.5 ($229) - $1150
or
24-70 f2.8 (Sigma $380) & 70-200 f2.8 (Sigma EX HSM $700) - $1080

Those are my three options primarily... What do you think?

Any suggestions for mass storage? Should I get a CD burner that
accepts CompactFlash cards? I would have limitless storage for a
pretty good price, I think. What do ya'll think?

Thanks for all the help, if any!
God bless,
Matt
Click to expand...
--
Mishkin
 
Unless its for Pro shooting which I doubt it take a P&S snapshotter like a sony S-85 would be a good choice. Buy a good picture book of russia and postcards (pointless to take pics of stuff you can buy already) Crime is rampant and I guarantee you will be viewed by the thieves as the big american with the big expensive DSLR and you will be mugged. Crime is bad in russia.
 
I took my D60 and big lenses to Moscow several times. You get a lot of looks with such equipment. However, I was very cautious about where I am, what kind of people are around, is my bag closed and in my eyesight, etc. If you go with the tourist group, go out only during day light, and follow simple precautions, you should be fine.

Also, final advice: pay attention not only to architecture etc. but to Russian girls, too. You may be surprised how beautiful many of them are. It's a different world from the West, and girls are different.

Sorry if you're married and going with your wife, ignore the last paragraph then :)))
jdobbs2001 said:
Unless its for Pro shooting which I doubt it take a P&S snapshotter
like a sony S-85 would be a good choice. Buy a good picture book of
russia and postcards (pointless to take pics of stuff you can buy
already) Crime is rampant and I guarantee you will be viewed by the
thieves as the big american with the big expensive DSLR and you
will be mugged. Crime is bad in russia.
Click to expand...
--
Mishkin
 
I hope you are allowing yourself a month to shoot pictures with the new stuff...there will be plenty of surprises. You can't learn it all from the manual.

I would suggest a Canon 15 2.8 fisheye. It is a very useful lens. I use mine almost everyday here in exotic Kotzebue, the St. Petersburg of NW Alaska. The other end of the scale belongs to the 70-200 f4L zoom, a fine lens. For the middle I'd say get a 28 2.8 or a 35 2, both great lenses. You can skip the middle if you want.

Keep it simple. Put a UV filter on each lens. Don't lug around a big tripod. It's going to be light out all night, remember?

I carry an iMac laptop with a CD burner so I can put my images onto flat little pancake things. Also, I can watch movies on those long airplane flights.

Zidar
Alaska
--
It's not about stuff.
http://www.pbase.com/zidar
 
Mishkin said:
I took my D60 and big lenses to Moscow several times. You get a lot
of looks with such equipment. However, I was very cautious about
where I am, what kind of people are around, is my bag closed and in
my eyesight, etc. If you go with the tourist group, go out only
during day light, and follow simple precautions, you should be fine.

Also, final advice: pay attention not only to architecture etc. but
to Russian girls, too. You may be surprised how beautiful many of
them are. It's a different world from the West, and girls are
different.

Sorry if you're married and going with your wife, ignore the last
paragraph then :)))
Click to expand...
Had great times in russia but this was before I was married :)
 
Matt Todd said:
Hey, I'm going to St Petersburg, Russia for a month, and I am now
buying a new system. I have two decisions to make...

I am trying to decide over the 10D or the D60
Click to expand...
Bring a G3. The G3 is a great camera, and if it gets stolen that's only
$650 or so.

The extra quality you will get from a 10D or D60 isn't enough to
be worth the risk you will have there, in my opinion.
 
Do you know why he is going to russia? Do you know what the purpose of his trip is (both professionally and personally)? Perhaps buying postcards doesn't fulfill his goals. By telling someone they would be better off just buying postcards because many other people have already photographed the landmarks is dismissing his abilities as a photographer without having seen his work. Not to mention saying that his work would just be snapshots without having seen his photos.

That is awfully presumptuous of you.

Joo
jdobbs2001 said:
John Duesterhoeft said:
draxjobs said:
(pointless to take pics of stuff you can buy already)
Click to expand...
It would seem that you just don't 'get it'.
Click to expand...
Carting around a heavy SLR and a big zoom to take snapshots of the
same old buildings and landmarks. Save yourself the time and effort
and just buy preprinted postcards with the same thing.
Click to expand...
--
 
.... Russia is not safe at all - remember this as life has a different value in Russia - you might have to trade it for your camera.......therefore I agree - better take a G3. These big Cnon lenses are just too much fuzz in Russia - unless you have some friends there who can guard you.

Happy TRIP! And please come back.......
tim martin said:
Matt Todd said:
Hey, I'm going to St Petersburg, Russia for a month, and I am now
buying a new system. I have two decisions to make...

I am trying to decide over the 10D or the D60
Click to expand...
Bring a G3. The G3 is a great camera, and if it gets stolen that's
only
$650 or so.

The extra quality you will get from a 10D or D60 isn't enough to
be worth the risk you will have there, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
 
Well, I am going in a pretty big group of photographers with lots of other non-photographers (the people that will be the subject of our photos most of the time). We will always be accompanied by adults (I'm 18) and we have experienced residents there with us at all times. I'm extremely careful with my stuff as it is, I went through the New York and was alright (Brooklyn and the Bronx). We are well protected, but I am super careful as it is. Plus, I am shooting to learn and perfect my art, so in a sense, it is somewhat professional because I do intend to take this into a profession... I wouldn't buy postcards and a stupid P&S (something I just got rid of) because it is so limited in what it allows me to do (I need speed, focal length flexibility... I need an SLR...) and I would never use film, costs way too much!
jdobbs2001 said:
Unless its for Pro shooting which I doubt it take a P&S snapshotter
like a sony S-85 would be a good choice. Buy a good picture book of
russia and postcards (pointless to take pics of stuff you can buy
already) Crime is rampant and I guarantee you will be viewed by the
thieves as the big american with the big expensive DSLR and you
will be mugged. Crime is bad in russia.
Click to expand...
 
Haha, can't say that I'm married and going with my wife, I'm just 18 going with a big missions group... Hehehe.

I'm very careful with my equipment, whether $300 or $3000...
Mishkin said:
Also, final advice: pay attention not only to architecture etc. but
to Russian girls, too. You may be surprised how beautiful many of
them are. It's a different world from the West, and girls are
different.

Sorry if you're married and going with your wife, ignore the last
paragraph then :)))
jdobbs2001 said:
Unless its for Pro shooting which I doubt it take a P&S snapshotter
like a sony S-85 would be a good choice. Buy a good picture book of
russia and postcards (pointless to take pics of stuff you can buy
already) Crime is rampant and I guarantee you will be viewed by the
thieves as the big american with the big expensive DSLR and you
will be mugged. Crime is bad in russia.
Click to expand...
--
Mishkin
Click to expand...
 
Here is my portfolio (need to add a few recent photos and take some older ones down... sorry), http://portfolio.eruanno.com/

And here is a cruddy listing of some of the film shots I took in New York last week. Sorry the quality is cruddy... Had to use film and the developers and scanners at Wal-Mart and Wolf-Camera just weren't that bright... Either that or I'm just that bad with film, hehehe... Can't stand not reviewing my shots afterwards!! AHH! hehe.
Joo said:
That is awfully presumptuous of you.

Joo
jdobbs2001 said:
John Duesterhoeft said:
Joo said:
(pointless to take pics of stuff you can buy already)
Click to expand...
It would seem that you just don't 'get it'.
Click to expand...
Carting around a heavy SLR and a big zoom to take snapshots of the
same old buildings and landmarks. Save yourself the time and effort
and just buy preprinted postcards with the same thing.
Click to expand...
--
  • Maybe one day I'll take a decent picture. In the meantime, I'll
blame the equipment. :)
Click to expand...
 
As soon as my equipment gets here (I have to decide to wait for B&H or order from Wolf-Camera) and then I have plenty of time till June 11th! Hehe. Believe me, I will be shooting ALOT before I go :-D

But I would never get a fisheye, I just don't like it for my kind of shots... My main subject are people, then places... Definitely need a good Wide-Angle lens...
zidar said:
I hope you are allowing yourself a month to shoot pictures with the
new stuff...there will be plenty of surprises. You can't learn it
all from the manual.

I would suggest a Canon 15 2.8 fisheye. It is a very useful lens. I
use mine almost everyday here in exotic Kotzebue, the St.
Petersburg of NW Alaska. The other end of the scale belongs to the
70-200 f4L zoom, a fine lens. For the middle I'd say get a 28 2.8
or a 35 2, both great lenses. You can skip the middle if you want.

Keep it simple. Put a UV filter on each lens. Don't lug around a
big tripod. It's going to be light out all night, remember?

I carry an iMac laptop with a CD burner so I can put my images onto
flat little pancake things. Also, I can watch movies on those long
airplane flights.

Zidar
Alaska
--
It's not about stuff.
http://www.pbase.com/zidar
Click to expand...
 
It is not good time to go to Russia. There is alot american haters here. Be careful. It is probably second worst place to be an ameriacan after Iraq and Middle East.
 
I was in St.Petersburg last summer with my mid-range SLR and can share some experiences with you.

First, while precautions must be taken, I'd say that the impressions of rampant crime are often exagerated. Just as any big city, St.Petersburg has its dangers. I wouldn't feel particularly comfortable walking around NYC or LA after dark with expensive equipment.

When I first arrived, I was overly cautious for a while, but then got used to it. If you're travelling with a group, you should probably be fine. But then it was easier for me to blend in, since I speak Russian. If you go between early May and late June, the city will be probably full of tourists coming for the 300-year anniversary of the city, so you probably won't stand out too much, especially around tourist attractions. It's important to be comfortable, though, so if you start shooting with a simple camera and then switch to something more expensive as you get more comfortable. Please realize that most of your equipment can be bought in photo stores in St.Petersburg, including most Canon/Nikon lenses, albeit the prices are well beyond the reach of an average person.

I took my laptop with me, at the end of the day, I'd upload my photos, that way I didn't have to carry a lot of cards around.

Have a good and safe trip. I'd be very interested to see your pictures after you come back.

-Ben
laupi said:
Happy TRIP! And please come back.......
tim martin said:
Matt Todd said:
Hey, I'm going to St Petersburg, Russia for a month, and I am now
buying a new system. I have two decisions to make...

I am trying to decide over the 10D or the D60
Click to expand...
Bring a G3. The G3 is a great camera, and if it gets stolen that's
only
$650 or so.

The extra quality you will get from a 10D or D60 isn't enough to
be worth the risk you will have there, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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