Whats lenses to take to Egypt?

Thanks Ted!

Some GREAT tips there. Don't mind if  I do ask about some other things after getting there

I have NO intention of getting pulled around on camels, so I'm safe in that regard, but most of your other tips are golden.

Brazil can get pretty hot too, but not as much. I'm going as prepared as possible

Since you stayed there so long, there are two specific questions you might shed some light on:

1. I rarely use pants or long sleeves here in Brazil. O know that's not how local dress mostly, in shorts and t shirts, bit is it too much frowned upon for obvious tourists like me? Should I stick to pants and long sleeves always, or at night is it okay to use more airy clothing, keeping in mind that half of the time we'll be there will be during Ramadan?
2. The only valuables I'll take are the cameras and my Kindle oasis, is it safe to leave those in locked suitcases inside hotel rooms? Or there are safer hotels? Because, for example, if I take 4 lenses, at night I might only need the 20mm 1.7, and would prefer not to haul everything everywhere. Do you have recommended hotels in specific cities? We  will stay a few days in Cairo, and then plan on getting on a train to Aswan for 1-3 days, then cruise to Luxor, staying there a few days, maybe one or two days in Qena, then on to the Red Sea. Not sure yet where to, I have a PADI card and wanted to dive at least once if it's not super expensive... Any recommendations?

Thanks again, cheers!

... the same lenses that I would take on any trip which in your case would be the first three that you listed.

• Samyang 7.5mm f3.5 fisheye
• Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8
• Panasonic 20mm f1.7

If I were wanting a longer lens for an occasional shot, I'd carry the cheaper, smaller to pack 40-150. The Oly 45mm 1.8 is a cool lens and very small so it might be worth bringing, particularly if you think that you might be shooting portraits. When I travel though, I find that I'm rarely taking that kind of shot and more likely to get "street" style shots of people with the wider end of a zoom, like your 12-35.

Come to think of it though, I'd probably pack that rectilinear wide rather than the Fisheye, even though that lens is very cool.... unless that 8mm is a lot larger as the most important thing is to have a few choices but to pack very light. If you somehow decide that you have more room in your pack and are willing to take more stuff, I would be inclined to take the IR converted body, rather than another lens. If you should find yourself in some really inspiring, surreal type landscape and the lighting is really working for IR (bright, I assume), then you could have a lot of fun with that camera.

I tend to find though that the more years that I shoot, the less inclined I am to play with lots of different lenses. I think about the composition and the light first and foremost and with that in mind, I don't need to be bothered by lots of choices of focal lengths (and a zoom is usually fine as I'm not needed super shallow DOF much)

mfuhlendorf wrote:

Hey guys,

I want opinions! I'll be going to Egypt for the first time next week, and I'm super excited. I want to travel super light, as many cities are in the itinerary: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Qena, Hurghada, Alexandria...

I will take only my GX-85 with 4 spare batteries, a mini tripods, polarizers and some lenses. I might take also my Olympus E-PM2 converted do infrared, not sure yet. My current lens list is this:

• Samyang 7.5mm f3.5 fisheye
• Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8
• Panasonic 20mm f1.7
• Olympus 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 II

i think you will cover 99% of the photography opportunities with these 4 lenses.

I would love to take lenses for all occasions but I want to carry as little as possible for maximum flexibility. Other options in the lenses I own include:

• Super wide: SLR Magic 8mm f4, Meike 6.5mm f2; Olympus 8mm f8 fisheye cap;
• Standard zooms: Panasonic 12-32mm f3.5-5.6, Olympus 14-42mm f3.5-5.6;
• Wide aperture: Olympus 25mm f1.8, Olympus 45mm f1.8, SLR Magic 12mm t1.6;
• Tele zoom: Olympus 40-150mm f4-5.6 R;
• Macro: Olympus 60mm f2.8;

So, I can't take it all. I want to have the most flexibility and lowest weight. Best cost-benefit in weight vs flexibility, I might say. I'm mostly torn between the wide aperture options, on whether to take the 75-300 or the 40-150 plastic Oly, on choosing the 7.5mm fisheye vs the 8mm rectilinear lens, and on whether taking the macro too is a good idea.

If you have been there, what do you think? Is the 300mm necessary, or 150mm is enough for details of the huge monuments and perspective compression shots? Is the macro useful? Fisheye or extreme wide 8mm (wish I had a wide zoom, would be perfect)? Is the infrared body worth it?

Any other tips for the trip itself as a hobbyist photographer?

Cheers,

___________________________
Max M. Fuhlendorf

mfuhlendorf wrote:

1. I rarely use pants or long sleeves here in Brazil. O know that's not how local dress mostly, in shorts and t shirts, bit is it too much frowned upon for obvious tourists like me? Should I stick to pants and long sleeves always, or at night is it okay to use more airy clothing, keeping in mind that half of the time we'll be there will be during Ramadan?
2. The only valuables I'll take are the cameras and my Kindle oasis, is it safe to leave those in locked suitcases inside hotel rooms? Or there are safer hotels? Because, for example, if I take 4 lenses, at night I might only need the 20mm 1.7, and would prefer not to haul everything everywhere. Do you have recommended hotels in specific cities? We will stay a few days in Cairo, and then plan on getting on a train to Aswan for 1-3 days, then cruise to Luxor, staying there a few days, maybe one or two days in Qena, then on to the Red Sea. Not sure yet where to, I have a PADI card and wanted to dive at least once if it's not super expensive... Any recommendations?

1-I have been to Brazil several times so I feel you on the clothing. As a man you can safely get away with far more than a woman in Egypt-if traveling with a female companion they will not be allowed to enter many locations if walking around in normal Brazilian beach wear and will be "invited" to wear head coverings at any religious-affiliated site. I would strongly suggest wearing hi-tech fabric long trousers and long sleeve shirts for both sun protection and out of respect for local custom. Loose-fitting airy garments are fine....over the years I have switched more and more to high grade (like Patagonia Tropic Hoody II etc) tech shirts and swear by them. I am elsewhere in the Middle East at the moment and in 37-40c temps the tech shirts work well both long sleeve and short (with sunblock). I typically wear either 511's trousers or a relatively new brand of travel denim from Aviator (USA company) that are breathable yet reasonably tough "non-tacticool" alternatives to the 511's. You should be able to get most of these things in Brazil or local variants.

2-Hotels will have a safe in the room. Use that. Locked suitcase....well if insured go for it. My feeling is why put temptation in peoples path. I have never had a problem and have not heard of many thefts....but why chance it.

If you are going there without a planned itinerary you are asking for big trouble and spending a large part of your time sitting in the worst traffic on the planet. Egypt is NOT a place for "winging it".

As for hotel recommendations here are a couple I am comfortable recommending although I don't know what your budget is:

Cairo-Hotel InterContinental Semiramis. Right off Tahir Square close to the US Embassy and very central to everything of interest including steps from the Nile. Nice pool and decks....and i really good Thai joint. Italian food is good there too.

Alexandria-The Four Seasons. Period. Skip the beach and chill at the deck pool with a shwarma and mint lemonade. Fantastic fish places in the city.....but only if you are going there.

Aswan/Luxor-Don't do the train. Fly to one or the other and do the cruise one way flying onward from whichever point you end up. Speaking of the cruise I have only done the 4 day on an ultra-lux boat. It's awesome! And I did it when there were no tourists and had a residents discount etc. They typically whack tourists anywhere from $2k-5k depending on the level of luxury. If you can get a deal in advance....check the reviews carefully. Its also exhausting as there is a LOT to see and solid tour guides are mandatory to get the most out of the experience.

As for the Red Sea....personally I had my favorite two options-Sharm and a little place called El Gouna which is about 30km north of Hurghada (Hurghada was a bleah tourist place filled with Russian and British ex-pats...no offense but not the most engaging people to be around when drunk and on holiday reveling in lobster pink sunburnt revelry :-D) .

El Gouna is a high class off-piste beach destination that is completely man-made. I liked staying at the Movenpick for the pools, beaches, and beautiful rooms. I also tried a couple of boutique hotels in the harbor that were also very nice. There is a fabulous Vietnamese joint plus a mind-blowing Spanish fish joint in the harbor. Plenty of choices. Diving is available and they can transfer you to Hurghada for the day if you want. I spent many long weekends in El Gouna just chilling, sunning, swimming, and playing golf.

Sharm is at the very tip of the Sinai which remains an actual war zone (aside from Sharm itself). I loved it and visited I think 5 total times. Each time I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Sharm.....just WOW! Good enough for our President...good enough for me! I had a great deal through my employer plus being resident which may not apply to you and your budget. I never left the resort once except to go to the airport. The house reef is amazing....and the VIP house reef even more awesome. I never bothered with scuba there...jumped off the swim platform (1m barracuda like to hang under the platform) into what I can best describe as a 50mx150m aquarium about 20' max depth and spent the entire day viewing coral and all the usual small reef stuff....and then swim about 20m to the various gaps in the outer reef wall and settle in to watch the big stuff come swimming by.....sharks, rays, BIG napoleon wrasse.....just a trip as its a never-ending parade of sea life. And of course diving is available to the Gorm and other spots if you like.

Hope that helps!

Eu sou Carioca no meu coração

Wow, this is great, Ted, THANK YOU.
I had no idea I'd get this much great general help on Dpreview forums, it just reminded me why these interest forums are so much better than social networks for real information exchange
Thanks a lot! when I get there I'll post my impressions.

Cheers!

Mr Giggles wrote:

dont take photos of train stations

dont take photos anywhere in the direction of the military's bases

dont eat salads unless you want a sick stomach - its NOT the right place to be a vegetarian

its polite to drink the mint tea if offered = it does not commit you to buy

be careful about talking to women you dont know - its better to talk to a male family member first as an intro if you like her

if nagged to buy something say no thank like this

"la, shukraan "

dont talk politics ands play dumb if asked your viewpoint on Egyptian politics - just say

"I dont know politics "

if you are going on a small tour be sure to agree with the driver on the stops - he may have plans to stop 3 times at friends and family restaurants and trinket shops - if you dont want that negotiate a little more money before hand for all that silly stuff to be avoided

This almost sounds like the same advice I would give the OP if he was going to Morocco. Don't know if Morocco has any train stations or mint tea but there, you need to ask permission before taking photos in any of the Masques and photographing any military or police personnel anywhere is also strictly forbidden.

First, I'd like to profusely thank everyone who gave an opinion or any tips in this thread, even if I didn't responded personally to all posts (I'd expected like 2-3 replies, it was surprising). It felt like a real internet community, something so lacking days, and so lovely.

So, this is what I ended up bringing:

• Panasonic GX-85 with 4 batteries and charger;
• Olympus E-PM2 converted to infrared with 2 batteries and charger;
• Olympus M.Zuiko 75-300mm II;
• Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm R;
• Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8;
• Olympus 14-42mm II with a gel 950nm filter cut into the front of the lens, held in place with an UV filter;
• Panasonic 20mm f/1.7;
• SLR Magic 8mm rectilinear f/4;
• A pocket tripod just in case;
• A couple of polarizers and variable ND filters;
• A pocket GPS device that takes AA batteries to create GPX tracks for geotagging the pictures later.

In the end, a little bit more than intended to keep it light, decided to err on the side of excess... My plan is no taking all of this most of the time. Decided to take the 40-150mm as well, since it will be used more often than the 75-300mm, and save the longer lens for the Nile cruise and stuff like it. The other lenses are small and light, won't be a bother, and a large part of the overall weight is chargers and accessories so, most days my bag will be very much lighter than the full list above. Hoping for the best!

Right this moment it's 3h53 AM in Doha, U.A.E., where I'm at the airport waiting for my flight's long layover to end. Will get to Cairo at around 11 AM local time Friday, which is like 1AM EST if I'm not mistaken.

Since so many people helped me, I'll try to post things here when I have time and WiFi during the trip, open to all criticism and tips.

Thanks again

___________________________
Max M. Fuhlendorf

In vacations like that I usually take 3 lenses along with my em-10II:

9-18 mm

20mm Pana

40-150 mm kit lens.

Everything goes in my manfrotto small bag that I use over my shoulder but pull to my chest. I believe that the whole package doesn't weight more than half a kilo.

Yar1971 wrote:

If You're reallyin Doha now , please say hello from us to Big Yellow Monster /His Ugliness in the middle of terminal Everybody photographs that funny artifact, I think.

BTW, it's Qatar, not U.A.E., unless You're in Dubai or so, they're nearby, anyway It's easy to mix, especially at the beginning of one's jetlag about 4 AM

Have a nice trip in Egypt (haven't been so far) and many good photos, too!

-J.

This guy?

We stayed overnight in the airport. Unfortunately, no hotel available or permission to leave the terminal, but it was a nice airport

So, just arrived yesterday.

Had a major airport hassle, when the guard at immigration handed out passports to someone we assumed was immigration. We were grilled about everything, who we were, where we were going, for how long, where did we work, etc. They took us through manual baggage check, all very official looking, we got really scared. Turns out the guy was a tour guide who held our passports for over an hour while trying to sell us on all his tours forcibly. When we declined repeatedly, he got REALLY mad before letting us go, not before threatening to call airport security on us. Not the best of starts...

But, we arrived safely, and the window view on the hostel was breathtaking:

This was yesterday. It's supposed to be part of a panorama but I will stitch it later after getting home.

Now it's almost 6h AM here, and the sun on the pyramids is sublime. It's still quite comfortable, before the searing heat we got the day before.

Good morning

We will stay only a couple of days near Giza, to make it easier, then go to a more central location, a hotel near Tahir Square. Whenever I have the time I'll post things here, just medium resolution SOOC JPGs for now.

Cheers!

___________________________
Max M. Fuhlendorf

BTW, I'm using natural profile with saturation, sharpness and contrast toned down in the GX-80.

I usually never use SOOC jpegs but, in this case, since I'll be here for a month and have no lightroom access, I'll have to rely more heavily on JPGs for posting before I get home.

Any settings suggestions or tips from GX-80 jpeg shooter for the most natural images? I bought it originally for video mostly, but my old Olympus gave up on me and I preferred their JPGs usually.

Cheers,

I forgot to mention....outdoor dinner at the Mena House adjacent to the pyramids is well worth it. The night sound and light show at the actual pyramid site is kinda hokey but fairly cool photo ops. Bring earplugs though....distorted music and vocals through cruddy speakers is painful  . You can probably hear it at night from your current quarters.

Enjoy your trip!

Now is not the time for travel, much is still unknown about Covid and there are now single, double and triple variants.

We're quite literally right in front of the show. It is corny as hell and very loud but fun nonetheless, as we watch from our balcony for free:

Smartphone pic, taken right this instant at 8h19 PM as the show was ending

Cheers!

Searching wrote:

Now is not the time for travel, much is still unknown about Covid and there are now single, double and triple variants.

On paper I agree with you.

But I live in a country where the pandemic response has been the WORST in the world. Where our president even outdid trump, saying that people who chose to take the vaccine might become alligators. Where he prohibited his senior advisors to take the vaccine openly, and refused multiple offers from drug companies to buy enough doses. Where for each new case in Egypt there are 60 new cases, literally, with ICUs filling up fast.

We took PCR tests before boarding and take all preventative measures and, frankly, feel much safer and less of a danger to others in Egypt this month than in Brazil's third wave. So that's that.

___________________________
Max M. Fuhlendorf