Rare holiday to Malaysia - what gear ?

[dee]

We have been invited with most of my Chinese wife's family for two weeks in Malaysia . We just don't do holidays - the last time to Malaysia was 1974 , with a trip to Canada in between !!

I guess that space/weight will be at a premium , so have no idea what to take .

I.m hoping to put a small camera bag into the luggage which hold one DSLR at a time .

I am thinking the reasonably compact Sony A35 , which , with the Sony 35mm f1.8 is useful for low light .
The rather oversized A390 with the pair of standard zooms plus my favourite Minolta 35-70 [ 42.5-105 ] .

I am quite OK with the IQ of kit lenses as I am purely a snapshooter .

I can't really justify a 4/3rds compact camera which would be sensible , but it would be EVF again , which might not be ideal in bright conditions .
I could adapt it to my 135 Rokkor which is a fave lens of mine - but more to carry !!


Is two Sony bodies with 4x lenses not too OTT ?

Regards

dee

[paulhofseth]

Depends on your intinerary, and what you wish to snap.

If,like me, you carry your equipment on foot for quite some distance , the Olympus Pen F and the Fujis have look-through viewfinders which are not affected by strong light, while bodies and lenses are reasonably small.

I once visited on the coast and got a camera submerged and ruined by a strong wave. Years later, I used an ancient (and relatively cheap, in relation to original, inflation-corrected cost) Nikonos film camera when exposed to the vagaries of the ocean. If boating or wading, or changing quickly from air conditioned coolness to tropical heat, get reasonably water resistant equipment.

For urban environments and with reasonable care (slow transition frem cold to warm), anything will do.

The Malaysian "Mir" website has excellent info on equipment, but not much on topographic and climatic peculiarities.

p.

[julio1fer]

Only you can think of what subjects will be there, and how would you want to capture them.

On trips, I go light. Usually a single body and lens, sometimes an additional lens. A 35mm will cover most of the photo opportunities. In some places with crowded city scenery, i.e. Europe, I have taken an ultrawide. I have almost never used long focal lenses on trips.

If you will be using digital, most of the time a kit zoom is perfect. An extra battery could be handier than an extra lens.

[paulhofseth]

Addendum,

I just noticed your Chinese credentials. I found the Chinese cultural influence on buildings and shops in Malacca very interesting, so if your intinerary is not too frozen, that might be a good stop (assuming that modernity has not yet levelled all of it). As for technical memory preservation, I still recommend caution when stepping from cold air-conditioned zones and out into the open. Cold lenses exposed to moist, hot air do not thrive.

p.

[dee]

Thanks everyone .

I bought a Fujichome X-Pro 1 body on impulse ,@ £160 . I can't justify a lens , so it will be adapted to CV 35 f2.5. To my surprise , it's thinner , but not a lot smaller then my Leica Digilux 3 . It's crazy , but I think I will take the Leica Digilux 3 or Pansonic L1 with a pair of Olympus kit lenses . Why ? Because I just love using it and 7mp means more shots per card .
It's all about pleasure , and the Dig 3 is close to an analogue camera - complete with squinty finder , albeit SLR !!!

Maybe the Sony A35 and 35mm f1.8 - reasonably compact and useful for low light shots [ If I had a 35 [£300] for the X-pro , it would not be required ]

Thanks for the warning about condensation.

[dee]

Thanks - you have convinced me that It's got to be more minimalist .
The X-Pro is not ready-huge learning curve on 3rd party lenses.

The M8 with 35 f2.5 Color Scopar and my trusty Summitar for Mono [ no filters ] I had not intended this , but reaquaintance convinced me

For low light - Sony A35 kit lens and 35 f1.8 which is great for the money .
+ A290 [ A390 ? ] with much loved Minolta 35-80 f4 'cos I like a proper DSLR - and the CCD colours are great .

I have skipped tele zooms and the Dig 3/L1 are a bit specialised .

OK, it's still 3x cameras , but ASD gets anxious without several options and back ups ....

dee

[dee]

Following the sale of a 1933 Leica II , a 27m f2.8 pancake lens for the X-Pro is waiting to be ordered .
it's a nominal 41 mm which should suit as I used 45mm on the Minoltas in the past .

I reckon the complete camera is a bargain at £310 - I just did not want the sensible travel compact CSC with zoom [ Panasonic / Olympus / Sony etc ] .
I have tried that with a Samsung NX1000 , which was just £150 .

So- Sony A35 , 50mm and old 35-80 [ 52-120 ] / Sony A390 kit lens 'cos I love the colours from that CCD sensor ,

X-Pro 1 + 27mm [ 41 ] just because ...[ the M8 is a touch heavy , and I would not it lost/stolen/damaged ]

Thanks everyone .

dee'saster .
dee'mented .

just dee

I STIL LOVE THAT SMOOTHED [ NO D/A ] TAN COVERED CONTAX IM MY AVATAR !!