Preparing this photography trip

What’s in the bag?

For this trip, I prepared my camera equipments, all digital, from 39 million pixels digital back – Phase One P45+ mount on Contax 645, with 5 Carl Zeiss lenses: Distagon 3.5/35mm, Vario-Sonnar 4.5/45-90mm, Apo-Makro-Planar 4/120mm, Sonnar 4/210mm and a very rare Super APO Tele-Photo-Powerpack 2.8/300mm with its matched 1.7X, in Hasselblad FE mount, adapt to Contax with a MAM-1 converter.

The DSLR for the trip was 2 great Nikon. The top of the pack 24.5mp D3X and the king of the dark, 12.1mp D3. 6 latest Nikkor lenses: AF-S 14-24/2.8G ED, AF-S 24-70/2.8G ED, AF-S VR 70-200/2.8G IF-ED, AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105/2.8G IF-ED, PC-E 24/3.5D ED and PC-E Micro 45/2.8D ED and a SB-900 AF Speedlight.

What I missed? The AF VR 80-400/4.5-5.6D ED and AF-S 200-400/4G IF-ED. I could have better images if I have these two with me…..next time! But I did bring a converter so at least I can use D3X on the medium format Carl Zeiss TPP.

2 compact camera for quick snapshot and video clips, the unique Sigma DP-1 and Canon G10.

Varies sizes of B+W CP-L filters and graduate ND. Spare batteries. All these cameras, lenses, accessories in 2 Lowepro backpack and case.

2 reasons to leave my Canon 1Ds3 system home and go with Nikon were (1) the 14-24/2.8 zoom (2) the unique D3 for available light photography. I also missed my Leica M8 at home, I packed the bag barely in tme to catch the flight, could not find the charger, have to leave it, besides my bags are all filled, no room for even a M8. This image, however, taken with a Canon 5D2 - Chinese nickname "Invincible Rabbit" 無敵兔, borrowed from my friend Wanbing 萬兵, as well as his EF 24-105/4L lens.

Of course, my main focus will be on images, rather than on gear talk and how they compared. All the image were captured in RAW, except some jPEG on G10 by accident. Conversion and choice over software will be on separate write.

And by the way, lots of CF/SD cards, a 500GB back-up hard drive, Apple Macbook Pro 17” Core2-dual 2.4ghz with 4G of RAM.

What’s not in the bag?

A unique limited edition Gitzo with reverse leg column suitable to work on sand, wet land, with a Arca Swiss B1 headhead. The choice of tripod is not a good one, more on this later.