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Road trip!
#1

I'm not prone to doing things suddenly. I don't generally make rash decisions. But this evening my brother told me that he's flying down to Reno, Nevada to pick up an old Suburban four-by-four next wednesday. Two thousand miles across the American midwest in a truck that's older than either of us with 35" tires: how can I not offer to come along?

My mechanical skills suck, I can't drive, and I'm only moderately useful as a navigator.
(On the positive side of the ledger, my vision isn't as bad as my brother's, and I have a more even temper.)

To say that I'm in a bit of a spin is an understatement. The good thing is that I only just got back from Australia, so I have the memory cards and portable drive already. I've done the big flight and nomadic thing once already this summer, know what works and what to avoid, and know how long my batteries last - literally and figuratively. My iPod's playlists are all set.

The problem is, I want to bring everything!

It took me a month to pare down what I brought to Australia into a fully-tricked-out and still relatively compact 12-pound package. But that was a three-week trip that centered around reconnecting with family, not photography. I was flying, taking trains, buses, and small cars. I needed to be highly mobile and there were a lot of constraints that helped me focus my needs.

This time I'm going in a truck. A big truck. I want my five-pound 35-100 f/2 zoom. I want my uber-wide 7-14mm lens. I want my workhorse 11-22. I want my lensbaby, long telephoto 50-200, my teleconverter, and my full-sized tripod. I want my hammer-a-tent-peg-with-it E-1 with its all-day battery grip. I want my high-resolution image-stabalized E-510. And I only have five days to figure it all out.

Shesh!

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#2

Sounds like a fantastic trip - bring it all Smile

Canon stuff.
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#3

I spent most of last night trying to decide what and how to carry everything -- instead of sleeping. I'm up early this morning for the same reason, and have spent the last hour reading GPS reviews. Maybe it's a good thing that there's only four shopping days until I leave... Big Grin

I had a surprise this morning. I was weighing my options, and idly tried focusing my big 35-100 f/2 through the window at the hazy horizon. My beloved and rugged E-1 couldn't lock on to some buildings that my (much) newer E-510 had no problem with. I know the AF system is improved with the new camera, but I hadn't realized what a difference it makes in marginal conditions. Coupled with 40% higher resolution (10MP versus 5) and in-camera IS, it's starting to look like a better choice for the trip. The E-1 still has really nice colours and image quality, and if it gets dirty during the trip I can just stick it under a running shower. Decisions, decisions...

I've e-mailed a camera store in Reno to see if they have the photo backpack that I want. (a Think Tank Glass Taxi.) If they have it, then that will help me decide what to bring.

Ultimately, the irony is that I can cover an effective 28-400mm range with only two lenses. I can add my ultrawide and a teleconverter to stretch that to 14mm to 566mm without any gaps, and it will still fit in the Domke F-6 that served me so well in Australia with room for a flash and everything else that I'm going to want. But doing that would leave my favourite lenses at home, which I hate to do. I had to laugh at what I wrote when I got back from my last trip, which was that next time I'd like to bring my 35-100, which is exactly where the problems start this time.

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#4

I'm leaving in 14 hours, and here's how the kit breaks down:

E-510 with the 35-100 f/2 workhorse telephoto attached.
E-1 with the 7-14 ultrawide zoom attached.
14-54 standard zoom, unattached.

Gitzo GT1930 full-sized tripod.
Manfrotto table-top tripod.
Grey Card, IR (self-timer) remote.
3x batteries for each camera, and enough memory to back up my laptop's hard drive.
No flash, but a powerful pocket flashlight takes its place for night photography.
CP and 110ND filters for the 35-100.

All told, this is a pretty simple kit for me. (I'd say I'm traveling light, but it's 16 pounds without the big tripod.) We'll see how I do.

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#5

Goodluck bro!
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#6

enjoy!!!
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#7

Thanks very much -- I'm off! See you all in a week or so.

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#8

That was quick -- I'm back!

(Photos to come in the near future. I'm putting 1860 of them through Lightroom right now.)

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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