> Still, it is a far cry from a one camera, two lens outfit.
So, the question is: What worked, what didn't?
The 30 rolls of B&W film failed to materialize in time (thank you, snowstorm
slowing down FedEx trucks). Because of that, I couldn't lean on the OM
system like I had planned. In fact, that really screwed me up because my
mindset had gone one direction and I had to switch gears to go another
direction. All the pre-visualization of artistic outcome went out the
window. This one thing was absolutely disasterous because it had such a
profound effect on my mindset.
Two digital cameras was one too many--however, neither camera was able to be
the only one necessary. Overall, I was pretty content with the DMC-L1
(except for the mystery dozen black images), but the viewfinder proves
itself to be so substandard in some situations as to be laughable.
I bought another Canon 200AW backpack!!! I would have rearranged the bags,
but I had so carefully packed the two, I left them be. This was a smart
thing to do, but I will admit to entering another ring of torture with the
Slingbag. I'm going to do a review of that thing one of these days...
The three OM bodies performed perfectly and without any complaints the
entire time. I ended up using all three with three different types of film.
The OM-3Ti and OM-4T proved their worth and multispot metering was vital for
some situations.
The Sekonic L-508 meter came in handy a few times. I used it for both spot
metering as well as ambient light measurement. I consider this a "don't
leave home without it" item. I'll always make a space for it.
The flash gear didn't get used, but no regrets bringing it along. I had a
couple of shots that could have been done, but got lazy and was ready for
the warmth of a nice hotel room. The wind that evening was nasty cold. The
fault was totally mine.
Lenses. Hmm. What to say about lenses? OK, OK, it was a mistake leaving the
35-80 behind. What happened is I had packed for 30 rolls of B&W so planned
on mostly using the prime lenses so I could use filters as necessary. This
was fine, but there are times when have the omni-lens 35-80 would have been
handy--especially in the freezing rain. I did use all of the Zuikos, but
surprisingly, the 24/2.8 was possibly the least used lens of the bunch. The
300/4.5 only got used twice, but the 24/2.8 only once. The 50/1.4 and
100/2.8 were most used.
The medium tripod was the one brought along. I picked that one because of
space constraints as well as the fact that I have the insulating foam
padding on the upper legs of it. Unfortunately, as per usual, the tripod
just isn't tall enough. PLEASE remind me in the future to take the tall one.
The monopod, however, proved an excellent choice. Several critical shots
were made using the monopod inside the jeep where I jam it down between the
door and seat.
If I had my druthers, I would have gone film-only on this trip. Carrying a
dual-system really does stink and more than doubles the size/weight of the
kit. Exceptions, of course, do exist and I'm on the lookout for another 4x5
(5x4) camera once I get a darkroom built again. Digital was great to bring
along on this trip because of the quick turn-and-burn of images for the
website and for taking plenty of low-risk experimentation shots, like the
bridges at night.
If I was to redo this trip and if the film had all arrived, I could see
myself leaving the entire digital kit behind--which was my original intent.
By doing so, I could have fine-tuned the kit to fit in a single bag. Also, I
could have left the computer at home too. Do you realize that battery
chargers took up as much space as an entire OM kit?
Back to my original concept of a one-body, two lens kit... I could do it if
I had to, but I'm glad I didn't.
AG
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