Photo Gear for the China Trip

 

I'm still working on my list.

So far:

Holga 120N (it's China, after all)

Extra Lenses: Fisheye accessory, wide-angle accessory

Diana F+ or Diana+ (The F+ has a bad shutter, needs to swap shutter springs with one of the Diana+)

Extra Diana Lenses: Wide Angle, Fisheye

Ultra Mini-pod

Diana Mini (Loaded w/Color film)

Superheadz (color film)

Vivitar UWS (bw flm)

Olympus XA (loaded w/BW) This is a nice 35mm clamshell, made before 35mm point and shoots became popular. It is a range focussing 35mm with aperture priority metering, and a beautiful f/2.8 lens.

Canon S3, 5-6 2GB chips,2 4Gb chips. 2 sets of rechargeable batteries and a charger that can run from 220v, and a little adapter plug for the wall.

20 rolls 120 TriX 400

10 rolls 120 Kodak Portra 160

20 rolls 35mm Kodak Portra VC 400

10 rolls 35mm TriX 400

2-3 rolls of Ultramax 800 -mostly for the reason that I can tell TSA that I have 800 film and would like my film hand inspected, they will insist that any ISO under 800 can go thru their machines safely, which I mostly agree with.

This trip, we will be going thru several airports and security checkpoints, so I will try to get my film hand inspected when possible. I was worried about this not being enough film, but as some have pointed out, I can get Lucky BW film in 120 or 35mm in Beijing or Guangzhou, and Fuji film should be easy to come by for the color film.

I have found over the years, it is much easier to let my film get x-rayed than fuss over hand inspection. I have had film go thru security and xray machines as many times as 6-7 times in one trip, and have not noticed any discernible fogging. That isn't to say that it isn't there, only that I haven't noticed that the film has degraded to a point that I couldn't get a good print from it. Surprisingly, on my last trip thru the Orange County airport last January, it was TSA that suggested that I have my film hand inspected. Nice!

I always travel with my film out of their boxes and canisters. All put in a clear ziplock 1 gallon bag. Putting things thru the Xray machine, I pull this film bag out of my camera bag and put it in the bin with my shoes, then my coat, THEN my camera bag. My camera bag always seems to get extra scrutiny under the xray, so it makes sense to put some distance between my film and camera gear.

Scottevest Travel Vest. This is an outstanding traveling vest with many extra and hidden pockets. The 22 pockets allow me to keep the XA and UWS handy at all times by having easy access, without looking like I'm going on safari. The vest comes with a cleaning lens cloth on a leash. Teeny pocket for that extra SD card. Elastic band in one of the pockets to hold that bottle of water. iPhone/iPod pockets with a wiring holding system to keep the headphone wires out of your way. I love this vest!

For this trip, I have also purchased Hidden Cargo pants and a TEC shirt, also from ScotteVest. These garments have extra pockets, which will make carrying stuff much easier.

I'm on the fence about bringing my 120 Zeiss Ikon Nettar folder, along with a lightweight Velbon tripod. I shot with this combo during a trip I took to Spain. It is a great combination. I was using it for my night photography series. I think it may not be as good an idea to wander around Beijing and Guangzhou in the middle of the night taking photos. I would anticipate difficulty explaining myself to the authorities, and I may not feel up to dragging it around with me because of the extra weight.

Backpack, not a shoulder bag for my gear. We plan on doing lots of walking, and a shoulder bag becomes very painful after a few hours. That's why the vest is important. It keeps key cameras at hand, without having to unsling the backpack. I am getting trip insurance for this trip, mostly in case we need emergency medical evacuation.

Next time I will discuss what clothing I am selecting for the trip, though I've already discussed my Scottevest clothing.

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Comments

[Pink Panther]

Hi Kai...enjoying reading your blog and of course the DIY videos. Looks like you have a very good system for world travel. I will need to check this out. I'm totally new to toy cameras so any suggestions are helpful to me. Waiting for my new Holga 120CFN and Diana F+ with 35mm back. Anxious to see how your China photos turn out!

[Jordan Shoes]

Great content and it's so helpful for me. But it's so weird that you blog is in a mess through my explorer. Is that my explorer problem? But it's pretty normal when exploring

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[kaiy]

Hi Jordan Shoes,

I'm not sure why the blog is a mess with explorer. If it is an older version, that may be part of the problem.