What to pack for a trip to Myanmar?

[bheemsen]

Hi all

I'm going to Myanmar for two weeks soon, and want to start planning what to bring of my photography gear. I want to be able to shoot various things such as landscape, portraits, timelapse and some video.

The gear I have available to bring is 5d4, 16-35 f2.8, 24-105, 70-200 f2.8, 100-400mm, 35mm f1.4 sigma art and 50mm f1.4 sigma art.

My main thought is to bring the (almost) holy trinity, but I'm thinking of swapping the 70-200 with the 100-400. One thing is for certain, I can't take both. I could invest in a 2x tele converter to access f2.8 if needed combined with the 70-200.

Very uncertain if I should bring a prime or not. All of this comes together with various filters and a travel tripod.

It's waay to heavy to bring everything, and I'm interested to hear your thoughts on what you would prioritize 🙂

11 Comments

[kvbarkley]

Pack your galoshes. And good rain protection for your gear

That said, if you are mainly in the forest, the longer telephoto won't buy you much.

What are you planning on shooting?

[ebiggs1]

This is what you need,

the 5D Mk IV

ef 16-35mm f2.8L

ef 24-70mm f2.8L, and

ef 70-200mm f2.8L (take a 1.4x tel-con if you must, I woldn't take any extender)

There is no way on this earth I would take the100-400mil in favor of the 70-200mm. No way!

"with various filters"  What filters?  If they are not protecto filters forget'em.  Leave them as a first item to drop.

"uncertain if I should bring a prime"  No, not needed at all.

"a travel tripod"  Hmm, I doubt it but I'm OK with it.

"It's waay to heavy to bring everything,..."

Is this a travel restriction or is it your personal limitation?  If it is not a travel restriction, I would drop the ef 16-35mm and get a Tamron 150-600mm G2.  Personally heavy gear doesn't bother me. You just get use to it over the years of carrying it. My last big trip bag included two 1 series bodies the ef 24-70mm f2.8L, Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 S and the Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 S.

Pretty heavy bag even for me! I rarely take a tripod and I didn't on that trip.  There is usually something you can lean on or put the camera on to steady it if need be. 

I know you will have a great time.  SHow some shots when you get back.

[Waddizzle]

I suggest camera rain gear x2, at least 4 spare batteries and memory cards.

As for which lenses to take: the 16-35 f/2.8, and the 70-200mm f/2.8.  If you do not have a flash, then take the 35mm f/1.4.  You might want to shoot indoors or in low light.  A tripod is always good to have, but they are not very useful for walking around.  The better investment would be a 1.4x III, so that you could use it with your 100-400, too.

I frequently use my 100-400mm IS II USM as a walk around lens, because of its’ unusually short MFD for a super telephoto.  But, I am pretty tall, so I can get away with pointing down at stuff that most folks probably could not.

[wq9nsc]

My 70-200 2.8 goes with me pretty much wherever I take a camera and I would not consider leaving it behind on a trip.  The 24-105 F4 would be on my short list also and with the full frame 5D4 it should be wide enough to cover everything needed. Toss the 2X in for use with the 70-200 if you run into a situation where you need the reach. 

Shoot using both card slots and keep one set separate from the other in case of theft or loss. 

There will always be situations where another lens would be the perfect choice but the 70-200 and 24-105 should adequately cover every situation you are likely to experience.  Traveling with too much stuff slows you and your photography too much; focus on capturing the image and not worrying about which lens would be optimal for a given situation (as the car racers say, "you run what you brung").

Myanmar is a much safer destination than it was just a few short years ago but do be cognizant of what is in frame, especially using a lens like the 70-200 which will attract some attention.  Security forces tend to get a little antsy about being photographed so be careful who you irritate, if you want to take photos of any police or security forces or buildings get permission first.  When I spent time in Cuba in 2000, on several occasions different federal groups wanted to be photographed but I was often traveling with a friend who was a well known member of the government which made a big difference.  In one small village while traveling alone local officials became very upset when I took some photos of a small grocery store which was probably because of the clearly displayed pricing board used in order to claim that no official food rationing existed.  For example one dinner roll was extremely cheap but the second one was around a full week's salary for the average worker and this was true of most food products.

Rodger