On 8/28/05, Mark Roberts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Getting ready for my bicycle trip in France next week. I depart Friday > and I'm now deciding what camera gear to bring. I'll obviously be > traveling very light on the bicycle (I'm thinking just ist-D and 43 > Limited) but we're having most of out gear transported from one hotel to > the next for us so I can have more lenses and a lightweight tripod > available for around town shooting after we reach the day's destination. > > I've made one decision already: No zooms. I do love my FA* zooms and the > Tamron 17-35 and Vivitar 70-210 S1, and I end up using zooms most of the > time for my "work" shooting. So much so that I want to deliberately > eschew all zooms for this recreational trip, even though I expect to be > going after some sellable shots while I'm there. Should be fun. I'll > bring the Pentax 20, 24, 31 and 43. I don't think I'll bring a 50 this > time. Oddly enough, the only long prime I have (other than the 300/2.8, > which *will* be staying home!) is a 200/4.0 Cosina. It's a "pre-A" lens, > so I'd guess it to be late 70's or early 80's vintage. Lovely > construction and really nice optical characteristics (at least when > stopped down - I haven't tried it wide open yet). > > Should be fun... as long as I can scrape by on my (very) minimal French > language skills :-) >
How are you transporting your bike? Does your airline charge extra for bikes? Most do. I would say that it's worth renting a proper hardshell case for it - many bike shops will rent them for about $50 a week. When I was sitting waiting to debark at Laguardia, I had a birdseye view of the luggage handlers taking oversized packages off the conveyer and putting them on the luggage carts. The hardshell cases were ~placed~ on the carts. The bikes in cardboard boxes and bags were thrown, pedals and handlebars sticking through the cartons and all. With your lovely new Jamis, I wouldn't take a chance... Of course, maybe you'll be renting bikes over there. <g> cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
