How many times have you spread out your gear next to your luggage and thought, which cameras am I bringing? This can be one of the hardest decisions when you're a camera person like myself.
How many times have you seen images like the one below ? I can’t remember when I took this but it was years ago and I was headed somewhere good! Also this was before I got back into large format.
I am headed back to the southwest to visit family but also to do a rim to rim hike in the Grand Canyon. For those who are unfamiliar, a rim to rim is when you hike from one side of the canyon to the other. You can start from the south, the more popular route, or the north, but the goal is hiking the 25-ish miles to the other side. Some real nutty people do a rim to rim to rim which is south to north back to south. Or the reverse, starting from the north.
Our Rim to Rim. This is one of the more popular routes.
Now back to the dilemma at hand: what to bring for camera gear? This hike includes two days of camping, so that means not only cameras in the backpack but tent, sleeping bag, food and with this being a very dry and hot location, lots of water. The water sources in the canyon can’t always be relied on so you need enough to get to the next water source. It’s recommended to carry at least a full gallon. That’s 8 lbs. Add the camping gear, food for a two day trek, safety gear/headlamp, clothes, and the weight of the pack itself. So as you can see it starts to add up real quick. Without any camera we are already looking at 25-30 lbs with the water.
Just a few options. The 4x5 is not in this photo. That is at my studio for unknown reasons.
Let’s have a look at my options:
The 8x10 Deardorff. Not a chance. Maybe if I could hire some pack mules.
5x7, Still really big and gear intensive. The holders are large and heavy. Yes, I hike with it all the time but that’s just the camera and safety gear. I did an overnight with this camera once. The pack was pushing 50 lbs. I’m not doing that again.
The 4x5…you could probably pull this off but you would still be adding a minimum of 15lbs to the pack. And that's with only one lens and maybe five holders. Space is a concern with this and the reality is you would be hiking 25 miles with only 5 holders (10 shots). Unless you brought more film and a changing bag which is more weight. I leave this one for the day hikes.
So now we are at the medium format options. I have my newly acquired Kiev 88, which is a strong possibility but it is about as heavy as a brick. I also have a crummy Yashika twin lens–that's not the best option as most of the images I get from it are soft or have camera shake unless you're really careful. And then we have the digital options. Which I’m not opposed to. I shoot digital for commercial work so I have a full suite of nice gear and lenses. And I have the really cool and fun Fuji X100T. I love this little camera. It’s light and can fit anywhere.
This post is doing double duty. It’s discussing the plight of most photo nerds but it's also allowing me to think this through out loud. I’m leaning towards the little Fuji and the Kiev 88. It’s adding about ten lbs but that may be manageable. The jury is still out. I have another day to decide. Maybe I won't bring anything and just enjoy being in the Grand Canyon…HAHA that’s not happening.
What would you bring on a trip like this? Share in the comments below.
These three panoramics are from the last rim to rim I did back in 2019 shot with the Fuji X100T. These are pretty great. It’s been a few years since I looked at them. Maybe I’ll just go light and only bring that.
The last day, grabbing the car from the south rim. Looking north. Shot with the Fuji X100T. May 2019
View from the North Rim. Shot with the Fuji X100T. May 2019
Thunderstorm view from the South Rim. Shot with the Fuji X100T. May 2019