Going to Iraq....MP + 35 or 50?

[naos]

I'll be working in Iraq for the next year. I want to keep my load to a minimum. I've already decided to take my MP. But now I'm torn between taking my 35mm Lux Pre-Asph or my 50mm Lux ASPH. I really just want to stick with ones lens for this reportage project. Which would you choose? Also do any of you have any tips for working in a harsh desert environment?

BTW, I will be shooting Tri-X exclusively.

[Bresson]

Why not both?

[Matthew Allen]

For your questions about the conditions, you might try asking this guy:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70355737@N00/page1/

Matthew

[naos]

I want to keep a minimalist setup. I always travel light.

[jbf]

Go with the 35 summilux. It's a standard and proven lens that has made thousands of great reportage shots.

Are you going embedded or unimbedded? Could you possibly talk more about the project iself? I'm really interested. I'd love to see your work once you finish.

[Olsen]

I hardly think that photographing with a fast film will be practical at all in a place like Iraq. Those times have passed. You will have to pass strong scanners several times a day. Even going in and out of your hotel,- or army living quarters. To have 'anything' just slightly suspect being passed outside the scanner; forget it!

[LeicaTom]

Leica + Desert Sand = Junk

I was in the first Gulf War (near the front lines and in the deep desert) and watched a friend`s M6 become junk....

Iraq has some of the finest sand grain in the world, it get`s into everything, even when it`s sealed, take some advice from someone who really knows, go down there with EXPENDABLE Canon or Nikon Digital Equipment, using a Leica in the desert went out in 1943, if you want a heap of useless junk take the MP down there, you will come back with nothing but regret, take a camera that you can throw away after the assignment trust me you will, unless you keep it as a fond memory, while it won`t be able to take photos anymore.....

Tom

[naos]

@ Matt - Thanks for the tip. I almost forgot about Photobizz.
@ jbf - I will showcase my work when complete.
@ Olsen - My gear will be shipped to my quarters before I arrive. I'll be dispatching bi-weekly completed rolls to my developer in the the states par avion. In my experience, scanners / x-rays have only been a problem for me when dealing with exposed 800+ iso.

[naos]

Tom, Thanks for the advice but I'm pretty set on my ways with the MP. It's important for the integrity of this project that a Leica + Tri-X is used.

[helenhill]

I would say a 35...you might want background to dress the foreground


50 save for the portrait FEEL
Best of Luck w/your Project
Cheers!-H

[kdemas]

Best of luck to you for a safe and fruitful assignment, we all look forward to seeing the results of your efforts. I do hope your MP and lens are black, I wouldn't want a nice shiny chrome finish attracting unwanted attention.

As for a lens... probably the 35 if you can only take one. Depending on where you are going (city) you may need the field of view.

Take care,

Kent

[LeicaTom]

Originally Posted by naos

Tom, Thanks for the advice but I'm pretty set on my ways with the MP. It's important for the integrity of this project that a Leica + Tri-X is used.

Good Luck! Be Safe!

.... And prepare for sandstorms, if you are going to be out working "in" the desert, not just in cities etc.

Tom

[35mmdelux]

I would say 35mm lux for me. However I now travel w/ two lenses: 35mm/50mm summis ASPH.

Enjoy, keep your head doown.

[eleskin]

I would go for the 35mm as well. I have the King of Bokeh and have no complaints at all. My 35mm Summicron traveled with me extensvily through all of Egypt, Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip (had it to Russia to during the political turmoil of the 1990's as well), and I can tell you that given the subject matter in that part of the world, this will be your most important focal length. There will always be something of interest in the background or foreground that you will want to tie to the subject you are phtographing, and the 35mm will give you excellent depth of field in bright desert conditions. When opened up to f 2.0, you will be able to get very close to your subjects for intimate portraits. This one lens will allow you to travel very light so you will not be distracted and tied down with costly equipment. you can hide it well to for your own security.

Good luck,
Ed

[capitalK]

You can crop the 35mm to approximate the FOV of the 50mm. You may not be able to step back to get a wider view with the 50.

Oops, I forgot the "C" word is a bad word around here.

[Tom A]

I would take the 35f1.4 and I would also take a UV filter for it. The sand in the middle east is incredibly fine, almost talcum powder like. It also gets a bit charged and sticks to every thing, including front elements.
Make it a rule to clean out the camera every night (bring a couple of small brushes to clean the inside and also check the helicoil on the lens on a regular basis. Sand thends to migrate there and it can jam it up). Also keep unexposed and exposed film in resealable plastic bags - and it might not be a bad idea to bring some larger ones for storing the camera during sand and dust storms. With only one lens along, the only time you are likely to get sand or dust in the camera is when you reload anyway.
One problem you might encounter is extreme heat and keep the camera shaded as it can become very hot inside the topcover and this can cause lubricants to vaporize and "fog" the finder. Also keep it out of direct sunlight hitting the lens and "burning" the shutter. Nothing worse than having pinholes showing up on every shot! In desert light, this can happen quickly too.
I would not rely on one body for a trip like this. At least bring another body as a back-up (even an old M2 or M4P will do). Nothing worse than having the camera "conk" out on you after a short time and having to go through the hassle of replacing it from far away.
Murphy's law applies here. If you only have one body - it will fail at some time. If you have a backup - it will probably go through the whole year with nary a hiccup!
As you are shooting "blind" - have the lab report back to you if they see something weird on the negs, shutter speeds gumming up from sand, focus off from rangefinder de-alignment etc.
Apart from that, keep your head down and travel safely.

[eleskin]

I traveled with an M6 and an M4-2, Winder, a 28mm Elmarit, a 35mm Summicron, and a 50mm Sumicron, 400 rolls of Delta 400, lots of batteries, and UV filters for all my lenses.

I used a canvas sack and had a plastic bag with a rubber band inside for dust. I also covered my cameras with black electrical tape to prevent theft and damage. Egypt was a big problem once in that one of the sail boat operators near the Aswan high Dam flooded the boat and out I went with all of the above equipment into the Nile river.
Sherry Krauter got a hold of my stuff when I returned, and said "that wa the cleanest dunking I ever saw" meaning that part of the Nile had pure water. No rust, onnly clean, dry and 2 new shutters. They still work. That was in 1993!!!! This is another point!!!

The unexpected can happen in this part of the world. Be prepared. People are generally nice, especially if you show interest in their customs and foods. I always had the attitude of an open mind, and that I am the student, and they were the teachers. Nobody wants an ugly American with a German Camera. Make sure you have a spare system hidden in your hotel safe, or with a friend. I would have a 35mm Sumicron as a backup to your other 35. In 1946, my father was in the Navy, and was at a port call in Alexandria Egypt. He was at a bar, and a man with a motorcycle offered him a ride. A mile or so down the road, he tried to kill my dad by pushing him off the bike. My dad (Joe) held on to the man saying igf he dies, so will the guy that tried to kill him. Funny how when I went there decades later, history repeated itself!!!

[wlewisiii]

Given your otherwise quite traditionalist setup, I'd say that the appropriate lens is the 50mm as it's the ultimate standard lens - both for 35mm & Leica specific reportage. The two foot zoom will suffice for the rest.

William

[raid]

Each day, you have to dust off everything inisde any home in Iraq. It is simply impossible to keep out dust. There is a layer of redish dust on the table, on the desk, on the floor,....

Take something that works well when covered in dust every day.

[Steve Bellayr]

Considering the dust problem: You might want to take 2 cameras & two lenses in case one set goes down, which seems probable. Good luck & be careful. Expectations are that after December 2008 conditions will deteriorate.

[gavinlg]

Consider an Olympus E-3 (or if you don't want to spend so much, an olympus E-1) and the 12-60 SWD lens as a backup. They're basically weatherproof/sandproof.

[FrankS]

Perhaps a Nikonos V with 35mm lens as a backup.

[jbf]

Originally Posted by LeicaTom

Leica + Desert Sand = Junk

I was in the first Gulf War (near the front lines and in the deep desert) and watched a friend`s M6 become junk....

Iraq has some of the finest sand grain in the world, it get`s into everything, even when it`s sealed, take some advice from someone who really knows, go down there with EXPENDABLE Canon or Nikon Digital Equipment, using a Leica in the desert went out in 1943, if you want a heap of useless junk take the MP down there, you will come back with nothing but regret, take a camera that you can throw away after the assignment trust me you will, unless you keep it as a fond memory, while it won`t be able to take photos anymore.....

Tom

Tell that to this guy:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/70355737@N00/


He's shot with a wide variety of Leica (M7, M6, etc) in Iraq for over two years so far and his gear is still running strong.

[Frank Petronio]

I'd take a Pelican case with a ton of film and a dozen Olympus Styli. Just tell everyone you used a Leica. Good luck with the "calm, responsible" withdrawl.

[pachuco]

Is this a serious post? I mean this with all respect (sometimes folks like to play games on here!) and a genuine curiosity. If so, I assume you are with the military or are damn good or have a great and patient editor, or all of the above! Why you would want to take a Leica to Iraq is beyond me but more power to you! Good luck, stay safe, and bring lots of tape. Oh, and my vote is for the 35mm Summilux.....in a bag next to your Canon 1Ds Mark III