It was an interesting task for me to work out what gear to bring with the limitations of luggage and the need to be truly capable of mobile photographically. I knew there was a lot of photos to be taken, and if I didnt process whilst I was taking them I would never be able to get through a backlog. This required me to be very picky about what I was to bring and what I was to pick up whilst overseas.
Camera wise I eventually settled on:
-Nikon D700 (last minute purchase after handling the D800 and deciding I preferred the D700, a welcome purchase as I helped with lens choice greatly)
-Tamron SP 28-75mm f/2.8 (a recent addition to the kit, purchased with the intention of being a lightweight alternative to the Nikkor 24-70, which proved to be invaluable for this trip)
-Nikon J1 + 10mm f/2.8 (I debated over bringing this or the Samsung EX1 - they are the same size, the Nikon provides better quality, but the EX1 is no slouch and provides more zoom)
-Nikkor 30-110mm (last minute addition courtesy of a friend that works for Nikon - proved to be quite handy)
Whilst I was over there I added the following to the kit:
-Nikkor AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8 (the only planned purchase, proved to be my favourite lens during the trip, I question why I didnt invest in a UWA earlier)
-Nikkor AF-S 40mm f/2.8 DX Macro (impulse buy, but proved to be useful right at the end of the trip)
-Nikon FT-1 Adaptor (as above)
-Nikon EN-EL20 (proved to be a necessity as the J1 chews through its battery rather quickly if your forget to charge)
-Nikon EN-EL4a + BL-3 (not useful for the trip, but will be useful from here on in)
As for computing power I lugged my Asus U36SD (Core i7 2.7 - 3.4, 8gb RAM, 1.6kg, 13") + WD 2.5" external drive and a 7" Toshiba AT1S0 tablet. The U36 was brilliant for processing, proving to be almost as powerful as my desktop computer when it came to processing. The tablet was incredibly useful for entertainment in flight and for maps/GPS duties.
All of this was packed in a Fastpack 350 and a Acme Made laptop bag.
I packed my Sirui T2205X + K10X carbon fibre tripod into my checked luggage. This tripod proved to be very useful and the light weight nature of it made it a dream to lug around on those longer days which seemed to be the only days that the tripod saw use.
Photographically, the D700 saw a lot of use during my two days in Macau, and on my free roaming days in HK. The J1 proved to be worth its weight in gold for family gatherings and in Singapore where I was headed out into different parts of town without attracting too much attention. I think this was largely influenced by my attraction to hawker centres in Singapore, where a big DSLR would attract a lot of unwanted attention. I did manage to catch the iLight festival in Singapore, where the D700 and tripod proved their worth again.
Unlike my last trip (Feb 2011) my camera gear survived almost unscathed, with the exception of one SD card that decided to split, but it remained serviceable.
Most of my photos are snapshots and food images, mainly to satiate the demands of my girlfriend who was left behind (Visa issues), but I did manage to get some passable images whilst I was away.
Nikon J1 + 10mm f/2.8
Nikon J1 + 30-110mm
Nikon D700 + Tamron 28-75mm
Nikon D700 + Tamron 28-75mm
Nikon D700 + Tamron 28-75mm
Nikon D700 + Tamron 28-75mm
Nikon D700 + 17-35mm
Nikon J1 + 10mm
Nikon D700 + 17-35mm + B+W ND10
Nikon D700 + 17-35mm
Nikon D700 + 17-35mm (HDR)
Nikon J1 + FT1 + DX 40mm f/2.8 Macro
