RE: [Leica] Gear selection for mountaineering

[chucko@siteconnect.com (Chuck Albertson)]

Jim---
	I haven't climbed much lately, but I always carry as little photographic
gear as possible on a climb --- a Rollei 35, a CL or a M6 with a wide-angle.
Very occasionally a short telephoto. Adams isn't particularly difficult by
the (standard) "Lunch Counter" route, particularly at this time of the
season. But you'll be moving up from about 6000 feet to 12,200 feet
elevation fairly quickly, you don't want to be weighed down by a lot of
glass (in addition to video gear), and you'll be breathing too hard to hold
a telephoto steady. Besides, I never really saw much up there that was worth
a long lens --- hazy plains to the east, hazy clear-cuts to the west, hazy
views of the Columbia to the south. *Maybe* the views of Rainier and St.
Helens, if the light's good. If you get to the summit before sunrise, a
great shot is the shadow of the mountain stretching out to the coast.

If there's much snow on the upper reaches of the mountain, remember to
adjust your exposure for that. If there isn't much snow, bring a lens brush
for all the pumice that flies around there. Make sure you can operate
whatever camera you take with gloves on -- the freezing level is around the
summit right now, but it will likely drop by next month. Spare batts are a
must, especially for anything auto.

Chuck Albertson
Seattle, Wash.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Jim Laurel
> Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 1998 9:01 PM
>
> Hello all,
> I'm shooting a feature article next month as a part of a mountaineering
> party climbing Mount Adams here in Washington.  Since climbing
> isn't really
> my thing, I'm wondering if anyone on the list might be able to
> advise me on
> the gear selection.  I will also be shooting a series of surround videos.
>
> Does it make sense to haul around an SLR on this trip, so I can
> have access
> to a longer tele lens?  When climbing, is a manual camera a
> hassle, or is it
> typically no problem to fumble around with exposure settings on
> the glacier?
>
> Any comments appreciated.
>
> --Jim Laurel
>
>
>
>