Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/05/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dave Mason asked << Can anyone with experience offer some advice on high altitude mountain photography? I have an R3 with a 35mm, 50mm ,and 90mm - I should experience a great deal of light if the weather is good as there are large glaciers. Should I stick with a 100 ISO? Should I work mostly with the 35mm? Any tips on composition? Are there any risks to my camera at altitude (besides dropping it off the side)? >> Dave, Travel light! I'd leave the 50 and 90 behind. My favourite camera for climbing etc is an M with a 35 mm or a Rollei 35T (not the TE - more difficult to use one-handed because it doesn't have the external meter needle) which has a 40 mm lens. The simple lens performs well in contrasty bright conditions. Many second-hand R35s have dings because they were the most popular climber's camera by far and lived near the chocks, pegs and screws festooned around the harness. ISO 100 is fine, except for the fact that it isn't Kodachrome. In the hills (traditional British climber-speak for what others call mountains) I've not used anything other than Kodachrome 64 since it became available - and that is what I would suggest using. Given the number of sharp metal objects arranged about your person and all other things to worry about (smearing sun cream everywhere, falling off, getting scared, being sick, avoiding falling rock and ice, psyching out, losing the route etc etc) I add a protective filter, usually an 81A to warm up the harsh blue light. In bright light on ice or snow I choose a patch of the sky or my hand to meter on. At dawn and dusk I meter off the snow itself. Moonlight is about 4 minutes at f3.5 with K64, starlight about 30 minutes. For self-timer and long exposures I carry a little ball head that fastens into a hole in the blade of my axe or the tip of a mountain ski. Don't be afraid to shoot into the sun, or even to have the sun in the frame, but do take care of your eyes. Enjoy the magic, fleeting, aethereal moments of wonder and don't worry too much about trying to record them. They are themselves eternal. Regards, Malcolm PS Don't eat the yellow snow.