Keep F5 or get a D1X?

[Jerome]

> Hi,
>
> You helped me with Nikon advice on AFS lenses on the HUBB a few weeks
> ago.
>
> I was wondering if I could ask you another question.
>
> I'm motorcycling up from Cape Town in a few months and already have an
> F5, 28-70, 80-200, 17-35 and 300 lenses which are all 2.8's..(I may
> leave the 300 and 2x at home) I'm tempted by the D1X because of
> the storage advantages / deleting shots
> i dont want and not having to worry about film spoiling.
>
> The choices are digital wallet or a small laptop with built in cd rw.
>
> Having made the change what would you advise?


First off: Could I have some of your gear? please?

Seriously now, I'm constantly amazed at the quality and amount of gear
people end up gathering. Wow. I think you'd be right leaving some stuff
behind: 300 and 2x, although I'd also leave the 28-70 and -maybe- substitute
for a fast fixed 50 (I know, people loath 50's because they're hard, but
once you learn...). The trick is being a minimalist, most of my personal
travel photography is done with a 24-120 and a 14mm (keep in mind the 1.5x
factor with the D1X), an SB-28DX, and very little else, spare battery,
polarizer, cable for off-shoe flash, and _sometimes_ a tripod.

Regarding "the jump": I'd say you have to do your own homework, and ask as
many people as possible. I'm going to be sincere with you: don't. I
positively love the D1x, in fact, my F3's and F4's see very little use now,
even the 6x7. But I wouldn't take it motorbiking long distance just yet.
Here's why:

-You need to recharge batteries every night. Three minimum. The charger is
bulky as hell, by the way.

-You also need at least a couple gigabytes memory, even with the digital
wallet. That wallet scares the shit out of me, by the way. weeks of
unrepeatable pics in a hard drive in the top case of my bike while across
Africa, risking failure, theft, vibration, impact, and heat? without backup?
yikes!

-Travelling with a laptop is definitely not for me. Palm-type machine for
email, games, music and books, yes, laptop, no thanks.

-After it all, you need a finely tuned monitor, a cool printer, and _hours_
of time to go through all your pics delicately tweaking each one of them
into perfection. Call me anal, but I can't just let them be. They have to be
perfect.

-Digicams are the pits for long exposure night shots (a pet peeve of mine,
since I do a lot of that).

-D1x, with accesories, is more than twice as expensive as F5 - and you
already have one of those, don't you?

I would go film for that. The fact that other technologies are here doesn't
mean the old ones are useless. I got married last year: did I take one of my
digitals with me on our trip? nah - F4 and a small metal compact.

Long trips away from base are tough with digital. For everything else, I'm
all D1x!

Hope this helps, but your mileage may vary!

Best,

Roberto.

PS: If you don't mind, could you please post these messages on the HUBB
photo forum? I believe many people would benefit from reading it.


[This message has been edited by Jerome (edited 23 February 2002).]