A rail journey around India, beginning & ending in Mumbai...

A rail journey around India, beginning & ending in Mumbai...

Saturday 22 February 2014

Deciding which camera to use to shoot the journey....

The nominees are.....
          Major decision to be taken. Which camera to take on the trip? I have recently become quite immersed in the hobby of photography. Spending too much time reading “Dummies” books from the local library, but learning that there is so much more to a good photograph than 'point and shoot'. To TAKE a picture, or MAKE a picture.... that is the question!
India is maybe the ultimate country destination in terms of  intensity of sights, colours and human activity. For this reason, I believe is worth a little time to consider how I should try to capture my memories of crowded streets, Hindu temples,  Raj era railway stations and the lives of some of the billion people on the sub-continent with whom I shall cross paths.
            My Christmas present was a Canon Rebel T3. As an entry-level DSLR, likely adequate for anything within my range of capabilities, especially with a few choice add-ons.  Heavier and requiring a fair size bag to haul around during long hot sight-seeing days, maybe a chore. This low-end Canon camera of 2014, packs more technology than a $5000 high-end model of circa 2000.
          Since 2012, my regular pocket sized, long-term camera friend has been a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. This camera accompanied me on my walk up the River Rhine, surviving much rain, even snow, plus absorbing 1100 kms. vibration on many cobbled streets. Light-weight, easy to use and proven to take clear pictures through the Leica lens, also sports optical 12x telephoto. The MAJOR drawback of this and all point & shoot cameras is the LCD screen as view-finder. OK in-doors, on cloudy days and fine in low light situations, the LCD image is almost impossible to frame in strong sunlight---likely very prevalent in India.
         After much equivocation, the winner is......... the Lumix point & shoot. Light-weight portability wins the day, plus the fact that the camera is less tourist pretentious and hopefully makes me less attractive to any potential 'snatch & grab' street hoodlums.

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Arrangements progressing...

        Trip arrangements are proceeding. As part of usual routine prior to my long journeys, I
Jostling crowd for tickets.....
tend to read a lot, hopefully picking up  useful travel strategies from recent travellers to India. Whenever a useful item turns up, I include it in my tentative 'must take' list. My solo travel experience has been that failure to include seemingly inconsequential items in travel baggage can lead to frustrations---spare batteries, string for an impromptu hotel room washing line, pegs, soap dish and even Scotch tape. I recently learned that a monopod (as opposed to tripod) is useful in India. In Asia, many sights and scenes are frequently blocked due to the sheer number of people. Attach the monopod to the camera, extend the monopod 30 inches and shoot pictures over the heads of the crowds. Monopods also useful for the solo traveller to fire off a few "selfies" in front of major monuments!
       The nuances of world currency swings often seem arcane and remote as reported on the evening TV news. The latest buzz word is “tapering” and whilst designed for the US, it is hitting emerging economies (BRIC+ Indonesia) hard. The Indian rupee was rocked in September '13 and slumped sharply. Not being a very fleet footed currency trader, I missed a great buying opportunity ($1Cdn= 60 IR). Six months later & the $Canadian also has hit a period of weakness due to softening world commodity prices and the rate for rupees has dropped to $1Cdn =52 IR.
          Using the most useful “India Train Info “ app., I have been able to identify hopefully, the most appropriate trains to aim for as I move along my inter-city route. Cannot be sure of course, just how reliable the timetable data that I have collected really is. Hopefully worth-while, as at least I now have a specific train in mind when I come to confront the booking clerk who recommends a 3.15am departure. The reality is that actual ticket/reservation arrangements will frequently have to be made at very crowded, noisy & hot local Indian Railways ticket booths.