Hi,
we are going on a 2 years bicycle trip across Africa. Our planned route is:
Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa.
We'd like to take photos on slide film on the way (approx. 3 films per week) but don't want to carry 300 film rolls with us.
So the question is:
Are slide films easily available along this route? Or are there only special places? And what do the films cost?
We guess in touristy places like Cairo, Kenya (and of course South Africa) it would not be that much of a problem to get them.
But what about places like Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, etc.?
Does anyone have experiences with that? Also what slide films are available (Fuji, Kodak, ...) and what about their quality?
Thanks a lot in advance for your help! :-)
Michael & Silke
No experience in countries you mention but last Nov in Morocco could not find slide film, not even in Marrakesh.
Maybe I was unlucky, I would take enough to get by & stock up when you get the chance!
C
I'd plan on carrying a decent load of film with you, and plan to replenish periodically when you hit larger cities or will be in a place for a period of time you are confident you could purchase film online and have it delivered. If you remove the film from the cannisters and store it sealed well in doubled-up ziploc freezer bags, it doesn't occupy that much room and isn't overly heavy. I've trekked with several hundred rolls of 35mm and 120 film, and while there's no doubt it is extra baggage, is always worth it to me.
I'm certain you'll get it in South Africa.
Unlikely in Mozambique or zimbabwe (could be lucky though but the country was pretty bad 2 years ago and has got worse).
Kenya probably somewhere in Nairobi.
I doubt it. Africa is going digital as well. There is no local market for it. The average stores will stock middle-of-the-road cheap film...kept at 25C+. Your best bet to find slide film...in safari oriented businesses, including top-end hotels in Capital cities. Outside SA, Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam I think it's going to be trouble. Perhaps cross-post on the Africa branch. PS what are you going to do with used film...mail it home? Can't imagine you traveling with 160 rolls of film in your bag.
I know you "want" to shoot slide film.
Just checking to make sure you know that you could shoot digital and then have slides made from your best digital captures? That would give you the ability to do traditional slide shows.
Shooting digital would be less expensive, more convenient, and you could take your best shots, edit them to make them even better, and then transfer them to film.
Your trip. Your call.
Also remember that slide film is sensitive to heat which can adversely affect the emulsion.
Hi all,
thanks a lot for your input! :-)
to straightnochaser: yes, we want to send the rolls home, as we did on previous trips.
to Bob: Well, the reason why we are asking about slide film is that we would like to use an old analogue camera (Canon A-1 or such) where you still have to work with a rangefinder instead of autofocus, not all these programs, the picture is take when you press the button not 2 seconds later (so all in all it's because of that different, oldfashiioned handling feeling) + be able to show some slides at home. We know we can make slides from the digital images - thanks for the hint, anyway! :-)
So right now it looks as if we would really would have to take a digital camera with us.
In fact we found 2 digital dslr's with rangefinder (Epson R-D1, Leica M8), but at 1.800 EUR and 4.200 EUR they are "a bit" out of our price range.
Maybe someone has another idea (say, up to ~ 1.000 EUR)??
Thanks again!
Michael & Silke
Long shutter lag with digital cameras is basically a thing of the past. Basically all dSLRs, and some fixed-lens digitals are just as fast as film cameras.
While all digital cameras (IIRC) have auto focus, many can be manually focused. And remember that rangefinders are very poor choices for macro and telephoto work.
Things do break. I don't leave home without a backup camera. (Didn't with film either.)
I'd suggest buying your backup first. Grab one now and shoot the hell out of it. Cut your digital teeth. Get your digital chops together. (OK, I haven't had my coffee yet.)
Find out what you can't do or have a hard time doing with your backup and that will tell you a lot about what you want in your main camera.
Look for a good compact digital for your backup. I'm partial to the Fujis due to their low light ability, but there are tons of great small digitals. A compact is also handy for shooting in places where you don't want to flash a big, expensive looking camera.
I carry a Fuji F10 and ended up shooting the last half of a long trip with it when my main camera went tits up. I was very pleased with the quality of the shots I got, disappointed only in the lack of more telephoto.
For your main camera you may want a dSLR, you may want a superzoom (fixed-lens digital with a huge zoom range), or you may just want a better compact. But best to spend the smaller amount first.
Budget in some storage. You could get a compact, dSLR with a couple of lenses, and storage for your proposed budget or only a bit more.
(BTW, you were willing to spend a lot more than 1k Eu on film. 300 rolls x 10 (?) Eu per. Are you already coming into contact with one of the advantages of digital? ;o)
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